One More Finished Hat

This is a hat that I knitted.

It is for Tricia's son, Evan.

I heard a rumor that Evan likes to play with cars.

So I made 5 little cars, and attached them to a hat with a little road on it.

I sent it off to Evan, and I do believe he loved it.

It's so fun sending my hand-made goodies out to people!

In other news, Andy's team had their district playoffs this weekend.  We took 4th, and the top three teams go on to regions.  Bummer!  We have one more game next weekend just for fun and then our season is over.  I can't believe how fast it went!  What a great year.  I love watching the boys improve so much over the span of 4-5 months.  GREAT season guys!  I'm very proud of all of you! 

Don't worry everyone, spring league starts in a few short weeks.  I wouldn't actually want some free nights to myself or anything.  Summer league starts shortly after that, and tryouts for yet another tournament team are being held tomorrow afternoon.  You don't get better sitting on your couch all spring/summer, right?  These years are going to be over before we know it, so you might as well dive in head first.

I got tons of time in on the blue sweater.  It should only need a few more power sessions before It's completed.  I'm so excited about how it's turning out.  I just hope it fits.

XOXOX

NH

A few crafty things to show you.

So, I wish I would be more on top of my projects and share them with you while they are in progress.  I'll try to be better about that.  It's tough when they are gifts though.  I've made a bunch of things over the past few months and am finally sitting down with a little time to organize the pictures and put them here.

I'll start with two projects that are currently on the needles.

If you know me, you know that I don't like spending a lot of money.  That's the nice way of calling myself cheap.  But let's face it - if it takes a little more effort to get something for 1/10th of the cost, I'm all over it.  It's kind of tricky being so cheap when you love to be crafty.  Sometimes you have to get creative with where and how you find your supplies.  Here is one of my favorite ways to get awesome yarn for 1/10th the price I'd get it if I were to buy it brand new.  I love my Savers store.  LOVE it.  Sometimes they are a bit overpriced (the other day I found six idividual Fiestaware pieces for $19.99 EACH! That's more expensive than if you were to buy them brand new!) but sometimes they have sales, and if you don't mind buying gently used merchandise, and have the time to dig a little, you can really find some treasures.

The other day I found this little gem on 1/2 price day.  It is an Old Navy brand cotton/wool blend sweater in a rosy pink color.

In case you needed help calculating, 1/2 of $2.99 is $1.495.  I paid $1.50 for this sweater.  I brought it home, took it apart at the seams, found the end of the yarn and started ripping.  Have you ever ripped out an entire sweater before?  No?  You should.  It's very therapudic.  It's a great stress reliever.  I love the little pops of each stitch coming unraveled.  The kids help me wind it on the ball winder that Nate got me for Christmas last year.  Sooo much fun.

So now, this yarn is becoming a gorgeous scarf that I discovered through my friend Melissa at our last knit night.

The pattern is called And So Are You by Rose Beck. (click the link to see pictures of what the finished product is supposed to look like)  I am in love with this pattern.  There are A. Lot. of stitches in this scarf.  It's going to take me a long time to finish it.  I have made a few mistakes.  They are strategically hidden in these photos.  I cannot come to terms with the fact that I should rip it out back to the mistakes.  So I did what most knitters I know would do.  It's in the knitting bag, and I started on something new.  :)

This project is also using recycled yarn from a sweater purchased at Savers and torn apart.  I got this one a while ago and unfortunately don't have a before picture.  Do you know what fiber is in this yarn?  Do you?  Angora.  Yesssssss.  It is like knitting with a cloud.  Sooo soft!  These pictures make the yarn look light blue, but it's actually more of an aqua.  Do you know how much this much angora yarn would cost at a yarn shop?  Me neither.  I wouldn't even look at it for fear that I might faint dead away if I looked at the price tag. 

So I am taking this dreamy yarn, and creating what I want out of it.  It's becoming a Lucia Tee by Helene Rush.  I can't wait to finish it.  I think it's going to be worn a lot.

This is a hat I made for myself to wear to hockey games.  It's nice and warm, and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  The problem with making something super cute?  You email your sister a picture of it, and then she wants one.  Love you, Kel!

