Stash Busting

After being on Ravelry (an on-line community for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers) for over five years, I finally took advantage of the Stash feature in December of 2014. I took out my entire stash of yarn and photographed it, uploading the photos and information about the yarn (including where it was stored) to Ravelry. What an enormous help that has turned out to be. Now I know exactly what I have (and where it's hiding!). I also browse through my stash photos whenever I feel tempted by pretty, new yarns. Looking through what I already have reminds me to appreciate - and use - what I already own.

For the past thirteen months, I have made a concerted effort to knit up my stash. Not just the new skeins that I just had to have (way back when) and still haven't gotten to, but also all of the partial skeins, bits and bobs left over from other projects. I didn't get around to updating my entire stash library last December, but now as I go I post updated photos. It's so rewarding to see my stock of yarns dwindling down. I truly think I could knit only with the yarn I already have for at least five more years before I even got close to being "out of yarn". 

I am so glad to have gotten out of the (very common) mindset of "have to have it". I felt that way about the yarn I already have, and I still haven't used most of that. Why would I want to keep adding more and more? I am trying to simplify and declutter the rest of my house, and my yarn stash definitely needs the same attention. I have knitted and crocheted up a fair amount of stash yarn in the last thirteen months. I have given some yarn away, and I have even (gasp!) thrown out some horribly scratchy yarn that was given to me years ago with the best of intentions by a lovely knitter. I am continuing in 2016 to happily put into service the beautiful yarn I already own. If I find I don't have something suitable for a specific project, I will buy more yarn. But mostly, I am thinking of projects to make that will use what I already have, and enjoying every moment.

Lady Bountiful Syndrome

"Luckily, the homeless shelters will take everything..."

                          a knitter on Instagram

A knitter posted a picture on Instagram today of a hat that had turned out too small for her, then added the above comment. 

Seriously? 

Unfortunately, I see suggestions of this kind of attitude all the time. On the one hand, many people very kindly put a lot of time and effort into making things for people in need, and that's wonderful. On the other hand, quite a few of those people make no bones of the fact that they are using their, shall we say, less desirable yarns to do so. Often, combining odd balls of yarn left over from other projects with no thought for aesthetics. Of course, not for nothing do they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so maybe I should just shut up about that.

But here's the thing. I have noticed a dichotomy between knitted and crocheted items destined for cancer wards and old age homes, and those being sent to, for example, homeless shelters. Anyone might end up in either of the first two places, after all. But homeless shelters? Well, that's a whole different ball of wax. Or so these folks seem to think.

I don't even know if the people (like the knitter quoted above) even realize the implications behind what they are saying. I see it all the time. "Oh, they are / should be so grateful for anything they get."

This kind of attitude really pisses me off. I mean, REALLY pisses me off. I call it Lady Bountiful Syndrome (Lady Bountiful was a character in an 18th century play called The Beaux' Strategem, by George Farquhar. The term has come to be used to describe "an over-patronising woman, showing off her wealth by acts of overwhelming generosity"). I tend to use the term to describe people who take great pride in their "gracious assistance to poor unfortunates" (I put that in quotation marks because it seems to me that is exactly how they think of their actions, deep in their hearts).

Of course, not all people who knit, crochet, sew, or whatever for others think or feel that way! But I have to wonder if there isn't some sort of unconscious discrimination going on. People who are ill, or elderly, are somehow "better" than people who don't have a place to live. Every now and again, like today, I see something that makes me believe that, sadly, many people really do think that way (whether they realize it or not).

In a way, I think it is somewhat connected to whether one thinks of crafting for people in need to be charity, or not. Charity is a word that is used all the time, mostly with the best of intentions. I believe it has different connotations to different people, though. To me, it sounds a little condescending. In Hebrew, the word usually translated as "charity" - tzedaka - actually means righteousness or justice. In other words, doing the right thing. I tend to think of the knitted objects I send to various organizations not as charity, but as community knitting, because I am making things for people who are part of the community of the world, just as I am.

Your thoughts?

