kat knits

The Other White Meat Apron

2009-08-12T21:25:00.004-05:00

Some of you who read this blog may know that I also love to cook & have a cooking blog called A Good Appetite as well as this one. This new embroidered apron in my Etsy store ties my love of crafting & food together (as well as my love of pork!).

The apron is heavy weight cotton in ecru with an adjustable neck. It's knee-length for optimal spill protection.

Free Pattern - The Golden Snitch

2009-08-03T09:59:00.004-05:00

I made this pattern for the Golden Snitch up a few movies ago for a store window but realized I had never shared it you all until someone asked for it recently on Flickr..

Now this snitch won't be flying off anywhere soon but it looks cute hanging by some fishing wire from a ceiling or lamp.

The Golden Snitch
Inspired by the Harry Potter books & movies

1 ball gold DK weight yarn (I used Debbie Bliss Merino DK)
Four size 5 double pointed needles
Size 5 straight needles (or just use two of your double pointed ones)
Wire to make the wings stick out.
Polyfil or scrap yarn for stuffing
Gauge is not important on this project just get a tight stitch to hold the stuffing in.

Cast on 6 stitches & divide them evenly among three double pointed needles.
Join together being careful not to twist & place a stitch marker between the last & first stitch.

Row 1: Kfb 6 times (12 stitches)
Row 2: k
Row 3: kfb, kfb, kfb, k3, kfb, kfb, kfb, k3 (18 stitches)
Row 4: k
Row 5: kfb, k1, kfb, k1, kfb, k4, kfb, k1, kfb, k1, kfb, k4 (24 stitches)
Row 6: k
Row 7: kfb, k2, kfb, k2, kfb, k5, kfb, k2, kfb, k2, kfb, k5 (30 stitches)
Row 8: k
Row 9: kfb, k3, kfb, k3, kfb, k6, kfb, k3, kfb, k3, kfb, k6 (36 stitches)
Rows 10-12: k
Row 13: ssk, k3, ssk, k3, ssk, k6, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k6 (30 stitches)
Row 14: k
Row 15: ssk, k2, ssk, k2, ssk, k5, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k5 (24 stitches)
Row 16: k
Row 17: ssk, k1, ssk, k1, ssk, k4, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k4 (18 stitches)
Row 18: k
Row 19: ssk, ssk, ssk, k3, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k3 (12 stitches)
Row 20: k
Stuff the ball at this point shaping into a round ball.
Row 21: ssk, ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog (6 stitches)

Cut your working yarn leaving about a 6-inch tail. Put the tail on a needle & thread it through your 6 remaining stitches. Pull tight to close the ball.

Wings (make 2)

Cast on 18 stitches
Row 1: k
Row 2: ssk, knit until last 2 stitches, k2tog (16 stitches)
Row 3: ssk, knit until end of row (15 stitches)
Rows 4-11: repeat Rows 2 & 3 four times (3 stitches remain)
Row 12: ssk, k1
Row 13 bind off

Sew the wings on the cast on & bind off ends of the ball as in the picture above. Thread a thin piece of wire through the top of the wings & through the ball. Secure it by folding over a little bit of the wire around a stitch & pinch tight with pliers.

Copyright 2007 Kathy Lewinski.
Please do not sell my pattern, claim it as your own or teach it in a store without contacting me. You may link to it from your blog or site.

If you find any problems with this pattern please let me know. Also if you make one I'd love to see it.

It's All About The Beaches...

2009-06-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

This month's HandmadeMN Challenge was to create something around the theme of beaches. I had been batting around an idea for a pillow with grass embroidered on it for awhile & decided to work that idea into beach grass.

I went with a very monochrome pallet, like dried grass against a sandy background.
You can vote for my pillow in the challenge through June 12th. This pillow is also available for sale on my Etsy store.

Woohoo!

2009-05-18T14:03:00.002-05:00

Finally finished the set of cherry blossom pillows that were special ordered from me on Etsy.

