My knitting....

Hey!!!  I am having complete writers block for my regular blog, so I looked on my knitting blog and discovered that it had been a loooooong time since I posted any pictures.   So....here it goes!

Okay....I knit boobs!  I know, right?!?  There is an awesome website called awesomebreastforms.org.  This is an organization where knitters/crocheters volunteer their time and their yarn and their expertise and give women back their curves.  Some women have had mastectomies or lumpectomies and are unable to have reconstructive surgery or are waiting to have reconstructive surgery and they would like to have curves back.  Others have used other prosthetic breasts that are too heavy, too hot, or just too plain uncomfortable.  There is absolutely no expense to the recipient, all supplies and time and postage is paid for by the volunteers.

If you or if you know someone who could use a boost in self esteem and get some great boobs, have them go here:  http://awesomebreastforms.org/.   You can order the breast forms in light skin tone, medium skin tone, dark skin tone, pastels, wild -n- crazy, or black.  You can order a set (two) or just a single form. You can order any size from A to G!  And you can decide if you want nipples or no nipples!  If you have had a lumpectomy and just need a partial form, we can do that as well!   I have done quite a few, but here are the latest few.  

I have been working on this wrap for over a year now.  I pick it up when I am done with my current projects and work on it for a while until I decide I am ready to work on something else.  One day...I will finish!  The pictures below show my HUGE mistake.  You can see that I failed to do a twist in the cable row.

Here... I decided to try my hand at just fixing the mistake.  Instead of ripping all of my work back, I took these 10 stitches and went down 22 rows and just knitted back up to the current row, adding 3 cable twists.  I figured if I messed up, I could just go ahead and frog (rip it, rip it) all back for those 22 rows, but it was worth the try.  

YAY!!!  It worked.  It is not perfect, but it is way better than it was before.  I can live with this, but I am sure I could not have lived with the missed twist.  I would imagine that the more mistakes I make and have to fix, the better I will get.... Let's hope I never get good and fixing them!

I knitted - FINALLY!!- a pair of slippers for myself!  My husband has a pair. My daughter has a pair.  My son and his friend have a pair.  My daughter's friend has a pair.  But, I never took the time to make my own....until now!  

I posted that picture on Facebook and had a request from my nephew to make him a pair (Pittsburgh Steelers colors, please -- it was harrrd to make these that color without puking, but I prevailed).  

I also made my niece a pair.  I could never have sent just one pair!  

My great niece likes spiders... yikes!  I made her a tarantula for Christmas!  

I made my sister (in-law) a beer cozy, with beer included, for Christmas.   It was at her request!  I also sold my very first Esty order for a drink cozy. I forget to take a picture, but it was made for Christmas and arrived on time!  It was an exciting order!  I had knitted my brother one earlier, but he got his for Christmas as well.

Natalie wanted boot cuffs.  I made her three pairs, but I only got pictures of this pair.  She loves them and I love to see her wearing them!

I FINALLY finished Garrick's blanket.  It was a loooooong project!  I was about 3 weeks late from his birthday, but he still got it!  He loves it!  It will fit on a king size bed...well almost.

I had leftover yarn and because I hope I never see this yarn again because I got sick of it, I made him and his friend a pair of slippers!  I also made his other friend a scarf, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

My sweet niece had asked for a dish soap dress a looooong time ago!  I completely forgot about it until one day I remembered!  I whipped her up a dishcloth and a dress!  I think she liked it!  

I am sure there were other things I did but forgot to take pictures of...it's hard to remember everything!  I currently have three WIPs - that beige wrap, a gray blanket that is thick and yummy (it will be finished in a few days), and a mermaid lap blanket for someone I love lots!  Also, I will continue to knit awesome breast forms, hopefully 2 sets or so per month, maybe more, maybe less.

Thanks for looking at my blog and taking time to see the things that I have loved knitting.  Every single stitch is knitted with love.

XOXO

Some things I have worked on!

I am a terrible knitting blogger.  I am an okay knitter, but to write about it, I just forget!  Sometimes I even forget a picture or two!

This is a baby blanket I was making whilst my husband was in the hospital.  It took a while, but it turned out very nice!  It is a mint green color, the camera just didn't capture it very well.   

These were hospital sockies I made my husband!  I used puff paint on the bottoms so they would be slip free.  That is my wonder foot modeling them!  He loved them, especially the cold nights.  