If Hats Could Heal

On Thursday night I had the opporunity to meet a young man whose basketball skills I have admired and respected for several years. He is such a lovely person, I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have gotten the chance to get to know him a little. Avi and I are hoping to invite him (and his wife and baby daughter) over for a meal, soon.

Sadly, his wife and daughter are currently in the US visiting her mother, who has cancer. The family is trying to raise money for all of her treatments and care, and there is a fundraising site with information. Since I was aware of the situation, I spoke with the young man about it, and he told me how hard it was for his wife to see her mother losing her hair (due to the chemotherapy treatments). Of course, I immediately offered to make a hat. And here it is.

The yarn is super soft, and I hope the hat will feel warm and soothing. I only wish I could do more.

First Finish

I am very excited about my first finished project for 2015 for a couple of reasons. First, it is part of my 50 States Project, and will soon be on its way to West Virginia. Second, it was the oldest project I still had on the needles, started almost three years (!!) ago in February of 2012. For some reason, after knitting the front, back and most of one sleeve, I just put this project aside and pretty much forgot about it. It took just about two hours to finish it. So silly.

Since I have given so much thought lately to the things I do and don't enjoy knitting, I will probably focus on hats for my project from now on. Hats go so quickly and don't need much yarn, and look fabulous with stripes or colorwork, which will be great for all of the leftovers I've got. 

Except I think I want to make at least one scarf for the Red Scarf Project. Just no more sweaters for a while. Even when they are tiny, garter stitch sweaters, they seem more daunting to me. But who could be daunted by a simple hat?

Simplify

Happy 2015! I never got around to posting a roundup of all of my completed knitting and crocheting projects (and there were even some sewing projects!) of 2014. Or, for that matter, of my paper crafting projects. Rather than spend time making collages of all of the photos of finished items, I will just say that in 2014 I knit or crocheted 11 toys, 8 pairs of socks, 5 blankets, 4 squares that will be added to others and sewn into a blanket (not by me), 3 pairs of fingerless mitts, 2 hats, 1 scrap of icord that I wear as a bracelet, and 1 shawl (no partridges or pear trees, though). I sewed 5 toys (I think it was five, eep), one Kindle cover, and one patchwork quilt top (sadly, still not made into a quilt yet). No clue how many cards I made, a lot. At least by my standards.

The photo above shows the knitting projects that are still in progress as we begin the new year. The green blob will be a sweater for me one day. I started it a couple of years ago, and of course it always gets moved to the back burner as I find things I want to make for others. The pastel colored baby sweater is meant to go to an organization in Appalachia (possibly Kentucky, I don't recall at the moment. I started this tiny thing years ago, and I really must get it done! It only needs a sleeve and a half, for goodness' sake!). The gray sock for a friend was started on December 25, 2014 and will be finished in short order. The lavender item will be a bathrobe for Liat. It was also started late in December. 

But of course I plan to start something new today, it seems only right to begin a new project with the start of a new year. It will be a pair of pink socks for Meital. I am also working on a new stamping project for my friend Kristy of Hopeful Threads. I will share more about that soon.

Appearances to the contrary, considering I am talking about having five knitting projects going on at one time, I have decided that the theme for this year is going to be Simplify. By that I mean decluttering my home and my head. Getting rid of the things I don't use or need, or that don't make me happy (yesterday's post also talked about this). It will also include cutting back on the number of people I follow on social media, especially those whose posts are mostly aimed at selling something. More power to them, but I prefer to see posts by people who simply enjoy what they do and like to share it, without regard for financial remuneration.

I also want to use up as much of my yarn stash as I can, and the plan is to knit much of it into hats, and possibly scarves, for my 50 states project. I have gotten rather lax about that, concentrating instead on making multiple things for the same few organizations. I still want to do what I can for them, but I also want to reach my goal and it won't happen just by thinking about it. As my husband is fond of saying, Dream big, but don't forget to wake up and start working on your dreams!  I would also love to make 12 pairs of socks this year, one pair per month. 

