Well, this stinks.

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Here’s the part that sucks about being a knitting blogger.

I want to share everything I’m working on (there are some really awesome things happening at Casa de On the Needles).  But, right now, they’re all Top Secret. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I’ve got Christmas presents going for several people (quite a few of whom read the blog), so I can’t show you the beautiful ________s that I’m making for _______________ and _______________.  And I have to keep the amazing _____________ that I’m making for __________ secret, too.

Not only that, but I’m also working on a few patterns for KnitPicks.  They’ll come out in the next few months, but for now, I’ve got to keep them all on the down-low.  My feminine lace __________ __________, the adorable little _________  __________, and even my colorful __________.

I’d love to share them with you, but you’ve got to understand I can’t!  Of course, I’ll tell you all about everything soon enough (after Christmas, for a lot of my projects), but in the meantime I’ve got to hold my tongue. (And I’ve never been great at keeping secrets.)

It’s the worst!

Thanks for bearing with me.

Do you have any super secret projects you’re working on?  Can you give me any details?

A Proposal

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I have an idea.  Dangerous, I know.

I want to ask you guys if you think it’s a good idea, because without your participation, it would be much less fun.

So here it is:  Would you be interested in a “Surprise Sock Pattern of the Month Club?”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAFor a flat fee, I would deliver a brand-new sock pattern to your email inbox every month for the next year.  The patterns would be adult-sized sock patterns in a variety of sizes and knit in a variety of styles from light, lacy, girly socks, to manly, utilitarian socks and everything in between.

Please let me know if you’d be interested.  I think it would be totally fun!  I’ve got ideas!

Feel free to explain your answer in the comments section below!

 

Inspiration: Taming the Jungle

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My yard likes to grow.

A lot.

Especially when it’s damp and chilly.

You know what’s super not fun when it’s damp and chilly?

Weeding, pruning, trimming, and mowing.

I’ve got goosebumps and stiff, chilly fingers just from thinking about it.  Brrrr.  Especially when your jeans start to soak through, your glasses fog up and your sneakers get wet.  No fun at all.

So, I’ve got to be sure to dress properly when I go out into my yard to do battle with the blackberry vines (and battalions of mushrooms, and scores of overgrown oregano bushes).  And, because I’m me, that means lots of knitwear.

Of course, I’ve got to start with a nice mid-weight sweater to keep me warm without weighing me down.

ravello by Isabell KraemerDSC_0064_medium[1]And top it off with a lovely slouchy hat to keep my ears from catching frostbite.

Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure

IMG_0681_medium2[1]And I’ll finish it off with some pretty-yet-practical fingerless gloves.  These would be perfect for under my thick leather gardening gloves- then I’ll keep warm, and  keep my fingers from being ripped apart by blackberry thorns!

Maize by tincanknits

SC-maize-02_medium[1]Now that I’m all suited up- Once more into the breach!  Wish me luck!

Do you have a favorite outfit for working in the yard?

Mama Bear Check-In #2

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I’m back and my bear pack (have we decided on what a group of bears is called?  Pack doesn’t seem right) has grown bigger!

My newest bear is an adorable little blue teddy with a little black dress on!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATo be honest, I decided on this color scheme when I looked in the bottom of my bag and found that I had nearly-full skeins of both blue and black, and thought “How can I use up these colors quickly?”  But, in the end, I kind of like her goth-chick vibe.  She just needs a red scarf and an anarchy symbol embroidered on her chest.  But that might be slightly inappropriate for this kind of project.

Have any of you made skirts or dresses for your bears yet?  This is my first beskirtted bear (beskirtted is a word because I say it is), and I’m not sure how much I liked making the skirt part.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the finished product- the little, slightly ruffly skirt is adorable.  But, the skirt felt like it took forever to knit up, and used up quite a bit of yarn, and if you’re using up odd bits and bobs of leftover yarn, I could see a skirt being fairly impractical.

Of course, we knitters aren’t known for being 100% practical.  I’ll probably do more beskirtted bears, maybe just not right away.

If you haven’t started making Mother Bears, take a minute to look at the project website, and consider giving it a go!

Have you done any skirts on your bears?  How did they go?  What’s your bear total so far?