Had to remake one of them as somehow my iron burned the fabric on one! Yikes! I'm glad to be shipping these out & taking a little break from French knots.

The List

2009-05-13T11:03:00.004-05:00

A little recap of what's currently happening in my world...

Knitting

I'm almost done with the back of the Cambridge Jacket for Matt. It's slow going since I've been spending more time embroidering lately. This green looks much better in person.

Stitching

I got a special order in my Etsy shop for two Cherry Blossom Pillows so I've been spending my days making hundreds of French knots. I have two other pillow in the works, one featuring a deer head & the other a gnome plus another one in my head for the May HandmadeMN Challenge (you can vote on the April challenge through the 15th) but they are all on hold until the special orders are done.

Watching

I've been a big fan of Project Runway since it started, watching what the designers come up with week to week is so interesting, especially if you do any sewing yourself. The show was recently moved to Lifetime & the the new season hasn't start. After losing PR, Bravo has come back with The Fashion Show which has a very similar concept. I know a lot of people have been critical of it because its not PR but so far I'm enjoying it just as much. Though I do miss Tim Gunn.

Reading

Matt really enjoyed this book about trying to live on what you raise & grow or can at least source locally. I'm just starting it myself. We are trying harder to be more aware of where our food comes from & what is in season. This is our second year with getting a vegetable share from a CSA & we have started our own veggie garden as well. Now we will start sourcing meat.

Looking For

I have been a terrible nail biter my whole life. Right now my nails look pretty decent & I'd like to polish them to strengthen them a little. I'm having a hard time finding a polish that doesn't peel off in the first shower after putting it on. Do you have a polish that you love?

Loving

The Orla Kiely tablecloth I picked up at Target last week. It's just so happy & I got the last one they had.

How spring just bursts through after a long Minnesota winter turning everything a brilliant green. My perennial garden is alive with the color from Bleeding Hearts, Primrose & Columbine. The cold weather vegetables like spinach, peas & lettuce are bright green & already tempting us with dreams of fresh salads

Vote for my little squirrel friend

2009-05-05T11:40:00.002-05:00

I belong to a group of local crafters & artists with Etsy shops known as HandmadeMN. Every month the group has a themed challenge & the April theme was Animals.

I enter my hand appliqued Squirrel throw pillow. If you think he's cute why not go cast a vote for him here. Check out the other great entries while you are there too. Voting ends May 15th.

Freezer Paper Monogrammed Tote Bags

2009-04-29T13:32:00.003-05:00

My twin nephews are turning 4 next week.

I decided I wanted to give them their presents in some sort of bag they could use again. I found these great little canvas tote bags at Joann's for $.97 & couldn't resist. They were designed to be made into purses by adding your own handles. I thought the purse handles were just a little too pursy so I sewed handles out on 1" webbing.

To make the monograms I printed their initials 3-inches tall on freezer paper. Then I cut the letters out with an exacto knife to create a stencil. The freezer paper irons onto the bag allowing me to easily paint on the initial with fabric paint. Once dry, the freezer paper peels right off. After 48 hours I set the fabric paint by ironing it.

The bags are filled with lots of little things boys love like crazy straws, punching balloons, toy cars & M&Ms plus I think they'll like having their own bag to tote their favorite things around in the future.

Etsy Day

2009-04-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

A bunch of Etsy sellers have gotten together to declare today Etsy Day. A day for sellers to try to get people aware of what Etsy is. I'm sure most people who read this blog are probably already familiar with what a great place Etsy is to find handmade & vintage items. If you haven't visited Etsy, go, have a look around I'm sure you'll be surprised by all the beautiful & unusual things you find & want. In the meantime I thought I'd share some of my favorite sellers with you.