Liat and I are planning to do the 2015 Reading Challenge. You may have seen mention of it around the Internet. It is basically a list of 50 challenges to read various kinds of books. One challenge is to read a trilogy, so it works out to 52 books for the year. We probably won't read that many (espcially since she is a busy college student) but may, instead, find books that meet more than one challenge - for example, a book written by a woman and a book that is set in your hometown... It's an interesting list of challenges and should be a lot of fun.

Another challenge I have set for myself for this year is to try watercolor painting. I tend not to think of myself as artistic, so it will be a stretch for me to try making art that doesn't involve rubber stamps. But to go along with that (and, by the way, I don't plan to go out and buy a whole bunch of new supplies for that, except watercolor paper, as needed), I need to think seriously about my other interests, ones that are usually neglected, like cross stitching, scrapbooking, and sewing. I want to do all of them, but realistically speaking, I never get to them. It's time to face facts, and deacquisition some (all) of the stash I have for each of those hobbies. I have my tried-and-true hobbies that I work on actively, and the others are mostly just wishful thinking at this point. If I end up enjoying the watercoloring, I will make what I create into cards, so that kind of dovetails into my stamping/cardmaking hobby.

I think that's all more than enough to be going on with, don't you?? Should make for a fun and interesting year. I hope your 2015 is a wonderful one!

Playing Favorites

My sock drawer looks pretty darn full of awesomeness, if I do say so myself. I made all of these socks, except for the fourth pair down from the top on the left. Those were a gift from a wonderful friend. Thank you, Kathleen.

The first pair of socks I made for myself (second from the top on the left) were actually my fourth pair ever knit. I used 100% wool yarn given to me by another wonderful friend. Thank you Ellen. Ellen sent me the yarn in the hopes of encouraging me to try sock knitting. It took a few years, but eventually I did. And the reason I tried, and succeeded, is because I had help and encouragement from yet another friend, the wonderful Judy Sumner, who sadly is no longer with is. But I think of her every time I knit a pair of socks.

Of course every pair of socks in the drawer has a story behind it, and many of those stories have already been told here at Bag of Chocolates. I knit my first pair of socks in 2006 and have loved every one of them. I have given many pairs of socks away to a lot of very special people - family members and dear friends. I have donated handknit socks to organizations that help others. I have made socks in all sizes, from footies to crew length to over the knee socks, for baby feet all the way up to size 18 basketball player feet. After years of being afraid to try knitting socks, once I got started I couldn't - and still don't want to - stop. 

Usually I knit my socks cuff down on double pointed needles. There are many other ways to knit socks, but this is the way that makes me happy. I have tried knitting from the toe up. The knee socks I mentioned were knit that way. I have tried several different kinds of heels, but the classic heel flap and turned heel is my favorite. I have tried lace socks and colorwork socks, socks with cables and ribbed socks. My favorite is still the plain stockinette sock, which some people call a plain vanilla sock.

Some people say they have trouble forcing themselves to knit the mate to the first sock. After making the first one, they want to move on to different yarn, or a different pattern. This is called Second Sock Syndrome. Of all the pairs of socks I have made since 2006 (and unfortunately I don't remember how many that is. More than 50 pairs, certainly) I have only neglected to knit a second sock once. I decided to try knitting from the toe up to see if I could manage it, so I made a toe up baby sock. It worked out fine, so I immediately started that pair of knee socks for my niece. I never did go back and make the second baby sock.

Not only do I have a favorite method and pattern for knitting socks, I have come to realize I have favorites when it comes to sock yarn, not necessarily for knitting but for wearing and washing. Some socks I wear again as soon as they are clean. Others spend most of their time looking pretty in the sock drawer. 

There is so much gorgeous sock yarn out there to choose from. And more and more, you'll find independent yarn dyers who sell absolutely beautiful sock yarn on their Etsy sites. The system seems to be that the dyer makes up a bunch of colorways, then schedules a "release". If you manage to grab some in time before it sells out, you're one of the lucky ones. Given the fact that my clock is 7 hours head of Eastern time, you can probably guess how good my chances are of that. This used to frustrate me and I would feel sorry for myself.

