Crafting Update and Harbour Surfboards Board Swap Meet

Today we had a wonderful morning visiting some friends at craft boutique (I got some FABULOUS earrings from Magnitudes by Sandra Robertson). After that, we headed over to the Harbour Surfboards Board Swap Meet and watched Cameron and friends jam!  Aleksa had a great time and I posted a video of her rocking out to daddy’s band (by rocking out I mean both dancing and playing with rocks…hehe).

As far as crafting goes, I’ve finally gotten my etsy shop up and running for some bicycle accessories and I’m trying to add something new in there once a week.  I hope to be doing the craft fair thing by the holidays!  I’m also fueling my fabric addiction by making fabric flowers for headbands as well as bike basket decorations.  I’m having lots of fun!  I’m knitting an adorable matinee jacket for my niece’s birthday.  I’m pretty sure it’s gonna turn out way to big for her but at least she’ll have something adorable to look forward to

Aleksa’s First Chrismas Stocking

So I decided that I want to make Aleksa a stocking for her first Christmas.  And I want it to be a super complicated fair isle design and I want it to have her name knit into it.  This was just a thought floating around in my brain until I browsed through the new edition of Interweave’s Knit Gifts Winter 2012 Edition and I saw the Snow Bird Stocking by Kristen Spurkland.  I couldn’t believe how beautiful and amazing it was…I had to make it.  I’m currently about halfway through and I’m pretty excited about how it’s coming out.  I’m hoping to finish it before Wednesday when we are having our family portraits taken so that I can have one of her with it. Hopefully this stocking will be something she has forever!!

One side note: making a fair isle chart for letters is HARD! I did it wrong the first time and wasted a days worth of work! The letters have to be upside down and backwards…ugh.  Here’s a link to my project on ravelry: Aleksa’s Stocking.

 

Free Time!

I have had a really busy month, basically ever since the end of November it was crunch time for finals and then right after that it was the holidays.  I ended up not going to see my family for Christmas day so instead I went up there for the week of New Years.  I had a great time and it was wonderful seeing my family, especially my niece Amelia!

One great thing about having a break from school is having the time to relax and do some fun things that I haven’t had a chance to do for a while.  Today, for the first time in a while, I’m making a fun dinner (enchiladas with green sauce) complete with dessert! (pineapple upside down cake).  I figure I should make the best of the time off now because once the baby comes it won’t be the same.  I figure I’ll still have time to cook, just not so uninterrupted…hehe.

On Monday, we went to the Huntington Library and Gardens and had a great time!  I’ve been twice before but it was still wonderful and relaxing to get out and see the gardens.  It was like escaping for the day.  At one point, we looked around and couldn’t see a single building!  Cameron and I took lots of great pictures that day.

As for knitting, I’ve got lots of projects in my queue.  I’m almost done knitting the first thing for my baby girl: Monster Pants!  I know she won’t be able to wear them for a little while, but I couldn’t resist.  Basically everything I’m currently working on is stuff for baby girl (including some awesome baby uggs) or cousin Amelia.  There’s just something really fun about knitting stuff for babies!  I’m still determined to make myself a hat out of the Glimmer yarn that I bought over Thanksgiving break, however, after two foiled attempts at scalloped lace, I might just try another pattern.  I have two more weeks off of school and I’m definitely going to make the most of it!  I finished reading Babyface by Jeanne McDermott and I hope to get a few more fun books read before the wave of school reading for Clinical Methods and Neurology take over.

Yay for Rain!

It’s finally raining!  My favorite time of the year!  For some reason I get so much done when it’s raining outside.  After hanging out at Bolsa Chica all morning with Cameron for Harbour day I decided to make a pumpkin pie   And hopefully I’ll get some studying done for my phonological disorders exam on  Tuesday!

Also, this morning I finished the hat that I’m surprising my uncle with for Thanksgiving!

More Yarn Bombing in the LBC

I saw this right across the street from Viento y Agua on 4th street.   Yarnivore did an awesome job!  This definitely caught my eye and brightened my day!  I need to get my act together and yarn bomb something in my neighborhood!  I’ll start brainstorming

My First Pattern: Knit R2-D2

It was my friend Cody’s birthday the other day and I’ve been meaning to knit him something for a while.  I always knew it would need to be something Star Wars related, so I went ahead and made an R2-D2.  (yes, Cody’s a nerd, but an awesome nerd who needed some Star Wars love on his bday) Here’s the pattern!  It’s pretty simple and the one I made is very small.  To make it bigger, you can just do a few more rounds with increases while making the base.

