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.

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.

Six

She's six now. Her special day comes so close after the holidays, our projects just keep on keepin' on as we put together special things for the baby of the family, Ruby Jane (aka Janie-wa, the rubster...).

Her recent fascination with a certain dog breed called for a pug-themed celebration, complete with a, uh, frog pinata. (what to do when there is no pug pinata and it's the day before the party?) And so, in what has become a post-holiday tradition, out table top tree is transformed into a birthday tree. This year it was decorated with those adorable "smiling" dogs. (That's the attraction—pugs look like they are smiling)

But it's not just pugs on her mind these days. There's a new love. She has always gone in waves of obsession, mostly from one dog or cat breed to the next but she has recently broadened her animal-loving horizons to include reptiles. Clearly, a knit lizard was in order.

And after receiving a Snuggie from her auntie for Christmas, she was dying for a doggie Snuggie (I saw it at the pharmacy, Meems, I know exactly where they are. I'll spend my own money!). Curses to the strategically-placed items and hard-to-resist packaging. She was right to want a snuggie for her special dogs—who can resist being wrapped in cozy fleece?

My solution was homemade "snuggies" that would actually fit all her favorite friends. Bring on the cold weather. We have one cozy little six year old, and four cozy little friends.

"A" wants a homemade snuggie , too. Now that would be some good comedy.

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!).