But you know what? I stopped and thought about it, and thought about which pairs of socks make it out of the drawer and onto my feet most often, and which don't. And I realized that the pairs I wear the most, and which still look almost the same as the first time I wore them, are the socks knit from established companies, like Opal, Regia, and Zitron (Trekking). Even though the other yarns are gorgeous, they don't hold up well, and often bleed color when they are washed (by hand, they can't handle machine washing like the three companies I mentioned). Not only that, many times the knitted fabric starts to felt, even if it is a "superwash" yarn base. Then the socks become thick and stiff, and don't have any stretch to them. Those factors, plus the fact that handwashing socks is a pain, means those socks are mostly decorative rather than useful. Now, I'm sure there are many very capable dyers - and not just indies but other companies - out there who do their best to prevent these things, especially color bleeding out of the yarn. But it can be a risk.

Right now, the socks I wear the most are the first six pairs on the bottom, starting on the left. And now that I've finally realized what I truly love in a pair of socks, I don't feel too badly about missing out on all the cool hand-dyed sock yarns. I have seen how poorly they hold up, and I would rather stick with yarns I know will keep on looking good after years of use.

And speaking of socks, I am currently working on a pair for Liat and that pretty gray cabled sock for a friend. Time to get knitting!

Socked In

SOCKED IN: Closed in by bad weather, often said of an airport; fogbound; snowbound. This expression originally found in the context of flying, has its roots in the use of a windsock at airports to provide wind direction. The windsock, a large, open-ended, cone-shaped sleeve attached to a post by a pivot, at one time provided pilots with wind direction. When the weather deteriorated (fog or snow) to the point that the sock couldn’t be seen, the field was said to be ‘socked in’ and takeoffs and landings would be difficult to impossible. The expression is said to date from the 1940s. 

I found that explanation of the term on wordwizard.com. Not sure it's accurate, but it certainly sounds reasonable.

Anyway... I am usually a one sock at a time kind of knitter. I have been known to work on two socks during the same period of time (each on its own set of double pointed needles). But today I have three socks going. The gray one with only about 16 rounds is the Amyrlin pattern (found on Ravelry). It is a beautiful design full of twisted stitches and cables, and it takes forever to complete just one round. I have finally gotten the hang of the design, though, and I think I may just be moving from a geriatric snail's pace to a middle aged snail's pace. Yay me. Yarn is Cascade Heritage, a lovely and soft yarn that is reasonably priced. Good thing the gal I am making these for is worth it!

The sock in the middle (working on the foot now) is the Broken Seed pattern also found on Ravelry. I am using leftover Cascade Heritage in black and Mini Mochi in Intense Rainbow. The pattern is super easy to memorize so the only hassle with these socks is juggling two balls of yarn. At first I didn't like the way the sock looked and I hate the Mini Mochi, which feels very fragile. But I am happier with it now that I have made more progress. I doubt I will ever buy MM yarn again, however. These are for me.

The third sock, just started today, is my go-to 2 x 2 ribbed sock in Fortissima Socka. Hoping to get a pair done for Meital in time for Chanukah, which starts on December 16.  I could practically knit this pattern with my eyes closed, so it moves quickly, but it will be a stealth knitting project, obviously. 

Good thing I love making socks! So if you don't see me around much, it's because I'm socked in.

