I have been severely neglecting this blog; I have in fact been wooed over by the quick and easy use plus social media platform of tumblr.
It's so easy to just hit "text" and type out whatever frustration I'm having at the time.
I'd love to get back more to this one though, as this was my creative-outlet blog where tumblr is more my emotional-outlet blog. My Dr recommended I blog or journal so that I can better manage my anxiety and not have to go on Xanax LOL! So far, so good. 2 yrs and counting.
I also regret to inform you that I haven't knit any hats for the homeless yet this year. I think I can still pull it off though.
I've done a moderate amount of quilting, finishing up a couple lap or baby sized ones to list in my etsy shop and I've managed to add a single row down the side of our previously queen sized shaggy quilt! It now actually covers our huge king sized bed and will wonderfully once I get the 2nd row done.
I'm getting ready to take on a whole new different type of quilting project than I've ever done before. I'm going to make a quilt, slightly bento box style, out of t-shirt fabrics. A woman my MIL works with gave me an entire rubber maid tote the size of a coffee table full of her grandson's baby blankets. I've bought some fusible stabilizer and next week I hope to set forth on this adventure.
For tonight, I'm going to play Transformers with my son and finish knitting a "True Loves Socks" pattern sock (search Rav for pics).
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Trying to reply to a comment
Carla Dawn commented on my "Big Ugly Man Mittens" post/pattern for plain 'ol "man sized" mittens saying, " Hi Love your blog !!! Can you tell me how big these mittens are when complete. I have a male friend who wears 3 XL hands. I have been searching for a pattern to no avail. This is a wonderful pattern. I didn't see any finished measurements, perhaps, I missed the numbers. Thanks for the pattern. "
Unfortunately I can't reply to her, and her profile isn't public so I have no way to contact her directly to answer her question. I'm hoping she will see this post.
In answer to her question:
Laying flat the mittens are:
8" from the tip of the fingers to the inner edge of the ribbing (where the ribbing ends and the mittens start).
The ribbing is 3.5" long.
Across the widest part of the hand they measure 5" (unstretched, not including the thumb)
The thumb is 3.5" long at the longest edge (from the edge of the palm out to the tip)
If these would still be too small a person could knit with the yarn held double and do the ribbing on size US 5 needles and the body on size US 8 needles, with the same row and stitch numbers and it would increase the mitten size without having to alter the pattern.
I hope this helps and that Carla sees it!
Unfortunately I can't reply to her, and her profile isn't public so I have no way to contact her directly to answer her question. I'm hoping she will see this post.
In answer to her question:
Laying flat the mittens are:
8" from the tip of the fingers to the inner edge of the ribbing (where the ribbing ends and the mittens start).
The ribbing is 3.5" long.
Across the widest part of the hand they measure 5" (unstretched, not including the thumb)
The thumb is 3.5" long at the longest edge (from the edge of the palm out to the tip)
If these would still be too small a person could knit with the yarn held double and do the ribbing on size US 5 needles and the body on size US 8 needles, with the same row and stitch numbers and it would increase the mitten size without having to alter the pattern.
I hope this helps and that Carla sees it!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Hats for the Homeless
Last year my goal for the year was to knit one hat every month to donate to our local homeless shelter in downtown Knoxville called Knox Area Rescue Ministries.
Along about October I realized that 12 hats would not be a drop in the bucket so I began to knit hardcore. My younger sister Diantha knit 4 or 5 hats for me, and I found a couple laying around the house I'd knit for no one in particular so I washed them and tossed them in the pile.
I ended up with 36 different hats!! That's more than twice my goal!
I don't know if I'll do it again this year; I wanted to. But it made me so sad when I dropped them off, it was not quite cold enough to snow and even though it was only about 2 in the afternoon the streets around the shelter were already lined with homeless who were sleeping or just hanging out on the sidewalks. I was thinking maybe my time and money would be better invested to buy in bulk things like sweatshirts, tube socks, etc? things that would help more people than just the few I was able to help this year?
I haven't decided yet; I'm still thinking about it. Whatever I decide, I'm pretty pleased with my turn out last year and I was excited to get to try some new patterns like the HeartFail hat (pattern on Ravlery) which was just great. Will definitely have to knit it myself again.
If you'd like to cruise my ravelry projects, most of the hats are listed as projects there. If you're not a raveler, here's a picture of all of them together just before I dropped them off!
Along about October I realized that 12 hats would not be a drop in the bucket so I began to knit hardcore. My younger sister Diantha knit 4 or 5 hats for me, and I found a couple laying around the house I'd knit for no one in particular so I washed them and tossed them in the pile.
I ended up with 36 different hats!! That's more than twice my goal!
I don't know if I'll do it again this year; I wanted to. But it made me so sad when I dropped them off, it was not quite cold enough to snow and even though it was only about 2 in the afternoon the streets around the shelter were already lined with homeless who were sleeping or just hanging out on the sidewalks. I was thinking maybe my time and money would be better invested to buy in bulk things like sweatshirts, tube socks, etc? things that would help more people than just the few I was able to help this year?