Reducio!

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On Wednesday, I talked about Ravelry swaps in general.

Today, I want to share my most recent swap package!

This was a package for a Reducio swap.  It’s a group where everyone makes miniature Harry Potter… things.  The only requirements are that you send a miniature sock (in honor of Dobby), a miniature…something else, and the whole package has to fit in a small mailing envelope.

The ladies (and the few gents) of the Reducio group are all super sweet, kind and thoughtful (as well as giant nerds), which makes this swap a joy to participate in.  You know your package will be well-received by your swapee (as well as the whole group when the pictures are posted).

This month’s swap theme was Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes!  Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is a fabulous joke shop in the Harry Potter Universe.  So, I included a bunch of teeny versions of their merchandise:

A micro Pigmy-Puff (he’s about a half-inch long):

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA “Patented Daydream Charm” (It’s actually a tiny paper diorama in an inch-wide tin):

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, of course, a miniature sock (it fits nicely on my pinky finger).  I actually used my “Socks by the Numbers” pattern for this sock, but I used US0 needles and a Sock Number of 16!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI loaded these little guys up with a few other tiny Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes projects into a little box (it’s about 4″ square and 1″ deep),OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPrinted out an invoice,

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd sent it on its way!

I’m tickled pink by all the little projects in my package-  It makes me feel like a little kid making props for playing make-believe (except that Ive got better crafting skills than I did as a kid!).

Have you ever made silly stuff like this for a swap?  What did you make?

Swap, swap, swap. Swappy, swap, swap.

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I was trying to think of something new to talk about today, and it occurred to me that I have never written about Ravelry swaps!    Shocking!

I don’t do them as much as I used to, but every year I try to get in at least one or two.  When I was in college and grad school, I almost always had a swap or two going, just so that I had something fun to work on in-between all the lab work and exams.

So what is a swap?  You remember having a pen-pal as a kid? It’s kind of like that, but instead of sending a crummy letter that your third-grade teacher made you write, you send a whole box of amazing crafts!

There are swaps built around themes (favorite books, TV shows, movies), favorite crafts (spinning, knitting, weaving), locations (German swaps, English swaps, American swaps), and there are swaps for every budget.

While the rules change depending on which group you swap with, generally, you are required to do the following:

  1. Sign up through a Ravelry group, and commit yourself to sending your swap package by a certain day.
  2. Then, post a general likes/dislikes listfor your swapper to use to tailor their package to you.
  3. Check in once a week to let everyone know you haven’t run away or died.
  4. And, after you’ve done your planning and stalking (and crafting and shopping), you send your package off to your partner, and someone sends a package to you!

Super fun!  Everyone loves getting packages, after all!

Here are three groups I’ve swapped with in the past, but definitely look around on Ravelry for more swaps- there are dozens!

Swap on a Budget:  This is a general-interest swap for people who don’t want to break the bank.  Fill a shoebox with less than $20 worth of goodies (including a skein of yummy yarn!) and send it on its way!

indexThe Odd Duck Swaps of Ravelry:  This is a group of special one-time themed swaps.  Each month they’ll change their theme (usually based on TV shows or movies).3985242220_7b67999d12Reducio Sock: Mini Sock Swap:  This might be my favorite swap group!  But, that’s because its theme is so perfectly aligned with my interests.  Miniature Harry Potter packages!  If you’re an HP nerd (or a miniatures nerd), like me, then definitely check this one out!

Reducio_Sock_banner_copyHave you ever participated in a swap on Ravelry?  How did it go?

NaNoWriMo!

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Because I cant help saying “yes, and” to any challenge that crosses my plate, I’m doing NaNoWriMo again!

I’m very excited!  This will be my third year doing NaNo, and this time I am not nearly as prepared, so it’ll really be an adventure. (Eep!)

crest-05e1a637392425b4d5225780797e5a76For those of you who aren’t familiar, NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) happens every November, when people across the country (and the world) sit down at their computers, laptops, typewriters, or notepads and commit to writing 50,000 words of an original novel.  It’s actually pretty fun (difficult and time consuming, sure, but also fun, especially if you were the kind of kid who thought doing elaborate school projects was fun).  Some professional novelists use NaNo to get a jump on their next bestseller (Water for Elephants is a famous NaNo novel), but most people who participate just do it for their own entertainment, like me.  (No one is ever going to read my stories.  I just about die from embarrassment even thinking about it!)