I used size US 4 dpns and Sugar and Cream cotton yarn.

Start by CO 6 sts and distribute them evenly on 3 of the dpns to join in the round.  Knit one time in the round, then inc every stitch.  I did a Kfb but any increase will work fine.  Knit one round, then Kfb K1, for a round.  Knit one round then Kfb K2 one round.  Continue doing this until you reach the size you want (I believe I did 5 of these increase rounds).  After finishing the increase rounds, I purled one round to change the direction.  After one round of purling, begin to knit in the round for at least 3 inches (knit more or less depending on the size you are making).  Once I reached this point, I began decreasing for the top.  Also, if you don’t want to go back and duplicate stitch the blue circle at the top, you can sub in your blue yarn at this point for one round prior to starting the decreases.  For the decreases, I did a K2tog and then I knit as many as I had done for the increase rounds.  For instance, since I only increased for 5 rounds, I did a K2tog k5 (this will once again be variable depending on the size you are making).  I knit one round, then I did a K2tog K4.  At some point during this process, I stuffed him.  I did the decreases until I had 12 sts remaining on the needles, then I ran the yarn through the remaining sts using a needle and tied it off.  Finish up R2 by duplicate stitching all of his buttons on top.

For R2′s legs (or wheels I guess….), I made an I-chord by casting on 4 sts.  after about 2 inches of this, I did a Kfb in every stitch (8 sts).  I continued knitting the i-chord for 4-5 more rounds then cut the yarn and wove in the ends.  I sewed the wheels on at an angle (see pic).

This little guy was SO fun to make and I was able to make him quick (about an hour).  Cody was stoked on him, and immediately posted a picture of him on his facebook! My favorite part of knitting is making ridiculous things like this and giving them to my friends…I think next I’ll have to make at AT-AT because even though they’re evil, they are my favorite thing from Star Wars.  Probably because of this guy’s flickr page.

Yarn Bombing in Long Beach!

Today when I was walking I saw a few parking meters that had been yarn bombed on 2nd Street in Long Beach.  It made me happy

Monster Mobile: ALMOST DONE!

I’m so happy with how it has come out so far!  This project has been so fun, even though I’ve procrastinated a TON on it!  The last monster is going to be a peach colored brain slug adapted from TChemGrrl’s pattern for a Brain Slug.  It’s going to be an awesome last touch to the other monsters.  I’ve posted some pics on the project page on my Ravelry page right here.  I think my favorite is the blue and black monster that I just finished.  He’s a little frightening but pretty amazing.  I sincerely hope he gives baby Amelia lots of nightmares…hehe.  (jk, it’s pretty impossible for a knit monster to be all that scary).  He’s adapted from Monsters & Aliens by Deb Birkin.

Monster Mobile Update: 2 down, 2 to go

So far I’m done with the frame (ages ag0) and I’ve finally stopped procrastinating on which monsters to make.  I decided a while ago to make four monsters of varying bright shades of cotton yarn, however deciding on which patterns to use and manipulate has taken me a while.  I’ve had this image in my mind of what I wanted and it’s taken me some time to make sure I get it right.  I’ve been thinking from the start to make it inspired by Monsters Inc. and Where the Wild Things Are.  So far, I’m in love with what I’ve made!  The first monster is based off the pattern Wilfrid the Geek by Angela Tennent.  He’s bright purple and I’m using buttons for eyes and making some “scary” felt teeth.  The next completed monster is based on Rebecca Danger’s Bunny Nuggets.  I’ve enlarged the pattern and added some scary (once again “scary”) teeth and I’m making him bright green.  I’m currently obsessed with this Teddy Monster pattern by Mari

sa Gibler but I’m not sure if it’s right for the mobile.  Either way, I MUST make it so it’s getting added to the queue.

Finished the Elephant!

I’m so excited because I just finished knitting “Eddie the Elephant” by Laura Long.  He came out so well!  I’m giving him to my friend Sarah tonight at game night!!  Check it out: Elephant