We've been in our house for just over a year but we've finally started looking for & buying art for the walls. Other than photos that either we or friends have taken, most of the art we've bought has been from Etsy sellers.
My first addiction was with Badbird - Andrea Zulli

These are two of her prints we have around the house. (Space Cadet Timmy is perfect in Matt's office.) I also have a wonderful grumpy gnome in my craft space.

She also sells great embroidery patterns & gives a free one away once a month on her blog.

We discovered local Twin Cities area seller Studio Mela at a local craft fair, Craft-a-rama & bought a print for our bedroom. I recently bought this print from her for the living room.

Last year at Maker Faire in Austin we discovered the photography of e.soule. We had to stop ourselves from buying more than three of her prints, they are just so much fun!

How perfect are those sheep with yarn for a knitters craft room!

Someone I recently discovered was Yellow Monday from Australia. I love her sense of whimsy.

I couldn't resist buying Three Hares from her just to celebrate all the bunnies we have in our yard.
Our tastes might not be the same as yours but the wonderful thing about browsing Etsy is there really does seem to be something for everyone.

Bluebird of Happiness

2009-04-20T21:50:00.003-05:00

We've had a couple grey rainy days so I've been working on this cheery little piece. I love simple pieces featuring birds lately & was really inspired by the art of Andrea Zuill of Badbird.

I did something new with this felt applique and added a few embroidered details. It's still quite simple but I like the little extra those details give it. I so love how the blue looks on the brown.

I was lucky & found a button the exact same color as the bird at Joann's so, I used it to close up the back.

I was tempted to keep this one for myself since it matches our bedroom so perfectly but instead I added it to my etsy shop. So, I guess I'll just have to make another one to keep.

Craftgawker

2009-04-14T08:54:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this? Foodgawker has now started a site for crafts called Craftgawker!

What's Happening

2009-04-13T11:33:00.005-05:00

Since I finished my Garter Yoke Cardi & another sweater I made for Matt is in the "set in the zipper stage" I got to cast on a new project. My friend Lori & I had decided awhile back to knit the men in our lives the Cambridge Jacket from Interweave Knits Summer 2006.

(photo copyright Interweave Knits)

The pattern calls for Cascade 220 but Matt didn't find a color he loved at our local shop so they suggested this Ella Rae Classic yarn & he picked this shade of green. This Romanian yarn has been wonderful to work with & is an exact substitute for 220.

I'm about 12 inches into the back, the ribbing pattern keeps it a little more interesting than straight stockinette. Of course, we are now heading into warm weather & he won't need this sweater until at least September.

I finished a new embroidered pillow last week with a spray of Queen Anne's Lace on it.

One of my Flickr contacts took a beautiful silhouetted shot of Queen Anne's Lace earlier this year & it inspired me to draw up this embroidery pattern. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm really happy with how it turned out because I'm really not much of an artist when it comes to drawing.

This pillow is now available in my Etsy store. I also have plans for a matching one with a whole field of Queen Anne's Lace.

If you'd like a little peek into my craft space HandmadeMN just did an article on it here.

Squirrel Pillow

2009-04-08T10:43:00.002-05:00

I've been working on this throw pillow for awhile now but finally finished it this week.

I think all the squirrels we have running around here in Minneapolis are so cute, despite the fact the love to dig up my garden & eat my fence ;) So, I decided to immortalize one on a throw pillow. The squirrel is made of recycled felt & then hand appliqued onto a cotton background.

I was so thrilled to find an acorn pillow to use for the back!

I'm tempted to keep this little guy for myself but instead he's available in my etsy shop.

Garter Yoke Cardi, Done!

2009-04-06T10:46:00.003-05:00

I finally finished my Garter Yoke Cardi from Knit1 Magazine.

I pretty darn happy with the results. The shaping on it is quite flattering & keeps the sweater from looking too bulky like so many handknits. The only thing I changed on the pattern was the sleeves. The pattern had 3/4 length sleeves with no shaping. I wanted long fitted sleeves. It took me 4 tries to get the decreases right but it ended up being as simple as decreasing 2 stitches every 12 rows. Now, I have long arms & a shorter person may want to decrease more often.

