Do you know where your jewels are?

I saw these instructions for a jewelry frame online:



At our local Goodwill outlet store, I found some picture frames with missing glass, so they were perfect for my misguided purpose...

I have to admit that I did not look at the actual instructions. I just saw the pictures, crocheted a very simple lace-type rectangle, and attached it to the first frame.

My first jewelry frame would be a Christmas present for my daughter and came out quite lovely:



The hardest part was tacking (or nailing) the crocheted fabric to the back of the frame. My husband and a friend, who happened to stay with us at the time, helped to stretch and tack. And the result was quite lovely!

I had two more frames of similar sizes and crocheted two more rectangles. Gotta get DH to get the staple gun out again...

Presents, felted and non-felted or: I felt your presents 2

Like I said before, everybody got homemade gifts from our house this year. Here are a few samples...

• socks for my daughter

• a jewelry frame for my daughter

• socks for my husband

• a purse (can also be a pillow case) for my friend Wanda

• a felted bowl-set for my friend Ria

• a felted bag for Mary

• a grocery bag for Susan

• a scarf for Carol

• a scarf for Dey

• I had made a similar scarf for Chris a few weeks ago for her birthday

• and more...
• and, most importantly, lots of cookies changed hands
  

Everybody was very kind and pretended to appreciate the gifts :).

Merry Christmas!

To Top It All Off or More Hats

Just very quickly a few more hats.

One crocheted, and very similar to the one I made earlier, just a tad bigger and different colors:



The color did not come out very well in this picture. The hat is really pink and white, with a white border. So here is another picture my dear husband took for me:



The other hat is knitted very loosely with just a small rolled brim:




My precious daughter is once again modeling for me :). She has such a hat-face!

And also a better picture of that one:



Okay, now I can go and wrap them. This year, everybody gets homemade gifts only from our house. Lots of knitting and crocheting has been done. And also lots of baking...

What greater gift than some homemade cookies and a hat, or a bowl, or a scarf?!

Happy Holidays!!!

Knitters/Crocheters' Night Before Christmas

This was posted in one of my groups. No idea who the author is, but here goes...
(you can substitute "knit" for "crochet")

CROCHETERS' NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

~ Author Unknown ~
'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished crocheting not under the tree,
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep-he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was 6? too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my hook to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.

And although I was tired-my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment that it must be St Nick.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.

"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don't circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you'll work out just fine!

I know this is hard as it's just your first year
But I'd hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill. What I saw was amazing:
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!

And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his heat to his toe
And his clothes were hand crochet from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back.
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran crochet sack.

His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff.
So I asked, "Hey, Nick, did YOU crochet all this stuff?"

He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was just a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a well dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my crochet hook and yarn for a cap.

He began then to crochet, first one cap then 2-
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.

Quickly like magic his hooks they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your crocheting sometime around JUNE!"

HATS HATS HATS HATS or Ode to all my bald friends...

When I found out that my friend Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer, I called her and asked her if there was anything I can do. Everybody feels helpless and wants to do something. But there is just not much to do... I had seen a few women at work go through similar experiences and knew the routine.

Anyway, in my desperate attempt to DO SOMETHING, I started knitting hats...

First of all I knew from my husband, who is bald by choice, that bald heads get cold easily. Also, it's one thing to shave your head as a man, especially right now, when it is fairly fashionable; it's a whole other story to loose your hair as a result of horrific chemicals being pumped into your body... Ot seems as if bald heads on women are just not quite as *IN* these days. And, from what I understand, wigs feel awkward and are not very comfortable, so many cancer-battling women are not too crazy about them.

Which brings us back to hats.

I started with Robin's Egg Blue Hat. I could not find a button large enough that matched the colors of the yarn:

Sugar'n Cream Cotton Ombre Yarn-Country Side.

So I crocheted a little flower-thingy for the spot where the button would go. Here you see my daughter sporting the hat, before they all go to Lisa's.


I like the feel of the Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn. I had some more around the house, so I started another hat in different colors. I had my eyes on that pattern for a while. Since my friend Lisa has a good sense of humor, I dared to offer her this "Berry Hat" (again, my daughter is modeling the hat for my blog):



Isn't that just the most adorable little thing?! I have a feeling I might use that pattern again some time in the future.

