Good Knitting Weather Today

It's rainy and dreary. A good evening to stay inside and knit! I started my two-color knitting class yesterday. I actually have homework, lol! No pictures to show yet as I'm still casting on. I've recently learned the long tail cast-on and I'm trying to get my stitches even, some have been tight, some too lose. Practice practice practice! So that will keep me busy tonight.

I recently bought this adoreable pattern from an etsy seller. I just fell in love with it, and had to have it!

Isn't it cute! I also got some yarn to knit the little critters with. It's really hard to find brown yarn in a worsted weight. I finally found some at Walmart.

Even my cat Pixie wants to play with yarn. She's always by me when I knit. You can see her guarding my yarn. That's my sock she's laying by. Some day I'll finish it.

So until next time, I'll be busy playing with yarn and sticks.

I had to have a home repair. Not a fun one. I had sagging gutters. But all fixed now and nice and snug. One repair down. Next: Replacing my leaky kitchen faucet. Oh the joys of home ownership!

Three Day Weekends Rock!

I am loving taking Fridays off and having three day weekends all summer! The city I live in is having a big arts and crafts street fair this weekend. I just may have to walk up there later and see what's there. Get some inspiration! There are all kinds of food vendors too. Lots of fun.

I made another apron yesterday with my beloved Matroyshka fabric. So cute! It will hang in a place of honor in my kitchen. This fabric just makes me smile. I used a pattern in The Apron Book. Very easy to make.

I bought some more fabric from an Etsy seller. I can't stay away from Etsy. So much to buy and drool over. The next thing I want to buy is a knitting pattern for some little woodland animals. I don't know what I'll make with this fabric. I was thinking maybe a new sewing machine cover.

I haven't been knitting on the socks much. It's been really hot and even with the AC on sometimes I just can't stand to touch yarn. But my flowers have been blooming like crazy. Look at my pretty petunias:

I love when I'm sitting on the deck and I can see these. So bright and vibrant! Good yarn colors!

I started some socks

Another hot steamy day in the neighborhood. Got the good ol' AC going. I went outside to water the flowers and it was miserable. Time to stay inside and knit and sew. I started a sock. I'm using some Whimsy-Pinzy sock yarn I got from Sonny and Shear. It's called Tippy Toes. There is a coordinating yarn for the heels and toes. It's going to take me a while to get to that point as I just got past the ribbing and did one pattern repeat. Maybe it will go faster now that I got past that boring 2 x 2 ribbing. The pattern is called Groovy socks and I found it on Ravelry.

I picked up some more cotton fabrics to make jammies, project bags, and I want to try my hand at making a pincushion. I'll use the fat quarters for a pincushion. All fun stuff!

And goodies arrived in my mailbox! Yay! I love buying homemade soaps from etsy shops. It's one of my little indulgences. This came today, goats milk soap. Smells yummy!

And some Japanese fabric I bought from an etsy vendor in China came today. I just love it! Cupcakes! I'd love to have a cupcake about now, but it's too darn hot to heat the oven.

Time to go get some crafting stuff done!

Lots to keep me busy!

Now that the sock is done, I've been having a ball working on all kinds of stuff! I'm in a Yahoo group that does two monthly dishcloth knit-alongs. I haven't done one in a long time, so I decided to do the mid month knit-along. Here it is so far:

Just moving right along. I haven't finished my rows for today yet. So once I get the rows done for the day, I've been working on a Sugar & Cream Red, White and Blue Stripes dishcloth. Real easy knitting. I love making these!

I did start sewing my daughter's purse, but just haven't had time to get back to it. That's on tap for tomorrow. I'll have the house to myself after work and I can sew to my heart's content with no interruptions. This is the mess so far:

I need to sew the lining then attach it and it will be done. It went pretty quick and she loves it so far.

In the meantime some sock yarn I bought from an etsy shop came in the mail. I LOVE ETSY! So many things that I want to buy there.

The color is called "Confetti". Isn't it pretty? I just love it!

Then, in addition to all this madness I went and bought more yarn last night. I couldn't help it. Sugar & Cream is on sale at Joann for $2, they have a real good sized ball of the Sugar & Cream. My knitting group is making squares for a blanket for one of the Boy Scout family members who lost a loved one in that tornado last week. So, I needed to get the yarn for that. The Vanna's Choice will be used for my square. If I have time, I'll make two squares. The bright green is going to be a dishcloth for a very special nephew. A bright green dishcloth with a skull on it!

My daughter has been bitten by the crafting bug lately too! Yay! She is enjoying working with beads. She's made some necklaces and an ankle bracelet and is working on some other projects. Here is a necklace she made with a moose button I bought for her. I love it! She's very proud of it and well she should be.

So tell me, what are you working on?

A White Easter

Well damn, we got hit with ANOTHER snowstorm Friday night. The Never Ending Winter is back. The Never Ending Heating Bills continue. I'm so tired of all this snow and there's nothing I can do about it. Except bake cookies! For some reason I like to bake when it snows. But I cheated this time, I made the break-apart cookies. They are yummy!