Vacation Haul

I'm sure that most of you (if not all) are not surprised to learn that this is the vast majority of what I bought during my nearly three week vacation in California. I did buy some pants and shoes, but my trip would not have been a success in my eyes if I had not brought back a bunch of crafting goodies. Along with all of the tape refills, I picked up 8 Distress Ink pads (mostly the newer colors), four sets of clear stamps, three embossing folders and one die, a new seam ripper, beeswax (for waxing sewing thread to strengthen it and prevent tangles when doing hand sewing), some fat quarters of fun fabric, a rotary fabric cutter (with replacement blades), blank cards and envelopes, lots of fun cardstock, including two 8.5" x 11" red sheets with a fuzzy nap and some brightly colored glossy cardstock with cool designs (you'll see those up close and personal when they are used in projects). I also got lots of fun stickers, some more Glossy Accents, some Prismacolor pencils, and a Wink of Stella pen that I can't wait to use; it's for adding sparkle to previously colored images. I love the bright sock yarn I got, too. What you see above are the results of visits to my dear friends Michael and Joann, as well as the Piedmont Yarn and Apparel shop (I drop in every year). I also bought a bunch of stuff from a perfectly (watch out, here comes the rant) horrible store called Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley. Not only was the store poorly lit and patrolled by two large dogs with filthy snouts, but the woman there mocked me to my face (for not knowing certain products were discontinued) and laughed at me when informing me that a new product I wanted was out of stock. I should have abandoned my cart and walked out, but I had managed to find a number of things I wanted that I hadn't found at Michaels, so I was weak. But you can be sure I won't ever go back. End of rant, and please forgive me for descending into negativity. Hopefully, it is all out of my system now.

Liat and I went wild at Wal*Mart, picking out colors for a throw she wants for her new apartment in Jerusalem. This will be for the living room sofa. She picked out a pattern with a daisy in the center of each granny square. Should be fun to make, and squares are doable even in this nasty heat and humidity. I already miss northern California weather...

Time to get serious about moving my crafts room upstairs into a room with a ceiling fan and air conditioning. I have a lot of crafting to do!

Happy Birthday

I can't believe Meital is seventeen! Just amazing. All of the gifts I gave her this year were handmade. Instead of my usual slapdash wrapping, I was inspired by the Older and Wisor blog to attempt something better. I put each gift into a box (cookies, ice cream bars and dishwasher tablets) and wrapped them with scrapbooking paper. My bow didn't come out exactly right, but not bad for a first time. The little tag has a Suzy's Zoo sticker on it. For the card, I used papers from a 6 x 6" pad by My Minds' Eye that I bought last year.

Since I had just finished this pair of socks, I stuck them in a box as gift #1. Yeah, it's kinda cheating, since she saw me working on them, but who doesn't love to unwrap gifts, even if you know what's inside?

I saw this Happy Chemistry embroidery pattern on Shiny Happy World (LOVE that website!!) and knew I had to get it for my budding chemist. But what to embroider on? In the end I made this very wonky Kindle cover (no pattern, I just made it up as I went along. Hence the wonkiness). 

The Kindle fits inside, but getting the cover snapped closed is a challenge. I am trying desperately not to let the off-center stitching and crooked pocket bother me....

Gift #3 was a little stuffed cat. Meital had asked for a cat like the one I made for Hopeful Threads (and later, for Liat) but our original plan was for her to make it. We hadn't gotten around to it, so I went ahead and made it for her.

So strange to realize that next year, her birthday will fall a few short months before she starts her IDF service!

Another State

I heard that there was a call for baby hats to send to the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyoming. This tiny hat should have been finished in a day, but in the end it took me a while to get it done, because I was also working on those Thumb Buddies at the same time. It looks impossibly small but it is extremely stretchy. Pattern is the Stretchy Ribbed Newborn Hat - in the Round. Details on my Ravelry project page, for those on Ravelry.

The yarn (Berroco Comfort DK Solids) is very soft, which is great for a baby hat, but it had what I call a "mushy" hand to it that I find very unpleasant to work with. It was also incredibly twisty; I had to stop and let the yarn unwind many times. Not fun. I still have enough of this yarn left for perhaps two more tiny hats, I just have to work myself up to using it again.

So I have a new state on my list, and another contribution done. That makes putting up with uncooperative yarn worth the trouble.

For My Girls

I forgot to post when I finished Hugs + Squoze, a cute pattern by Anna Hrachovec of Mochi Mochi Land. For some reason I had a tough time attaching the feet, so I left them off. I made this as a surprise for Meital, wanting to give her something to lift her spirits and encourage her before the last big push in this incredibly challenging academic year. I finished him (them?) last month, and she loves him (them). Sorry for the lousy photo.