Of course, Natalie was like, "I wanna pair."  So, here is Natalie's not-so-hospital sockies!  She really does love them, she still wears them around the house a lot.

I was thinking about these for my fam fam for Christmas; they are a quick and fairly easy (actually really, really easy, but I don't want my family to think it wasn't work!!).  

My mom wanted a hat for Christmas last year.  I did the first one, on my head, but I didn't like it much, so I did the second one, on the beautiful Natalie.  I also did a matching scarf, but no picture.  

I couldn't leave my Maggie out!  I gotta knit for someone!  

This is a throw I did for our camper.  I was working on it while Trent was in the hospital.  There are a  LOT of mistakes!  But, it is for me and I love it!  

This was a dumb owl going around on Facebook.  I wanted to see if I could do it.  I did it, then gave it to my friend.  

This was a cute little dish soap thingie!  I also made a dishcloth and a scrubbie (made with tulle for scrubbing power!).  Cute huh?  My niece wanted one and I totally forgot until just this very minute that I owe her one!  I shall get on that most favorite niece!   I also made a dress for my soap, but I didn't take a picture.  

This is a cute little beer cozie? (cozzie? cozy? kozi?)... a beer mitten!! for my brother!  It is cold at the lake and this will keep his hand warm whist still holding on to his favorite beverage.  I might actually send it to him one day!  Of course...Natalie wants one!  

These are current WIPs.  The brown thingie is a wrap.  It is kind of a long wrap that goes around the neck, down to below the waist (I think), and is open in the back.  There are buttons.  Note the buttonholes!  Yes, my very first buttonholes. Though there are only two so far, I actually did like about six of them, frogged them, and tried again.  Pretty happy with the results.  It also has cables!    The other thing is a blanket for my son.  I don't know if I can finish it by his birthday, but I will give it a shot!  I was going to try to do matching sockies (maybe the hospital sockies above), but I may run out of time.  

And thus, we are finally up-to-date!

"I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the person doing it, and that knitting is a perfect metaphor for life and insight into some better ways through it."  ~ Stephanie Pearl-McPhee


Knit every stitch with love....

XOXO

Current projects

I take pictures and just forget to post!!

Here is some of the things I have done in the last few months...

This was a baby blanket for a friend of Natalie's, she wanted pink and cheetah!  This is a mitered square pattern. 

Matching Mary Janes!

The set.

This was an entrelac blanket for a friend of Natalie's!  It was my first crotchet border! 

Matching hattie and booties! 

The cute little set. 

WIP -- Santa hat for Natalie. 

WIP -- Throw for our camper. 

WIP -- This is a mitered square blanket; it is made with extras and scraps of yarn.  I will be working on this for a while!  If you have any spare worsted weight yarn, just the little amount, send it over!!



I love knitting.  I love the calm feeling.  I love the reward of accomplishment.  I love being productive. 

“There is practically no activity that cannot be enhanced or replaced by knitting, if you really want to get obsessive about it.”
-- Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End:  Medications for Women who Knit Too Much

XOXO

Knitting away

I have been so busy knitting, I have not posted anything!!!

Here are my latest projects. 

These first pictures are me attempting to knit two socks at once.  I would like to say that it was no problem, breezed right through it.  Not a chance!  I don't know how many times I had to tink those things!  I finally got it.  The thing is, I have been working on baby things, so I have not finished them...they are a wip!

I am not sure if I will attempt this again, but I certainly will not have SSS (second sock syndrome)!  It was very frustrating trying to keep two needles, two balls of yarn, and two socks from twisting up!

These are hat and scarf sets I made for two friends for Christmas.  The green one is not a hat but instead just an ear warmer.  The gray one is called .... something I can't remember!!  At the end of your project, while binding off, you drop a stitch (I think it may be called dropped stitch scarf?) and then to carry it down to the beginning.  

Lastly, I made a "draft dodger" for my front door.  Easy peasy!  

As I said, I am working on a great baby blanket, socks, hats, cocoons, etc. for a friend of mine who is expecting her first child.   Here is a little preview.... but don't tell her!!!

I will take better pictures of these fabulous items when I am done with them before I send them off. 

"Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage."
--From Knitting Without Tears

XOXO

Knitters use knitting to value-add to the world.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

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