Sunday, October 29, 2006

"Baby Genius Burp Cloth" blanket


The blanket that I am knitting for my son's girlfriend for Christmas is what's on my needles right now. (Yes, I'm still working on the fushia colored prayer shawl as well. I carry that project with me for anytime I'm sitting waiting for something or someone.) The blanket pattern is from the Mason-Dixon Knitting book and it's actually the "Baby Genius Burp Cloth" made into a blanket. I've cast on 150 stitches. Hopefully the blanket will be big enough. I want it to be a throw type of blanket for her dorm room. Her roommate is forever leaving her fan on and Kate gets chilled. Thought this would be good for her to wrap around herself when she's studying. She loves fuzzy things and the yarn I'm using, Joann's Sensations Rainbow Classic, fits the bill. It's so soft. I'm loving working with it. This pattern is making a wonderful fabric, nice and thick and soft and when you pet it, it has a satiny feeling as well. The skeins are huge (11 oz./ 615 yards). I bought four of them and I'm secretly hoping I'll enough left over so I can find something else to knit with it as well. Here's a closeup of the pattern:


This past week I also finished up three scarfs and another pair of pocketbook slippers for my church's Holly Fair "Kid's Only Shopping".

For the scarfs I used the Curly Purly scarf pattern, which is a very easy dropped yarnover scarf pattern and a very fast knit. Thanks Marnie for sharing your pattern. I think I'm done now. I did try the tree pattern ornament, but frogged it as soon as I finished it. Don't know what I did to it or if it was the yarn I used, but I couldn't for the life of me get it to lay flat, short of ironing it. I wouldn't try that pattern again! :(

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Finally finished my "Garterlac Inspired Felted Bag"!

Wow, this project really took me a long time to finish. Granted I did knit other things, which did sidetrack me. Remember the yarn I was so excited about back in August?

Well, this is the yarn (Paton's Classic Merino) that I used to knit my "Garterlac Inspired Felted Shoulder Bag". After making my Garterlac dishcloth this summer I knew that this garterlac/entrelac pattern's destiny was to become a felted bag. Thank you so much Dave for sharing your wonderful Garterlac Dishcloth pattern.


This is a picture of the bag before felting:

Finally this is the finished product:

I really loved how it turned out. This bag is much bigger than the Sophie bag I made earlier. Once again I can not praise the Paton's Classic Merino enough for how it felts. No piling what so ever, even when the zippered pillow case broke open and my bag escaped. Beautiful fabric results from the felting process. I love all the new varigated colors, too. They are a perfect choice for the garterlac pattern. I'm already thinking about my next felting project....

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Ruby Slippers

The Christian Education Chairperson at my church asked me to knit up a few things for the children to buy as little gifts for family. They buy their gifts and wrap in secret (no parents allowed) at the Holly Fair, which is coming up in November. The older church children volunteer to help them wrap their purchases.

First I knitted an angel and a bell ornament. I found both of these patterns at Knitting Pattern Central :

Not sure how these will go over with the kids, but I knew after making them I wasn't enthused enough to make more. Not my cup of tea as they say!

Then I remembered seeing a while ago a pattern for pocketbook slippers. Once again I found the pattern at Knitting Pattern Central. While I was knitting them I was very skeptical they they could ever possibly fit anyone other than a child. This is what they look like before you put them on:

and this is how they look after they are on:

I LOVE them! I have dubbed them my "ruby" slippers. They fit me...and I wear a size 10! I'm totally amazed that they fit my big feet. :)

I would definitely recommend making these. They really are cute and would be good to keep in your pocketbook during boot season. I'm just not so sure if the kids will know what they are! Must make some sort of a tag for them. I will definitely make more of these!

Edited: Friday, Oct. 27th

I just found this pattern for teeney, tiny pocketbook slippers. Too cute!