Even though Liat got to keep the first (pale blue) teddy bear I sewed, when she saw the gray cat shown in my last post, she asked for a cat to keep her teddy, now named Imp, company. How could I refuse? This fella is quite a bit larger than the gray cat, in fact similar in size to the teddy bear, again just created out of my imagination. He will be waiting to surprise her when she comes home from college for the weekend on Thursday.

I have started working on my idea for finger puppets to go with greeting cards for hospitalized kids. I want to create a sample of both the puppet and the card with the pocket, to show the folks at Cards for Hospitalized Kids and get their okay before I proceed on a "mass" production scale.

Meanwhile, if you live in a state that is not on my list in the column on the right, and have a favorite local charity/community service organization that would accept handmade donations, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Gifts

Wow, I have a lot of catching up to do! This is a pinwheel baby blanket knit in a cotton blend. Little Sloane was born a couple of months ago, so I am way behind. The pattern is easy but becomes tedious the longer each round becomes (you start knitting in the middle and increase stitches every other round). Copious notes are on my Ravelry page.

It has been my policy for many years now to also make a gift for any older siblings when new babies come along. Sloane's sister got this little bunny, also knit in cotton blends. Again, there are plenty of notes on my project page on Ravelry.

These are the cards I made to go with the gifts. The mother and baby stamp is by Stamp Oasis, the bunny is Close to My Heart. I rather doubt either stamp is still availble.

Baby Gifts

Going back in time a little to show you some things I didn't share at the time. This teddy was a first birthday present for an adorable little boy. I used Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool for the bear, so unfortunately it can't go in the washing machine; it was all I had on hand. The mom has since told me the bear's name is Bud and that he goes everywhere Ethan goes. :-) The knitting pattern is availble on Ravely and is called Big Bad Beauregarde Bear. Sorry, I still haven't figured out how to make links in this app. It's a wonderful pattern, with everything knit in the round and no sewing to do. I tried to make the card match. I used a bear stamp from the Posh Impressions Circus set, adding colored pencil because I didn't get good coverage when I stamped it. I didn't want to use googly eyes and run the risk that little Ethan might pull them off and put them up his nose or something, so I used a tiny hole punch to make white circles and drew in the black dots. The greeting is by Darcies Country Folk, and the paper was something  i picked up at Target for $1 (package of something like 12 papers).

This was a welcome to the world gift for a baby born last month. I chose the colors based on the layette the parents had picked out. It's just a big garter stitch square with attached i-cord trim. The yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend.

This is the card I made to go with the blanket. The stickers are by Suzy's Zoo.

I've been up to lots of other mischief lately and hopefully will do another post soon. I hope everyone is having a great day.

My Valentines

This is going to be a long post, because I have a lot to share with you. This year I got things in gear early enough to not only send out valentines cards to my parents and sister (and they arrived on time!!) but I also made gifts for the girls. One thing that helped was that I used the same basic design for each of the cards. I am also pleased to tell you that I used up the paper with circles cut out that I had left over from the cards I made for Cards for Hospitalized Kids (the guitar-playing dog). The card above was for my father. The white hearts are by Posh Impressions (a border stamp). The cat is by Eat Cake  Graphics. I stamped him twice, once on plain white paper, and once on patterned paper, to which I added some more dots and some hearts, using a ZIG pen. I think the ladybug sticker is by Stickopotamus, but I might be wrong. The hearts on the red cardstock in all of the cards were inked with VersaMark ink and embossed with white embossing powder. All sentiments were done on the computer. All coloring of images was done with Prismacolor pencils.

My sister's card used a heart stamp by Close to My Heart. The bunny is by Darcie's country Folk.

My mother's card uses a heart by Pacific Stamp Exchange (now sadly out of business) and a bear stamp from Darcie's.

The card on the left was for Liat, and uses a heart stamp by CTMH. The lion stamp is from Stampin Up! and the crown sticker is by Mrs. Grossmans. The hearts on Meital's card (on right) are by Darcie's and the elephant is from the same SU set as the lion.

