cozyblue

43/365

R2D2 hat for griff
(details here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/cozyblue/r2d2-beanie)

february lady, in may

i can't believe it has taken me this long to post about this sweater, the february lady.  i planned to make it during february but life got in the way, so i cast on a few days before march began, and finished up right around april 1st.  but nevermind the details, this is about the sweater!

i love, love, love this sweater!!  knitting geeks will recognize it as the grown-up version of elizabeth zimmerman's february baby sweater.  chances are, you've seen it all over ravelry and any other knitting related blog.  it's a classic already.  and for good reason - this sweater rocks!  it's a fun knit, not too complicated but not boring - it shows off the yarn nicely, and it's gorgeous!

i used cascade 220 in a heathered green, and some nice chunky buttons to finish it off.  truth be told, i wish i had taken some better pictures of it, but here we are in may already and i just want to post it before i forget again.  so here it is!  

goodness, i love this sweater.

clickety clack

there's been a lot going on around here lately.  the kid department has been stressful.  luckily i have been able to enjoy some craft-therapy amidst all the craziness happening, mainly in the form of knitting.

i finished this scarf that i started a while back.  i bought some nice yarn (sorry i can't remember what it was, or find the ballband) to knit a super-simple rib scarf, and as it turned out i didn't have nearly enough to make it as long as i intended.  so, a couple of buttons sewn to the end and now i've got a mini-scarflette.  it's super warm and cozy - perfect for these windy blustery days we're having here.  *sorry for the dark photo - can you even see the scarf i'm wearing?

also this week, i finished up a custom order for a blog friend of mine - matchy hats for her and her two adorable girls.  wesley takes some amazing photos, and i can't wait to see all the girls in their sweet cotton sunhats.

in other knitting-realted thought, i really want to am going to make this sweater!  it's been on my 'must-knit' list for over a year i think.  when february rolled around i got fired up and challenged my knitty friend amy to a 'febrary lady knit-a-long' and here we are - the 20th - and i still haven't even bought the yarn.  but nevermind the details - my new goal is to cast on by the end of february.  i think i can...

this is way more fun than being sick

today we attended a birthday party at hands on! in hendersonville, for one of adella's schoolmates, sienna.  we had never been there before,but the kids had a blast.  my antibiotics have definitley kicked in now - and i changed out of pj's and left the house for the first time all week!  it was great.  these are the little gifts we made for the birthday girl.  i'm sure you know who made what.  the hat is a little doll-sized hat, to match a custom knit hat i made for sienna last month.  i've been thinking of offering kid-and-doll matchy hat sets, or maybe crown sets, for the shop.  what do you guys think...  good idea/bad idea?  

here are a few photos of the fun:

coverings

so, yesterday i made this curtain.

this may not seem very exciting, but it's been on my crafty to'do list since before christmas, so i'm super excited to have it done.

i made a semi-simple tab-top panel, using a fun bold cotton print, and lined with the light tan cotton you see there.  i did some crazy tab-top voodoo to join the two panels together at the top, and it actually turned out rather nice!  the panel doesn't actually cover a window, but an ugly custom-type window a/c (i'm grateful for it in august, but geez is it an eyesore).  so the curtain gives the illusion of something pretty in that space.

now i'm on a search for the perfect large-scale print to fill that empty wall-space... 

and one more covering to show:

for my little man.  he's still been wearing the two baby-sized caps i knit for him when he was born, so it was high time for a new one.  i just love this one.  but i can never stop at just one, can i?  so another hat is in the works.  adella was sitting with me as i finished this one, and when i showed it to her she said, "mom?  that hat looks really nice, but i don't want to try it on right now.  maybe later."  after five years of me knitting so many hats for her, of course she'd assume it was for her.  but how did i handle such a polite, appreciative rejection?  i offered to make her one too, of course.

