Knitted Brobee

For all the "Yo Gabba Gabba" fans out there...a knitted Brobee!! If you are in the dark about what "Yo Gabba Gabba" (YGG) is, it is just the best kids show out there! Packed with dancing, loveable creatures and catchy tunes sung by today's hippest and hottest bands, it is one of Heath's favorites and ours too. I'm always plugging it wherever I go and see parents w/young children. One of the creatures is Brobee, a monster of course, with super long arms and sings "There's a party in my tummy." My friend Jenny has a son named Will who also likes this show. He just turned 2 and I just had to make him one. I heavily modified an existing pattern, and needlefelted the facial features. I used acrylic yarn, but stuffed the front of his face w/wool batting so that I could needlefelt and it would stick. (Cause you can't needlefelt acrylic!) He's just adorable, don't you think so? And if you are curious about YGG, go here.

A Spring skirt and Viking Dream Sweater

I've been finishing numerous projects around here in a frenzy of sewing and knitting. I got the bug to do a little sewing, so I made the skirt from the book "Sew U" by Wendy Mullin. Here it is in this lovely lotus flower fabric from Amy Butler. Don't ya just love her fabrics? The skirt fits wonderfully and even has a lining. Oooh, aaah. Simple a-line design. Lovely. Whenever I start a sewing project I think, this won't take too long and you know what? It takes a long time people to sew a garment, a bag or whatever. This is why I like knitting. Give me a ball of yarn and 2 needles and I'll make something. I'm much more into the process when it comes to knitting and with sewing, I'm always asking myself, when will I be finished?!!!

I'm calling the sweater my "Viking Coin Horde" sweater because all the buttons are a Viking's dream! All pewter, kinda heavy, but so lovely. Each is different. After finishing the sweater, it was way too short for my liking, so out came the scissors. I cut, cut, cut about an inch off and then carefully weaved the loops into my needles and knit down for about 4 inches. It worked just fine. There is a great scalloped button band too. This sweater was a straightforward knit, but the finishing was a killer! But I love it. I made it with my own two hands and will wear it forever and ever.

I also just finished the Amy Butler Birdie Sling bag and will post a picture next time!

Flying away...there went January

Where did January go? In a flurry of new toddler classes (music and playball), trips to Disneyland with Papa, joining a MOMS group, and being sick, that's where! If you haven't been hit with this nasty cold virus that's going around, be very glad. It seems I've been sick most of January and now into February. It's just not fair! But in between, I've been doing a little creating...like this painting of geese. I really like the look of silhouettes right now and a bit of unfinished canvas too. It's all about that negative space. It now hangs above my computer.

I hope I can blog more in February than I did in January, which was nothing at all! Sometimes I have lots of ideas for blog posts and then I just get so tired at the end of the day, that when get a few moments to myself, I knit and watch my favorite shows on tv. Oh yeah, I'm working on a cardigan for myself from Knit 1 magazine. It's the Flower Cardi that's featured on the cover of the Spring/Summer 08 issue. I'm making it in Manos Del Uruguay, black, which is part merino, part corriedale. A lovely texture, part soft, part scratchy. I am a sucker for cardigans and this one was nice and simple with some nice details. But I'm not doing the flower part!! No, no, no, way too much for my taste. I'm knitting it on size 7 needles, so I'm almost done with most of the knitting. Just have one sleeve to go and it's on to the finishing. Yipppee! A new cardi in no time at all!

Happy Solstice, Merry Yule!

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the first day of Winter and the shortest day of the year. A time to reflect on the year, to draw near to friends and family and light the Yule log. I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on what was a very busy 2008 for our family. Transitions were made, oaths fulfilled and lots of growing was done (by Heath!). And personal growth as well for myself...now I'm thinking about 2009 and what I want to see happen in this coming year. Tackling anxiety, living more and more in the present, really savoring these precious moments that I have with my 2 year old...and knit a sweater or two.

Here is wishing your 12 days of Yule are merry and bright! Wassail!

Norwegian Sweater finished!

I have been lax in sharing photos of John's completed Norwegian sweater, so here he is in all it's glory!! I steeked the front opening as well, picked up stitches for a placket and knit a double thick collar. I think it looks so great on him, fits him wonderfully. I feel a big sense of accomplishment with this sweater! When I was finishing the knitting, I felt almost sad that I was completing it, since it was like a best friend for the past year. Always to be picked up and lovingly knitted, a joy for me to knit. But there will be more!!