I would never use "sticker sneeze" (doesn't it just look like that, lol?) on a card, but I figure anything goes on an envelope. I made the pillow gift boxes using a template I found on the Internet. I printed it onto cardstock, then coated the back of the cardstock with glue from a gluestick. I adhered CTMH paper to the back, then scored and cut out the template. The flower stamp is also by CTMH, and was stamped onto watercolor paper that had been colored with Distress Inks and then spritzed with water. The purple embossing powder is by Stampendous. 

I made fingerless mitts for the girls using the leftover yarn from their favorite socks. Meital's was Regia Silk, and as you can see I even had a tiny bit left from each 50 gram skein, after making one sock and one mitt from each skein. I think this will be a great way to use up all of the leftover yarn from making standard ladies' size socks. The mitt pattern is based on a free pattern on Ravelry called Mitt Envy, though I left out the cable decoration. If you are on Ravelry, you can find my detailed notes on my project page.

And last but not least, here are Liat's mitts. I was worried (as it turns out, possibly for no good reason) that I wouldn't have enough yarn, so I added some blue of the same yarn as a design element. The yarn (both colors) is Piedmont Yarn's Oakland Wildsocks, a very nice yarn. While Meital got her Valentine's Day card and gift when she came down for breakfast, Liat didn't get hers until late afternoon. Good thing because I didn't finish these until late morning on Friday!

If you stuck it out all the way until the end, thank you! I hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day and a lovely weekend.

My Kind of Cooking

I'm doing my favorite kind of cooking...cooking up a surprise for my girls! After printing out the pillow box template at Homemade Gifts Made Easy onto light cardstock, I covered the back with glue (good old UHU glue stick) and added some patterned paper. I am using the medium size template, and one piece of 12" x 12" paper was enough for both boxes. I used a piece of cork for a mat and traced around the dotted lines with a bone folder (not sure why it's called that, it can't actually fold bones and it is probably made of plastic. Hmmm...). The cork is cushier than that green cutting mat and made it easier to score the template. Then I cut out the box along the solid lines.

Working on something to go in the boxes. Can't make a gift box and not put anything inside! Using leftover sock yarn, of which I have a ton and a half. I need to make a lot more of these.

And of course, cards to go with the gifts. Gotta make sure everything is ready by Friday! What are you cooking up today?

In Progress

It has taken me a long time to realize that I don't have to wait until projects are finished before I blog about them! So, here are some, yes only some, of the things I am currently making. Above is a little teddy bear (nearly finished now) that will soon be making his way to a little sweetie who is about to celebrate his first birthday. Pattern is availble on ravelry, and is called Big Bad Beauregarde Bear, by bjfromnv. Unfortunately, I have not yet figured out how to do links in the Blogger app. I am using Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool.

Hmm, this picture looks a bit blurry to me, if it does to you, too, I apologize. This is a crocheted (Gasp!! Shock!) blanket made up of leftover scraps of worsted weight acrylic yarns, for me. Turns out I live with a blanket thief, so desperate times call for desperate measures, Abubu.... (Ha, name that Disney movie).

I am also making some Valentines to send to Cards for Hospitalized Kids. Stamp is an old one by Penny Black. I got the cool metallic corrugated cardstock at my local arts and crafts store. The red and white (soon to be pink, thanks to Distress Inks) scraps were left over from my Christmas cards. Gotta stay on top of those scraps or they multiply like bunnies!

I actually do have some finished things I could show you, too. But not in this post, of course. This is for in progress only. Hope the day you've got in progress is going beautifully.

What's Been Missing

My wonderful friend Joansie and I made a pact to update our blogs more regularly in 2014. I realized that while I have been showing you a lot of cards in my more recent posts, I have been neglecting my knitting projects. So let's play catch up. Above is a Christmas gift I made for a lovely young couple I know, who got married over the summer.

These little stash-busting mice went into a box of various small toys that I sent to my friend BeLinda who, together with her amazing daughter CeeCee is the force behind Elephants Remember Joplin, an organization that donates toys to kids who need them.

This bit of silliness was something I put together for Meital, just for fun. I hid the bees all around her room, and she had fun finding them. She works so hard in school, I thought she could use some fun.

