The Firefly Files

Creative Endeavors

A most unusual occurrence this summer... I kept knitting!  I typically find I lose the motivation to knit in summer months; there are just too many other things to do.  But for some reason this year I've kept up with it and as a result I think I'm actually going to do really well with making gifts for loved ones this year.  See, every January I sit down and make a new "Project" sheet which lists birthdays and things I might like to knit for each  person.  At the bottom I create another list called "Yule" where I jot down people I'd like to knit a little something up for for stocking stuffer type gift, as well as bigger gifts for family members.  Finally, I make a smaller list of things I just want to try for the fun of it or to make up for myself.  Naturally, after all that work (setting up the list is half the fun )... I suddenly find myself in October with 5 different birthdays and the holidays (and yet more birthdays) looming just beyond... and I've hardly knitted a thing!

Anyway, I won't find myself in such a plight this fall.  Though I may not get to everyone and everything on my list, I won't be left so woefully behind.  So far I've knitted:

1. Another pair of the Alice In Wonderland fingerless mitts for my mother-in-law.  She specifically mentioned how much she liked them when I showed her the pair I had knitted up for myself.  She's a composer and her hands get chilly in the winter when she's working at the piano.

2. A toddler blanket for my nephew (see photo)  When he was up visiting this summer, he LOVED the 6-hour throw I made.  So I decided to make him a smaller version, using a different yarn (I despise Homespun!!).  I used the Jiffy yarn, because although I don't like acrylic, I wanted it to be wash and dry for ease of care.

H's Toddler Blanket

3.  I also made a pair of fingerless mitts for my father and brother, who share the same birthday.

Fingerless Mitts for R

4.  I'm currently working on something NOT on my list, as I just found out recently about it:  an Owlie Sleep Sack for the my new niece/nephew who is expected in February!  I found the pattern at Ravelry (of course) and it's adorable.  My very first cable project!  I finished that part last night and am very pleased with how the owls came out.  I find it's a little tricky maneuvering the cable needle, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.  I really, REALLY wanted to find a nice yarn for this project; for it to be an heirloom piece.  I was loathe to knit with acrylic again, but I was worried about wool being to scratchy and/or too difficult to care for.  Lo and behold, I was ecstatic for find a very soft, hand dyed,  100% superwash merino wool that can be machine washed gentle and machine dried on low temperature at my LYS!  It's called Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted and the colors are fabulous.  I tried to pick something gender-neutral and came up with a beautiful blue/green/purple mix.

Owlie Sleep Sack

Next up for September I have my mom, who I plan on knitting slippers for, and my neighbor, who I'm going to make a calorimetry for.  I guess that's all for now.  Happy Knitting!

Wonderland Wristlets

We saw Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland when it came out a few months ago and really enjoyed it.  But, being the knitting uber-geek that I am, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful, delicate wristlets Alice wore.  So when I got home I went to straight to Ravelry and downloaded a pattern from Tiny Owl Knits (love her!).  I made three pairs, they were so quick and easy (one for me, one for Peep #2, and one for her friend).  It's also the first time I have bought the actual yarn that the pattern calls for!  It's really gorgeous yarn... light and ethereal, like knitting with spider webs.  I purchased a few more color combos and plan to make some more for gifts... everyone who sees them wants a pair!

Wonderland Mitts

Cool Head Wrap

I have been spending these cold winter days and evenings sitting by the wood stove knitting instead of being here at the computer! This past weekend I knit a couple of head wraps (Calorimetry) and thought I would share them here. I love this wrap! It knit up in just a few hours, and is the perfect solution to wearing my hair up in the winter when I go out. My hair is waist length now, so normally, if I want to wear a hat out, it has to be down. Then when I get where I am going, I have to put it back up. So I was thrilled to find this pattern on Ravelry!

Calorimetry

Crafty Things

I'm knitting non-stop; must be winter!  I do love this time of year to be able to read and knit more than any other season.  As I've gotten older, I've come to like winter more and more.  I admit a big part of that is the wood stove we installed two years ago!  Living in a drafty old farmhouse meant (even wearing a scarf and big wool sweater) I was always chilled in the house.  Sometimes I'd take a steaming hot shower just to get rid of that feeling of being chilled to the bone.  That all changed with the wood stove... our main living area and kitchen areas are now toasty warm, and one of my favorite things to do in the winter is indulge in a little knitting with my back practically right up against the thing!  I guess I can appreciate the charm of a brisk day, early nightfall and that urge to eat heavy food and hibernate when I have a warm cozy place to nestle down next to.

But back to the knitting!  Currently I'm making a hat for DH for his birthday next week. 

Basic Ribbed Hat

He doesn't wear a lot of knitted things himself, so I hope he'll like this.  I found a really soft alpaca yarn (Classic Elite Inca Alpaca) that is a color I know he'll love.  The pattern is from One Skein Wonders and I've used it before... it knits up quickly and makes a great basic hat.  The only thing is it's knitting up a lot lighter than I'd wanted, but I still think it will work.

Aside from that I'm finishing up yet another attempt at a pair of socks for Peep #1.  I'm knitting them in man-size (well, not quite) to try and stay on top of his growth spurt. 

