when things go wrong

I had big plans for a felted Easter bunny. It was going to be sooo cute. But then, the ears happened. I increased and decreased incorrectly, because I thought the pattern had a mistake in it. Nope. I realized it was I who made the mistake after the first ear, but just went with it for the second (me = lazy). I felted it and still had hopes it would be oh-so-cute. Um...so it doesn't exactly look like a bunny. In fact, it looks like a fish. I decided Hop the Fish isn't so bad, so I added safety eyes and stuffed him, cinching the "mouth" to look like a fish. See? Sometimes when things go wrong, you can still make them right. 

In other knitting news, my church is having a silent auction for a mission trip they are doing, and I thought I would donate a couple items. One is a "garden scarf," my own design, which has knitted leaves and crocheted flowers. Here is a sampling of it (it's not done yet):

Cute, right? I am also donating an earflap hat and a cowl, if I have enough time.

Next up is longies for a friend in my mom's group. She wanted "boyish" colors.

One last mention, I am SO excited for March! My weekly knitting group decided to do a knitting retreat and it is official, set in stone, and I get a whole weekend away from my lovely but tiring children! Hurrah!

happy hooker

I decided it was time to learn how to crochet. Well, relearn, really, since I have vague memories of crocheting pot holders when I was ten. It is hard for me as a knitter to figure it out. The yarn goes on the wrong side. I have a hand free. I am supposed to grasp the project?? My hands like to hold needles, what can I say. Even though the two fiber crafts are so similar, the techniques are so different. 

Anyway, I didn't let it beat me. I mastered single crochet thanks to  Stitch-n-Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. Behold, my first crocheted project: The Washcloth.

My next goal is flowers. Wish me luck!

Something I knit: a little baby bonnet to set aside for the Etsy store. A wee bit of sunshiny love. Seed stitch baby shoes to match, coming soon.

possible future store items

Just a list for my own reference. If you have an opinion, please let me know.

~ girl bonnets

~ hair bows

~ flower hair clips

~ brimmed skater boy hats

~  longies

~ fingerless mittens/arm warmers

~ baby shoes

new year, new knits

Happy January! 2009 really went out with a bang for me. It was not a good bang, but 2010 is looking up. My knitting resolution for the year is to use up my stash as much as I can. Good grief, I have an entire closet of wool--literally.

I have started it already, by knitting myself a hat/cowl/mitten set only with scraps I have laying around. It is my all-time favorite wool--1ply merino from 100purewool.com. I have a ton of leftovers from my old longie knitting business. Here are a couple of the items. Mittens are on hold until I get a gift off my needles. The set is bright and random, a lot like me! 

Other highlights from the end of 2009 include:

Clara's Christmas shrug:

Ben's three-cabled scarf (ugh, scarves!):

Currently I am working on a little lacy scarf for my mother-in-law, Nancy, who, along with my father-in-law, is recovering from CO poisoning. I hope she likes it. (And yes,they are expected to have a complete recovery.)

Also new this year will be a wee Etsy store, coming soon, filled with random knit goods.