Saturday, March 31, 2012

Earth Hour

Tonight is Earth Hour, 8:30pm local time. Get ready to turn everything off for one hour.

Here is a link to the website for some more info and tips...

We've been doing this every year for about 4 years now. My family always roll their eyes and accuse me of being a hippie. I really think that taking one hour out of the year to think about the earth and our environment is no big deal.

We talk, tell jokes, light candles, and this year we'll play some hide and seek in the dark. I think I'll bake something yummy to eat in the dark...

It'll be fun... and it'll get us ready for Earth Day on the 22nd of April.

What are you planning for Earth Hour?


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Silver!

Congrats to the Senior Girls Broncs! You ladies played such amazing games this weekend at Hoopla! I was so excited to see you take silver! Hurray! What a season!




Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Rag Rug

This was such a fun project. I'm not sure why I put it down for so long but it took literally 20 minutes to finish it off on Friday.


I blogged about working on this rug last summer. It used up 2 twin sheet sheets, pillow cases too. The Superstar chose blue and orange for her room so I don't think this will work after all but it looks smashing in my laundry room!

I'd like to crochet a few more of these. Mr. Man has put in an order for his new room and I really should make one for the Superstar. These old wood floors can get pretty cold in the winter.


Saturday, March 17, 2012

Sour Candy Socks



Remember this yarn from Nicky? I cast on on my birthday and knit another pair of socks from Susan B Anderson's How I Make My Socks blog post. This is my 3rd pair and I love how easy they are to make.

I cast on 64 stitches with 2.75mm dpns. I made these to fit me, so roughly a ladies size 6.



I was closing the toe at knit night on Wednesday and Colleen told me how much she like them. They have all her favorite colours in them. So now that I've photographed and blogged about them, I'll be passing them on to her next week.

I still have enough left in the ball to make a few squares for the ESYB. Win win!


Friday, March 16, 2012

The Tale of the Epic Sock Yarn Blanket

Way back, when I wasn't quite finished with the last crochet blanket I was already thinking of my next blanket project. I wanted a pattern that could use up all those odd bits of fingering weight yarn that were getting tangled in the bottom of my bins. I figured I had enough to get a good chunk done on a sock yarn blanket.


Bee Keepers Quilt photo by Tiny Owl Knits


I was looking at the Bee Keepers Quilt and while I think it's very cute, I don't think it's me somehow. So then I thought about other sock yarn blankets I'd seen on Ravelry...

Sock Yarn Blanket photo by shellykang

Apple Core Blanket photo by Rosemily

Barn Raising Quilt photo by MoreThanOneWay

I decided that I really like the Barn Raising Quilt and I will make one one day but due to the small bits and pieces I have to use up I'd start on the Sock Yarn Blanket. It's basically a mitered square blanket. Super easy to knit and the squares are perfect to tuck into my purse.

I cast on February 8th and knit a few test squares. They were tiny! I doubled the cast on to make 4 inch squares. So each square cast on is 65 stitches.

I also thought about how I wanted the blanket to look. The random colour thing is very fun but I'm not after fun, I'm after lock her up, she's crazy! I found some great pictures on Pinterest of trees that I like and a whole bunch of Celtic artwork.


the whole mosaic thing but with buttons!


seriously lovely

I'd like to attempt something like these but in blanket form. I'm thinking big tree, night on one side of it with stars and a moon, and on the other side of the trunk, day time, sun and clouds... See... I'm crazy. I can see it in my head so clearly though... How the heck I'm going to make this, I have no idea... Creatively, I'm totally excited!

I measured my bed and realized I need 450 squares to make a blanket that will cover it. That's where the Epic part of the blanket comes in... I don't currently have enough sock yarn to make this, and time wise it'll take me years to complete. Good thing I'm not in a hurry. Crazy people rarely are...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Finish-itis Strikes!

I'm on a bit of a finishing kick these last few days. Being house bound with a sick kidlet has forced me to take a serious look at my wips bin... it's out of control I tell you! Not only do I have about 12 projects on the needles right now, I have had a pile of finished knits that needed to be blocked or ends needed to be woven in.