So, I made another one for my sissy.  It is currently in transit to her, and I'm hoping she receives it tomorrow.  I hope she also wears it to hockey games, and it brings her son's team some good luck!  The pattern for this one is the Newsy Cabled Cap by Linda Cyr.

These are some hats that I made for my homie Trish, who looks rather delish in her brown one.  Her daughter Lauren is the recipient of the multi colored party hat.

I called in the professional for help modeling Trisha's hat before it was sent off to her.

I love knitting stuff for myself, but honestly the whole process of knitting for a specific recipient is so incredibly rewarding to me.  I think about them with every single stitch.  I wonder what they will think when they receive it.  I wish I could be there to see them open it.  Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.  I picture Miss Lauren wearing this hat to school, or shopping with her mom, or over to a friend's house to play in the snow.  It is an awesome feeling to know that I played a part in keeping her sweet little head warm.  The pattern for these hats is To Slouch or Not To Slouch by Linda Fisher.  A great pattern!

These were a Christmas gift for my other sissy, Erin.  She is the Dean of Students at South Ridge School, so I made her some things in her school colors.  I believe she has made 3 of these scarves for others at her school since Christmas, so I think they were a hit.  I'm glad you liked them Erin.  I hope they keep you warm at football games.

So, here's a little funny story for you.  Do you remember back to THIS blog post in December when I told you that I'd made the biggest, idiotic mistake in knitting that I had ever made?  Well, that idiotic mistake happened to be on these mittens.  I can't believe I'm about to show you what I did.  But I will.

Brilliant, I know.  You are seeing that right.  Yep.  Two right handed mittens.  I was sick.  You will notice that I didn't even weave in the ends of the second one I made.  Seriously.  Who does that?!?!

So, this is what she opened on Christmas.  I gave her all three in case she loses one.  Let's just hope it isn't the left one.

 And finally, moving away from the knitting for a bit, I wanted to show you what I made for the awesome ladies in my Hockey Mom Club that meets monthly for dinner and drinks.

Who wouldn't love a Hockey Mom ornament in turquoise with black glitter, pink fur, and leopard print ribbon??

So, that's it for this time.  There are pictures of the quilt that Morgan and I made for my mom for Christmas too, but I can't find them right now.  They must be on a flash drive somewhere.  But this post has taken FAR too long.  The quilt is something pretty dang special though, so be assured I will blog about it sometime soon.

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day and I didn't post anything, I thought I'd share this one valentine photo with you.  Messages on candy hearts have certainly changed with the times, huh?  This made me LOL at my desk at work yesterday.  Which is always a good thing.

YEeeeaaaah boooi!

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's day with your honey!

XOXOX

NH

Happy December!

It has been kind of a weird year weather-wise so far.  Mama Nature decided to throw us a curve ball last night when she dumped a bit of very icy snow on us.  If you don't live in Duluth, or have never visited, you probably don't understand what it's like to drive up or down the hill that pretty much consumes the entire city when there is snow and/or ice on the roads.  Scary, white knuckling, terrifying moments, one after the other.  So last night when I made it safe and sound home from work, which is UP the hill, I decided that I didn't care to slide all the way back DOWN the hill to knit night.  So I cancelled, and got very sad.  Well actually, I don't think it was an official knit night, but I do have a few knitterly friends that were going to be there, and chances are that they were going to be bringing their knitting too.  So that's close enough to calling it knit night for me.

Any-whoo, it was sad that I couldn't hang with my girlfriends last night, but I did stay at home and get some knitting in.  It is now December, which means Christmas is right around the corner.  The gift giving panic has set in already.  The project that Morgan and I are working on for Grandma Jan is well under way (Pssst.  Grandma Jan.  Please don't stop by unannounced, or the work going on in the living room that never gets all the way put away will surely give away your gift!) as is one more gift I'm working on.  I have at least one more that I'd like to crank out before the 25th, but I'm just not sure it will happen.  I don't think there are too many of you that are knitters that will appreciate this blog that I read, but it cracks me up.  I urge you to read it, especially if you are planning to buy me a gift for Christmas this year.  Hee hee! 

The Yarn Harlot

She explains in words what Decembers are like for knitters who gift their knitting, and also gives some suggestions on what to buy for knitters. 

Enjoy!

