Crafts for the weekend

Late last night I finished the first 'trekking' sock. I made it using my new harmony needles from KnitPicks and I really liked them. They had nice sharp points and didn't bend at all like my other bamboo needles. Worked well on the K2tog's. The first sock is soft and comfy and fits like a dream. During my break at work today I cast on the second one and got a few rounds knitted.
I've been working intermittantly on the tiny bee. I'm filling in all around the colored french knots with ecru colonial knots. They are teeny tiny and it's taking longer than I thought but soon it will be done and ready for assembly.

On the bunny front I've got all of the pieces knit for a gray lifeguard with red accesories. Some assembly required for him.

New bunny on the way

I didn't get to do a lot of crafting today, instead I worked on cleaning, paying bills, wrapping packages, mowing the lawn and running some errands for the cats. The cats got their walks in the backyard and then I picked out new yarn for a bunny. I'm going to knit a lifeguard bunny with red swim trunks, whistle, hat and a rescue float. I was looking at all of the yarn I have and decided to go with gray. My thinking is that a lifeguard bunny would look extremly handsome in white he would need to have some color so gray it is. I got the main body knitted and it looks good against the skein of red.

Tonite I worked a little more on the french/colonial knot bee design. I'm now filling in the backround. The piece is only about 2 inches across but the knots are tiny and take time and patience to do. Tomorrow I'm off, so more house work, vaccumning, making up beds and then fun knitting time on the patio. The morning for work, the afternoon for fun. The weather is nice so I love to take advantage of it.

Sock knitting

I took the new bunny into work today and she got rave reviews. I really liked that she could pose her arms and lounge on her lilo.

For the crafting time today it was very minimal but during my dinner break I worked hard on my sock and got the gusset all knitted. Now it time to work on the foot.

Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny Pink Bikini Babe

I just couldn't resist assembling the newest member of the bunny clan, bikini beach babe bunny. Here hse is getting put together and having her face put on.
Here is what they call a Lilo but is an inflatable raft to me.
Here she is in her itty, bitty, teeny, weeny, pink bikini, head band and raft to lounge on.
Now she can relax and enjoy the sun and sand. I added a pipe cleaner through her arms and torso so now she can be posed, somewhat. She's not really steady on her paws but I'll have to think on how to make them stand up better for the next one. She is really cute and was a lot of fun to knit and make up. It's like watching a little creature come to life.

I also got to knit on my break at work and got the sock flap done and then went on and turned the heel. Tomorrow its time to pick up stitches and work the gusset.

Slippers

Today was a holiday but it was also laundry day here at my house which meant that the slippers/clogs could get felted without any extra work. After three washings they had shrunk down from 14 inches to 10 1/2 inches and looked great. I stuffed them with rolled tea towels to hold the shape and put them outside to dry off. It was a great warm windy day and by this evening they were dry and ready to try on just to make sure they didn't need another go in the wash. Perfect. I can't wait to get feedback from the new owner. Now all they need is a special box and they'll be on their way to a new home. I know this is one pattern I'll be knitting again. Not too hard with great results.
Here is what the next projects current state is. This box of tangled yarn will turn into a beach bunny babe very soon. I loved knitting the tiny pink bikini that she will wear to sunbathe on Bunny Beach. Lots of parts but I'll get some more knitted before assembling. My son wanted the weightlifting mice knitted first but I told him the bunnies had first dibs.

Another project

Worked hard today and finished knitting and assembling the clog/slippers. There was one mishap that had me joining the second sole to the main shoe assembly. On the first one I had it all joined together and realized I had put the pieces together wrongly, so it was rip everything back, put the stitches back on the needles, pick up the stitches again on the main shoe assembly and then join correctly. The second slipper went much more smoothly now that I was experienced. Then it was joining up all the sections, sewing them together and then weaving in all of the loose ends and it's done. Almost. Tomorrow they will go into the washing machine for some rounds of felting. I'm looking forward to seeing how much they shrink. Right now they are about 14 inches in length. The color looks more purply in person also.

I also knit a few more rounds on my trek sock and have 6 inches knit. That means another inch and I start the heel flap.

