Mwah . . . blowing kisses across the miles
I can see you and touch you . . . but I can't feel you.
Ethan likes to Skype with Grampa. Sometimes he has more fun playing with the keyboard than talking with Grampa, but it's still a lot of fun.
Last week I finished the Snuggle Sacks for our new nephews. Since I haven't had a chance to deliver them here is Hero modeling them for me. The pattern came with two designs. I made one of each design for them. This one is for Cooper and is made with Sensations Lodge yarn and Lion Brand Homespun Yarn.
Matthew's is made with Sensations Lodge yarn.
And finally I finished my first mitten. The pattern is Ravelry download. The yarn is from NH Knitting Mama in Purple Haze. The pattern is easy and allows you to custom fit the mitten to your hands. I've already started the second one and should finish it the next day or two.
Yesterday was a sewing studio day. I actually made two knitting needle cases. The first one didn't turn out as well as I had hoped so I made the above one. Then, on a whim and because I love the variegated thread I was using, I pulled out a UFO from about three years ago. I quilted it and sewed the binding on the front. Today I am hand sewing the binding and another project will be done.
Here is the Happy Couple:
Now I'm off to the studio for a little while. Time to start planning a few swap projects.
I made him using the Pack o'Puppies Mitts from Spud & Chloe. I've already started his friend, Erma. Mr. E knows how to put it on his hand, but doesn't quite understand how to use him yet. I tried hard to get a photo of him playing with Harvey. He moved too fast for me. Stay tuned though, I'm not giving up!
He is learning all kinds of new behaviors these days. Yesterday he found a photo of Grampa and I. He brought it to me. Pointed to Grampa and said, "grampa, grampa". Then he started kissing the photo. He made sure the photo was close to him all day long. With Grampa traveling right now, I guess it's cool that he knows who he is.
Like any child he hates to get his nose wiped when he has a cold. Ever since I've had him I always say, "boogie alert, boogie alert" when I need to wipe his nose. Yesterday he had a big, juicy sneeze. When I said boogie alert he toddled over to the desk where the tissue box is and waited for me to get a tissue to wipe his nose. Granted, I could only get one good swipe in before he wiggled away. But one swipe is better than none, especially when he is ready for it.
I'm crocheting Mr. E a pumpkin sweater for Halloween. I finished the back before I started my shawl. I finished the front between yesterday and today. I noticed when I took the photo that you can see the difference between the hanks of yarn. Although you can't see it other wise in normal light.
Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft? I have been crocheting off and on for over 40 years.
Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do? I do not spin.
Are there any other crafts that you participate in? I sew, cross stitch, embroider and some paper crafting
What are your favorite yarns/fibers? I like all fibers except 100% acrylic.
What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers? See above answer.
Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance? Any yarn with some silk in it.
What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet? I like all projects except afghans.
What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn? I am working on a pumpkin sweater for my grandson. I want to start a sweater for my hubby.
Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn? There are no techniques I want to learn at this time.
Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift? I have a yarn winder, but no swift.
Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks? I sew my own hook cases.
Do you collect anything? I love small containers. The more unique, the better.
What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready? Billy Joel, Sting, Rod Stewart. I have an Ipod Nano if I can get it away from my hubby.
Do you like sweets? What are your favorites? I like jelly beans and spice drops.
What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children? I live with husband. My son, DIL and grandson live across the street. I get to spend lots of time with my grandson.
Are you allergic to anything? No allergies, but I don't like the smell of cigarette smoke.
Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal. I have a wish list on Amazon.
Is there anything else that you would like your pal to know? Surprise me. I like everything except country themed items.
And in the front of the house the leaves that have blown off the trees from the wind are accumulating in the garden hose.
Mr. E and I even saw geese starting to gather getting ready for their trip south.
I'm not starving even though I'm busy. I made Salisbury Steaks in French Onion Sauce from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. This was one yummy dinner. I used sourdough bread for the cheese toasts and found a treat better than garlic bread. I made the cheese toasts the following night to have with our spaghetti.