My only worry is that the buttons are a little too small for the buttonholes even though they are the size that was called for. I really like the buttons I picked though so if it does keep coming unbuttoned I'll just sew the buttonholes up a little bit.

DIY Adjustable Light for Starting Seeds

2009-04-02T15:22:00.003-05:00

We decided to start a lot of our vegetables from seed ourselves this year instead of buying plants from nursery. We figured it would be cheaper in the long run since seeds are cheap & can be saved to use from year to year. The main outlay would be the cost of a grow lamp. We wanted something adjustable that could be moved up as the plants grow bigger. Matt started pricing grow lamps & figured he could make something pretty easily with a shop light & some scrap lumber in our basement for much less. His final design was so ingenious I thought I'd share it.

This is our seed starting set up on an old workbench in the basement. The light is big enough to accommodate 2 flats of seeds. The hooks & eyes along with the rope create a pulley system to move the light up & down. The rope is secured to the ends to two screws with wing nuts, working a lot like a cleat on a boat.

Here's what you need to build it...

15 1/2 feet of 2x4 cut into the following pieces
two 15" lengths
two 3" lengths
two 48" lengths
two 27" lengths

four 4" bolts with 4 washers & 4 wing nuts

ten 2" screws

four 1" screws to attach light to wood (this may vary for your lamp)

two screw in hooks

four screw in eyes

one 48" shop light with daylight bulbs (you don't need to spend extra for plant bulbs)

8 feet of rope, thin enough to go through your eyes

Here's how it's put together.

1. On one of the 48" pieces of wood screw an eye in 1.5-inches from the edge, screw a hook in 8.5-inches from the same edge. Repeat on the other edge.

2. Attach a 15" piece with three 3" screws to the bottom of each 27" length as shown above creating the legs.

3. With two 3" screws, attach the 3" pieces of wood to the ends of one of the 48" as shown above, creating the top.

4. Use the 4" blots to attach the top to the legs as shown. The wing nut end of the 4" screws should face out.

5. On the other 48" piece of wood attach an eye 5.5 inches in from each side.

6. Attach the light fixture to the piece of wood you just put the eyes on. Our lamp only came with hardware to hang it from a chain, we had to take it apart & screw it to the wood through holes that were already in it

7. Stand up & tie the end of the rope to one of the hooks, run the rope through the eye on top of the light fixture, through the first hook & then the second. The rope then goes through the second eye on the light fixture & the final eye on the top. Adjust the rope to get the light even & to the height you want. Secure on to the ends of the bolts.

Free Dala Horse Embroidery Pattern

2009-03-27T11:44:00.007-05:00

For my mom's birthday I made here a wall hanging using the Andrea Zuill's Heart, Birds & Flowers pattern.

She wanted another piece to go with it & I suggested a Dala (Swedish) Horse since she has a Swedish theme going in her kitchen & dining room. I looked at lots of pictures of Dala Horses on line (as well the ones my mom had around her house) & came up with this.

Since I couldn't find a pattern for this anywhere I thought I'd share this pattern with all of you.

I did it in red work but you can make it more traditional by adding blue, green & yellow to the trims. If anyone stitches this up I'd love to see it.

Parade of Grumpasaurus

2009-03-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Its been so much fun watching how quickly people are knitting up the Grumpasaurus pattern....

Lynn's Grumpy Grumpasaurus done in Paton's Soy Wool Stripes

Silvia's Grumpasaurus knit in Lion Brand Wool-Ease. Visit her blog quandoavistei.blogspot.com

Night Crickett's Martin the Manager was made for a Grumpy manager at her husband's work. The vest is like the one he wears. He's knit in odd acrylic from her stash.

Arabella's Stan Visit her blog mygeeklife.typepad.com

Ann Marie's Grumpasaurus in the snow. Knit in Bernat Berella 4 Solids & Ragg

Have you knit up a Grumpasaurus? I'd love to see it!