:: november 11 ::

a new hat in the shop today:

something a little different this time...  instead of my usual stripes, i knit the entire hat in a nice heathered green, and did a little leafy embellishing on the side, adorned with a vintage button.

i just started a super-wonderful (and super big) custom order that is sure to keep me super-busy for the next couple weeks.  i'll show you some sneak peeks soon...

on a somewhat related note, i can't believe how fast the holidays are approaching!  

new toys

here's a random mish-mash of some new goodies i've aquired the past couple of weeks. 

the sewing machine toy is a vintage one, scored on ebay.  i was kind-of planning on keeping it for myself, but the kids love it, so i'm happy to share. into the playroom it goes...  maybe one day when i have a real craft room of my own, it'll have a special spot there.

this little guy:

 

is really hard to take a picture of!  (this was the best i could do - i don't know if it was the yarn or what, but for some reason i could not get a decent picture.)  you'll have to trust me when i say that he's super-cute.  i used this pattern here, and found it really well-written and easy to follow.  next up is the hedgehog, of course, and then probably another squirrel, since this guy has a new home:

 

here in the corner of adella's waldorf co-op classroom.  he looks right at home, doesn't he? 

last weekend i was so excited to get this sweet package in the mail - the custom family i ordered from woodmouse:

this has been on my wishlist for a long time now, and i finally bought it.  i'm so glad i did - i just love it!  it's really well-made, beautifully finished, and simply perfect!  amber has got some really adorable wooden toys and figures in here shop - go check her out!  (i just clicked over and saw that she's got a new series - the children of nature - ack -- so cute!  love that strawberry head girl.)  so our new family lives here now:

 on the piano back, (ignore the dust and the poor lighting) but i'm looking for the perfect wall shelf to display them.  i'm not ready to let the kids play with us them yet, but perhaps one day...

craftiness recap

i've been bubbling with new ideas here, playing around with fabric and yarn for some prototype-ing, working on several custom orders, and trying to get a jump on the holidays (both as a seller and as a buyer).  it's been busy, but fun.  here are some of my latest (finished) creations:

 

this little guy has been on my mind for a long time, and he turned out almost as i'd pictured him.  he's also got a gang of friends - bunny, dino, monster, cat - that will hopefully be ready soon.

also,

a sweet blanket/burpie custom set:

 

a few custom hats:

   

 

and some more for the shop:

 

 

 

this next week i'm going to try to finish up this small batch of crowns that i'm working on (as well as a birthday crown for a very special little guy of mine!) and get them listed.  and i've got a squirrel to knit for adella's classroom, and then maybe i can squeeze in some knitting for my family too.  with this wonderful fall weather, i think some new hats are in order!

new hats

a couple of new hats for the shop this week:

 

a toddler-sized random stripe hat - with tassel.  yes, another tassel - isn't it cute?  i'm starting a mini-trend here.

and this kid-sized hat (i finally got a decent picture of it - the weather has been so gray lately):

 

appearing now in the shop!

knitting for friends

when emily told me that she was moving to alaska for a few years, it didn't take me long to decide that she would need something wooly, soft, handmade, and cozy to keep her warm.

after some ravelry browsing, i settled on the 'odessa' hat.  add some lovely green alpaca/wool yarn from purls yarn emporium (downtown), and a few evenings of knitting, and here it is:

 

isn't she a beauty? 

then i decided that i couldn't leave jason (em's cute boyfriend) out, so i cast on with some merino wool from my stash, and came up with this:

now, i just need a few more goodies to add to the package, and off to alaska they go!  emily and jason - i hope these knitteds keep you warm and cozy, and remind you of good friends who love and miss you!

*****

eta:  i was waiting to post this until i was sure i wouldn't spoil the surprise...  i got a wonderful email this weekend from emily, and it looks like the hats are going to be well-loved:

 

and here's another shot of the picture adella put in the package - adella and emily, birdwatching together - notice the happy smiles, the giant cardinal, and the binoculars:

 

yay!  glad you like them, emily!