I haven't decided yet; I'm still thinking about it. Whatever I decide, I'm pretty pleased with my turn out last year and I was excited to get to try some new patterns like the HeartFail hat (pattern on Ravlery) which was just great. Will definitely have to knit it myself again.If you'd like to cruise my ravelry projects, most of the hats are listed as projects there. If you're not a raveler, here's a picture of all of them together just before I dropped them off!
Quilts, Quilts, Quilts!
I am sooo behind in blogging. Allow me to try to catch up.
The last 2 weeks of October and the first week of November was Massive Quilting Time around here as I prepared to do a craft show. I had plenty of quilted bags, though I did also put together 3 Learning Purses to take with me.
I made several lap quilts, one was huge--nearly twin and then a wall hanging. I, of course, true to form only sold ONE batik tote at the show and right before we shut down the final night. Oh well. I've sold 3 of these quilts out of my etsy shop since, and one actually before the show, so I am not complaining.
First we had Whirlwind which was a lap quilt made from a fall 5" charm swap I'd participated in through the Quiltsy etsy street team. It's a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern and actually this also was my Weird and Ugly Challenge entry for the N2Quilting yahoo group I'm in. I cut the W/U fabric into 5" charms and
dispersed it throughout the quilt top. It is sold.
Then I made a simple pinwheel quilt from 50 different red charms and one white on white print fabric. I called this one The Red Queen and it is still available for purchase in my etsy shop here: the Red Queen
Mine of Moria was one of my favorites and actually took me the longest to do because I left it on my design wall for months so I could rearrange the squares here and there until I got them just how I wanted them. It's a Jewel Box pattern and done with a single White on White print and a ton... I think around 100?... of different batik fabrics. I named it Mines of Moria after the mines the dwarves dug in the Lord of the Rings... 'cause I'm just that cool. This one has (thankfully!!) already sold! It was the biggest too, almost twin sized.
I finally finished the Primitive Nativity folk art quilt I'd been working on for years. I'd made the top but had never gotten around to stitching down all the shapes or quilting it. It is finally done!! A nice Christmas wallhanging, it made it thru the holiday season and is still for sale in my shop here.
Then I put together a very simple charm quilt from a moda
charm pack someone had sent me last year. I pulled all the pink and lime fabrics out of it and arranged them in a checkerboard pattern. Then I appliqued huge whimsical flowers around the borders with some moda fabric from the same line that I picked up at the quilt shop. I love how cute and simple this one turned out to be!! It went to a new home just before Christmas! I called it Printemps which is French for "spring."
It had been a long time since I'd done any quilting, piecing or actual quilting, and I really enjoyed putting these together!
The last 2 weeks of October and the first week of November was Massive Quilting Time around here as I prepared to do a craft show. I had plenty of quilted bags, though I did also put together 3 Learning Purses to take with me.
I made several lap quilts, one was huge--nearly twin and then a wall hanging. I, of course, true to form only sold ONE batik tote at the show and right before we shut down the final night. Oh well. I've sold 3 of these quilts out of my etsy shop since, and one actually before the show, so I am not complaining.
First we had Whirlwind which was a lap quilt made from a fall 5" charm swap I'd participated in through the Quiltsy etsy street team. It's a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern and actually this also was my Weird and Ugly Challenge entry for the N2Quilting yahoo group I'm in. I cut the W/U fabric into 5" charms and
dispersed it throughout the quilt top. It is sold.Then I made a simple pinwheel quilt from 50 different red charms and one white on white print fabric. I called this one The Red Queen and it is still available for purchase in my etsy shop here: the Red Queen
Mine of Moria was one of my favorites and actually took me the longest to do because I left it on my design wall for months so I could rearrange the squares here and there until I got them just how I wanted them. It's a Jewel Box pattern and done with a single White on White print and a ton... I think around 100?... of different batik fabrics. I named it Mines of Moria after the mines the dwarves dug in the Lord of the Rings... 'cause I'm just that cool. This one has (thankfully!!) already sold! It was the biggest too, almost twin sized.
I finally finished the Primitive Nativity folk art quilt I'd been working on for years. I'd made the top but had never gotten around to stitching down all the shapes or quilting it. It is finally done!! A nice Christmas wallhanging, it made it thru the holiday season and is still for sale in my shop here.Then I put together a very simple charm quilt from a moda
charm pack someone had sent me last year. I pulled all the pink and lime fabrics out of it and arranged them in a checkerboard pattern. Then I appliqued huge whimsical flowers around the borders with some moda fabric from the same line that I picked up at the quilt shop. I love how cute and simple this one turned out to be!! It went to a new home just before Christmas! I called it Printemps which is French for "spring."It had been a long time since I'd done any quilting, piecing or actual quilting, and I really enjoyed putting these together!
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