So Cute

I couldn't decide which picture was the cutest and should be posted on here...seriously, how I am supposed to pick just one?!?!

Special Delivery

Well, not special like wool from the Netherlands.  And not a surprise, and not really on time either.  But I had been waiting for it nevertheless.  I finally broke down and ordered myself some real blocking mats.  I ordered these from KnitPicks as opposed to some of the boards that are available because I don't really have somewhere to store a big board in my 750 sq ft apartment.  Come to think of it, I don't know where to store a box full of blocking squares yet either...I wish that I had also ordered their blocking wires since I was paying for shipping anyways.  Oh well, next time I guess.
I do have a few things that are waiting to be blocked, and am looking forward to it because I have never anywhere to property block something before.  I have done some small items like gloves, etc on an old towel, pinned to my ironing board. 
First up will be my Baby Elliott blanket, because said baby has now arrived!  This blanket has been finished and waiting for blocking for months now.

Early Morning Training

At work called for some early morning treats.  I still had about two cups of shredded zucchini in my freezer from the summer, and so I made two dozen muffins last night to bring to the training session this morning.  Which started before the sun was up (well no sun here today, but before daylight anyways), which is too early, in my opinion!  I use this recipe for zucchini muffins, btw.

 Also, found EggNog at the grocery store last night, so was able to make my firnst eggnog latte of the season...notice I said make.  That doesn't count the ones I have already bought from Starbucks.  Although the one I made was way tastier, if i do say so myself!

Very Special Wool Delivery

So I received a very special delivery of wool on Monday - from a very unlikely source...my boss!  A few months ago everyone had been admiring a scarf she was wearing, and she said her mom had knit it.  I was intriuged, and examined it closely and asked lots of questions because I couldn't figure out for the life of me how it had been knit.
So I guess she told her mom (who happens to live in the Netherlands) that I was a knitter, and was very intruigedby her scarf.  And then she happened to be visiting her parents last week, and her mom had so kindly picked out some wool for me and set up the scarf on some needles.  And they recorded some instructional videos for me...in dutch I might add.  Its hard to tell in these pictures, but the wool she picked out is so pretty, with pale pinks, purples and whites and a bit of shimmer.  I love it!

I think that the scarf is very similar to this one that I found on Ravelry, or maybe this one.  At any rate, it looks extremely complicated, but is so incredibly simple.  You just cast on 7 stitches (I think, I didn't actually do the casting on) and knit them. 

I will post more pics when finished, which shouldn't take long at the rate I am going.  Its a fast knit.

Heads or Tails

So of course last night when I was trying to study my needy pug couldn't just sit beside me on the floor like a normal dog.  No, he needs to be touching me at all times.  And so he will either stand and stare at me for an hour, or  stand up and put his paws on my legs and stare at me, until I pick him up. And he is getting a bit chunky i think because he feels heavier than normal, plus I couldn't seem to fit his whole body into the frame to take a pic of him. 

hehehe...nice cat tail...

Construction Details

So I was making another ribbon box this weekend (to sell this time) and so I snapped a few pics of what I was doing.  I just start out with a photo storage box, from Michaels.  They put them on sale all the time, and recently were 5/$10.  Paired with a 25% off coupon, they became pretty darn cheap! 
I figured out how many ribbons I wanted to store in the box, and did a bit of math to figure out how far apart to place my holes, and began punching.  After some trial and error I also decided that it is easier to punch one hole and measure the next to make sure I am on the right track.

 Once all the holes were punched on both sides I took some large eyelets, and set on in each hole, to give it a more finished look, and also to extend the life of the box.  I figure this way the cardboard wont get worn out by having ribbons pulled through all the time.

 Lastly, I had bought a long 1.25" dowel from Home Depot a few weeks ago while I was there trying to find parts for my broken kitchen sink.  I had it chopped up into pieces that fit perfectly inside the box.

 And thats it.  And it will be wrapped up and put under someone's Christmas Tree this year.

Really Really Want

So, when I first saw these while walking through Chapters one day, it was love at first sight.  I was instantly obsessed, and even took a picture of them with my iPhone, like a wierdo.
I added them to my Christmas list, but apparently they must be popular, because they are sold.out.everywhere. 

I am crossing my fingers that they will re-stock!  I tried to tell myself that I don't really need them, but every time I look at the picture I know that I really really do...

What Pugs Do in their Spare Time

Nothing very constructive, I can tell you that much.  Actually come to think of it, basically all of his time is spare time.  Jealous.

Maurice's New Friend

He is very quiet, and clean, and doesn't do bad things like steal hair-ties, underwear, or socks.
Not quite as cute as Maurice though...

