Duffers and Hand Felting

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A friend told me about a really fun slipper pattern.  The pattern is called Duffers, and it consists of 19 simple rows per slipper. I used almost one skein of Lamb’s Pride Bulky to make them.

This was an opportunity to improve my felting skills.

So here are the slippers right after I finished knitting them, and before I sewed the seams.  They are simple simple.  You sew down the back of the heel and then down the bottom.

After I sewed them up, they looked like this.

So recently I blogged about the “heart-felt” rings I knitted and felted.  I’d learned from Tiny Owl Knits that I should wring my object out a little and not have it soaking wet.  She also suggested being a little more gentle and not trying to beat up the poor knitted object (my words).

Put that advice with the addition of these:

My sister put me onto this.  These are heavy duty gloves and they serve a dual purpose.  First, I can withstand putting the slipper under very hot water without scalding my hands.  Second, because they are a little textured, they provide additional friction when I am felting.

So I put the slipper under very hot water and added just a little dishwashing soap.  Then I squeezed out as much water as I could and did my glove agitating.  I did shock it with cold water one time.  I rinsed it under cold water, and then put it under hot again.  (The “shocking” did seem to speed up the felting a little.) I squeezed as much water out as I could and continued agitating.

It took me about 10 minutes per slipper.

Here is one post felting and the other is pre felted.

The Lamb’s Pride has a little mohair in it, so they are a little bit fuzzy.

Here they are after I finished felting them.

I had not taken a picture which included Davey’s little feet in a while.  Fortunately, this is a photograph and not a video as he was not thrilled to be in the picture.  He cooperated though (barely), and we got it done fast!

I think I could have felted them even abit more, but I felted them to a good fit around my big ole feet.  I wouldn’t mind making one more pair, and I’d felt them even more.  I like that real felted finished look.  I’m not sure I accomplished that.  However, my felting skills are getting much better!

 

The Day after Christmas and Lofty Cable Mittens

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Oh it was a nice Christmas!  We took lots of pictures, but I think this one sums it up pretty well.

He had a great time.  We had dinner with friends which was also nice.  They live across the street from us so it was a short journey.   Davey had a wonderful time playing with his friends there.

So we are just relaxing today – and all week.  Today I’ve got to go to the library and make a quick stop at the store, but that’s it!

I finished my first pair of mittens last night.  The pattern is called Lofty Wool Cable Mittens.  I made them with Lamb’s Pride Bulky, and they went so fast.  This is the same yarn that I used for David’s sweater.  I had enough of the off-white leftover to make these.  I was afraid that I was going to run out of yarn though.  They took nearly 2 skeins.  They are fairly long mittens and should be very very warm. The pattern had a stockinette wrist so that it would roll.  I could just feel snow rolling into my wrists at the thought of that, so I did a 2×2 rib instead.

Making the bulky cables with this yarn did make my hands just a little sore, but not too bad.  I love how the cables stand out so well.

Today I am starting some slippers which I am going to felt.  They are supposed to go pretty quickly too.  I’m having fun with a few quick projects before I go back to some of the other projects which are waiting for me.

Happy Day after Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2011

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Christmas Eve was a great day spent at home.

I started cooking when I got up,  and I cooked and baked all day long.  While I really enjoyed it, I didn’t anticipate that it would take me the entire day.  My Christmas Eve dinner menu was a little ambitious I guess.  We could have easily have fed 10 people.  But I wanted lots of leftovers for the next few days of relaxing and playing (and knitting!).

It started with the cranberries.  (I just love pictures of cranberries.)

I also made my first ever cake roll.  It was a sponge cake with toffee cream filling.  I have this awesome High altitude cookbook, and it had the greatest instructions on how to accomplish this at 5,000 feet.  Sponge cake is not easy for me at sea level, but it turned out great.  I have a food shot, although it’s not too pretty. A memorable moment for me though so I must include it.

Davey helped me on and off throughout the day.

Here he was a little upset with David.  David had suggested that we trap Santa.  Davey didn’t like this and became worried that David might have immediately gone to the “naughty list”.

We made spritz cookies.

Davey helped decorate.  He loves eating sprinkles, but don’t worry these cookies stayed within our family.  Oh – well except for Santa.

Davey played in the snow.

And Davey and David built a snowman.

Davey wanted to go the carrot nose route, but David got inspired to do some snow sculpting.

Finally it was time for dinner.  Here’s the food shot.

I have to highly recommend the brussels sprouts recipe.  I don’t know if it is possible to not like brussels sprouts when made with this recipe from Pioneer Woman.  (I also made her sweet potato casserole (without the vanilla) and her cranberry sauce.  I enjoy  her recipes!)

I told David and Davey that there was a living Nativity scene at a Presbyterian Church near our house.  Turns out I was wrong.  I don’t know what I was looking at, but we arrived just in time for the candlelight Christmas Eve service.  The church was almost full except for the very front row.  So we were encouraged to sit there.  Turns out this was a great thing because Davey had lots to look at during the service which was very nice.  He sat there so quietly.  He also sang along and made up words as needed.  He loved the candles too.

