Here...there...and everywhere!

I finished the Ladybug hat (or Ladybird, as we say in England!). I just wish I could get a good photo of it. First I tried it next to my silk plant in the dining room (I think this one turned out the best)

Then I tried it on my candle sconce but as you can see the background clashes a little!

Then I tried it on the lamp in the hall way (funny how the beads kinda look like hair!) :-) And then I tried it another million other places, not to mention Kristen's head - and they were all a little out of focus - so I'm sticking with these 3 pics for now, and may at a later time get a head shot again of Kristen modeling it.

It's kind of hard getting the antenna to stand up unless a head is in the hat! But it is still very cute. This one may be destined to fly far away from home, where I know a sweet little girl will just love it (not to mention her mommy) ;-)

Jaden won't get me down!

After the disappointment of Jaden I moved on to 'smaller' things. . . and here are those small things:

I finished the Debbie Bliss 'Little Charmer' and made some booties to match using this pattern on Ravelry. I simply changed the colors on the rib to make it match the vest. Super cute, don't you think?

Details: Little Charmer from Simply Knitting May 2008
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino - 2 skeins in 'Teal'
Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine - 1 skein in 'white'

Needles size 3.25mm and 3.75mm (US 3 and 5)

I used the next size up in needles simply because I didn't have 3mm, but as I've said before with babies it doesn't really matter. This size it to fit 3-6mths old, so who cares if it fits up to 9mths?

I have a lot of the white left over so I'm sure I can use it to trim some other baby clothes.

I should be finishing off the ladybug hat soon, and I have yarn to cast on for a sweet little top for Kristen.... all this and more - coming soon to a blog near you!

Tagged Again :-)

I was tagged yesterday by Sam at Sticks, Strings & Crafty Things. As most of my knitting buddies are still getting to know me, I will happily oblige and answer the questions:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was moving to the USA (from England)! We moved to Pasadena MD in April 1998. Jason was being stationed at Ft Meade for a 3 year training program. I was driving on the right side of the road, which is the wrong side not the right side, ha ha J It took a little getting used to! And I was looking for a job so I didn’t get bored staying at home on my own in a new country!

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
do laundry, empty dishwasher and clear up kitchen, go to the library, pick Kristen up from school, make dinner (it’s an easy day today) ;-)

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Sweet: Cadbury’s chocolate
Savory: Lays Cheese and Sour Cream chips (trying not to even buy these right now so I can eat more healthy!)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Live close to my family in a BIG house with an ocean view. (Preferably a mansion with lots of guest quarters that we can all live in together) :-)

5) Places I have lived:
UK: Sunderland, Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall.

USA: Pasadena MD, Severna Park MD, Leander TX

6) Jobs I have had:
I left school at age 16 and my first job was in a library, but it was only temporary. Then I got a clerical assistant position with the DHSS. Got promoted to Clerical Officer and worked in the Social Security office in Bury until I moved to the USA and got a job as an Office Manager. I left that job to become a SAHM.
3 years ago I got my Real Estate license and worked as a Realtor for about 2 years. I quit when we thought we were moving to Denver, but we changed our plans and stayed in TX. I wanted to be a SAHM again as real estate was too stressful for me, so that’s what I do now.

7) Peeps I wanna know more about:

Amanda (but she's already been tagged so I'll just check her answers later)

Leslie (she's been tagged too)

Kim

Claudia

Jennifer

But only if they feel like sharing!

OK, I'm off to knit me some more baby stuff!

On To Smaller Things!

After the disappointment of Jaden I thought I'd move on to smaller things - where size doesn't really matter! But first I'd like to say thank you for all your kind comments. I know I'm not alone when it comes to making mistakes in knitting, we all do it, some just more than others! And when it comes to knitting things for myself I feel like I do it way too often - but you live and learn. Even though I've been knitting for years I still feel like I only know the basics and I can't 'tweak' a pattern like some of you do to get that perfect fit.... but that's ok. And I agree with what Alison said 'thank goodness so much of the joy is in the knitting' - she's totally right.

I did like Tienne's suggestion of knitting a lace panel for the front and I do have enough yarn to do that, but because I'm not happy with the sleeves either I think it will still be a 'froggy' project somewhere down the road.

