Quickest cowl *ever*

Remember that cowl I told you I started yesterday? The Guy Next Door Cowl? Yeah, well, I finished it. :) Yep, you read that right, I finished it! I can't remember when I last went from WIP to FO in 24 hours. So at least I've gotten something done during this Christmas "vacation". I really liked this pattern, it was easily memorized, but not boring. I knit most of it while watching Stargate last night. I decided to divide the stitches and knit two.. watchamacallits.. "flaps", one for the front and one for the back, to protect the neck area even better. (as suggested by Suvi from 50 villapeikkoa.) Because knowing my 7yo, knitting just the cowl without the flaps wouldn't have worked. And hey, he liked it, so it's an instant success. :)
I think the cowl would have been long enough even if I'd knit one repeat less of the pattern, but maybe it's warmer as it curls up on the neck more. And I only now noticed that the suggested needle size is 3,75mm, I used 5mm. I don't even want to think about how small the cowl would have been, if I'd used the suggested needle size. And I thought I was knitting this looosely. Oh well, at least it turned out perfect for the 7yo. :)
Pattern: The Guy Next Door Cowl by Devin Fredrickson (ravel it)
Yarn: Cascade 220, white (it looks off-white in the pic, but it's a pure white)
Needle size: 5mm

Now I just have a dilemma.. What should I knit next? This never happens to me.

Easy peasy raglan dress, how I love thee, let me count the ways..

Ok, ok, so this one turned out a bit too big, but it's still cute. :) The pattern is the same basic raglan pattern I've used before for the tiny one, I just made this one a bit bigger. Because, well, you know, the tiny one has grown. :) I love this Christmas fabric by Michael Miller, that I bought in Eurokangas. It's just so bright and cheerful that I had to make something for the tiny one with it. I decided that a simple raglan dress would be my best bet.
The tiny one sends her sincerest apologies for no looking her best today, she's running a bit of a fever, so that's why she's looking a bit tired.

I also made a pair of new legwarmers for the 5yo, she chose the yarn and color herself. The yarn is Nalle by Novita and it has been Kool-Aid dyed by me. The pic is utterly crappy, but it actually shows off the color correctly. Which was quite surprising to me. I made these with a simple 2x2 rib, with 1x1 ribbing for the top.
And I've started on a cowl for the 7yo, as he doesn't want to wear scarves nowadays. Weird kid. Anyway, the pattern is The Guy Next Door Cowl by Devin Fredrickson (ravel it), and I'm making it in a plain white Cascade 220. I just have to figure out how to make the bottom, because I would like for it to be wider at the bottom, so that it would cover the collar area better. I was thinking about adding some stitches and then maybe doing some ribbing, maybe 3x1 or something.. We'll see what I do when I get that far. :)

Skinny scarf - finished!

And it only took me almost two months to finish it. I was planning on knitting the whole skein, but I got soo bored that I just couldn't knit on this any more. So I decided that it's quite long enough now. I think I might knit the rest double stranded and make one of the kids a scarf or something with the leftovers. Anyway, now it's finished, and I love it. :)
Yes, I need to pluck and color my eyebrows, I'm just too lazy to do it. :D

Oh, I just have to share this pic with you, it's of the tiny one, just after Santa Claus came to visit us. She looked too funny, looking at him suspiciously. :D I was sure she would refuse to go get her presents from Santa, but she went to get all of them. Plus she would have wanted everybody elses pressies too. :)

More Christmas presents!

And with these, I'm done! Done, I say, done! (well, ok, technically I still have about 6cm seams to sew tomorrow, but I'm not counting that.) Let's start with the shirt I made for my 5yo godson, aka the dumbdumb-shirt. I read the pattern wrong, so the collar is all crappy. I didn't have time to fix it, as I would have needed to redo the whole collar. I sewed the buttons on, and decided that it didn't look too bad. Besides, no kid ever wears his shirt without having the uppermost button undone. Or so I've convinced myself. Other that the collar, I think the shirt looks cool. :)

On the sleeves I added orange buttons, just for fun. :) I thought the fabric was so cool that I just had to make something with it, it just took me a while to figure out what. :)

Pattern: Ottobre 6/2009
Size: 116/122 cm
Fabric: from Lucky Kaeru

I also finally finished the small girls' raglan, got the elastic bands put in. I still have to close the gaps on the sleeves and the neckband, but that'll take about three minutes, so I'm calling this done too. :)

And as a quickie, I made a small pouchy pouch for the 8yo, I bought a lipgloss and nail polish to put in it. I knit this in just a couple of evenings.
The color looks a bit too dark in this pic, my camera was being a bit uncooperative at this time of night. And finally, I added a little bow to the Hello Kitty I made, as I thought it was missing a little something. I think it's much cuter now. :)
And with this, I want to wish all my readers Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas, to those of you who celebrate it. :) Ja Hyvää Joulua kaikille suomenkielisille lukijoille!