The List

2009-03-09T16:14:00.000-05:00

A little recap of what's currently happening in my world...

Knitting

Still working on the Garter Yoke Cardi. I've had to rip the sleeve out 3 times to get the decreases right since I making it fitted & full length unlike the pattern. The first sleeve is finally done so hopefully the second will go really fast.

Stitching

Working on a Dala horse for my mom to go with the heart I made her.

Hand appliqueing a squirrel on a new pillow for the store.

Reading

Nobody Said Not To Go - Biography of Emily Hahn. What an amazing story, first woman to get a degree in mining engineering in the 20's, traveled the Congo alone, became an opium addict, lived in Japanese occupied Hong Kong, married a top English spy & wrote for the New Yorker into her 80's.

Loving

Target & Champion for selling workout pants in lengths! I'm so tired of pants that shrink up to somewhere between my ankle & knee after one wash.

Eddie Bauer Curvy Fit Jeans - Not more gapping at the waist in order to fit the hips, the fit is amazing & they come in different lengths.

Watching
Mad Men Season 1 - Watched the first 3 episodes last night. Couldn't stop laughing at all the things now considered completely unsafe.

Running in Heels - The new series on Style which follows three interns at Marie Claire magazine at the same time Nina Garcia starts at the new fashion editor.

Free Pattern - Grumpasaurus

2009-03-02T13:15:00.001-06:00

Matt & I have a saying around our house that if one of us is grumpy then we are a Grumpasaurus. I'd been batting around the idea for awhile of knitting him up a toy version of the Grumpasaur & came up with this little guy. I thought he was cute enough to share with all of you.

This was supposed to be a stocking stuffer for Christmas & then a Valentine's Day gift but I actually just finished it yesterday. I had to keep starting over to get the shapes I wanted for the body & the tail.

Of, course you don't have to make your dinosaur grumpy, have fun embroidering any expression you want. He's also pretty darn cute without the comb.

Grumpasaurus

Four size 3 double pointed needles
Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool in Pistachio & Moss (less than one ball of each)
Black Yarn for embroidery
Tapestry Needle
polyfil or other stuffing

Gauge 6 stitches per inch (gauge is not super important as this doesn’t need to fit anyone. If you have a bigger or smaller gauge you’ll have a bigger or smaller Grumpasaurus. You do want the gauge to be tight though so the stuffing doesn’t show through.)

Abbreviations
Kfb – Knit into the front & back of the same stitch, increasing one stitch
Ssk – Slip the first two stitches off the left needle onto the right needle as if to knot. Insert the left needle into the front of these two stitches & knit them together (left slanted decrease)
K2tog – knit two together (right slanted decrease)

Body:

Using lighter green cast on 6 stitches. Divide equally on 3 needles. Join together being careful not to twist. Place a marker between your first & last stitch to mark rows.

Row 1: kfb into each stitch (12 stitches)
Row 2: knit
Row 3: kfb into each stitch (24 stitches)
Row 4: knit
Row 5: kfb into each stitch (48 stitches)
Row 6: knit
Row 7: kfb, k6, kfb k6, kfb, k12, kfb, k6, kfb, k6, kfb, k6 (54 stitches)
Row 8: knit
Row 9: kfb, k7, kfb, k7, kfb, k14, kfb k7, kfb, k7, kfb, k6 (60 stitches)
Rows 10–18: knit
Row 19: ssk, k7, ssk, k7, ssk, k14, k2tog, k7, k2tog, k7, k2tog, k6 (54 stitches)
Rows 20-22: knit
Row 23: ssk, k6, ssk, k6, ssk, k12, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k6 (48 stitches)
Rows 23-25: knit
Row 26: ssk, k5, ssk, k5, ssk, k10, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k6 (42 stitches)
Rows 27-29: knit
Row 30: ssk, k4, ssk, k4, ssk, k8, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k6 (36 stitches)
Rows 31-33: knit
Row 34: ssk, k3, ssk, k3, ssk, k6, k2tog, k3 k2tog, k3 k2tog, k6 (30 stitches)
Rows 35-36: knit
Row 37: ssk, k2, ssk, k2, ssk, k4, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k6 (24 stitches)
Rows: 38-39: knit