Then it was time for bed.

Cookies for Santa –  and Davey insisted that Santa drink from his favorite blue cup.

And then Santa’s helpers wrapped.

Merry Christmas!

 

Snowy morning

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We are all home this morning.  Yay!   I am watching the snow fall as I write this.  Very nice!  We got a lot of snow last night.  At some point we will venture out into it, but’s pretty cold out!

David had to get out this morning to clear a path for Koko.

He dug a path in the yard so that Koko would have an easier time maneuvering around.  Koko gave it a look.

But no one, not even Mother Nature, can tell Koko where she can and can’t go, and she made her own path.

Stubborn old girl.

Me, I’m hoping to do quite abit of this today:

I’m making my first pair of mittens.  I love the cabling on them.

Happy Day!

Gap-Tastic! and a birthday.

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I just finished the most funnest cowl (yes bad grammar but it works for what I want to express)!  It was a quick knit in bulky yarn and on size 15 needles.  It is a free pattern that I found on ravelry.  It’s been crazy popular on ravelry.  Apparently the designer saw the cowl at the Gap and decided to figure out how to make it.  It’s very very easy.  Cast on 131 stitches, seed stitch for 15 inches (I did about 12 I think) on size 13 needles (I used size 15 because I didn’t think I had any size 13s, but turns out I did.  Happened to find them last night.)

It’s very warm too.  Should be nice for cold days around here.  I think everyone on the planet should knit this (perhaps in cotton for warmer climates).  I want to knit another one.  Thinking about using up some of my Lamb’s Pride Bulky and going with multicolors.  We shall see!

It’s my birthday today too!  It’s been such a nice day.  We are going to dinner soon.  Birthday dinner at PF Chang’s!  A fun treat.

We had cake earlier today.  An icing covered cake was very important to Davey. David picked out a pretty one.

Davey helped me blow out the candles.

a nice birthday!

“Heartfelt” Rings and decorating the tree

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School is out!  I’m having fun knitting again.  I’ve got about 8 million things going right now.  It’s a little ridiculous.  I finished a couple of small things though.

I am having fun playing with these “heartfelt” rings created by Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits.  She is also the creator of the hexi-puff – for the beekeeper’s quilt.  One of my many ongoing projects.  I don’t have enough hexi-puffs yet for even a baby doll quilt.  But I will eventually.

So anyway.  She put up a free pattern and some fun videos to go with the pattern that explain how to make the rings.  They are very easy to make.  You can make one in less than half an hour.  Here is what one looks like pre-felting (she puts hearts on hers.  I did too, but on the opposite side of the ring, I attempted to put a letter.)

I have made these with Knit Picks Palette wool.  It felts so fast.  I learned some great tips from her about felting though.  She explained that you can felt better with wool that is damp and not soaking wet.  Felting mistake number 1 I had been making.  I’d pretty much been holding it under the water.

Second, she said that a light constant touch – here lightly rolling it around in my hands – works better than a heavy handed touch.  Felting mistake number 2 for me – I’d basically been beating the crud out of my objects and I held them under hot water and then periodically rotated them into cold water to “shock them”.

I know these rings are very small, but they felted almost instantly, and so I wonder if following her guidelines didn’t help me.

I’m still working on making my letters look right felted.

The rings are very fun though, and such a nice way to use up some of my knit picks stash.  It’s also good practice for shaping felted objects.  Here is a finished one on my finger.

We decorated the tree the other night.  It was a lot of fun.  David is kinda doing a “joking focused” in this picture, but he does go off into that artist side of his brain as he decorates the tree.

Davey had a lot of fun “playing” the guitar ornament.  He found it pretty hilarious.

I’m also about done with a cowl.  It’s neat and I’ll blog about it as soon as I finish and take some pictures. It is all seed stitch. I used to really complain about seed stitch.  K1 P1 over and over seems kind of tedious, but I have grown to really like it. It’s very soothing.  I also love how the stitch pattern looks, and how it gives the yarn a nice “squishy feel”.  I will say that I am doing it on size 15 needles, and this does make my wrists sore after awhile, so I take breaks from it.

I’m also working on the Advent Calendar Scarf.  It’s December 19th.  I am on December 2nd.  Day 2.  oh well.

Speaking of December 19th.  Tomorrow is my birthday.  I am going to be 44.  David is 44, and Davey is 4.  Bunch of fours in this house!  Koko is 15  so that doesn’t quite work.  Except, 5-1 = 4 so there you go!

At the Home Depot

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I feel a little like a Home Depot advertisement, but I wanted to blog about the Kid Workshops we have now gone to a couple of times.  Davey loves them.

Home Depot has the Kid Workshops the first Saturday of each month.  We went for the first time in November.  Davey got an apron which he thought was just the coolest.