I took a writing course at my local community college last year to help prepare for NaNo, but this year I’m flying solo.  I don’t have my entire plot mapped out, but I think that’ll be OK.  I hope!

I might not know where my story will go, but I bet there will be knitting involved!

Have you ever tried your hand at writing fiction?  What other creative projects do you enjoy?

Mama Bear Check-In

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Oh boy, guys.

I’ve fallen, and I’ve fallen hard.

I have been completely neglecting my Christmas knitting and any design work I should be doing.  My yard is knee-high with dandilions and my sink is full of dirty dishes.  All I want to do is watch the Great British Bake Off and make teddy bears.

This pattern is so simple, knitting it is basically a practice of Zen meditation.  And, the bears are too stinking cute!

I finished my first bear in just under 24 hours (I told you I have a problem).  I couldn’t stop knitting!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd the second one joined the pile less than a week later.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve got a bag half-full of Knit Picks Swish Worsted, leftover from a few projects.  It’s a lovely uber-soft merino wool that’s surprisingly hard-wearing (even if it pills a bit), so it’s perfect for kids toys.  I’m planning on knitting my way through all this yarn, then diving back into my stash to find more yarn to make more bears! OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI had planned on shooting for a goal of a half-dozen bears, but at this rate, I’ll have a whole pack (herd? gaggle?) before I know it!

(Also, did you notice-I haven’t stuffed my bears yet.  That’s because I don’t want to stop knitting them, even for the few minutes it would take to stuff one and sew it up.  I think I might have a problem.)

Has anyone else made progress on their bears?

Itty Bitty Faces

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As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of all things tiny.  And when I make tiny stuffed animals, I need to make tiny faces, too.

Because of the way knit fabric is created, often teeny tiny embroidered faces end up looking kind of dumb and stretched out.

So that’s where this cool face technique comes in.  I’d pretend that I came up with it myself, but alas, I’m not that clever.  Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits came up with it, and generously included the tutorial with her instructions for her teeny tiny toys.

It’s so simple, and so perfect, I’m kicking myself that I didn’t come up with it on my own.

6a00d83451d24769e200e5520787618833-800wi[1]Simply cut out a little piece of felt and hold it behind the doll’s face before you stuff the critter.  The felt is dense enough to allow you to embroider to your heart’s content without worrying about the sewing into knit stitches, and it is soft enough that you don’t even notice it once you’ve finished the little guy.

Genius!

I used her technique on my tiny teddy bears, and they turned out perfectly!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt worked so well that I think I’ll probably use the same technique on my Mother Bears, too!

Have you ever come across an insanely-simple-but-totally-perfect technique before?

Pattern Spotlight: Itty Bitty and Teeny Tiny

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I love tiny things, it’s true.  Especially really tiny things.  Especially especially teeny tiny adorable things.  It’s one of my weird quirks.  When I’m feeling down, stressed, or just in need of a quick pick-me-up, one sure-fire way to raise my spirits is to make something cute, pointless, and tiny.

I’ve been keeping this pattern in my back pocket for years, waiting for a day when I would need a tiny, adorable, pick-me-up.

Well, that day came, and instead of moping around the house, I broke out my fingering-weight yarn and my US0 DPNs and these two little bears just about flew off my needles.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey are tiny.

Seriously.  Tiny.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey measure just under 2 inches tall from the tips of their toes to the tops of their ears. And the best part?  Their dresses are removable- look at the teeny bare naked (naked bear) adorableness!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd the best part?  The pattern is well-written, clear and free!

Teeny tiny knitted toys by Julie Williams2456725646_6de7080305_z[1]itty bitty dress by Julie Williamsminibun_medium2[1]Next time you need a quick, fiddly and adorable project, remember to keep these little guys in mind!

(And, don’t worry about me.  I just had a long day, but it was noting my tiny bears couldn’t handle!)

What do you like to make when you’re feeling blue?

 

(And don’t forget to order your Mother Bear Pattern for the first annual On the Needles Charity Knitalong!)