XOXOX

NH

Warm Woolen Mittens

I finished a pair of mittens last night.  They were supposed to be for me, but ended up way too small.  People that had made them before me and posted their notes on Ravelry had mentioned that they came out way smaller than they expected, but for some reason I felt that adding 4 measly stitches per round would do the trick.  It didn't.  So, now they are Morgan's.  She wore them to school today, so they have officially passed the test.

I really love them and am disappointed they don't fit me.  The good news is that I have plenty of yarn left to make another pair that will fit me!  And now I get to go spend the rest of my lunch break searching Ravelry for a new pattern!  (yes, I realize it's a little sad how excited this makes me.)

I'm just giddy I actually put the second thumb on, and finished them.  Yay!

Off to browse patterns!!

XOXOX

NH

Knitting

Cleo's hat was finished up last night.  I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I think she'll love it.  I'll be sending it to her for her birthday which is just under 2 weeks away.  Aren't you impressed?  I'm done with her gift and I still have almost 2 weeks!  Remind me the day before her birthday to overnight it, k?  I'm sure I'll forget. :)

One of my favorite parts of knitting is giving the things I've made away.  My things usually seem well appreciated, and I know I love getting hand made gifts - they seem to be much more personal.  Don't get me wrong, a Starbucks gift card would rock my world too, but home made stuff just seems so thoughtful to me.

Another part I love is finishing one project and searching for the next.  It's such a wide open world of possibilities right now of what to make.  I love searching Ravelry for ideas.  I do have a few ideas brewing in my head for some Christmas gifts, which will kind of be a bummer because I won't be able to blog about them as I knit them.  I do love knitting this time of year because it's not 100 degrees outside.  When it's 100 degrees outside, you can really only knit very small things because the minute your blanket, sweater, scarf, etc is long enough to hit your legs, you become a sweat machine.  Or maybe that's just me.

Now, something I do EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. is think of 27 projects I want to make for people for Christmas.  I start thinking in September, and figure that I have 3 solid months yet to get things done.  Seems very reasonable, right?  And then it takes me 2.5 months to get ONE gift done and I'm stuck fighting the crowds to shop for gifts I haven't had any time to think about.  I KNOW that this year will be different.  I know it.  (I hope it)

So for now, I'm going to enjoy the calm feeling of having a perfectly reasonable plan for all these Christmas gifts and am going to happily go search for patterns and yarn yumminess.  Because certainly this year I won't be turning into Animal from the Muppets the week before Christmas like usual.  Nope.

Still optimistic (a little)...

XOXOX

NH

Awesome Website: www.ravelry.com

If you know me at all, you know that knitting is one of my favorite hobbies.  Now that my kids are a little older, it's easier for me to find time to actually do it every now and then.

I can remember when I was a little girl, I'd sit on the couch beside my mom, and I was absolutely fascinated at the speed in which the yarn would pull out of the center of the skein that was sitting on my lap and feeding into her hands (usually to a crochet hook, but sometimes to a set of knitting needles).  I used to love to "help" her pull the yarn out of the skein so she could turn it into one of her beautiful creations.  I would let it pool a little, and then watch as it was used up and it was time for me to pull some more out.  She would give me dirty looks sometimes, when I'd daydream and the yarn would pull tight, interrupting the steady rhythm of her stitching.  I flashback to these memories every time my own daughter sits next to me on my couch and lets the yarn pull tight and I throw her the same dirty look my mom threw to me.  (It is pretty annoying when your rhythm gets interrupted!  Sorry mom!)

Mom taught me so much about knitting and crocheting when I was young.  I remember getting so frustrated at those dang loops and how they just wouldn't go where I wanted them to go, when mom made it look so easy.  My crocheted rows never looked even - it seemed I would always turn one stitch too early, or my tension was so uneven that most of my rectangles turned out to be triangles.  I made tons of Barbie bibs (what 8 foot tall blonde with big boobs doesn't need a bib?) and doll blankets with mom's scraps.  Well, when I'd actually make it to the end of a project, which in all honesty, was pretty rare.  And knitting was nearly impossible for me at the beginning.  Wrap around the back or wrap around the front?  Put that needle in WHERE?  Ugh.  She was so patient with me and kept telling me that I just needed to practice, but of course I didn't want to hear that.  I kept plugging away though, and I'm so glad I did and that I can pass down my moms wisdom to my own daughter.  I don't know if my stitches will ever be as fast or as even as mom's, but they are close.  :)