Chrissie pressies!

Whee, I've finished a few Christmas presents! Yay for me! :) Let's start with the tunic, it's for an 8yo girl, I really hope she'll like it. I think it turned out cute, but I'm biased. :)
Pattern: Ottobre 1/2009
Size: 134 cm
Fabric: something from the bargain bin :)

I learned new things when making this tunic, like making a (what was the real word for this?) cleft, which was something I had huge problems with. The magazine had instructions on how to make "an easy cleft", and it really was everything but easy. I started making it in my sewing class, and asked my teacher for help, thinking she'd know how to do it. Well, I was wrong. We probably spent half an hour trying to figure out what part went where and what to sew next. Pah. It might be sewn together wrong, but at least it looks ok. :)

Next we have two knitted toys, first the mooonsteeeeer I've shown you before. Here he is, all finished, waiting to be given to his new 5yo owner. :)
Pattern: Abigail the Middle-sized Monster, from Mombot Companion
Size: kinda small :)
Yarn: some Kool-Aid dyed old stuff

And another toy, a teeny tiny Hello Kitty, for a one-and-a-half-year-old. The ears are in the wrong place, but I doubt the recipient will notice that. ;) I knit this in the round, not flat as the pattern said. I'm just not a big fan of seams, and try to avoid them as best I can.
Pattern: Hello Kitty Look-a-Like, by Valerie Powell
Size: tiny
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly

That's it for now, I still have to finish the shirt for the 5yo, and the raglan dress for the younger sister. I'm working on the button holes of the shirt now. Oh, how I love those button holes.. Ugh.

Christmas dresses!

Two of them! All finished! And just in time too, as our first Christmas party is today. The basic pattern is again the same as in this one, and this one, with some modifications. The smaller dress I made a bit slimmer, the bigger dress I made a bit fuller. The bigger dress was supposed to be a kind of balloon dress, but I, ahem, screwed up the lining just a wee bit, so it ended up a straight dress after all. All of these fabrics were a pain in the a** to sew, and I'm very happy to have finished them and still have my sanity left. And without further ado, here are the dresses

And as you all know, taking photos this time of year isn't the easiest task, so I hope you'll forgive the poor quality of these. Using the flash really doesn't help either, and I'm still considering a "bright-light-lamp" (I really have no idea what they're called in English). This photo of the tiny one is loads cuter, but it distorts the color of the dress a whole lot
I think this photo shows off the color best, it's a really difficult color to photograph.
The older girl insisted on giving me photos like this
I also finally finished the scarf for the boy in the Estonian orphanage, I have to try to remember to mail it tomorrow, to make sure that it gets there in time for Christmas. I really hope he'll like it.

Yum, new yarn

Still very little crafting going on around here, but at least I have some yummy new yarn. :)
The red one on the left is a bit darker than in the pic, the other two look about right. The yarns are Dream in Color Classy, Dream in Color Starry and Malabrigo Chunky, all from Eat.Sleep.Knit.

And then there were Christmas lights..

Wee you aware of the fact that it's freakishly difficult to get good photos of Christmas lights out in the dark? I can tell you that it is, very, very difficult.

I have a new bag! (plus a crumpled dress..)

I needed a new bag, the one I had was a bit too summery for this time of year. So I took some wonderful Michael Miller fabric (that I got from Hawthorne Threads, when they were still on Etsy). Then I cut up some fabric and started sewing. And a few days later I had a new bag. It's not perfect, apparently I wasn't thinking at all when I was sewing it together, but it'll do. Here it is
I wanted a flap on this one, so that it's not an open bag like the other one. I think I still have to add abutton, so that I can close the flap. And so that the bag wouldn't be too boring, I made the inside with bright polka dots. :)
And I added a pocket! Altho I sewed it on the wrong side.. Oh well, maybe I'll remember next time on which side I have to sew it on.
Plus I have the coolest reflector ever. :)
The crumpled dress I mentioned is this one
It's a Christmas dress for the tiny one, the same basic pattern I used for this dress, modified a bit. I still have to add the zipper (my very favorite part!) and maybe add some sequins or something to hide fact that somebody cut the fabric very crookedly.. Oh, and I plan on ironing it before I show you the finished item. ;)

Wheee, a.k.a. I have an FO

I know you haven't heard that in a while. :) I have an FO, how cool is that? :D Ok, so it's only a pair of teenytiny socks, but still, I'm very happy to be showing you something else than just WIP's for a change. (Altho I do have a new WIP too..) Oh, btw, the title of this blog post could also have been: Chapter 78, where we learn about the difficulties of taking a photo of a pair of socks, while an 18-month-old is wearing them. But that would have been a way too long title. :D But here's a pic to prove that it is difficult to take a photo of a small child wearing her new woolly socks
Here's a better photo :)
And one more photo of the socks, without feet in them
The new WIP I have is a scarf for an orphan boy in Estonia. A bunch of friends on mine have been making handmade Christmas presents for all the kids in an Estonian orphanage. The boy I'm knitting for is a soccer-fan, so I thought it would be fun to make him a black-white-green scarf, because the ball is usually black and white, and the game is played on green grass. :) I'm making it in a simple 1x1 rib, and I'm knitting the yarn held double, to make it nice and warm. I hope the boy will like it. The yarn is Sisu by Sandnes Garn.
And finally, the Chrissie pressie monster is almost finished, I just need to sew on his eye and make the mouth. And bind off a couple loose ends. So soon I can start working on the Hello Kitty-doll that I'm also making as a Christmas present. :)

