Parade of Finished Objects...

Over the holidays it was seriously intense around here. Not only was I working on launching the new blanket pattern but I had plans to Knit. All. The. Things. The original plan was to knit something small for most of the little people in my life. And to be honest, I had done a fair job. More things got added to the list, while others fell away.

Monsters for each of my SIL boys. They are at that perfect age (4 and 2), where a stuffie is still kinda cool and then add the "monster" bit in and we are talking winner-winner-chicken-dinner!




My son then saw these little guys and... well, lets say things got weird. My 6 foot 4 inch, 17-year old son... reverted back to his 3-year-old self. He said in the most sweetest voice, "I want one." Which just took me by surprise. I was planning on knitting him a hat, but since he was requesting, I just couldn't say no.

Thus, there was the red and black monster



New slippers for Mac because she grew out of her last pair.



Then there was this moment in late November that my husband wore out his slipper, so that got added to the list and now he has warm toes.



I purchased a thrummed kit from a vendor at Vogue Live Chicago and finished them pretty quickly:



I was then hooked. A quick jaunt to The Fold and was now making more mittens... a pair for Grandma in blue.



Then there was the Lined Beanie for Grandpa Larry made out of some left over gray Berroco Vintage yarn and some green/black Noro yarn for the stripes.



There is more to talk about, but *sigh*, I'm done for now. Perhaps I will pick up blogging more often. I miss it.

Woobie Series #2 - Call for Testing!

I know I've been a little MIA lately, but I have a good reason...



SEE? Yes, the next set of Woobies are in the last stages of finishing. Just needs some faces and final pattern writing. I'm hoping to showcase each Woobie as the testing goes on through July.

It kills me because each one has such personality already that I can imagine that faces will do nothing short but make them come to life.

Interested in testing? Sign-ups are on going on in the Woobie Series #2 - Call for Testers thread if you'd like to join.

Woobie Giraffe Pattern

The Woobie Giraffe a is ready to Play!



This playful Giraffe is number 8 in the series of Woobies... be on the lookout for the full set of Woobies in ebook!

I can't express how much I love working with the Cascade Superwash Sport. It knits up beautifully and with the yarn being a superwash, it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to worry about spills and messes.

Size: 14 in / 35.5 cm square blanket

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (136 yd/124 m, 1.75oz/50g ball), Yellow #821: 2 balls, Orange #822: 1 balls and Brown #818: approximately 50 yd

Materials: 32 in / 81 cm - US #3 / 3.25mm circular needle, Set of 5 - US #3 / 3.25mm double pointed needles, 8 stitch markers, waste yarn, size B / 2.25mm crochet hook, poly-fill, embroidery floss and yarn needle. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Gauge: 26 sts and 34 rows = 4 inch [10 cm] in stockinette stitch. Every knitter’s gauge is unique, so be sure to check.

Woobie Puppy Pattern

The Woobie Puppy a is ready to Play!



This playful Puppy is number 7 in the series of Woobies... be on the lookout for more to come.

I can't express how much I love working with the Cascade Superwash Sport. It knits up beautifully and with the yarn being a superwash, it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to worry about spills and messes.

Size: 14 in / 35.5 cm square blanket

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (136 yd/124 m, 1.75oz/50g ball), Blue #897: 2 balls, Brown #819: 2 balls and White #871: approximately 30 yd

Materials: 32 in / 81 cm - US #3 / 3.25mm circular needle, Set of 5 - US #3 / 3.25mm double pointed needles, 8 stitch markers, waste yarn, size B / 2.25mm crochet hook, poly-fill, embroidery floss and yarn needle. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Gauge: 26 sts and 34 rows = 4 inch [10 cm] in stockinette stitch. Every knitter’s gauge is unique, so be sure to check.

Woobie Zebra Pattern

The Woobie Zebra is ready to Rock!



This rockin Zebra is number 6 in the series of Woobies... be on the lookout for more to come.

I can't express how much I love working with the Cascade Superwash Sport. It knits up beautifully and with the yarn being a superwash, it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to worry about spills and messes.

Size: 14 in / 35.5 cm square blanket

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (136 yd/124 m, 1.75oz/50g ball), Off White #817: 2 balls and Brown #818: 1 ball

Materials: 32 in / 81 cm - US #3 / 3.25mm circular needle, Set of 5 - US #3 / 3.25mm double pointed needles, 8 stitch markers, waste yarn, size B / 2.25mm crochet hook, poly-fill, embroidery floss and yarn needle. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Gauge: 26 sts and 34 rows = 4 inch [10 cm] in stockinette stitch. Every knitter’s gauge is unique, so be sure to check.

Woobie Lamb Pattern

The Woobie Lamb is ready for a sleepy time snuggle!



This sleepy lamb is number 5 in the series of Woobies... be on the lookout for more to come.

I can't express how much I love working with the Cascade Superwash Sport. It knits up beautifully and with the yarn being a superwash, it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to worry about spills and messes.

Size: 14 in / 35.5 cm square blanket

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (136 yd/124 m, 1.75oz/50g ball), Off White #817: 2 balls and Brown #818: 1 ball

Materials: 32 in / 81 cm - US #3 / 3.25mm circular needle, Set of 5 - US #3 / 3.25mm double pointed needles, 8 stitch markers, waste yarn, size B / 2.25mm crochet hook, poly-fill, embroidery floss and yarn needle. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Gauge: 26 sts and 34 rows = 4 inch [10 cm] in stockinette stitch. Every knitter’s gauge is unique, so be sure to check.