Behind the scenes I'm prepping my knitting bag for the next animal group project to work on. It's "Bunnies at the Beach" an Alan Dart design. I can use the leftover yarn from the zoo animals to knit a lot of the bunnies and raid my stash for outfit appropriate colors. I know I have some pink dk perfect for a bikini.

New slippers

These will eventually turn into felted slipper/clogs. Right now they look like badly mad clown coverings that are over 14 inches long. I had worked on the first one last night and did the second one tonite. The pattern from "Fiber Trends" is easy to follow but you do have to pay attention. Next, each needs another sole knit and then a lot of assembly. I hope to be able to start felting these next week. The yarn is nice and soft, 'lambs pride', I've used it before so I'm looking forward to excellent results.

I put all of the animals together and it's interesting to see all their different expressions on their faces. I've decided not to knit the ark that came with this pattern. I didn't really like it and then I'd have to knit a Mr & Mrs Noah to tend to the animals. I see these as a zoo set or free ranging set of friendly animals. I don't even like the idea of little fences to keep them in. The vision is for them to range freely on the sofa, blanket mountain ranges and over the rug savanahs and fringe jungles. They do have a nice large 'curious george' suitcase to live and travel in for the moment but I think in the future they are going to demand a nice box to reside in when sleeping.

New gang in town

Worked hard and finished the final two friends, the elephant and the camel.
They joined the rest of the new friends and then went downstairs on an adventure to see all of the little pets. They are settling into and just visiting with their other selves.
I finished the backing on the tiny house. On the back is a buttonhole stitched bar/loop for hanging. It came out very sweet, but I am unsure as where it should go now. Could be display or for sale?

Tonite is the start of a new knitting project. I ordered yarn to make some slippers and it came today so that project moved to the top of the pile. It's lovely 'lambs pride' worsted in plum and purple, yummy colors. We'll see how fast these knit and felt up.

Pets on Parade

Today was a wonderfully productive day in the crafting department. I decided to assemble the pets waiting in the wings. Here you can see the panda, zebra, snake, turtle and alligator. They had me put them together for a group photo. They are very happy to be joining the others of their kind.
Here is the camel partly assembled. He still needs ears and a face but he's coming along quite nicely. I've gotten better at getting the legs right and had purchased packages of assorted colored straws so everything is matching underneath. The alligator, turtle and snake are all posible with their pipe cleaner interiors.
Here is the new snake pattern. We are unsure if it matches any real-life snake. Even with the forky, snakey tongue it looks adorable.
For a break in the assembly action I decided to cast on a new sock. I'm using the WIP (work in progress) tube I had purchased and the new "Harmony" needles from "KnitPicks". They have nice sharp points and are knitting up nicely. I am hopeful that these needles will solve my problem of having all of my smaller bamboo needles being bent from use. They work okay when bent but not as effectively. It's probably the way I hold the needles in my hands because I've bent some thinner metal needles too.

Tiny Turtle

Today a second turtle was knit and a new baby snake was started. I didn't check to see what the other snakes coloring was so the new one might not match. I selected red and black for a really racy snake. What ever the coloring the new one will fit right in the zoo growing in my work basket. I'm looking forward to the holiday coming up because I imagine a day with my workbasket at one side, the finishing tools at the ready, a bag of stuffing and some cute animals coming to life.

Bagging an elephant

Worked hard and finished knitting all the body parts for a lady elephant. Tonite it's on to the turtle after an evening of cleaning and organizing and putting away all of my 'toys'. It's so much fun playing with the yarn and seeing it come to life.

Tiny body bags

I've got a pile of little plastic bags all filled with tiny little body parts made of yarn. If you didn't know that it was going to turn into an alligator, panda, zebra and camel you'd think I was just saving all of my scraps of yarn. They are knitting up fast but I still have an elephant, turtle and a snake to knit. Then they all will get assembled and meet their already knitted friends. They tell me they can't wait.

In the wings are all of the other craft projects. Socks, bunnies at the beach, mice at the circus, prayer shawls, blankets and needlework. I just got a pile of books on cd so I can craft and listen and just create. Heaven.

