Finish Line

Happy Monday!  Glorious weather has finally come to the Heartland, USA.  We are digging in the dirt, transplanting hosta, peony bushes and relocating the veggie garden to a sunnier spot.   

I've finished up some fingerless mitts and have them for sale in my Etsy shop.  Lion Brand Heartland and some iron on appliques from Simplicity have been a dream to work with.  Even though warm weather is coming, I get many requests for these as air conditioned offices are super cold and these are perfect for that.

The young people at my church are planning a Gift Shop for the months of November and December to raise money for their group.  So, I've set aside some mitts for them.

 

I found a bunch of baby pastel skeins by Cascade Yarns, so I hooked up a corner to corner blanket with a taupe trim.  I'm not terribly fond of traditional pastels and lean more to non-traditional colors for babies, but I do love how this turned out with the taupe color.

 

In looking through my bins of finished things, I came across all these beauties I am saving for a "someday grandchild".  Knitted toys designed by Susan B. Anderson, Yarn Miracle Monkey (I don't see her patterns listed in her shop any longer, not sure why), and some I can't even remember where the pattern is from.  It was so much fun finding these as I haven't looked in the bin for about 5 years!  I really must go through the other 3.

 Have a great week,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

Turn some CD sleeves and holder into a knitter/hooker friend.

Random Fun

Sheepish socks on clearance at Shopko!

 

Knitting little girl fingerless mitts and coordinating hat.  The iron on applique is from JoAnn Fabrics and the yarn is Lion Brand Heartland.

 

New yarn from Fiesta Yarns!

 

New mini business cards from Moo.com!

Happy Monday,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

When ordering yarn online, if you have an idea of a project in mind, write it down on a post it note.  When the order arrives, place the post it note on the bag so you don't forget later.

Fingerless Mitt Knitting

Happy Monday!  I think spring has finally come to the Midwest.  The sun is out, the birds are singing and rabbits are multiplying!

I've been working on knitting fingerless mitts and loving it!  This is my absolute go-to pattern for gift giving and charity knitting and one of my favs when traveling.  I'm using Lion Brand Heartland and iron-on appliques from Simplicity.  All was purchased at my local Joann Fabric Store.

I adore this little bird.  So chubby and sweet on its own, but I think it still needs something.  Maybe a little branch to sit on.  I'll add one using my limited embroidery skills.

You will notice that I put the embellishments on one mitt only.  One on each hand is a bit overkill in my mind if the appliques are each the same.

Look at the detail!  I could never do this kind of embroidery work on my own.  If you can, that's great.  For those of you that find it a bit daunting, these are perfect.

I like how this one stands out against the black mitt.  After I picked out all the iron-ons I liked, I went to the yarn section, took them out of the package and off the card they are lightly glued to, and held them against the yarn to see how it looked.

I've only finished these two sets, but will keep you posted on the progress.  The appliques cost anywhere from $2.49 to $5.49 a package.  Not cheap I know, but some have three per package and some have one.  They are super easy to iron on to your knitwear and don't interfere with the sizing of the mitt.  A hot iron, no steam and only using the tip of the iron, just hold it down for several seconds them move on the another part and do the same.

 

Some of you might remember my Heirloom Mitts pattern.  These are iron on appliques also and I put them on both mitts. If you purchase this pattern, you get all three mitt patterns and the headband pattern for $5.00.

The paper hands I use for photos came from Hobby Lobby for $2.47 in the kids craft section.  You get 30 in three different color hands. 

Here are my pattern shops if you are interested in the Heirloom Mitts pattern:

Etsy

Craftsy

Ravelry

or at the top of this page in the heading sections.

Ok, that's it.....I HAVE to get out of my robe as it's 9 a.m.!  

Have a great week,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

Turn a garden tools bag into a project bag.  Turn it inside out so the pockets are on the inside, which keeps all your yarny bits and bobs on the inside of the bag.

Knitting With Picture Yarn

So, I'm knitting with picture yarn for the first time.  For those of you who do not know what that is, let me explain.  It is dyed in a particular way, with "pictures" on it, so when you knit, the picture magically appears.  I have no idea of how she does this!

This is the brilliance of Abi Grasso!

I'm knitting a pair of fingerless gloves, ere go the hole.

You can see my first shot is a mess.  Good thing I added a lifeline.  I can see that those little white zig zags, in the brown section,  should be lining up.  That is key with this yarn.  Your image needs to line up for the picture to appear.  I ripped out to the lifeline and went down one needle size from US 2 to US 1.

My second attempt is much better.  This is not a good pattern for the beginner.  You have to do quite a bit of tugging along each row for everything to line up properly. 

All three skeins and a paper pattern come with your purchase.  I think it also had a stitch marker in it.

This is Abi's photo and you can see her mushroom tops are not spread out like mine.  For me, I think a US size 0 might make things easier.  I might even rip out the whole thing and start over.  Yikes!

Here is a shot of her Etsy shop.  If you want the toadstool yarn, (I don't see it in her shop) just send her a note and she'll get back to you.

Have a great week,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

I like to use these point protectors for sock or glove knitting.  I got these for free with a knitting magazine....not sure which one.  They are meant to keep a set of dpns together, but they work great for keeping a project from unraveling in your bag.