For the holidays I knit a couple of neck warmers called Pidge Podge from a pattern I found on Ravelry.  These are AWESOME.  First of all, they knit up super quick with Lion Brand's Thick & Quick yarn; secondly, you don't have to know how to knit button holes to make it;  thirdly, they are so much fun to customize with different colors and buttons; and lastly, for people who like to wear something around their neck in the wintertime (no longer me--ha!), they're perfect because unlike a scarf, they won't hang down and fall into the soup your stirring or--gods forbid-- the toilet you are cleaning!  Below is a picture of the one that came out the best... the colors were just so pretty and the toggle buttons I found complimented it nicely.

Pidge Podge

For Peep #1's birthday I knit him a pair of Harry Potter Deathly Hallows wristbands.  This was a HUGE accomplishment for me working with a color chart like this.  I'd never done anything like that before and it was very challenging until I got the hang of it.  The first one I knitted was gi-normous, but it made a great

Harry Potter Wrist Bands

coffee mug cozy for my brother who is also a big Harry Potter fan.  So I went down from the suggested size 7 DPNs to size 5 and that worked well.  I made another pair for Peep #2's friend only with the Japanese kanji for strength on them instead of the Deathly Hallows symbol.   She is a former homeschooler that went back to public school this year and has been having a bit of a tough time with it (kids making fun of her, not befriending her).  She's handled it well for an 11 year old... she has a lot of inner strength so I wanted to make her wristbands to match it!  Anyway, the kanji was a challenge too because I had to find an image and create my own color chart for it.  But the process was actually fun and I was very happy with the finished product! 

Finally, I completed my first crochet project!  A couple of Spiral Scrubbies.  These are great for wiping up counters because unlike the dishcloths I use for cleaning dishes they don't flop around making a big miss.  Plus they look really cute! 

Spiral Scrubbies

Autumn Brings Out The Knitting Crazies

I've been knitting like a mad woman lately.  I finished a poncho for my sister for her birthday, a beret to use as a stool cover, a pair of fingerless gloves (my first!), am working on a scarf for Peep #1 for his birthday and a pair of socks for my SIL for hers.  I love knitting socks and try to have a pair going at all times.  Below left is a picture of SIL's sock, though I have made quite a bit of progress on it since this was taken.  I'm on the foot now, about to start the toe decreases.

Poor Peep #2 has had the worst luck with the socks I've knit for him!  He's growing too fast... by the time I finish

SIL's Sock

he's outgrown them (Peep #1 has benefited from these cast-offs).  I also knit a beret to use as a stool cover that came out really cool.  I used a really thick yarn (Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in "Spice") and size 13 circulars so it knit up in a few hours.  It's perfect!

Spiral Stool Cover

Thumbs!  I've mastered the thumb... it's a huge knitting hurdle for me and you have no idea how exciting this is!  (Unless, possibly, you're a knitter and have experienced a similar thrill).  I've been wanting to knit mittens and fingerless mitts for eons but was always intimidated by the thought of doing a thumb.  I felt like knitting it flat and sewing it up was cheating.  I was going to knit it in the round, dammit!  LOL  Anyway, I found a really easy pattern in Interveave Knits that I was able to modify.  I used super chunky yarn (Sirdar Stampada) and size 10 DNPs.  These knit up quickly as well-- also in a couple of hours.  Now I can't wait to start whipping up a bunch of them to give as gifts at Yule.  Peep #2 has been asking me for pair for the longest time (which is why I knit the "finger" area so short--see photo below), and I am just busting to give these to her!  Her birthday is next month so I'm going to be patient, and in the meantime I'm going to start up a pair for myself on the sly....

Fingerless Mitts

Socks rock

This fall I learned how to knit socks, and I have been addicted to making them ever since!  I always have a pair going.  Thought I would post a few pictures of some...

Here is the first pair, a little "training sock"... I gave them to my nephew, but they were too small!

firstsocks0001.jpg

Knit Wit

I've taken up a new hobby-- knitting!  As if I didn't too many other distractions to begin with. LOL  I started in September when I friend of mine took it up, and we have been attending a Knitting Circle on Tuesday evenings.  Until recently I hadn't ventured beyond scarves; I knitted one for my brother, sister-in-law, and DH for Christmas.  I also made ones for myself and the two Peeps back when I started out.  In an attempt to master increasing, I knitted a headscarf

scarf070001.jpg

for Peep #2 and even embellished it with beads! 

Since I am journal-crazy, I started one for knitting, making notes on materials used, mistakes, wash-and-care instructions.  I recently started taking pictures as well-- I wish I'd started doing that earlier!

Last week I finally got around to seeing The Golden Compass (I loved the books) and though I enjoyed the movie, I also could not take my eyes off the gorgeous knits Lyra was wearing!  One more thing for me to geek-out over, hmm?

So anyway, my latest project is a "6-hour throw", from a free pattern I founds at Lionbrand.  It uses their Homespun yarn and HUGE size 50 needles and really does knit up very quickly.  The Homespun yarn is not my favorite-- I normally like working with natural fibers-- but it is good for this project and I do like that I can wash and dry it with no special care.  I picked out my own colors, in shades of lavender and purple, and am about 10 inches from completing it.  I will post a picture of the completed project.  My next endeavor is going to be learning to knit in the round.  My mother, who started knitting a month or so after I did, has already moved on to knitting in the round and whipped up a couple of hats!  I'm sure she knit in a previous life :-D  Me, I was too comfortable in Scarfville to move on to anything more challenging, but now I am ready!