Mama hates Mondays....

I had so much fun knitting this monster up! Malcolm the Monday Monster is a new pattern from Rebecca Danger in the latest issue of Knit Simple magazine, Fall 2011 issue.

My monster, which I've decided is pretty much me.. in monster form, can't quite function without that first cuppa joe. "Instant human, just add coffee" well, this is what I look like before I've had any caffeine ... ye-ow! Notice that artsy fartsy hand painted mug? That's a Jakey original and I adore it to bits. He made that for me at the rip ol'age of 6 and if you look closely you can make out M O M at the bottom of the mug ... awwwwwwwwwww ♥

Mama hate's Monday's monster was knit with the rest of my Dancing Dog Dye Works club yarn - Tropical Twist in Twist Sock. I divided the yarn in half and matched up the stripe sequence so I could knit w/the yarn held double for a DK weight. I used all but about 4 yards - talk about cutting it close! The safety eyes are from Etsy seller 6060 - this monster used 9mm.

If you hate Monday's as much as I do, knit one of these little monsters and you're sure to start your week off with a smile!

Ravel me~

school is out, summer is here and socks have been knit

The first day of summer has arrived.   We survived the last year of elementary school and after 2 and a half months off, the Middle School experience will begin... (gulp!)  The 5th grade promotion was damp! not rainy but a steady misting that left all the seats wet and most of us huddling under trees or umbrellas.  He's growing up & moving on..... I can still remember his first day of school - Where does the time go?!

When did this little guy

Grow into this?! I blinked and 6 years flew by :(



He made it and we are very proud of him --- although, I'll be honest..not looking forward to those hormonal, moody teenage years ahead!

On to knitting!

Summer of socks???

Maybe not to wear... but definitely to knit! Socks are the perfect summer knitting project - small, portable & fun!

I signed up for Dancing Dog Dyeworks sock club and received my first installment of fantabulous summery sock yarn in Tropical Twist - a self-striping colorway!



and look at the goodies - sour watermelon sucker, Soak Wash sampler & a pretty sock/lace stitch marker from AG mode

I'm a sucker for self-striping and cast-on immediately. Plain vanilla cuff down w/afterthought heels and matchy-matchy stripes of course. ;P

Ravel me!





Love those big thick stripes and tropical, summery colors! Another fantastic colorway from the fab Michelle (woolylove on Ravelry) the fiber artist behind Dancing Dog Dye Works~

Happy first day of summer~

Old & Rusty

Let's see if I can still remember how to do this....Making no promises of how often I will post, I am always enthusiastic when I return to blog, so remaining ever optimistic.

This entry will be short & sweet.  A while back, I was asked to test knit a pattern that has been recently published in Petite Purls 2011 Summer edition by Angela Tong aka Oiyi on Ravelry.

The pattern is Mao - the Chinese word for Cat and is worked seamlessly in the round, top down.

Here is my take on Angela's design - meet El Gato~

so how do say 'Meow' in Spanish?  ;P

Follow this link if you'd like to visit my projects page on Ravelry for detail on this project~

I'd like to thank the academy....

the Bobcademy over on Ravelry and all the peeps that nominated & voted for me!  I won for 'Most Original Ravelry Name' How cool is that?  and look at my super awesome Bob trophy/badge - I love it!!!  Thanks guys!

Alright, so I've been knitting & crocheting & knitting some more.  I've been juggling projects, but I managed to get everything done on time, so I feel especially pleased with myself!

When I posted last I was working on Zach-Attack's blanket and cardi and hat.  I seamed & blocked the day before the shower!  It was so well received and look how fantastic it looks in baby Zach's nursery.  Grandma Penny was so sweet to send me a photo.  

All ready & waiting for that little guy to arrive.




There was more gift knitting - Cabled footies for my sil Anna.  These practically knit themselves - seriously, super quick.  The pattern is from One Skein and knit in worsted weight, they flew off my needles - fyi, that's my poor kid modeling the socks - My sil has teeny feet & my kid has bear paws, so it all worked out in the end!

Lastly, I was contacted by Audrey Knight of AudKnits to knit a sample of her stunning Smock Top Sweater for Knit Picks IDP.  This version is knit in KP Merino Style and it was lovely to work with.  Audrey's design is so classic and isn't that color dreamy? 

 That's it for now - I've just finished up another Mr. Foster Sock Monkey, but I'm beat and I want to watch the latest episode of LOST ☺

When I'm in the mood for a quickie...I turn to hooking~

Yes, I was a hooker before a knitter ... and when there is little time and a big project to tackle, crochet to the rescue!
Exhibit A - I want to make THIS (Raverly link) blanket for a baby shower and I've got just over a week to finish. Lock and load baby! 
I'm off to a good start, so fingers crossed I make it in time!

I've also just finished up a sweet little cardi for baby Zach and time permitting I'm hoping to get a matching hat knit too. The Little Coffee Bean Cardigan is a free pattern on Ravelry. The only mod I made was to lengthen the sleeves.

