The Apple Doesn't Fall Far...

Hello All-

For Hannah's birthday, my parents bought her a kit to make accessories with a loom and nylon loops.  I knew Hannah had showed interest in crafting before, but I wasn't sure if she had the patience to sit and do a longer project.

So, this summer, with my husband in Edmonton and Hannah and I in Calgary, we decided to do a project together.  After looking through the options in the instruction book, Hannah decided to make a purse with her looped squares.

In all honesty, I didn't have to help her as much as I anticipated.  She did much of the work and wanted to learn every step, even if I needed to help her.  She was so excited with her finished product, and so was I!!

We'll see what her next project is going to be.  I'm thinking she might enjoy some sticky mosaics or something like that.

Happy Crafting!
Sharon

Plum Pudding

Hello All-

Despite my lack of knitting posts, I have been clicking away a lot lately.  The problem is that much of what I have been making is for my big brother and my sister in law's new arrival who is due in September.  I am so happy with what I have been making, but I can't reveal any of it until after the gifts have been given.

However, I did whip up a little cardi for Hannah with some beautiful yarn I bought at our new LYS, The Loop.  I went with a few of my knitting buddies back in May to the opening, and I picked up some goodies while I was there.  Along with the purple yarn for Hannah, I also bought myself some Cascade Wool...I haven't decided what I'll be making with that just yet.

So here's what I made for Hannah.  We named it Plum Pudding since we were watching Strawberry Shortcake when I was adding the buttons. 

Here are the details:

Pattern: Neck Down Cardi
Yarn: Punta Yarns Merisoft Hand Painted Aran in HP64 colorway
Size made: I made a size 6 to compensate for my thinner yarn.  It fits my size 4/5 diva perfectly!

The best part about this pattern is that is is so quick and simple.  It took me 3 days of knitting.  The only mod I made is that I didn't do the sleeves in the round.  I knit them flat (there are only 4 rows) and then picked up the stitches to seam them up afterwards. 

I was happy to find a basic looking pattern to showcase this busy yarn.  Hannah loves it, and I can't wait for her to wear it this fall.  It is so soft and squishy!!!

Happy Knitting!
Sharon

Hannah's Birthday Bolero

Hello All-

For Hannah's 2nd Birthday, I knit her a sweater (well, she got it that fall since sweater #1 didn't fit over her head)...then another one for her 3rd Birthday...and I had to keep in step by making her one for her 4th Birthday as well. 

Since I had already made her a dress and t-shirt recently, I didn't want to go too crazy.  After she picked out her party dress at H&M, I knew exactly what I needed to make...a shrug!! 

I used the pattern, Ribbed Lace Bolero.  What I liked the best about the pattern is that you can customize it based on your own measurements.  It is originally an adult sized pattern, but with a few mods, I was able to make it work for an almost 4 year old!! 

It took me about half a skein of Cotton-Ease in the Almond colorway.  I wanted a nice neutral color so Hannah could wear it all summer with other dresses and tops. 

I'll be honest, I had to frog this once during the lace part.  I misread the pattern and was adding in a yarn over to each purl row.  After I reread the directions (since my version looked nothing like the photo), I couldn't believe what I had done...duh!! 

For my version, I cast on 70 stitches and did about 2-inches of ribbing on each side (approx 12 rows).  The total length is about 9-inches and when I seamed the sleeves, I went in about 3-inches.  Hannah wears between a 3 and 4, and it fits perfectly! 

I don't know about you, but I think she is pleased with the end result...and so am I!!!

Happy Knitting!
Sharon

Pint-Sized Paradise Shawl

Hello All-

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had started a shawl while on vacation in Florida.  Well, it is done...and it is short..too short.  I used the suggested yarn, the suggested needle, and the suggested number of skeins, but it came out half-sized. 

Not to worry, the Diva took one look at it and fell in love.  So, my paradise shawl that I had such high hopes for is now a pint-sized one. 

I suppose I could have bought more yarn and kept going on it, but in all honesty, I have a to-do list that was creeping up behind it and I needed to finish. 

The pattern is The Shoreline Lace Shawl by Lion Brand.  I used 2 full skeins of Cotton-Ease yarn in their Azalea colorway.  I must say, the lace pattern is beautiful and quite easy.  I may add this one back to my Ravelry queue and make one for myself!

Cheers!