And on to the next project...

I was kind of going for the ruffle look and found this really nice pattern. But then the Bernat Softee Chunky (color: Nature's Way) yarn was too chunky (that's my excuse, and I am sticking with it!), and the ruffle look turned into a bonnet look. I wove a little string (made of a crochet chain) around the hat where the ruffles start, but this seemed to only strengthen the bonnet look. Here is my daughter again...



She turned the bonnet into a French baret:


Much better, isn't it?! We will have to see what Lisa thinks of that one...

Since the weather here in Texas was still warm most days, I made one more hat that was a little lighter. Not sure if Lisa will like the fact that the crochet pattern is a little hole-y. But it looks cute.


The yarn is once again Lily Sugar 'n Cream, I think the color is called Butter Cream Ombre.

Now I just can't wait to see how they look on Lisa!

Btw, she is amazing!!! I am blown away by her wonderful spirit in the light of this challenge! While she will be the first one to tell you that having cancer can be a real "ball-buster" at times, she handles it wonderfully! Way to go girl!!!!! I love you!

What comes after Socktoberfest?? or "I felt your presents!"

My daughter thought if October is Socktoberfest, then November should be Knitvember... But what to knit in Knitvember? How about Feltvember?

The socks were done, and I didn't feel like another pair of socks right away. Not that I don't still have plenty of sock yarn sitting around the house.

I also still have some Lion Brand Wool left over from my very first felting project. It was a water bottle cozy that supposed to be done on a "Knifty Knitter." I bought the instrument in question, got started on the project and didn't like it. So I returned my not so "Knifty Knitter" and decided to crochet the water bottle cozy instead.


As I said, this was my very first felting project, so I didn't really know what to expect. And if you know me, you know that I am not good at following instructions. Not because I can't, but because I usually have some other ideas (call it ADD), and then things often turn out rather unexpected.

Anyway, I am not sure if you are still supposed to see the stitches after you felt something, or if that's because I crocheted rather than knitted, but...


So, I thought to test my own theory (that crocheting is not for felting), I will knit something with the same yarn (did I mention that I still had lots of yarn left over??) this time around to see what happens.

I found all kinds of really cool ideas on Ravelry and started knitting. The pattern I liked the most was Angela's Fabulous Felted Bag. But don't expect a perfect copy!

So here is my version:

Anita's Amazing Afelted (AAA) Tote

(of course you can use whatever colors you like and in whatever combination--be as creative as you like--I am just telling you how I made this one...)

I cast on about 80 stitches in black wool.
Knit back and forth for about 5 inches.
Then I picked up stitches all around my little rectangle and started knitting in the round. It's a little tight at first, but gets easier, as you get away from the bottom.
About 2 inches up from the bottom,
I changed to color #2 (in my case pink). Knit 2 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 4 rounds.
Switch to color #2 (pink). Knit 4 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 1 round.
Switch to color #3 (gold). Knit 2 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 4 rounds.
Switch to color #3 (gold). Knit 7 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 12 rounds.
Switch to color #2 (pink). Knit 2 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 3 rounds.
Switch to color #2 (pink). Knit 10 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 3 rounds.
Switch to color #3 (gold). Knit 3 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 8 rounds.
Switch to color #2 (pink). Knit 6 rounds.
Switch to color #3 (gold). Knit 3 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 2 rounds.
Switch to color #3 (gold). Knit 14 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 3 rounds.
Switch to color #2 (pink). Knit 6 rounds.
Switch to color #1 (black). Knit 12 rounds.
Bind off.

Create one cord of the same length in each color represented in your project (or just pick three, if you used more than three) either with a knitting spool (Strickliesel) or using an I-cord method.


Braid the three cords together and sew the braid onto your bag, starting on the bottom of one side, looping all the way around (the loop handle of your bag will be as long as you made your cords--keep in mind, though, that you will loose some length by felting) and going down the other side of your bag.