So I organized the wips into project bags and made a vow to finish at least 2 more before I cast on a new one. I got out my blocking mats and pins/wires and got my Whippoorwill Shawl blocked and my Ishbel Shawl is drying as I type. I blocked out and wove in the ends on some washcloths I started last year. I kitchner stitched the toes on the River Bank Socks and I finished the embroidery on Tuck. I also wove in ends on some fingerless mittens and sewed a button on a baby hat.

I still have a scarf to block and some mitten cuffs to seam but other than that almost everything is done and photographed! Hurrah!

Here are a few of the photos minus the shawls, they deserve a whole post for themselves...

Summer Camp Dishcloth Series by Susan B. Anderson

Tuck by Susan B. Anderson

Nalu Mitts by Leila Raabe

For Joana by Agata Smektala

Next on my list is finishing off a 2nd mitten and a 2nd sock, sewing on some eyes on a toy and finishing up a crochet rug I started last summer. Oh, and that Epic Sock Yarn Blanket! I need to whip up a few dozen squares, or at least 4 more this month...

What about you? Got Spring Fever yet?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Pirate Box

I made a fun little box for the Superstar (well she stole it anyway) from Susan B Anderson's pattern Nesting Boxes. I got to use up some stash yarn and the fabric from an old bandana.




I'd like to make a few more of these but bigger and with themed fabric for Mr. Man's room. They'd be great for holding cars and transformers...

We've been doing a monthly KAL (knit a-long) of all the toys in the Itty Bitty Toys book. The first month was the Bunny Kal, last month was the nesting boxes and this month is the Squishies pattern. If you hang out on Ravelry you should join us in the Itty Bitty Knits group. If you don't, you can knit along with me. I'll do a better job of blogging about the projects before we start, I promise.

Did you notice the library books in the picture next to the box? I have a big announcement to make, but not until April! Bet you can guess though...

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Basketball Update

In basketball news the Superstar's team won their district championship for the 4th year in a row. Go Junior Broncs! This was the second year for gold for the Superstar.



And on Thursday the Junior and Senior Girls had their Tournament of Hearts. A little late but I'm so glad they made it happen. The pink game is always a hoot and a great way to bring some attention to breast cancer and raise a little money too. Congrats on a fabulous 2012 season ladies!





Saturday, March 10, 2012

Vote for Susan

Check out this link and vote for your favorite Knitting Blogger/Website. The Readers' Choice Awards for 2012 highlight the best in knitting yarn, needles, favorite books, bloggers and websites.

This is an award by About.com and Susan B Anderson got nominated! Hurray! She's up against some heavy weights though... Ravelry (truly in a class on it's own), Knitty (the best free, online pattern magazine out there), The Yarn Harlot (I love her blog), The Yarnista (I haven't read her blog actually, I better get on that).

You can vote every day until March 21st.  I am!

Go Susan Go!!!




Friday, March 9, 2012

Granny Stripes Blanket

It took me ages to finish this crochet blanket but I finally did last week.


When I first learned to knit my in-laws gave me tubs of yarn. It was great stuff for making baby items and blankets, bright, fun, and washable. So I started making preemie hats for charity and crocheted a blanket for the Superstar. I still had tubs of the stuff... Really, it's a lot of acrylic!



Mr. Man asked why he didn't have a blanket for his bed... Poor little guy right? Of course I jumped into this blanket project right away. I took some (actually a lot) of inspiration from Raili's blog. She crochets these amazing creations and gives them away! I used the pattern from Lucy of Attic 24's blog because crochet and I don't really do well together.

She writes great easy to follow patterns with tutorials! Love those! This blanket ate lots of yarn and my one bin is empty, the other is half full. I think there may be another blanket worth of yarn in there. I still need a blanket for the spare room... and maybe one for the couch... 



Little Sheep Virtues

Happy Friday! I'm pretty excited to be sharing this cross stitch project with you all. Pattern: Little Sheep Virtues 1-12 by Litt...