Toe-ups that Took WAY Too Long

So according to Ravelry, I started these socks on March 21st 2011 and finished them on May 15th.  Not too bad, for my first pair of toe-up socks, right?  Well, here is what Ravelry doesn't tell you.  They sat in my work in progress basket until this past Sunday night!  Six whole months!  I had thought that all I needed to do to finish these puppies off was to weave the ends in.  Well...not so much.  When I pulled them out to finally finish them I realised that I hadn't even grafted the toe on the second sock...how lazy of me to put them away like that.  Especially considering it only took about 2 minutes, there was only about 14 stitches remaining.  So now they are all sewn up, and washed and ready to wear. 

What I have been working on

Tags.
Lots and lots of Christmas tags, hopefully to sell, but more info on that later.

Pug Knits Thief

First thing you know, he is sitting very nicely and quietly, while you study.

 And next time you turn around he has stolen your favorite pair of knitted socks, and is pug-wrestling them so fast you can't even take a photo that isn't blurry.

 And so an intervention is needed

 Leaving a sad, sulking pug...

What Gets Made At A Tag Party

Well...tags.  Obviously.
I was so tired from party planning and setup that by the time the party started i was feeling a bit burnt out.  Also I had figured I would be spending a fair bit of my time helping people make things, and explain things.
But, after dragging my butt into bed after midnight on Saturday night (crafting is serious business), I woke up on Sunday morning and had a peek in my little brown lunch bag to see what I had made.
And there were some really cute tags.

Now I just need to get through my exam on Thursday night, and I can go and make some more tags :)

Last Year's Favorites Come Out To Play

It has been cold outside lately!  So yesterday when I went to take Maurice out, I knew that my hands would need some protection, and I dug out my favorite (well okay, they are my only) hand-knit gloves.  They are made with this Cascade wool, and it is SO soft. 

 

Cutest Body Ever???

This may not be the image people are looking for, if they are googling for pics of cute bodies!  :)

Done, But Soon to be Undone

So, sock one is finished, but not for long because I am about to rip it out down to the foot and re-build it. It was really fast and easy, but I am not really happy with the finished product.  The length of the foot is a bit long, at least I think that is what is wrong with the fit.  Something is not quite right.

Also I need to investigate a better cast-off method because the one I used (just a regular bind-off) is way too tight around my calf.  Also even though the length of the leg of the sock is exactly what the pattern says it should be (and its a men's pattern) it is way shorter than I imagined this sock to be, so that will get length added as well.

We will see if this help and makes me love this sock more.  I am afraid that knitting with the yarn held double will result in a bulky sock that never quite fits right.

Serious StudyPartner

Tag Party Package

So when I uploaded these pictures all I could think was that they a) looked terrible because my camera sucks and my photo skill are sub-par and b) didn't even begin to do justice to the amount of thought and work that I have put into these packages.  So I immediately felt like this post, which in my mind was going to be fantastic, is actually going to be pretty lame, but I will do my best.  

What makes up a tag party package, I am sure you have been dying to know...and now I will tell you all my secrets.  Each kit will come in a large plastic bag, (why my family own rolls and rolls of these clear plastic phone book bags is a story for another day) and will also contain a small kraft paper lunch bag, which holds all the goodies, plus will be a way for people to take their finished products home.

I already mentioned these little kraft bags and what inspired them here, and so this is just another shot of how they turned out.  The tag will have the receiver's name on them, and I also hope to attach a little list of everything that is found in their kits behind the tag.  We will see if time permits.

Each kit gets 4 full sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper, approx. 10 6x12 sheets of paper, and 8 4x4 squares of paper.  The 6x12 sheets are fancy, and pretty and fun.  I had also given a preview shot here of what the process of splitting up the paper looked like.  I wanted to try and package the paper up according to people's age, taste and personality as best I could.  So I layed out post-it notes with people's name on them, and went from there. 

Probably the most painstaking part of the process was creating all the templates for people's kits.  A lot of the stuff we will be doing at the party requires punches and tools that I own, and will be shared at the party but I wanted to give them a few tools that they could keep using at home.  I guess the templates could probably get their own post sometime in the future so that I can show you which templates I chose to include.  Two of them were inspired by this pic that I found on Pinterest:

original souce found here

I went to Staples and found these durable plastic binder dividers that you can actually write on with ball point pen, so I simply traced all five templates that I wanted to include and then cut them out.  (HA!  I like how I say 'simply', but when you are providing 5 templates for 16 kits that equals 80 templates!!!  I had some severe hand cramps going on during the cutting process).

And last but definitely not least is the little bag of goodies included (and the worst picture of them all).  Desktop lamp + shiny plastic bag + point-and-shoot Canon = crappy crappy photo.
But anyways, each kit contains about 35 eyelets, some brads, adhesive jewels, 'Merry Christmas' stickers and 3D adhesive dots. 

And so there you have it - the anatomy of a tag party package.  Included in the party fee is also all adhesives, fancy ribbon and embelishments, buttons, and ribbon to string on the tags.  Not bad for $8!  I wish i got invited to a party like this!