Sharon

A Dress Fit for a Princess

Hello All-

With some warmer temps here in the city, my hands have been allowing me to get some knitting done.  Hannah noticed a cabled dress pattern in the Holiday 2010 issue of Knit Simple.  She mentioned it a few times to me, so I decided to take the plunge and try not only my first dress, but a large amount of cabling. 

Hannah selected the yarn, Full o' Sheep, which is part of the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller line of Red Heart yarns.  She decided that she needed this bright Aquamarine color so she could look like Cinderella.  As you can see from the photo below, the color isn`t too far off.

The dress came out great!!!  It took just over 2 skeins to make, and 5 days to finish.  It is a bit long on her now, but I`m fine with that.  This style will be cute as a dress now and a tunic later in the Fall.  With Hannah heading off to pre-school in September, we`re going to need to stock up on school clothes.

I must say that Hannah has got a good eye for patterns and colors.  She has been selecting her own patterns lately, and has been doing a great job!!  My next project for her is another maxi-top in a grape color.  After wearing the Garnet colored one a few times, she asked me to make one in purple...I have to agree, I think it will look great on her!!

Cheers!

Sharon

Happy CHD Awareness Week

Hello All-

Yesterday marked the first day of CHD Awareness Week. For those of you who have followed either of my blogs, you know that my three-year old daughter, Hannah, aka the Diva, was born with a heart defect. She has now had three open heart surgeries and will undergo a final procedure this spring. Rather than go into detail about Hannah’s condition, her heart story, and a bunch of medical jargon, I thought I’d give everyone a little peek into what having a “heart kid” means to me. (For those who are interested, feel free to Google Double-Outlet, Right-Ventricle for more info on what Hannah has)

To me, being the Mom of a child with a CHD means seeing a beautiful smile every morning. It is taking my little girl to her first music class, preparing for preschool, and getting ready for her first dance recital. It is playing Barbies and practicing the hula hoop, riding bikes and going to hockey games.

Occasionally it is shedding tears and looking for answers. It is finding the perfect band-aid after blood work, enjoying treats in the hospital coffee shop and learning just how creative you can be when it comes to giving daily meds.

It is renewing faith in God, saying lots of prayers, and learning the true meaning of the words, “Thank You.” It is putting trust in strangers and creating life-long bonds. It is having a family that you share a bond, not blood, with.

It is teaching…and learning. It is discovering boundaries and breaking them. It is striving and believing. It is living life one day at a time, and making sure that each one is as full as possible.

It is being thankful and not taking things for granted. Most of all, it is loving and living life…one heartbeat at a time.

Happy CHD Awareness Week!!

God Bless,

Sharon

An update on the Diva...

Hello All!


Thank you so much for all of your messages in my last post. I appreciate all of your support. I just wanted to give you all a quick update. Hannah was supposed to have surgery next Tuesday…yup, I said supposed to have. I caught a nasty cold and hubby started showing signs of it too. Hannah has been symptom free so far (knock on wood), but it is too risky to do the surgery with both hubby and I sick. So, they have penciled us in for March 30th, and I have to give them an update on Monday regarding our health. They’ll evaluate then if we need to be bumped further into April.

Thanks again for all of your support, and please think healthy thoughts! We could really use them right now!!

Thanks,

Sharon

BeeBee the Turkey

Happy Monday Everyone!!

This past weekend, I stayed busy making Hannah a new fall toy. Susan Anderson had an awesome Knitalong (KAL) on the Spud and Chloe blog, and I had to take part!!! For those of you who have never done a KAL, here's how it works. You get pieces of the pattern and you knit as they are given to you. In this case, it was a mystery KAL, so when you cast on, you didn't know what you were making. As the pieces of the pattern are released, you slowly figure out what the finished item was. I love Susan's patterns, so I was looking forward to the surprise!!! I started a day or two late, so I had an idea of what the finished toy would be, but it was still so much fun.

So, I introduce to you...

BeeBee the Turkey!!!

(Named by Miss Hannah)

While making BeeBee, I realized that I am much better at making toy pieces than putting them together. Don't get me wrong, I can hold my own when it comes to seaming, but for some reason, my placement is never spot on. Oh well...I think that is one of those skills that comes with practice!!! I love making toys, and I can't wait to do some more.