Pull your cast on tail inside & weave it in. Embroider the face on to the front (The front it the area between the last ssk & the first k2tog. The back is the 6 stitches that have been knit even.). Start stuffing the body, stuff it pretty tight to get the shape you want.

Row 40: ssk, k1, ssk, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k6 (18 stitches)
Row 41: knit
Row 42: ssk, ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog, k6 (12 stitches)
Row 43: knit
Row 44: ssk, ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog (6 stitches)

Add any additional stuffing you need. Cut yarn leaving about an 8-inch tail. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle & thread through the 6 stitches on the needles. Pull tight & weave in the end.

Tail:

With lighter green cast on 34 stitches leaving a 15-inch tail. Divide equally on 3 needles. Join together being careful not to twist. Place a marker between your first & last stitch to mark rows.

Rows 1-5: knit
Row 6: ssk, k7, ssk, k6, k2tog, k7, k2tog, k6 (30 stitches)
Rows 7-11: knit
Row 12: ssk, k6, ssk, k4, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k6 (26 stitches)
Rows 13-17: knit
Row 18: ssk, k5, ssk, k2, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k6 (22 stitches)
Rows 19-23: knit

At this point sew the tail on to the back of the body with the cast on tail. I lined the 6 stitches between the last ssk & first k2tog up with the 6 stitches down the back of the body. Start stuffing the tail & continue stuffing it as you knit it.

Row 24: ssk, k4, ssk, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k6 (18 stitches)
Rows 25-29: knit
Row 30: ssk, k2, ssk, k2tog, k2 k2tog, k6 (14 stitches)
Rows 31-35: knit
Row 36: ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k6 (10 stitches)
Rows 37-41: knit
Row 42: ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k2tog (5 stitches)

Add any additional stuffing you need. Cut yarn leaving about an 8-inch tail. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle & thread through the 5 stitches on the needles. Pull tight & weave in the end.

Arms: (make 2)

Using lighter green cast on 4 stitches leaving a 6-inch tail.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: knit into each stitch 3 times, front, back & then front again (12 stitches)
Row 3: knit
Row 4: k3tog, k3tog, k3tog, k3tog (4 stitches)

Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread onto a tapestry needle & thread through the 4 stitches on the needle. Put the cast on tail on a tapestry needle & weave it through the original cast on stitches. Tie the two tailed together pulling tight to form a bobble. Sew on to the body using one of the tails.

Feet: (make 2)

Using lighter green cast on 6 stitches leaving a 6-inch tail.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: knit into each stitch 3 times, front, back & then front again (18 stitches)
Row 3: knit
Row 4: k3tog, k3tog, k3tog, k3tog, k3tog (6 stitches)
Row 5: knit

Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread onto a tapestry needle & thread through the 4 stitches on the needle. Put the cast on tail on a tapestry needle & weave it through the original cast on stitches. Tie the two tailed together pulling tight to form a bobble. Sew on to the body using one of the tails.

Comb:

The comb is created by casting on a row & then binding it off in progressively bigger picots. (Knitty has good descriptions & pictures of how to do a cable cast on & picot bind off.)

Cable cast on:
Put the right needle between the first & second stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn around & pull through creating 1 stitch. Place the new stitch on the left needle.

With darker green cast on 30 stitches leaving a 15-inch tail.

Row 1: (cable cast on 1 stitch, bind off 3, place stitch on right needle back on to left)6 times, (cable cast on 2 stitches, bind off 4 stitches, place stitch on tight needle back on to left)7 times,
(cable cast on 3 stitches, bind off all remaining stitches)

Cut a 6-inch tail & pull through the last stitch.