New toy is born

Tonite I finished all of the alligator pieces. They all look like snarls of yarn but will turn into legs and little claws. Started on a new toy and can you guess what it will be?

Panda!! This is it's little panda body and if it's good, tomorrow it will have a head and little feet also.

Birth of a new toy

Not a lot of crafting today but you are witnesses to the birth of a baby alligator. On the right is the top scaley(seed/moss) hide and on the left is the garter stitch underbelly. Not much to look like but things look strange when they start out life.

It's finished

This morning I set my goal of getting some items finished before going off to work. After a quick house clean I finished off this little pail for your pins and needles. It didn't come with directions on what to do with it when the stitching was completed so I winged it. I cut a circle from bristol board and padded it with stuffing and then gathered the needlework on it. I sewed on two tabs of ribbon on the side then covered the bottom with a circle of ultrasuede. You sew very carefully through this and you can hardly see it. Now the cover fits into the pail acting like a pincushion but the pails big enough for a spool of thread and thimble. The ribbon tabs allow you to take the cover off with ease. It came out much nice and more useable then the one I saw on display where this kit was purchased.
This pair of socks was languishing in my sock pile waiting for its second one to get finished. The heel had been turned so it needed a decreasing gusset, foot and toe done. Today I had to sit through 4 hours of meetings and lo and behold at my dinner break I was sewing up the toe. Everyone at the meeting really liked the color and the moc twisted rib pattern. This color is out of my comfort zone but someone will love it.
The little house is coming along. It's been pressed and partially mounted on it's padded mounting board. I just have to search in my stash of felted wool for the right color for the final touch then it will progress .

Bee stitching

Today I cleaned the house, took the cats for a walk and went to see the movie 'Speed Racer' in IMAX. It was a great movie with lots of action and brought back lots of memories of watching the tv show when I was a kid. I keep humming that theme song. So for crafting tonite I worked on this tiny project of a bee. It's all done in french knots, using one strand of embroider floss. It might look tedious or time consuming but in reality it really fun and easy to do. The outline is on the tightly woven cloth, you only do one stitch at a time and it's an easy stitch and the results are amazing. This will turn into something but I'll show you that after it's all stitched. Happy crafting.

Some stitching

Worked on finishin up the stitching on the little house tonite. It came out cute and will look even better after a press and some mounting. Next up is some french knot work on a bumblebee and finishing the last three stitched project.

Back to crafting

This little blue cat will be attached to the front of a handmade blue pillow, matching the new color scheme throughout the house. This was really fun to stitch and worked up fast. It was one of my purchases from 'celebration'.
This little house is almost finished. It's a 'prairie schoolar' giveaway pattern that I liked. It's only about 2 inches square and will be mounted using a felt backing cut with pinking shears. I'm looking forward to trying out this new technique.

I'm just enjoying not painting and cleaning, sitting in my new den, playing with my little gang, and being happy reading and crafting away. Back to big projects in the next week or so.

Kitchen Adventures

Thursday I worked really hard on getting the kitchen finished. The final coat went on the windows and the overpainted brick wall. Then it was on to touch ups of the wall and ceiling. While everything was drying I cleaned up, and cleaned and cleaned. Thank goodness for disposable plastic drop clothes and paper towels. You just can't put everything back, you have to scrub and clean it first, including the floor and everything else. Wall plates went back into position.

The first causulty was the dryer vent which I couldn't fit back on. It was a crushed and grubby so today I went and got a new tube, metallic tape and a circle binder fitting. That went on quite nicely and is much more secure. Of course they only sold a large roll of the metallic tape so I have quite a bit left over. The up side of this repair on the dryer vent and fixing the hole in the wall where the fan was is that the kitchen is not drafty any more. Imagine that.

The second causulty was the kitchen clock which I said didn't match (it is green) so I'd need a new one. I decided to put it up anyway. I did but I guess it didn't like it much because a few minutes later it came crashing down and broke apart. So much for the plastic clock. I miss having one so it will be on my list to keep an eye out for.

Today was spent putting back the pots and pans and installing little clips to hold the cord on the new under cabinet light that I put in over the sink. I haven't finished yet as the front door still needs doing. But today is the last day of my vacation and a house is a neverending project waiting to be finished but never is.