Well, I'm off to work on some more Christmas gifts. I have one of Liv's Legwarmers done, and I need to cast on for #2. I also have a scarf to work on, some more AG clothes...ahhh...the list never ends!!!

Cheers!

Sharon

I Told You There Would Be More

Happy Friday!!!

So, as promised in my last post, I have a few more projects to talk about...

First up...Just Beachy. Though not my favorite blanket to work on (I love everyone else's sections, I'm just not super pleased with mine), it is special to me, since it was my 5th blanket with the WCOBBS!!! I originally was supposed to use a puffed rib pattern, but it just wasn't working, so I went with my old standby...the Moss Stitch. This time I jazzed it up a bit and did a Double Moss Stitch!!! I know, I know, I'm a rebel!!!

Each section of this blanket represents some part of the beach...the green is for seaweed, the dark blue is for the ocean, the lighter blue is for the sky, my white section is for the clouds, and there will be two brown sections added...one to represent driftwood and one for the sand.

I have also started on Hannah's sweater. I changed what pattern I was using several times, and I finally settled on a basic cardigan pattern from Lion Brand. So far I am 3/4 of the way done the back, and it is going right along. It is a basic stockinette sweater with seed stitch borders...nothing fancy, but perfect for Hannah. She should get a lot of wear out of this!! The yarn I am using is Bernat Chunky in the Summerset colorway. I love it!!! I'll be sure to post some in progress photos as I get further along.

Other than that, I am planning on making some winter items for the Inn from the Cold shelter in Calgary. I have some leftover yarn from other projects that will make nice hats and mittens for those who need them. I've never made mittens before, and I have limited hat experience, so this will be a learning experience for me!!

One final project that is being worked on is...me!!! Last weekend I FINALLY went to the eye doctor and got myself a new pair of glasses. It's not that my vision is bad, but I have an astigmatism in each eye, and glasses do help to correct them. Along with glasses, I am getting my hair chopped tonight. I would say cut instead of chopped, but when you are getting 12+ inches taken off, chopped seems to be a more appropriate term. I plan on donating my hair to Locks of Love for the second time, and though I am nervous about getting a new look, I am happy to help others...and I need a change!!! I'll be sure to post Before and After photos as soon as I can!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Love,

Sharon

Projects...Projects Everywhere!!!

So, despite the fact that I have been a huge slacker about posting, I have been getting some knitting done.

But, before I show you some of my finished objects...here is my knitter in training!!! She LOVES playing with yarn (who doesn't?) and she likes taking her sunglasses and clicking the ends together so they sound like knitting needles. The other day she even ran around the house saying that " 'Y' must be Mommy's favorite letter, because 'yarn' starts with 'Y'!" She also tries to "help" me knit by yelling "knit, purl" whenever I am working on something. It is so cute!!!

So, here is one of my latest projects. It is the
Concentric Squares Baby Blanket pattern by Fiber Fiend/Margit Sage. I renamed it the "Willoughby" since the green reminded me of Vermont, and I made it for some college friends back in Vermont. I hope their little boy (due in October) likes it!!! It is wicked soft and quite large. I made it with 4.5 skeins of Lion Brand Jiffy Solid in Grass Green.

The pattern is UBER-Easy!!! The squares are all made with alternating stockinette and garter stitches. The best part is that it works up so quickly that you don't have time to get bored with the pattern!! This took me about a week and a half to finish, and I wasn't working on it 100% of the time.

Oh, I also brought "The Floridian" back from hibernation. I plan on working on it in between other projects. You can keep tabs on my progress in the sidebar. I'm mid-way through the white section now, and I'll add three more stripes after that. Essentially, I am doing a basic rice stitch in each of the three colors, and I go until I run out of yarn. Pretty simple!!!

I also have some other finished objects that still cannot be revealed just yet. As for new projects, I am currently working on a WCOBBS blanket, Just Beachy. I should have photos of that by the time I post next. I also just bought yarn for Hannah. She wants a sweater, and since I have been doing so much knitting for others, I figured it was time to start something for her. I haven't cast on for that yet, but as soon as Just Beachy is mailed to the next knitter, I'll jump right on it. I'm also on the hunt for some cool Christmas presents, so that should keep me busy for a while!!!

Well, I'm off to lay down. I pulled a muscle in my back last night, and I have a hard time sitting for long periods of time in the Dining Room chairs.

Have a great week!!!