Shopping therapy :) (and half a sock)

As I still don't have anything finished to show you (I know, I know, shame on me), I thought I'd show you the pretty fabric I bought yesterday. These will become Christmas party dresses for the girls, at some point..
Yes, I realize that the colors are a bit distorted, the two last ones are black, the first is a kinda strange purplish pink, very pretty in person tho. :) The first and last ones are taffeta, the middle one is velour. I'm planning on using the black ones for a dress for the older girl, altho the husband couldn't understand why I'd make a child a black dress. I think it'll be pretty, as it isn't completely black. I still haven't decided if I'll make a balloon dress or not. I might. Or I might not. The tiny one's dress will get a very simple dress, maybe with a little bit of ruffles or something. And now if I'd actually have time to make these dresses..

And now for the sock. The tiny one lost the green socks I made her, so obviously I have to make her another pair. I'm using the same yarn I used for the 5yo's socks, as I had lots left over. I'm at the heel of the first sock, maybe I'll finish the first sock this weekend.

No FO's to show off, Part II

Nope, none, not a one, zip, zilch, zero. So instead, I'll show you a bunch of WIP's and some stash enhancement. :)

Let's start with the monster. I have all the knitted parts ready, I just need to stuff the limbs and sew all the pieces together, and make the face.
I do have one problem with the monster tho, one leg is longer than the other, should I frog a couple rows on one leg, or let them be different lengths? I'm thinking I'll leave it the way it is. It is a monster, after all.

Next, we have a skinny scarf I'm knitting for myself. I bought one skein of this new yarn, Sandnes Garn Mini Palett, just to try it out. It's 75% wool, 25% nylon, but I definitely would not use this for socks, as the yarn is very thin in places. I'm using 5mm needles, so that the scarf is nice and soft.
Next we have two sewn pieces of clothing, but you can't really tell what they are, as I haven't gotten much further than just cutting up the fabric. I'm hoping I'll have time to do some sewing this weekend, because these need to be finished before Christmas. :O The first is a tunic, the second is a shirt for a boy. I got really stuck when making the slit (is that what it's called in English?) at the front of the tunic, I just didn't understand the instructions in the magazine. Good thing I was making it at my sewing course, otherwise I would probably have thrown the whole thing in the rubbish from frustration. Our teacher didn't understand the instructions any better than I did, but I did get it done, it just took me about two hours.

And now for the stash enhancement, I only bought three skeins, one of which was the Mini Palett, pictured here
I just love the colors in this yarn! And the two other skeins? I was just going to buy one skein, but the I remembered that I had this card in my wallet that allows me to get 30% off on my purchases, so I ended up buying two skeins of Noro sock yarn, whee! :) These will become a pair of stripey kneehigh socks when they grow up.

Happy Halloween!

Ja Hyvää Pyhäinpäivää kaikille suomalaisille lukijoille! :)

Finished the longies! Plus started on Chrissie pressies

The longies are finished, yay! And eventho I made them lots shorter than the pattern said, they're still very much too long for the babe. Good thing I didn't make them as long as they were supposed to be. :) And as a bonus, they're really cute. See, aren't they cute? :)
I ran out of yarn at the waist, so the waistband is knitted with a different yarn. You really can't tell tho, because they are both dyed with similar colors. The pattern was really easy, I'll probably make another pair for next Winter. :)
Pattern: Vilsongit by Sirkku Siiskonen (only in Finnish)
Size: about 86 cm, I think. Thereabouts
Yarn: Novita Wool, Kool-Aid dyed by me, plus a bit of Novita Nalle at the waist
Needles: 3,5mm
Love these!

I've also started working on Christmas pressies, I have three kids to make pressies for, and they will all get something knitted and something sewn. The first thing I've sewn is a raglan blouse, with 3/4 sleeves, it should be anout a size 92cm. It's still missing the elastic at the neck and sleeves, I'll have to remember to take a pic when I've added those. Plus I was thinking that I would want to add an appliqued heart at the hem, haven't decided about that yet..
The second pressie will be an Abigail monster. :) I just think that my version might me a lot smaller than in the pattern, but we'll see how it works out. Here's the very beginning
I think I might need to use a slightly thicker yarn, I'm not sure yet. And that's all I have for now, I hope you've all had a great weekend, and will have a great week!