So, on to smaller things. . . . I have a baby shower to go to on June 14th. It's for a neighbor who is expecting a little boy in August. I love Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, and I love cables and of course I love knitting baby things because they are so small and don't take any time at all. Put all those things together, and you get . . . . . 'Little Charmer', found in my latest copy of Simply Knitting.

The pattern is taken from her new book 'Baby Cashmerino 3'. I can't see it on Ravelry yet. I'm knitting a size 3-6mths and it looks tiny. I think I will need to block it so you can see the knit and purl columns better like in the pattern. I'm planning on knitting a pair of booties to match with the white trim too. I only have the neck and armholes to pick up and knit and the vest will be finished.

And I also couldn't resist THIS! I bought the pattern yesterday and cast on using some Caron Simply Soft I had in stash. I just want to see how cute it turns out, then I'll try to get the Tahki cotton the pattern calls for, although my LYS might not have it in so I may use the Berroco Touche which I often see Jill using for her Itty Bitty Hats :-)

So, that's what small things are on my needles this week. Other than that I will continue with the cable cardigan for me, but that might be a slow process with more itty bitty knits in between ;-)

You won't see this again any time soon. . . .

Jaden! What happened to you? Something went wrong and I don't know at what point! I am totally disappointed with Jaden :-( The only reason you're seeing a picture of it is so I can hide her away somewhere where I don't have to think about what to do!

First of all, she's too big! And I don't know why because I did a size 34 and I'm about a 35 1/2 and I got gauge so I thought it would fit nicely across my bust.... but it doesn't. Second the neck line is WAY too low. I've tried instead of crochet (because I just can't get the crab stitch to look nice) to pick up stitches and knit around the neckline hoping it would 'draw it in' a little but it pulled in too much so I had to rip that part. I tried again with the crochet and in this picture I've done 3 rows of single crochet - it's still too big around the neck. And lastly, although I do like the short sleeves and how I did the pattern along the edge, I don't like how the sleeves are set in. It's like I need shoulder pads to fill the shoulders out, which of course would look ridiculous.

So for now, poor Jaden is hanging in my closet until I can bear the thought of frogging her down to the arm holes and starting all over with it.I would imagine it won't be any time soon!

Oh well, you win some, you lose some. C'est la vie. And of course there's too much other fun knitting to get on with for me to be upset over it for too long ;-)

I cast on for a little baby vest last night. It's for a shower I'll be going to on June 14th. And I bought yarn to make Kristen a little sleeveless top. All that to come later. . . . .

Could it be. . . . .

. . . . yes it could. . . . this is Jaden blocking! And you all thought I hadn't been knitting, ha :-)

Remember I am making mine with short sleeves, well I only have one sleeve to knit. I did the first one in about a day, so I think I am only a day or so away from trying on this cute little number - so stay tuned!

Sewing news - thank you all for your kind comments, ya really know how to make a gal feel good. I have to say though, I am not a complete novice when it comes to sewing. I feel like I led some of you to believe I've never sewn before. That's not true because I've owned a sewing machine for quite some years, but I've only ever really used it to sew up straight sides to make curtains and cushions. So I still feel like a very beginner when it comes to making clothes, and it still has to be a very basic and simple pattern for me to even want to give it a try. I must say I am enjoying surfing new 'sewing' blogs and seeing all the lovely things that are being made. It's inspiring to say the least.

What Perfect Timing!

On the same day I did my sewing class (just this past Monday), Kathryn Ivy posted the instructions for THIS on her blog! She has named it Summerlin and it's now available as a free download on Ravelry

I've been knitting away at the top this week and today I finished sewing the material to the bodice. I had wanted to do it yesterday but I was having a problem getting my new machine to sew! I had only just got it out of it's box yesterday and I must have been threading it wrong or something because I couldn't get it to sew? I tried again this morning and I got it to work - hooray! I will still be taking a free class at the sewing shop to find out more about how the machine works though.

For now here's a couple of pics I just snapped of the back and front of the top. I opted to make the 'Apron Top' for Kristen rather than a dress. She'll get more wear out of a top with shorts now that Summer is heading our way. I'll be making more of these for sure.


I will try to get some pictures of Kristen wearing it later today. She's over at a neighbors right now playing! More on this later. . . .