Me? A Knitter?

When I mentioned I knitted a hat as a gift last month, some of you were surprised to know that I knit. Well, I do, but I don't really knit. My knitting career is not prolific, nor are my projects always successful. No, I imagine my life as a knitter started much the same as every one else's—too many scarfs to admit, a bunch of hats, a few pairs of mittens, the famous Clapotis—but that's as far as my knitting went. I was too intimidated to attempt an actual piece of clothing.

That's where amigurumi came in, which I have done lots of in crochet. Little did I know that it would be a crash course in every increase and decrease a knitter would ever need to know. For this reason, I would recommend knitted amigurumi to anybody who wants to learn a variety of knitting techniques in one project.

I started with this little lizard last year.

I recently made this eggplant, from Amigurumi Knits. (The smaller girl begged for this, though she wouldn't put a real eggplant near her mouth if I bribed her with a puppy.)

Then my older girl came to me requesting a Lochness Monster (note to self: hide the amigurumi book when not in use) and it sent chills up my spine. I had nothing to fear, though. With YouTube at my side, I soon learned I could conquer most any pattern.

Lochness Monster pattern from Amigurumi Knits 

Well, with all this knitting "success," I got a little cocky. After falling in love with this sweater, I decided it was time for me to go for it. I was going to knit my first piece of real clothing, and dammit, it was going to be for me. (I know what you're thinking. You're probably right. Read on.)

And isn't it lovely? It really was a pleasure to knit. Not scary at all. I knew every stitch I needed to know, and she came along quickly.

But, you see, when you don't pay any respect to the gods of gauge, the sweater you are knitting for yourself ends up fitting your 7-year-old-daughter just perfectly.

Me? A knitter? The jury is still out.

Handmade Holiday Ideas

In the spirit of handmade holidays, I thought I'd share some of the things we have made for our kids over the past few years. Most of them are super easy and quick to make:

Rubber Band Board. It doesn't get an easier—nails, a piece of wood, and a bunch of rubber bands. May I suggest getting a bit more creative than we did, and painting the wood before banging in the nails? Your kids will get all kinds of artsy with this.

The ubiquitous puppet show theater. I made this about four years ago and the girls still play with it. I totally winged this, as I have no sewing abilities whatsoever, and it has still not fallen apart. A tension rod, a couple of dowels, and bunch of fabric. Voila!

Amigurumi Star Wars figures—an easy home run. The crocheted characters went pretty quickly, but this project has the added tasks of sewing the hair and clothes for them. Well worth it.

We have given personalized plate/mug sets to many kids for many occasions. I found a box of plain white plates/mug sets at a thrift store and painted them to the child's preference, but the picture above shows the ones the girls painted themselves. You could gift a set that you have painted especially for someone, or give them some plain tableware and a set of special paint to go with it, as a u-paint-it kit. (note: the paint is non-toxic, permanent, and dishwasher safe.)

How about home-made snuggies for all your kids' favorite stuffed animals? I made these for a birthday gift last year and they were a hit. As an added bonus, you will crack up every time you see them.

Hope you can take a few ideas away from this post. Happy making!

I'll gladly answer any questions you have about any of these projects. Just leave it in the comments. 

Linky Love, the First of 2010

Want to know what has inspired me lately? There are far too many different people, projects, articles, and art to mention, but here's a (small) sampling of my recent favorites:

First, Kate of Marmalade Moon has reviewed books on creativity AND she's giving away one of my sterling silver bookmarks! Head on over to her blog, read her book reviews, and leave a comment to enter to win.

I am participating in String-a-Long 2010, hosted by Mousey Brown's House and Rattling On... Here's one I have already completed. These string bags work up super fast and easy, so I am making a whole bunch.

Mandy's illustration, Yellow Iron with Steam, is winning me over (even though I don't iron)

I am loving anything and everything Made by Joel

We are planning to craft a large flock of these Spring Birds

I'm brimming with ideas from the e-book 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion

Happy to have found 3 great ways to spend MORE money

Drooling over this recipe, from Staten Eats

The graphic artist in me has a crush on these Daily Drop Caps. I might just have to decide on a fav to use on my blog.

I'm excited to suggest Green Fundraising with Let's Go Green at the next school parents' meeting.

Jane's family (of Jane Was Here) has received roughly 720 cards, and counting. AMAZING!

...aaaaand last but not least, I had fun making a few of these Swat Team Kitties for my nephew Nicholas and another little friend, Elizabeth (happy birthday to you both!) . I hadn't knit or crocheted any new friends since the holiday projects and birthday gift. It was a much-needed break but it's good to be back at it. The girls have noticed a lack of new stuffed cuties, too, and they're putting the pressure on now. Stay tuned for more...

There's so much out there to be found on the web. I wonder what I'll stumble upon next? What will prompt me to start along a new creative path, try a new ingredient, or rethink how something is done? I promise I won't hoard all the good ideas.

From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Day two of homemade gifts:

Amigurumi Star Wars characters, of course. The perfect combination of the girls' latest obsession and my crafting preferences. My sister in law forwarded a link to these after she came across them and knew I would go crazy for them—she knows me well, and I did.

(From left: Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and Yoda)

These two are our favorite, by far. Leia's hair was a bit of a challenge for me and, as you can see, her buns are two very different sizes, heh. Little Yoda is just too much with that robe.