Use the tail from the cast on to sew the comb along the back of the body & the top of the tail. Weave in bind off tail.

Copyright 2009 Kathy Lewinski.
Please do not sell my pattern, claim it as your own or teach it in a store without contacting me. You may link to it from your blog or site.

If you find any problems with this pattern please let me know. Also if you make one I'd love to see it.

Easter is fast approaching

2009-02-19T11:09:00.000-06:00

But there's still plenty of time to knit up some treats for Easter baskets.

The Calorie Free Chocolate Bunny pattern is available for just $3.00. Click the Buy Now button in the right sidebar to purchase.

And the Ducklings are free!
Both are fun quick knits.

I've got two bunnies in the works myself. It took just about two hours to get each of the bodies done.

Hearts & Flowers

2009-02-14T09:13:00.000-06:00

It was my mom's birthday this week & my present was that I flew down to see her. But I wanted to make her something as well & when I saw this free pattern from Badbird's I knew it was the perfect thing. (I love her art so much, I just bought her pig print with will be the third of her pieces we have in our house!)

Her kitchen is decorated with lots of swedish things & this fits right in. I did the pattern pretty small, the inside portion of the frame is only 3" x 3".

Usually when I do an embroidery pattern I transfer it onto the fabric with dressmakers paper but I was worried I wouldn't be able to do that with this one because of the detail & size. So, I tried a little experiment & just pinned the paper with the pattern on it right in the fabric & embroidered through both. It worked amazingly well though I did have to use tweezers to get some of the paper out of the stitches at the end. Now I'm working on a Swedish horse to go with it.

Garter Yoke Cardi in Progress

2009-02-09T12:43:00.000-06:00

I've been busily work on my garter yoke cardi from Knit1. I've been trying it on as I go along just to make sure the decreases & increases for the waist are at the right spot for me. Being able to do this is one of the joys of knitting a top down sweater.

Luckily for me this pattern seems to be written perfectly for my shape so no need to change the pattern in the body at all. I am changing the arms though since I want them full length & fitted instead of belled. I also picked out buttons. There was a lot of ways I could go with this camel color.

I went for something with a little pop of color. There is the camel color in these but also touches of blue & pink.

I'm also busy adding new things to the shop. These two throw pillow are just up this week.

Finally!

2009-02-03T16:07:00.001-06:00

I think for two years I've been talking about opening an Etsy store & I've finally taken the plunge with The Snuggery. I hope to keep a good supply of new items coming out of my little craft room.

Right now I have two cute throw pillows available.

Plus a bunch of paper collage framed wall hangings I've been making lately.

And one little knit gnome

It's always a little nerve-wracking putting the things you made up for sale so I hope you all like them.

Trying something new

2009-01-30T11:52:00.000-06:00

I'm trying my hand a applique this morning. So far so good. I'm hoping this will turn into a throw pillow for the new etsy store.

New things in the works...

2009-01-29T11:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I actually have quite a few projects in the works but here's two that are of interest.
I'm making the Garter Yoke Cardi from Knit1

My plan is to make the sleeve longer & give them some shaping. This is made very similarly to the February Lady Sweater. I'm up to the raglan shaping & its going quickly. The yarn is Valley Yarn Stonehenge.

I've also started a new embroidery project using one of Andrea Zuill's great free patterns.

This one really reminded me of Swedish design with its hears & flowers & birds.

Really Cute Hat

2009-01-23T09:55:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a little charity knitting with the MN RollerGirls at Crafty Planet (such a cool craft shop in NE Minneapolis). I chose this to do this Lace Beanie which is a free pattern from Lion Brand because I thought the lace would keep it interesting. It was a really fast knit & I was surprised at how cute it looked when it was finished.

I typically don't like the way I look in hats but this one was so nice. Time to whip one up for myself. Oh yeah, I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease to make it.