The little gang of cats have been very helpful checking out all of the nooks and crannies and then taking long naps. I washed all of the carpets yesterday and dried them on the clothesline outside. This makes them very attractive to the gang and they enjoy laying in the middle and just stretching out very lazily. At the end of the day happy cats, happy home and a happy owner

Kitchens Progress

This morning started off wonderfully when I carefully used my sharp knife and cut through the paint edge and then peeled off the blue masking tape revealing fresh new blue walls. The 'tape and drape' plastic came off the cabinets, woodwork and other places showing how well I had cut in all of those edges. But after the fun of the first reveal, it was on to the setup and prep for the window trim and brick wall. I got one coat on with no escapes by the little gang, though they were watching from the wings.

There was no further progress because there was a work emergency so I went in fixed everthing up nicely and earned my good karma for the day. Tonite it's been just fun siting and finishing watching the "Knitters Workshop" dvd by Elizabeth Zimmerman. She is very interesting and even though I'm not going to run out and knit a few sweaters I felt I learned a lot. I just finished requesting some of her other titles from the local library. Video candy for the crafter.

Kitchen Adventures

If you can see those little smudges on the plastic dropcloth you can just imagine what the rest of the floor in the house looked like when Magpie my inquisitive cat came to explore the painting in progress today and inadvertenly put a paw into the paint tray in the middle of the floor. I had been very careful to keep her away from the paint but it had been bound to happen. She then dashed out the kitchen, around the corner, across the living room carpet to hide under the table then made a mad dash up the stairs where I caught her up in my arms before she could spread the paw prints further through the house. It was into the bathroom where a hot washcloth on a squirmy cat "who did not like this" made her wished clearly know. I got it cleaned off her paw and other furry bits and then it was off to clean up all the paw prints before they dried.
Here is Magpie all exhausted after her adventures in painting and special grooming.
Helper Sailor was on hand sneaking around to see what mischief he could get in. Thankfully no paint incidents with him.

The kitchen is looking much better. This is the primer coat covering up the dirty grey wall board. It looks bright, clean and boring.

After a coat of "sterling silver" blue pain the kitchen is coming together. Today I managed the second ceiling coat. Almost all of the stains are covered up. One more coat just in those spots for tomorrow. The walls received two coats of the blue and I like this color a lot. Next up is door, the painted brick wall, window trim and then a new project of test staining the baseboards in place. I'll try out the new stain behind where the washing machine goes before I use it all over the kitchen and remainder of the house. This way if it does't work no one but I will ever know.

The afternoon included an outing for each of older cats in the yard. They have such a good time outdoors.

For crafting (doesn't the kitchen count as one gigantic craft project) it was prayer shawl knitting group so I cast on and knit about 4 inches on the shawl. All in all a productive day.

The neverending kitchen part 3

Had a great day today in the kitchen with only a few minor setbacks. The second coat of primer went on really well. Then it was on to the ceiling and there is where I've run into a problem. There is a mystery stain over where the fan used to be that didn't disapear after one coat. Hmmm. Tomorrow the second coat will go on the ceiling and if it apears again its back to the store for the ceiling spot cover up paint. They had it but I didn't think I needed it, I did like the purple/dries white so much better. It dries so fast because the heater vent is at ceiling height so good/bad. So the shopping list grows, paint for the walls in color of choice (blueish), trim paint for windows and door, cover the stain paint for ceiling and a look at stick on tiles for the back of the sink area. The weather is getting nicer during the day so I'll be able to open the front door and windows and air out the kitchen.

For fun my son and I went to the afternoon show of the movie "Ironman". It was attended by all of the other grownups who work on the weekend and want to see the movie in a more quiet and way less crowed environment. We loved it and recommend it to those who love action movies. Next week it's a trip to the jumbo IMAX screen to see "Speed Racer" who it turns out is his real name. Who names their kid Speed?

The afternoon played out with hanging wash on the line and taking the two older cats for a walk in the yard. I say a walk but they walk then sit and lounge in the grass or dirt so I sit nearby, hold their leash and read. Extremely nice.

