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Self-Control

I do not have it.

But I do have a mascot for my soon be complete craft room.

I named him Barack Ollama. He fills me with hope.
I named him Barack Ollama. He fills me with hope.

My sewing table is half assembled on my craft room floor, so soon I will have a place to sprawl out my projects.

The Bundle

I finally bought the fabric for the next baby to enter my world.

I'm smitten.

The goods.
The goods.

Frog Eye Hat

Frog eye hat
Frog eye hat

This pattern is child size. The small will fit a young toddler. The pattern could be modified for an adult. I'd work from the small pattern and do five repeats instead of four (the pattern below is written for four repeats, not five).

I haven't test knit this pattern yet, so please let me know if you come across anything odd.

Stop spitting up on yourself

Since my niece, Chloe, was not impressed by my gift of a rubber ducky (the dog loved it though...), I'm making her a sweater. One she can spit up on three times before calling it a day!

She's yawning with delight.
She's yawning with delight.

Works in progress

Christmas is quickly approaching, and all the good crafters are picking out fabric and yarn. What do I do? Make diversions.

Afghan in progress
Afghan in progress

The meaning of it all

I've been thinking a lot about the purpose of this site lately. What motivates me to go through the work of writing up a pattern, paying hosting fees, tinkering with the CMS and CSS and so forth. I check the traffic a little obsessively, but I never really had any idea of what I really wanted from those 100 visitors a day.

I don't really want money. Frankly, being paid for my crafts usually makes me feel cheap. When I think about all the time and love that goes into it, getting $50 in return is not really emotionally sustainable. I work for a paycheck, I make things for a different reason.

O Socks!

O! Socks
O! Socks

Gauge - 1 inch = 6.3 stitches by 9.5 rows
Size - Women's medium

Knit Monster Baby Booties

Knitted monster baby booties
Knitted monster baby booties

The crochet version of these booties were such a hit that I wrote a pattern for knitting. These booties will fit 0-3 months.

Carrot!

mmm, carrot
mmm, carrot

Monkey Baby Quilt

Monkey Baby Quilt (I hadn't finished the binding yet in the pic, so the edges are a little weird)
Monkey Baby Quilt (I hadn't finished the binding yet in the pic, so the edges are a little weird)

This was a quilt made for a friend's first born.

Finished size: 48" or 4' square.

This is a good size for a small child's bed or to lay on the floor where a baby can play.

Abacus Baby Quilt Pattern

Abacus baby quilt
Abacus baby quilt

Monster Baby Booty Pattern

Monster Booties. Grr.
Monster Booties. Grr.


Knitted version
These booties are really quick and easy to crochet. I made this out of yarn in the stash. They don't take much yarn. You could also make them out of green or other great monster colors.

View on Ravelry

Socks - WTF?

I've been trying to come up with the perfect post to kick off my blog, and, well, a rant about socks is you get.

I've recently decided that it's high time I knit my first pair of socks. Those that do seem to knit them passionately, and there are so many beautiful patterns (unnecessary proof).

So, I give in. I buy some sock yarn on sale. I wip out the size 1 dpns that I must have bought while smoking crack. And I cast on these puppies. It's a very simple pattern - truth be told, too simple - so I figured they'd be quick.

Yep. This is where I am-

This is after staying home from work sick and knitting most of the day and watching movies (being sick is oddly wonderful).

They are very lovely socks, and I'm sure I'll enjoy wearing them. They will keep my feet warm and prevent my shoes from becoming smelly. But... come on. For all the time that goes into these bad boys I could have made a cool lace shawl, an complicated cable scarf, a hat or two, the laptop sleeve I've been thinking about. Some thing that once I'm done will be cooler than... socks.

Sock knitters, you realize you can get a pack for like $5, right?

Honeycomb Hat Pattern

Honeycomb Hat
Honeycomb Hat

Wave Afghan Pattern

Waves crochet blanket finished
Waves crochet blanket finished

Tetris Baby Quilt Pattern

Quilt before backing and binding. You can see the purple backing fabric I used.
Quilt before backing and binding. You can see the purple backing fabric I used.

Finished size: 49"x55"
This is a good size for a blanket for a baby to play on and works well for a toddler bed.

Materials

  • .25 yards of 6 colors

Ski hat with ear flaps

Ski hat with ear flaps
Ski hat with ear flaps


This hat was knit in the round top-down. I prefer to make all hats from top to bottom, because I think it's easier to get the sizing right. Just try it on as you go!

Stitch markers for knitting and crochet

Close-up

Diamond Baby Quilt

Finished Quilt
Finished Quilt

Finished size: 34"x41"

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