A teddybear face on an 8 x 8 inch sq.

An eight inch square with a teddy bear face knit into then quilted into it. I used a small firm bit of rolled yarn for the nose. I then took a headband that has been sitting in my stash, I knit it quite a while ago and did not really like the finished product so I folded it up and used it to stuff teddy's snout. The mouth and eyes are whip-stitched and along with the nose are magic markered to blacken them. The outline of the bears head is done with French Knots in a rust colored yarn to emphasise the stitching differences. The entire face square is backed with another 8 inch square in stockinette to hide the open padding and stitching and to return the 8x8 dimension lost by the quilting. I think he is rather handsome, no?

ankle bracelet socks

These are pretty simple except that I added beading to one ankle, like an ankle bracelet. I used invisable thread n put the beads on the thread before I started. Then I added the strand of invisable thread to the working yarn and went around the ankle once; sliding one bead up and in place per stitch. They are fresh water rice pearls and agate with one clear cristal on the outside of the ankle. The rest of the sock is a generic short sock.
I appologise for the focus in the close up of the beading. I could not get my camera to 'see' any closer.

A Rainbow Snood, some creative stitching and casting off

It's finished. The colors in this pict are not at all true. It's a soft rasberry pink, a pale terquoise, a forest green and a buttercup yellow. This shows the finished snood, the cast-on, the stitching and the cast-off. It is long enough to go around the neck twice loosely or you can pull up one loop from the neck and wear it as a hood. Either way it is snuggly warm.




This is the cast-on. I used the Channel Island Cast-on to create texture along the edge.




And this is the cast-off, I did something a bit different here. I used the stitched stretchy castoff but on the row before I cast off, I set up with a single strand stitch alternating with a tripple strand stitch. It created a slight 'beading' on the cast-off edge to balance the texture of the cast-on.


The body of the piece is done with a textured row to create even more profile/texture in each stripe.

All in all, it's a very warm snuggly rainbow piece.

A post for sharing my pictures, subject to change.

Baby blankets for some precious twins, there are three blankets because one is always in the wash (and I had more yarn then I needed for two blankets);

Ta daaa, finally a pair of socks.

I finished them. My first pair of socks. They are not particularly pretty nor fancy but just getting this generic pair finished was a huge accomplishment for me. You might have realized by now that I am someone who hates following instructions for knitting so the minutia of a sock's heel tab, heel and toe were torture for me.
They are ribbed, k1,p1, at the top and for those who 'do socks' I used the k1, s1 bit to start the heel and a Kitchener stitch to close the toe. They are really a pretty generic accomplishment but for me they were a rather big deal. I lost count of the many incarnations of my first sock, but when the first of this pair was finished, the second one was easy!
Now I can happily get creative on the next pair. :-D

Socks, my final attempt at a first pair.

I suppose you may be wondering what my needles are into these days.

I have been, it seems forever, trying to complete a pair of socks. It's that thing that I have about following patterns, it's just not my style. I just get a pretty yarn n it inspires me to create something great.
So of course, for me, socks do not come easily as the sock making process is very much dependant on following directions exactly. My first sock has had too many incarnations to mention, I lost count.
So far I have finished one sock, when I have a pair I will post a picture and heave a huge sigh of relief.
I have a few creative ideas that I want to incorporate into the next pair but first I thought I should know how knit a basic sock. It may be a while but I will get there.

My capella, a longer version

This garment was inspired by a short sweater on Ravelry, the pattern was titled a, "capella wrap". I thought, why not make it longer, like a car coat? It would be that much warmer.

Here is the result of my work on that idea,




A back view of the collar,


And how the entire back looks.



I worked a panel first that was long enough to go from one knee, round my neck, and down to the other knee. It was about 20 inches wide, ribbing K2, P2 on the starting edge, then knit to define the lacy row of wrapped stitching with a blue yarn added, the rest is done in seed stitch.

After casting off, I crochet-grafted a panel in the middle of the piece making the grafted piece as wide as my back. I knitted it, K2, P2 ribbing, for about five inches and then added four inches onto either side of the ribbed panel for ease under the arms. I continued to knit entirely in ribbing until the back panel came down to one inch beyond the knee of the 'knee, round the neck to knee panel'.

I added a blue stripe to turn up as a hem then I cast off n hemmed in the same operation using the sewn cast off. I stitched up the sides and you see the results here. The hem on the back panel keeps the ribbing from pulling in to much at the bottom. A bit of blocking will fix the 'sway' in the front sides.

There is very little shaping involved, just two rectangles; other then adding to the sides for ease under the arms.

A Shrug, no matter how you wear it

I was inspired to create my shrug by this website; http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SDS-055.
I did not use the pattern that is offered on this site but I used the pictures and the video as a jumping off point for this shrug;
front and back


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This is how it looks when you turn it the other way up (I do not want to call a it upside down becuse there seems to be no right side up, it is right both ways).

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This is a peak under the collar to see how it is seamed up.

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It is done mostly in seed stitch with a ribbed edge and two rows of wrapped needle stitches. It is knit from side to side the long way, not from end to end. It is warm, interestingly fashionable and so versitle, everyone who sees it loves it. I used Wenseydale yarn from Crimson Shamrock in West Virginia. A lovely long staple yarn that knits up beautifully.