I'm wondering what you eat when you busy sewing. When I was in my sewing room I didn't want to stop to make a meal. Instead I whipped up a banana smoothie and bag of trail mix with a few pretzel M&Ms thrown in. It was the perfect snack to keep me going through the afternoon at the sewing machine.
Mr E is growing bigger and smarter every day. When he was here on Tuesday he discovered he can almost get up on the love seat. In fact, it's become our "cuddle spot." I sat on the love seat all afternoon and he discovered he can climb up, sit next to me, cuddle for a while and get down when he wants to play. When mommy came home I told her about it and they enjoyed some cuddle time too.
If you've made it this far, I wonder if you are interested in a Christmas/Winter Tote Bag swap. If so, stay tuned, I'll be announcing one in a day or two.
Here is the inside of the bag. Isn't the polka dot fabric wild?
Inside the pockets there is room for a zipper pouch (from the same website), my needle case and my modified crochet hook case.
Here is the crochet hook case open and full of hooks.
Next up . . . what do you get when you mix these 4" squares
You get 30 bean bags and a play mat.
One more sewing project: I finished this cupcake apron for my niece.
Mr. E helped us make cupcakes too.
Whew! My sewing machine has enjoyed being used. I hope it doesn't take me too long to get back to it.
The case has lots of spaces for straight needles and three pockets for circular needles.
Here is the inside of the bag. And what is that hiding inside?
It's the matching zipper pouch.
This morning I sewed this little backpack for Mr. E. Isn't it adorable?
And here is Mr. E wearing his backpack.
What kind of sewing have you been doing?
These samples are from The PULAD Method of Crochet in Two Colors, also taught by Karen. The top sample is Two Colored Checkers. The bottom sample is Outlined Shells. I used two different weights for this sample. The red is a DK weight and the blue is worsted weight. If I made this pattern again with different weights I think I would make the frames the lighter weight
This is a Vertical Shells design. This sample is destined to become a Christmas present, but I'm not saying for who (and I will tell you it is not for Mr. E).
And this sample? This was a quick lesson on remembering to put away my crochet when I leave the room. Who knows? Maybe Mr. E will become a crochet designer one day.
The heat is still here. I'm tired of being hot all the time. I'm tired of being too tired from the heat to not accomplish any real cleaning. At least this morning I spent 90 minutes cleaning my studio while Mr. E napped. The floor was covered in ongoing projects, swap packages, vacation purchases and Chain Link projects and purchases. I was able to organize all my crochet projects and prep a canvas for a needlepoint project. Next step is to clean my prepping table and, maybe, the closet.
If you're Mr. E, you share a strawberry milk shake with your mommy.
And this is his GF's quilt . . .
And here is the happy couple with their quilts.
Yesterday I showed Cascade Soft Spun yarn I bought at Purl.
Here's a close-up view of the scarf.
I'm happy to have a few finished projects. I'm working hard to get a few more done. My list of WIPs is getting a little long.
I couldn't leave Purl without buying a few FQs of fabric and silk threads for doing needlepoint.
Now for my purchases from the Knit and Crochet Show. The conference was a blast and I'll have a report on it in a day or two. This yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I bought four skeins of each color. One color is mine and one color is for a swap. I won't tell you which is which.
Newton's Yarn Country was at the show and they were selling their yarn at 50% off. I found this orange Newton's Bulky Softball 100% cotton yarn. I've already started a pumpkin sweater for Mr. E with it.
From Newton's I also bought 2,200 yards of this cashmere/merino blend for a secret project.
I was free on Friday afternoon and decided that since I was half way there I would go to ABC Stitch Therapy in Grantham, NH. I needed a few more threads and stretcher bars for a needlepoint project that I hadn't been able to get anywhere else. The drive was nice and was able to get all but one of the threads for the project. Now I just need to make the time to work on it.
That's all my purchases from my vacation. I plan to be back tomorrow to show you some of the projects I did work on while I was gone.