Lastly, here's a couple of pics from Disneyland... it was freezing cold in (not so) sunny California, so see if you can spot the hand knit item in the wild.....

   

Woof - sometimes even a super cool hat can't fix a really bad hair day ~   

♥ Happy knitting and crocheting ♥

D A N G E R - - - D A N G E R ! ! !

Your circuit board may explode from cuteness overload!

 

 Check out Knit Picks Mr. Roboto kit. I was the lucky tester for this project, and let me just say, with a robo-crazy kiddo @ home, these little guys were ridiculously hard to part with!

 

 I am a total pushover for the red & blue combo - but on a Robot??? serious love~

 

All the little details make these toys really unique and interesting to knit. The intarsia is simple & duplicate stitch adds punches of color to really make the features stand out.

 

Clever construction, cute design and fun to knit. I really enjoyed this project and it's a good thing, cause my robo-nut wants this set, like yesterday!!!

This Mom-bot needs to to reboot and start production~

 

Check out my Raverly projects page for all the yarny info!

And for something totally different......Here's a sneak peek @ my first completed potholder for the March swap.  I love the vintage-y look of it!!!

 

Raverly linky

Merry Christmas!!!!

I've got a million things I should be doing right now.... but, we know how that goes!
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010!  (yikes, that sounds like a sci-fi movie)

Cheers!!!

It was a graveyard smash!

The Monster Mash!!!! I've been busy stockpiling monsters for HalloweenChristmas this year and stash busting like nobodies business to boot! These are just a few of the super cute creations from Danger Crafts (rav linky)

All the patterns are, in addition to being downright adorable, very well written & easy as pie to follow.

Now if you'd like to try your hand at creating a mini monster of your very own ... come join us on Ravelry.

The Danger Crafts Group is brand spank'in new and we are always looking for new members to share in the monster love!

C'mon on by, say 'hello' and check it out. These little guys are addicting and just like that (insert brand name here) potato chip company claims "Bet you can't eat make just one!"

See you on the Rav boards!

** for those not quite willing to fully commit to knitting a full blown monster - why not try a Monster Chunk. All the fun in half the time!

Rabbit hole.....

hello blog! it's been a while.......... Poor little neglected blog.

Poking in to see if it still works, or if the cobwebs & dust bunnies have taken over and set up permanent residence.

Good morning blog! Let's have a cuppa joe, a slice or two of banana bread and (or course) some knitting to try and figure out if I can indeed commit to spending time with you or if I'm the love'm & leave'm type.
time will tell....(baby steps)

On the needles -
Wasabi the Gregarious Pug from Danger Crafts
On the plate -
Banana bread recipe - I added Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips & walnuts.
In the mug - freshly brewed java!!!!

Tangled in Cables

Knit Picks Fall 2008 catalog is out so I'm in the clear to blog about my first official sample knit for them. It was both a fun and challenging piece. At one point I was working from 4 cable charts while simultaneously decreasing the raglan shoulders. The photo's show the process from week to week.
I must have caught the 'cabling' bug, because all my projects after this had some sort of cable work.

Before buttons and blocking.
week 5
week 4

week 3 week 2

week 1
This photo is courtesy of Knit Picks from the Fall 2008 catalog. "Ummm...Excuse me...could someone pull the bottom ribbing down on the model - please???" (Le'Sigh)
Cast on June 16, 2008

Cast off July 28, 2008

Pattern found in Aran Sweater Design by Janet Szabo

Pattern name Raglan Aran Cardigan

Yarn Knit Picks Elegance in 'Salmon' - DK weight Alpaca/Silk Blend

Needles Knit Picks Options size 4

Twist Collective/Ravelympic Showdown!

So I imagine most who read this, knit. That said, if you are not a knitter it will probably sound like I'm speaking a foreign language. Sorry folks, it's all knitting related from here on in. I am currently engaged in a battle of knits. Twist Collective released it's first online issue right before the Olympics. I have been stalking the site ever since I got wind of it on Ravelry and as you can see by my teaser photos, Wisteria was number one on the must knit list.
I also jumped on the Ravelympic band wagon and signed up for three "events" to be completed during the Summer 2008 Olympics. The first was the '"Sock Put'"- basic socks in Vesper self striping goodness. Colorway is Meteor.
The second event is the "Home Stuff Hammer Throw". I cast on the lace cafe curtain from Knit Picks to complete the top part of back door window ensemble. (fancy schmancy for set)
And the third and final event is "WIP's Wrestling" I shall attempt to complete the Advent Calendar I started...um, when did I start this? Anyway, I'm gonna try and finish it, okay.
So right now it looks like a dead heat. Wisteria is currently in the lead, but with the Olympic closing ceremonies fast approaching Cafe curtain and Meteor socks may take the gold. Although, never underestimate the power of early holiday gift knitting. At this point in time, it's anybodies game.