Adventures in Steeking

I steeked, I steeked!!! The sweater that I've been knitting this past year, John's Norwegian sweater, just got steeked the other night. Not for the faint of heart people! It felt so counterintuitive to knitting. Cut? Cut my knitting? You're not supposed to cut your knitting people! But that is what people in the old country did, so I had to as well. A little backstory about this sweater...I used "Knitting In the Old Way" by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and "Traditional Scandinavian Knitting" to design this sweater, custom made to fit. The design motifs are very traditional Setesdal, Norway with a little Faroese thrown in on the sleeves. The yarn is Falk by Dale of Norway (superwash wool). This was a great sweater to knit...loved knitting in the round, no purling, just blissful knitting all the way. The torso portion is one big tube, with just some increases after the ribbing at the bottom. In mid October, I had finished the body part and gave myself a goal-to knit the sleeves and finish the sweater by Yule. And by golly, I finished those sleeves in one month!! Wow!

Then the fretting about the steeking for the armholes started. Was I going to ladder the sleeves or just stitch and slash? With the ladder method, you take 3 stitches at the bottom of the armhole and put them on waste yarn, then release those 3 sts at the top of the armhole and cut the floats, then tying the floats off in pairs. Or method 2, machine stitch twice on either side of a center cut line and then cut down the middle to the bottom of the armhole. (Now this is Norwegian steeking, not Fair Isle, so don't get confused. ) This was based on the methods in the "Knitting in the Old Way" book. I could go on and on about steeking, but many have written about it, particularly Eunny Jang. So I opted for the stitch and slash, as that looked to be easier and quicker, although the book said it wasn't preferred next to laddering. In a class I took on steeking, the instructor said to leave the zipper foot up when sewing your reinforcements, but I quickly learned that was not good! If you steek, for goodness sake, put your zipper foot down! You need that extra pressure on your knitting. Sewing the lines around the armhole took some time, but the second one went much faster...and looked nicer too.

After dinner, I decided to cut the steeks open, yikes! It felt very strange to cut my knitting. My hubby was there for moral support and take pics. Then I went back to the sewing machine and zig zagged the frayed edges and did it doubly around the bottom of the armhole. It was at this point when I realized laddering the sleeve openings is superior, because with those platform sts at the bottom of the armhole, you know your knitting won't unravel. But I just zig zagged really good, so they aren't going nowhere!!

Now I'm going back with the sleeves and knitting a facing at the top, so that when I sew the sleeves to the body, I can fold over the facing and cover the cut edge. I also steeked for a neck opening, but haven't done the cutting yet...then I'll knit a placket and a collar to finish it off. I'll post more on that later!

My Baby Turns 2

My Heath...such a big boy now! He turned 2 today. A day filled with balloons, new drums, a hockey set and many other new toys. We celebrated with the grandparents here at our house and he had such a good 'ol time. BBQ food from our nearby restaurant, The Beach Pit and a train cake that Grammy made. It's hard to believe it was just 2 years ago that he entered the world. He is talking so much now, picking up new words every day...and he grew 5 inches in one year!! Yes, ladies and gents, he is 37 inches tall! I have to brag here, his doctor said he was one of the most advanced two year olds she had seen in a long time. That made me feel real good! High five for mom and dad! He is such a joy. FIlls me with love each day and makes me feel more wondrous of the world.

This picture was taken at "The Happiest Place on Earth" just a week ago. I happen to love Disneyland and thought it was time to introduce Heath to the Magic Kingdom. I hadn't been to the park in probably 9 years. Lots of new things, like a newer Tomorrowland, California Adventure (yawn) and Downtown Disney. We bought annual passes and so far we've gone twice in the past week and 1/2. We'll just go in the morning (takes a mere 15 mins to get there) and come home right after lunch, just in time for his nap (and ours too by that point). I also thought that when John goes back to work in the new year (he teaches at a year round school), D-land will be a fun place for Heath and I to hang out at. I think there is a certain magical quality to the place. Call me crazy, but it brings a tear to my eye when I go down Main Street. And I worked there throughout my college years, in Eastside Merch, which means Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Toontown shops. I loved getting dressed in costume every day. So I have a big soft spot for the place and I can happily say that I will be going quite often.

But what's even more funny, is that he doesn't know who Mickey and Minnie are yet! He knows Cinderella and Winnie the Pooh, but haven't watched any Mickey Mouse stuff on TV. He saw Winnie the Pooh over in Bear Country and immediately recognized him. "Hi Pooh!" he said, which brought a tear to my ear. Oh yes, I'll be a Disney Mom before you know it!