I was in Joann on Friday buying this fabric when my daughter called and told me the snow had started.

I'm totally obsessed with sewing lately. I. Can't. Stop. So I finished up my shopping and came home and I made another project bag:

And here's the inside:

It's been a lot of fun sewing. And I feel like I've been spending quality time with my daughter who has been home for a little Easter break. She'll be on the computer and I'll be at the sewing machine which are in the same room, and we're together. I like it! But, today she goes back to school and the house will be quiet again.

I got the Japanese fabric I bought on Etsy. OMG, it's so cute! Hedgehogs!

I don't know what I'll make with it yet, but just HAD to have it.

I finished one of the fingerless mitts I was knitting with the sparkly beaded yarn. Hopefully I'll start the second one today and get it done soon so I can move onto the next project. I want to make my mom a shawl for Mother's Day, so I gotta get moving on that soon.

So today is Easter. It's just not a holiday I care about. I'm not religious and I just don't celebrate it in the religious way. I made our Easter dinner last night since Daughter has to leave today. I made corned beef, cheesy mashed potatoes, beans, rolls, and deviled eggs, and of course the cookies for dessert. It was a great feast!

Happy Easter!

In Between Projects

OK, last pair of jammies, for now, lol!

These are a cotton/poly blend, more of that seersucker-like fabric. I've had so much fun making these. It was nice to sit at the machines and sew up a storm. I'm still being bit by the sewing bug, but I can't decide what to make. I bought a pattern for a laptop case, but haven't gotten the supplies yet. And I can't stay away from Etsy. I got this 1/2 yard of Japanese fabric in the mail that I bought from an Etsy store:

Isn't it cute? I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet. Maybe a project bag. I also have some new needles coming from an Etsy store, size 1 dpns, teeny tiny skinny needles for a future project.

I don't have anything on the needles at the moment. I finished a washcloth last night. It has Homer Simpson on it, but I can't get a good photo. It's for my daughter's Easter basket. Yes, she's 18 and I still make her a little basket.

So I'm off to pick out a pattern and some yarn and needles and sit and watch TV tonight. Big American Idol fan here, can't miss it!

More Jammies!

The sun is shining brightly today, the snow is melting, I can even see patches of grass, yay! We're not out of the woods yet, we could still get snow, but we sure needed this nice day. In the meantime my daughter is on spring break, out of town, in Florida. She sent me this picture of the beach . . . sigh

I could use a spring break. Instead, I've been home. Still sewing. I got the fishy flannel fabric sewed up. Very comfy! I wish I could wear these to work.

So, yep, I'm still having fun sewing. I ordered some Japanese fabric from some Etsy vendors. So cute! Can't wait until it comes. Not sure what I'll make with it, but I HAD to have it. I may make a laptop sleeve with some of it, not that I ever take my laptop anywhere, but I may some day.

While I was sewing yesterday, Katie thought she'd curl up in my sewing machine cover that I just threw on the floor. She fit into it nicely.

Cats. They don't leave anything alone.

I'm still working on the beret. Finally made some progress and I'm decreasing. I'm worried that I don't have enough yarn to finish, which will make me really sad. I hope I don't have to order more. So, now it's time for The Great Yarn Race. Hope I win!

I Can't Stop Sewing

I just can't quit sewing! It's been fun. I got another pair of pajama pants done:

They are a cotton/poly blend, kind of a seersucker feel to them. Nice and lightweight for spring. Here's a close-up:

The ducks below are the first pair I made from this pattern. I made them a couple of years ago. They are like a stretchy terrycloth fabric. Very, very warm. I love them! It is from pattern Simplicity #4418. A very easy pattern. It's one of those patterns that's on the rack at Joann, not in the drawer. The cheap patterns, lol! I haven't done much sewing in the past few years. I'm totally shocked at how much patterns cost now.

I'm not even sure if they make this pattern any more. I've had it for two years, but don't know how long it was around before that. It takes me about an hour to make a pair of pajama bottoms.

So . . . I bought more fabric! I just can't quit. I'm having so much fun with these. So colorful.

Check out those fish, lol! I love them. That's a cotton flannel. The bright flowers are a cotton/poly blend, the same puckered seersucker type stuff as the striped ones I already made.

I got the flannel fish cut out and they are ready to head over to the sewing machine and serger.

I've been working on the jammies and browsing Japanese fabrics on Etsy. Oh my gosh, such fun fabric. Just might have to get me some for something, maybe a project bag. I've been knitting just a little. I'm still working on the beret. It's boring me so much at the moment. 192 stitches on size 3 needles with sock yarn. It takes forever to see any progress. I have no new pictures of that as you really can't tell that I've made any progress. I've got not quite an inch to go then I can start the decreasing. Maybe tonight I'll get that little inch done.