And here is Meital in the sweater I made for her. The pattern is from a very old magazine. I must say, while I am glad to have tried entrelac knitting, I hope I never do it again! I really did not enjoy how fiddly it was. Of course, knowing me, I may change my mind one day.

You might have heard about the snowstorm and cold spell we had here in December. The snow stayed on the ground in Jerusalem for something like two weeks, which is unheard of! I whipped up an extra hat for Liat with a little more length so she can pull it all the way down over her her ears. Even the normal winter weather is colder in Jerusalem than here, so it will come in handy for her I am sure. She is working very hard in her studies (law and business) at the Hebrew U.

These adorable frogs were designed by Phoeny of Phoenix Knits (check her out if you are on Ravelry). They have elastic running from one front foot through the body and to the other foot (the yellow feet are not attached to the legs in front). You can shoot them sort of like a slingshot, tons of fun! I made these for some twins I know whose third birthday was the day after Christmas.

This little Barn Cat is from the book Spud and Chloe at the Farm by Susan B. Anderson. I made it for a little girl I know for Christmas.

This cowl was actually a scarf that stalled and was left languishing in a drawer. Liat mentioned maybe wanting a cowl, so I got this out, measured it and realized it would work. I picked up the cast on stitches and did a three needle bind off to join the ends. It is very soft and cozy, and now I think I want a cowl for myself!

There are a few other things I have finished lately, but this is awfully long so I will save them for another post. Happy 2014!

Washcloth Therapy

In the midst of all the turmoil here (bathroom renovation) and trying to work when your computer is hiding under a shower curtain dropcloth, I decided I needed a simple project that could be finished quickly. I already have plenty of things on the needles, including three different pairs of socks, a blanket and a sweater, but I wanted something very small and mindless. I had just organized my stash of cotton yarn, so I decided to make some washcloths. Anyway, Liat needs new washcloths when she goes off to college, right? I used my go-to pattern, Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth, for three of them,  but tried something new for the fourth - a mitered square. It made for a nice change, but I am not wild about the yarn over increases going through the middle of the cloth, and Liat has advised me not to "mess with success". So it's back to grandmother's house I go.

Mobile Blogging

Ever since I got my iPad last summer I have spent a lot of time accessing all of my social networks via applications instead of on my desktop computer. I also use the iPad's camera instead of our regular camera. And let's face it, once you've uploaded photos on Facebook and Instagram, who has the energy to write a blog post? (Well okay, I'm lazier than most).

But today I discovered the Blogger app, and I am hopeful it will make blogging easier and simpler. 

I have been doing a lot of knitting lately, and have quite a few projects on needles: three socks, a blanket, a sweater and a washcloth to be precise. Not to mention all of my projects that are in hibernation.

We are having work done in the house, which means that everything is jumbled and dusty. I have started a major de-acquisition project, but I need to remove some of the books I want to donate in order to make room for reorganizing stuff.

Crazy times around here. 

Knitting Update

It has been awhile since I brought you up to date on all of the knitting I've been doing, so here we go. Above is a little set I made for a young man born on February 22. I suspect these items will be too big for him for a while yet.

This is another pair of size 18 men's socks for our dear friend. As you might imagine, it can be tricky finding socks that fit comfortably when you wear this size. I am planning to make several more pairs in the coming months. This is what was left of the grey yarn I used for the last pair I made for him. to avoid confusion between the two pairs, I added a single round of blue at the toe here.

Now that Liat has finished the army (after two years and 102 days), she is ready to have some fun! She and Avi will be going to Barcelona next week to see a Champions' League soccer game. Avi asked if I would make a hat for him, in case it is cold outside during the game.

I am currently working on another baby sweater and also trying to finish up the pair of socks I started for Meital months ago (in the hopes of giving them to her for Chanukah). I am nearly done with the second sock, and will be very glad to finally be able to give them to her.

Of course, I have plenty of other projects waiting in the wings! Including knitting up another scrap swatch to use as texture for my mono printing. What are you working on?