Then it was time to change for work for a few hours then back home again where the laundry has been taken in dry and smelling so nice from the line out back. Did you notice that no crafting got accomplished today. It doesn't matter because it was just all over a wonderful day.

Neverending kitchen part 3

I finally put brush to paint on the walls in the kitchen. Yes it's only the first coat of primer but what a difference it makes already. From grey old wallboard on one wall, yellow / darker yellow/ patch of blue on the other and greyey white on the sink wall just plain white looks okay. The patch over the fan hole came out nicely because I purchase an easy spackly joint compound in a tub. It went on like frosting, smoothed out easily and sanded off like a dream. Two hours later it got primed. Another coat of primer tomorrow morning and then it's on to the ceiling.

After a pizza dinner from the local shop (how could I cook, everything and I mean everything was covered in drop cloths, I went up to my craft room and worked further on the mermaid. She's finished as goes the stitching and now its on to assembly. I just have to look in my bead stash for some little pearls to add as a decorative element for her. Note: not a mermaid alphabet in sight.

The neverending kitchen part 2

Worked really hard today in the kitchen. I cleaned all of the sills, ledges and really greasy window ledges first before taping and draping around all of the trim and edges. All the remaining wallpaper got removed and I found some remaining tiles from the 1950's hidden away. Then it was on to repairing the giant hole in the wall where a fan used to be. After removing the old cover it was then left to cut a square hole in the wall for the 12x12 patch of wallboard would go. That old drywall was like iron and I finally got out a finishing saw that would cut through it. The drywall repair kit had all of the needed materials so I cut my new drywall patch, installed the clips, screwed everything together and soon was mixing up some compound to go over all of the edges. Note that the fan hole was over the top of the stove. The stove can only move out about 1 foot from the wall so I was climbing and balancing over the top of the stove and then on the sink drainboard. One more coat of compound, a sand and then we'll see if it's ready to paint. Tomorrow I have to actually take out one ceiling light cover and plastic drape another. I haven't even touched a paint brush yet. Magpie the black cat loves to climb on the steps so that adds another interesting dimension to climbing up and down. She does love to supervise.

I did do some crafting though and worked on a little mermaid project that I purchased on Friday. She will eventually be an emery holder/necklace/needle holder. Lots of fun ahead.

New projects

Had a great deal of fun at 'celebration of nw' the show that I wasn't going to attend. I didn't take any classes but I did do some shopping. This item which I stitched tonite will become a lovely pincushion in a painted tin pail. The show was interesting and full of so many types of stitching projects to do. I didn't go overboard though and the results will be posted as they get done.

On the beading front, the knitted beaded necklace is coming along. It's only three stitches across and two beads but you have to be slow and careful as the thread splits and is slippery and the beads need to get into their correct positions. I've knitted 15 inches of necklace the patterns says will come out about 23 inches long. As it gets further along then I'll see if it needs a clasp or can be joined as one.

A non craft project in the works

Can you believe I haven't crafted at all today. I was working hard on the other large project in my house. The PAINTING OF THE KITCHEN. It is an ominus project the scope of which gets larger with each step. Today I moved all of the furniture from the living room into the newly painted den so we can have a place to relax. This led to cleaning up the living room and den. Then the kitchen furniture moved into the living room. I now can eat my breakfast while watching the squirels cavort on the back lawn. The kitchen fridge is moved out from the wall and into the living area and the large counter got rearranged and set up. There was then a flurry of cleaning behind and under were everything previously was. There is a lot of hidden dust in the house.

You don't think when you start a project that the actual painting will be the easy part but in this case I think it will be. I've put all of the pots and pans away and now have to clean the windows and finish removing all of the wallpaper, filling all of the holes that are left and putting away the mug racks and other stuff that I keep spotting everywhere. I keep the idea in my head that once this is done I shouldn't have to paint this room for 10 years but I know that the hallway, living room needs to follow in suit. At least I have a color for the hallway. WHITE an easy choice you think but no... what shade of WHITE. linen, scone,flour,cloud, etc the paint stores have a myriad of choices.

So no crafting today but a lot of prep for the project ahead and I did finish a book and bake a batch of gingerbread cookies to fill the cookie jar and the house is nice and clean.