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.

*** Gratuitous Elvis Post ***

Hiya Bashirs Momma!!!! Enjoy this rare appearance by Elm-is. He's a little tattered & worn, but he can still shake his money maker if you tickle him in just the right spot. Dude....I bought this when it first came out. I think that was about 7 years ago!!! You know I'm all over it when the King is involved. :)
Let's now have a moment of silence for the realization that the King lives............
Long live Rock n Roll!!!!
T-shirt from Joe's Crab Shack..........best BBQ crab ever!

This is for You - Bashirs Momma. He Lives!!!!!!!

blogger hates me.

and that's why I'm posting May in July....followed (hopefully sooner rather than later) by June in July and finally July in July. So here we go after spending an eternity waiting for photos to upload. From May.... The lace cafe curtains, originally meant for the bathroom window, found a new home on the back door. This new location will provide me with extra knitting, as I now need a top curtain to complete the ensemble. Lucky me.
For those of you on Ravelry - check out the "Testing Pool" group. I test knit this cute 'Flower Top Tam' for NeedlenHook. It's a great place to get your hands on some really cool patterns from up and coming designers.
Crocheted this for Jakey from Creepy Cute Crochet...emphasis on the 'creepy'. It was late and I was tired, so this poor little guy got overstuffed and has the look of constant panic as a result.

KnitWhits kit for the Ella Crocheted Scarf was my airplane knitting for the Memphis trip. Let me just say that I Love, yes that's a capital L, LoVe this scarf. I've had this kit for a couple of years and finally got around to making it. This is by far one of favorites yet. LOVE IT!
I can't wait to wear this. It turned out so pretty.
Remember this sexy little number??? The bride was thrilled, a little embarrassed, but very appreciative of my foray into knitted lingerie. I don't believe "something blue" actually made it to the wedding ceremony.......but I'm sure made an appearance on the Honeymoon!
I was also busy making garters for the entire wedding party.....35 in all...Here's a pic of two of the designs. I made 5 different styles.

I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee...I'm going to Graceland ~Paul Simon

In the lobby were you buy the tour tickets. Awesome. *** I would like to point out that I am very into kitschy Elvis. Memphis and more specifically Graceland does not share this sentiment. There is not a single item, photo, XXXL jumpsuit to be found of bloated, drug addicted, can't remember the lyrics, karate kicking, sweaty, last days on earth Elvis. Disappointing, but young, toned, sexy Elvis made up for the lack of bloated, slurring, old Elvis....sort of.

I'm not going to bore you with the bazillion photos I took, mostly because it's exactly a billion (I counted) and because they didn't permit a flash, so the quality isn't that hot....but.....here are a few to wet yer whistle. The above photo is the racquetball court that was converted into a shrine of jumpsuits, gold records and all things Elvis. It was something to behold, I mean a girl can only hold it together for so long in the presence of all that polyester and rhinestones. I'm only human.

These next three shots are from an exhibit set up across the street from Graceland. It was so dark inside and again, flash was prohibited so I did my best. This my friends was the cherry on top. All the jumpsuits Elvis wore were hand made....meaning HAND STITCHED! Seriously, the craftsmanship was amazing. Let's face it, Love them or Hate them these costumes are works of art. I can't even begin to imagine the man hours that went into each suit. Crazy!

The dragon was my favorite, but I bet everyone recognizes the famous "Eagle" below.
This is some super cool memorabilia from the Sun Records studio tour.

Also from Sun Records in the office before you entered the actual recording studio.
I guess that's enough Elvis for now. Too much causes eyes to cross and lips to pout.


If you're still with me, I've got a couple more May knits to share. These are my Mc Circle socks knit with 'Seriously' from sKNITches.

This is a fantastic pattern for self-stripping yarn. Just look at that texture!!!
Finally, to end this ridiculously long post are a couple of crocheted flower hot pads I made for Jake's 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. "C" is working on her yellow retro kitchen this summer, so I thought these would fit in perfect.
I have linked quite a few things to Ravelry. If anyone isn't on Ravelry and wants info on any of the items posted here, just leave me a comment and I'd be happy to give you a direct link elsewhere.

*** I would also like to apologize for my lazy blogging. I blame Ravelry. I'm on Ravelry just about every day, so please "friend" me or 'pm' me there. I love seeing what everyone else is working on and Ravelry is a one-stop shop. My user name is NoKnitSherlock.