So since I'm slightly better at my yarn crafts than I was when I was 8, and I can actually make things that people might like to receive as a gift, I am constantly looking for ideas of what to make.  Since I am so cheap frugal, I am often going to the internet for inspiration and free patterns.  There are SO many out there if you know where to look.  One of my all-time favorite websites is http://www.ravelry.com/.  This is an online community for knitters and crocheters, a.k.a. Heaven.  Users can create an account and catalog their creations, linking to the pattern they used that will most likely already be stored in the library of thousands and thousands of patterns.  They can also record the yarn they used, how much it took, and any notes that would be helpful to remember in case they wanted to make it again, or offer advice to anyone that might make the same pattern.  Adding your own pictures is very easy too. 

There is an awesome search tool where you can search through available patterns or finished objects that meet certain criteria.  I have spent hours and hours searching and dreaming and getting inspired.  It's a great place to send a friend that might ask me to make something for them, but they aren't sure exactly how they want it.  It gives them the opportunity to see the item they choose in different colors.  They can send me the link and I know I'll be making them something they will really like and actually use.  The forums are full of friendly people always willing to lend a hand if you have questions on a certain pattern.  All of this for FREE!  I love that word.

Wouldn't these make an adorable advent calendar hanging from your mantle?

Cold feet?  How about some nice felted slippers?

Someday when I'm feeling really ambitious, I'd love to try this beauty!

If you'd like to see some of the items I've made, head on over to http://www.ravelry.com/ and search for nancy88.  If you dare, head to the pattern section and look at some of the awesome things people have made and are willing to share.  It's very, very inspiring!

I <3 the internet!!!

NH

Eli's Baby Blanket

My current knitting project is a baby blanket.  I'm making it for a distant family member.  It seems like I started knitting it 20 years ago.  Since it usually doesn't take 20 years to cook a baby, I'm guessing that it wasn't quite that long ago, since we didn't know the pregnancy exsisted way back then.

Actually, I think I started it in May.  The baby was due at the end of July, which should have been plenty of time to finish the gift and get it sent off to the expectant parents.  Oops.  It's still not done.  Baby, however, was done right on schedule, which I'm sure mama was very happy about.

I really do love the colors that I chose.  At the time, the sex of the babe was unknown, so I wanted to pick something pretty that would work for either a boy or a girl.  I am not a super huge fan of all things pastel for babies, so I chose a pretty, rich teal, a neutral grey, and a creamy off-white.  The yarn is an acrylic that I got locally at one of the big named stores.  I really like to knit baby blankets out of acrylic instead of some natural fiber that would be a lot more work for a new mom to take care of.  And this one is very, very soft (and affordable!).  In my opinion, you don't have to always use natural fibers to get an awesome end product.

The pattern I am using is the Moderne Baby Blanket, found in the book Mason Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne.  I really do love the pattern.  It's very modern (as the name suggests), not lacy and old fashioned.  It is worked in sections, but once you are done with a color, you bind off and then pick up stitches along a side of what you've already knitted and just keep going.  The best part is that there is no piecing together the sections after the fact.  Once you are done, you're done!

And let me tell you, I will be glad when this one is done.  It's turning out very nice, but it's just one of those projects that feels like you could knit for 8 straight hours on, and it would grow an inch.  Ugh.  It is plain garter stitch, which can get a bit boring, but at the same time, it's good mindless knitting that I can do in front of the TV and I don't have to think too much or really follow a pattern.  I think the main reason it has taken so long is the hot summer we've had.  I just couldn't bring myself to cover myself with a half-knit blanket when it was 95 out!  Now that it's starting to cool down a bit, I should be able to finish it up soon.  I just keep telling myself that if I didn't want to cuddle up under it, the baby probably wouldn't either. Right??? 

So to Angie, I'm very sorry that you do not have your baby gift yet.  I hope to have it to you before your new little precious bundle turns 18.

In other news, the first photo assignment is ready for announcement tomorrow!  Awesomeness!  Make sure your batteries are charged and your lenses are cleaned!

Knitting like a mad woman...

NH