Woobie Zebra Pattern Testing

I just had to share these photos of the New Woobie Zebra! I'm super smitten!!

If your interested in testing for the Zebra come join the test thread on Ravelry.



I Mean Seriously, how could you not resist the Mohawk! Look for this new pattern out the end of November.

Take Your Giraffe To Work Day

How many of you participated in the Take Your Giraffe To Work Day?

When I noticed that Susan B. Anderson was doing a book signing at Nina's... I dubbed March 5th Giraffe Day!



After a short trip on the Chicago Blue Line, we ended up in Wicker Park with Nina's just two blocks away.



Susan is sweet and super friendly. You can see she is truly proud of her books, as she should be. The entire store was filled with the Itty Bitty toys and it was fantastic to see and feel them in person. The store was fairly busy when I got there, but within the hour it was crammed full of knitters.



Geoffrey has a huge crush on this little sweetheart. It was a good thing that she was shy because he was trying to talk her into climbing. She wasn't having it.



On the way home he kept asking when was he going to come out and play again!



Not until he learned to behave;)

FO: Geoffrey the Giraffe

Pattern: Giraffe by Susan B. Anderson

Yarn: 1 skein of orange and 2 skeins of yellow Cascade 220 Superwash

Needles: US 5 dpn and circular needles

Started: January 19, 2010

Finished: January 30, 2010

Geoffrey went to the park with Mac for a quick run around and a photo shoot. She adores him just as much as I do. Every time I look at him he makes me smile. How is it that a toy can do that to you?



I did modify the spots a bit because I wanted them more reform then all the same size.



The pom-poms were super fun to make and I was concerned that to get "good" pom-pom I would have to buy one of those plastic pom-pom maker... instead I found a fun YouTub video that is clear with no annoying voice to distract you.



I added pellets to this feet with fewer added in the "hands" as I didn't want it to pull the head down when he was in sitting position.



Despite all the finicky parts with 11 spots, 9 pom-poms, 2 horns, 2 ears...I believe this is considered to be a fast knit and with such details added it surely makes Geoffrey come to life.

Look... Body Parts!

When your building a knitting toy you can find yourself in either two scenarios. 1 - your either "Why The Hell Am I Making Body Parts" .... or 2 - "Oh, Look I get to make a Leg!"

Making toys can be a challenge. Some patterns call for sooooo many pieces that it just seems so fiddly, that you just want to poke yourself in the eye for even starting the project.



I don't do many toys, but certain patterns just kind of pop out at me and this Giraffe was one.

Once the bum of the Giraffe was starting to turn into the neck. I had to add some poly-fill or stuffing if you will. The pattern calls for pellets to be added to weigh the toy down and I really liked that idea. Except I was a little worried about the little beans coming out from the knitting. I tried to knit a tight gauge, but it was enough of a concern that I picked up some muslin and make a bean-bag to place inside.



The knitting continued with the addition of the head and a few legs.



This little guy is starting to take some real shape. With each new body part it seems to make him become more alive and this personality is starting to shine through.

I guess it's about time to starting thinking of a name. Any suggestions?

FO: Funky Monkey

Pattern: Funky Monkey by Blue Moon Fiber Arts

Yarn: Kit contained 2 skeins of different Socks That Rock heavyweight

Needles: US 5 DPNs

Started: February 9, 2009

Finished: February 13, 2009

Comments: Quick and fun and gotta love the Sock Monkey Love!...and did you notice the chocolate stained mouth on her?

What Is That?

A Funky Monkey, of course!

He's not quite done yet, but I loved pulling this creature out at SnB last Wednesday to the shocks of everyone around me... they couldn't figure out what it was. Knitterary made me do a double take with the Willy-Warmer-G-String guess. To think of it... it was pretty good guess from the state it was in;)

I'm hoping to have this little guy done for my Valentine, Miss Mac. I hope she likes it!

I Learned Something New

When I was first interested in playing with yarn, I had a choice: Knit vs. Crochet

Not knowing really the full difference between the two, I picked knitting as my path. This choice was based on the amount of knitting books available, so when I was looking for a book to learn the craft I went for the two sticks verses the hook. Not that I have anything against crochet...it's just that I've always had something else going on and not a particular pattern that would push me forward into that world.

That all ended when a fellow SnB (Yarnorgy on Ravelry) started making these adorable toys. She would pop these suckers out like the wind and when I saw this:



How freakin' adorable is that? A girl frog with kissable lips and everything. I just had to know how. This past Friday (Harlot Day), I sat down with Miss B and she walked me through the steps. You know I was hooked, right?

I'm proud to introduce...



Mr. Octopus, he was made from one skein of Knit Picks Sport Shine. The last of the icord legs was put on Monday night and then he was let loose into the house.



Things got a little crazy but nothing to out of the norm for us;)



Here is my Wicked #2 progress shot taken this morning. I need to do some sleeves and then it's another finished object. I think I'm just lucky my son didn't give me bunny ears... you don't think he likes the camera much do ya...oh yeah he does.