Voila! Done! Well, you got quite a few loose ends to weave in (the inside of your bag, of course). Oh, and you still have to felt, i.e., wash your bag in hot water and dry.

And here is a picture of mine after the first round of felting. I think I will do a little more...




I really like the way mine came out. I might make some more... I definitely dig felting! I am going to change my blog title from "What comes after Socktoberfest" to "I felt your presents!" Because that's what I am going to do this year. Felt my friends' presents...

I still had wool left over from the bag. So here are some more felting projects, inspired by Leigh Radford's Felted Bowls (note: this link is from Ravelry, but the pattern has been published in her book One Skein):

Cast on 64 sts
Knit for about 2 inches in the round on four dpns
Start decreasing as follows:
Every other round start each needle with ssk and end each needle with k2t, thus reducing by 8 sts every other round until you have no sts left.



And another one:



Cast on 100 sts
Knit in the round for about x inches
Start decreasing as follows:
Divide sts by five
Every other round start each set with ssk and end each set with k2t, thus reducing by 10 sts every other round until you have no sts left.



Then I started felting them. Hmmm. They just did not quite come out as bowls...

So, I tried shaping them by placing them under some kitchen canisters:



This still did not quite produce the desired results. I must be doing something wrong. I should buy the book...

Meanwhile, I kept knitting, using up the remainder of the wool I had. The next round (haha) I made rectangular (pun intended).

The first one I started with the pumpkin, aka burnt orange, color.
I made the "base" about 50 sts wide
and knit about 60 rows in seed stitch.
Then I picked up the sts all around
and continued in seed stitch in the round in black for about 10 rounds (roughly--I just used up all the black I had left).
Switched to pink and knit another 20 or so rounds, also seed stitch.
Then I bound off.





And started another one to use up the rest of the pink.
Also rectangular.
Cast on 40 sts
seed stitch for about 45 rows.
Picked up sts all around and continued seed stitch in the round until I ran out of yarn (about 10 rounds.)




Okay, and then I washed them...

Finally getting frustrated enough with the felting process, I went to the bookstore... And read the book... And learned a thing or two about felting...

One of the big things I did wrong was putting them in the dryer. Apparently, you wash them (with as much "agitation" as possible), then stretch them into the desired shape, then let them dry in that shape. And that worked much better! So, voila:


I am so excited!!! Aren't my four felted pieces beautiful?! I am off to the yarn store to buy more wool... A-felting I will go...

Socktoberfest

If you are a knitter and if you are online, you probably have heard about Socktoberfest by now. Being from Germany, from the land of the "Oktoberfest," I felt a strong urge to participate, or at least to knit some socks in October - does that count?

I already had some yarn sitting around (which knitter doesn't!), so it was easy to get a pair started. I picked the red and grayish black (Volcano Twist) Knit Picks Essential and cast on yet another pair of toe-up socks.

I used my new favorite magic cast-on again. I only cast on 8 (x2) stitches, and the result is a rather pointy toe. Not sure yet, how I will like that.




I had seen these really cute mini cable socks online and used those cables for my Socktober socks. I like the pattern. It's basically a four-stitch, four-rows pattern:

Row 1-3: k2, p2
Row 4: rt, p2




And here is the finished product. Another pair of socks for my (present, as in gift) stash (my husband says he is all decked out and does not need any more of my socks for the time being - even though red is his favorite color) from my (yarn) stash...

More Totes

After my first market tote (with a limited amount of yarn) I had made from this inspiration...

















...I decided to make a couple more, slightly larger. I had bought a large skein of Lily Sugar'n Cream Super Size Green and started my first tote with that yarn. I didn't really follow any particular pattern, but rather just kind of winged it.


















I was pretty happy with the final product (this is my daughter modeling the tote):






















And a few more pictures (sorry about the strange lighting, but this really is the same tote with the same yarn):






As you can see, this tote has a relatively large opening and two handles. Since there still was lots of yarn left, I decided to make another tote. This time with a tighter opening and only one handle:



The yarn is pretty sturdy and makes for strong totes. Should hold some heavy groceries. And since the yarn is 100% cotton, the totes can be tossed in the washing machine.

I am putting both totes in my secret stash for presents, I think.