Each month he gets another project pin to put on the front of his apron.  Another awesome thing for Davey.  He was checking out the other kids, some of whom had like 20 pins on the fronts of their aprons.

The best thing about this is that Davey does this with Daddy.  I suppose I might be allowed to participate one of these times, but it’s a real fun daddy/davey thing.

Right now, David guides Davey through much of the project.  This particular project was a snowman napkin holder.  I think it involved a screwdriver, paint and some stickers.

Guess who else was here?

Home Depot Santa.  Davey has talked to about 4 Santas so far now, but he was feeling a little bashful on this day.  He didn’t want to engage with Home Depot Santa.

I think this is going to be our new monthly Saturday morning event.  It’s really a cool thing.  It’s free, and the Home Depot people who run the workshops are so friendly and helpful with the kids.

Oh and finally – notice what David is wearing?  He really likes The Sweater! 🙂

Goofy family photo below:

 

 

Baby Chalice Blanket

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Last week I finished a baby blanket.  This was a great pattern.

It is a  lace pattern, but it’s not difficult.  I had to pay attention, but I used my stitch markers at each repeat across the row, and I had no problems.  I could even watch tv and knit on it!

The blanket went to friends who just had a sweet baby boy.  They named him Beckett.  I love that name!

Yarn – I used an acrylic blend so that they could toss it in the washer and dryer.  It had a really soft nice squish to it.  It was this yarn:  Baby Bee.

I highly recommend this pattern!

So that’s about it on knitting.  I’m working on that Advent Calendar Knit a long.  The designer reveals a bit of the pattern each day.  I guess they are on Day 13.  I am on Day 1.  hmm.  Well, now that school is out for awhile, I should have some time to knit again!

The Adventures of Wee Tot

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Ever since Davey was a baby we’ve had nicknames for him.  They have included  “The Little Elf,  “Little Buddha” and one that has stuck is “Wee Tot”.

So Wee Tot.  Lately, David has started telling Davey stories which are titled “The Adventures of Wee Tot”.  They began as stories that were really about David as a little boy with a little Davey mixed in.   Lately they have evolved into Wee Tot the Superhero.

Little Wee Tot battles all the greats including Sandman, Abomination, Riddler, the Blob, and Juggernaut.  The battle always ends with a trip to jail with Wee Tot as their escort.  Wee Tot’s career as a superhero began one day when he was shopping with his mom in Hot Springs.  While looking around the store, they came across a very special  cape.  This cape gave Wee Tot special powers.  He can fly and he has super strength.  Basically he has the powers of Superman.

Every day, Davey says to me, “I wonder what the Wee Tot story will be tonight?”  Our bedtime routine includes reading a few books and then it is time for the Wee Tot story.  Last night Incredible Hulk helped Santa Claus deliver presents.  Somehow, Wee Tot had the foresight to know that this was a possibility, so he’d left iced green Christmas cookies for the Hulk.  Wee Tot knew that Hulk had enjoyed the cookies because in thanks, he left a scrap of purple cloth under the plate.

The other day, we were at the rec center and I heard Davey introducing himself to another little boy.  He said, “Hi my name is Davey, but you can just call me Wee Tot”.

Here Wee Tot is trying to help me yell the squirrels out of the bird feeder.

I am thankful for Davey and his Daddy’s big imaginations.

“Santa Here? I Know Him!”

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Friday night we went to the tree lighting ceremony in Broomfield.  It was a cold evening, but we got all bundled up to go because Santa was going to be there.

Not only was Santa there, but he made a dramatic entrance which Davey loved.   Santa arrived via helicopter.

Davey kept his eyes glued on the sky.

He said, “I think Santa will remember me from the other day!”  (He had spoken with Santa just a few days earlier at Walmart.)  But then, he thought about it, and he said, “but I’m not sure that was the REAL Santa.”

After Santa landed, we got in line so that Davey could talk to him.  Luckily Santa went inside to talk to the kids.

Davey climbed right up onto his lap and began an earnest request.  “Santa, for Christmas I want a Dragon Castle.  NOT the ninja one!” (He has the ninja one.  He likes it a lot, but it’s the dragon castle, that he really wants.)

It was cold.  Check out the red-nosed me.

And then we went on a hayride.  We about froze, but Davey loved it.  Then he wanted to wait in line for free donuts.  I gave in with the hope that he’d quickly grow weary of it.  Thankfully, he did!

Christmas time with Davey.  The joy of a 4 year old.  He told me today that his favorite time of the year is Christmas.  I told him it was mine too.  He said, “But Mommy, all you get for Christmas are shirts and stuff.  I get toys!”  True I guess, but he doesn’t know that I had a great time making a wish list on knitpicks today!

One more picture of our cold night.  I like this picture of David.

We’re making Christmas cookies today.  Time to go frost.  Davey is the designated sprinkler!