Han and Luke are ready to take on the dark side. Or snuggle up with a little girl. They're good like that, and will gladly do either.

The patterns are from Geek Central Station. If you stop by, be sure to check out the pirate captain pattern. Cracks. Me. Up.

One Season, Two Parts

There seems to be two parts to autumn. First there is back-to-school, apple picking, the garden harvest, pumpkins, and Halloween.

After that it's all leaf raking, gourds, baking and, of course, Thanksgiving. I can't decide which I like better. Both parts evoke such strong feelings and memories.

What better way to celebrate this, our second phase of autumn, than with a little turkey and some pumpkin pie?

Crochet patterns found here

Here are a couple of snapshots from the past few days. There are projects in the pipeline and things currently in the works. There is also plenty being put off, while a sick second grader takes some time off of school to get better.

Socks: making and mastering them will be my winter project


The (very) rough start of a soon-to-be gift


more amigurumi (I think it is safe to say that these days, there is always a little crocheted friend in the works)


...and I have a feeling many of you have some variation of this scene in your home now, too.

Happy Halloween week!

Apple Mania

The apple pickers brought home a multitude of apples this weekend, and so the fun begins. I am licking my lips just thinking of all the apple sauce, pie filling, cobblers, and muffins (and I think I need to find a good cider donut recipe this year) we will be feasting on soon.

I know so many of you are enjoying apple season as much as we are, and here's a little more apple mania to eat up:

The apple peeler/corer/slicer. Seriously, what did we do before this?

I thought a few crocheted apples would help celebrate our abundance. (As you may already know, I'm crazy for these crochet patterns—this one is by Amy Gaines. I have mentioned them a couple times before: here and here).

Plenty of applesauce, ready for the freezer.

And some more of those caramels, because caramels should never be too far from so many apples.

Robots and Kings

The finished product (see previous post). I crocheted this adorable set for my nephew's birthday, and he has been blasting off ever since. The pattern, from Amy Gaines, is simple and quick. I have written before about Amigurumi crocheted toys here. They are fun to make and even better to give. My girls have lots of handmade friends now, and count them among their most special toys.

...and this little arrangement was on our table the other day. A snack, that the girls gathered from the garden when I was remiss in getting them something to eat. They were referring to their assortment of tiny carrots, nasturtium, and mint as "the king's snack," a name we will most definitely be using from now on. I am thinking I will delay in getting them snacks more often—just to see what they come up with on their own. This snack, fit for a king, is much better than what I would have served up to my little queens.

Coming Along Nicely

The garden and my latest project are coming along nicely.

Here is a sneak peek of what I've been working on (more on this soon):

and...the garlic has been harvested! We usually do this in the beginning of July, but things in the garden are going a little slower this year.

Fastest Blankies in the East

I thought it was about time I get these baby blankets done and in the mail. After all, the babes they were made for were born in December. To make up for lost time, I opted for the fastest blankie in the east. It's made using a simple double crochet stitch with a scallop edge, a yarn flower added for extra girly-ness.

Those precious baby girls have lived the first six months of their lives just fine without these blankies, but I hope they get lots of comfort and warmth from them in the years to come.

Love Pickles

I do love pickles. But I am talking about Pickles, the Etsy shop and blog. Heidi and Anna are the Norwegian craftsters who run Pickles. They describe themselves as "knee deep into craft" and, based on all they have to offer, I would say that's a pretty accurate description.

Their online shop features organic hand printed cotton items for baby and knitting patterns like the one for this adorable "Oh, Handsome" sweater (pictured above).

The blog, a "knitting, crochet, cupcake and craft blog" is chock-full of free patterns and craft project tutorials. Check out the instructions for the the Puff Daddy Knitted Stool and the Whirl-It Lampshade—my favorites.

Pickles has a new venture as well—they'll be selling their favorite yarns in a new online shop opening soon. It promises yarn that's "soft and pretty, but not pricey." That sounds good to me. I'll let you know as soon as it opens.

Handmade Friends

Between the holidays and the endless roster of birthday parties to attend, we have alot of kids' gifts to give throughout the year. I am always searching for crafty ideas that will satisfy the gamut of recipients, from infant to 8-year olds, both boys and girls.

A few months ago, I found Amigurumi crochet patterns of the cutest stuffed toys on Etsy (Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals). They were irresistible, so I bought a few patterns and and got to work figuring out how to stitch these fun little friends.

I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a seasoned crocheter. My crocheting experience before this endeavor included scarves, blankets, and any other item that is rectangular. So, crocheting these adorable 3-dimensional objects was an intimidating prospect. I soon learned I had nothing to fear. The patterns were very well written, with clear instructions and pictures to accompany me through the steps. Before long, I had a pile of Juggling Chickens, Horses, and BlueBirds to give.

Nuts About Crochet, and FreshStitches are two shops I have purchased patterns from, so I can attest to their great customer service, and easy-to-follow patterns. Amigurumi Kingdom and Amy Gaines also have some precious patterns. I am thinking Amy Gaines' Matryoshka Roly-Poly Dolls are going to be my next project. Wish me luck!

To learn more about Amigurumi click here. Watch a tutorial video here. I also found some free patterns (score!).