Highlander Shawl

There's nothing like being practically trapped in the house for 5 days by snow to make you want to knit up something extra snuggly.

This stole has been on my list for a few years. My criteria was a yarn that was extra soft and with not single ply so that it wouldn't pill up terribly. Ushya Yarn is 98% merino and 2% nylon, with a chain construction, and it feels lovely. It did develop a fuzzy halo after blocking, but it seems like it's going to hold up pretty well. It's also not too weighty, which was my concern with such a bulky yarn. My blocked gauge worked out to about 2 stitches to the inch, so it's a pretty fat knit, and I think that gives the stole a nice dramatic appearance.

My hope was to knit this pattern in a day, and I pretty much made my goal, but once I blocked it and weaved in the ends I noticed a few mis-crossed cables, and I ended up having to cut into it and re-knit a third of the shawl, which only took a few hours.

I am planning to give this away, and I am hesitant to do so, as it's sooo soft and l am growing attached to it. I haven't taken it off since it came off of the blocking board this morning.







Highlander's Stole by Wenlan Chia, from Twinkle's Town & Country Knits
4.5 skeins Mirasol Yarn Ushya, held double
US size 36 needles
finished size: 15in x 50in

A Milk Toof

A few months ago I stumbled upon the My Milk Toof blog, and my younger daughter immediately decided that she needed her own Milk Toof figurine. Unfortunately this is not actually something that one can purchase, and she was very disappointed.

Yesterday was her 8th birthday, and I stayed up late the night before doing my best to craft a Milk Toof out of Fimo. Not actually having Fimo skills, I had a hard time molding the shape I wanted. I was pretty unsure about how long to bake the figurine, and after 35 minutes I pulled it out of the oven and promptly cracked it down the middle. A little patching and I shoved it back in the oven, shut off the gas and went to sleep. A few hours later I got up and dabbed on some acrylic paint for the mouth and eyes. A little sanding smoothed it out a bit, but it's still a bit rough looking.

That said, my daughter loves her Milk Toof, so yay, I'd call it a success, whew!





2 blocks of white Fimo
pink & black cheap acrylic paint

Apple Jackets

I love Mollie Makes magazine, and when I saw these cute little apple jackets on the cover I really wanted to make a few. I used organic yarn and even managed to read a non-charted crochet pattern, a first for me. These are perfect for protecting apples from getting bruised, and make lunch a little cuter!

Rowan Amy Butler Belle Organic DK in Moss, Peony, & Robin's Egg
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/18/make-crochet-apple-jacket
La Petite #754 shank button eyes
sock yarn embroidered mouths
3.5 mm (size E) hook

Something in my Web

Here's a peek at something that is almost complete. All that remains is a tiny amount of seaming, weaving in ends, and picking up and knitting little sleeves.

Thrift Score Heath Edition

The other day I was at the thrift store and I spotted a little cup and saucer and thought, wow, that's exciting, to find a Heath cup! I turned around and there was a small casserole with lid. I went to the next row and found a few more items. Pretty soon I had a nice little stack of dishes for $25, which is less than the cost of one new Heath plate. Very awesome! I already have a few Heath pieces and I am thrilled to expand my little collection.



And a few days earlier I went by an estate sale and saw a box of vintage sewing patterns with a $1 price tag. I wasn't sure if that was the price for each, but it turned out to be $1 for the full box of patterns, score!

Birthday Socks

I had an emergency knitting moment on vacation last week. I was two days into our trip and I'd already blown through two projects and was stalled on a third, so I was out of knitting! I drove the 45 minutes to Bainbridge and grabbed an easy sock pattern and some lovely merino sock yarn and I was back in business. I knit these to the toes in two days and then set them aside for a few more days and then finished them up this morning. Six days from start to finish, not too shabby. I hope my mom enjoys them!



Try and ignore my daikon legs, yikes!

Churchmouse Basic Sock pattern in 2 x 2 ribbing
Madelinetosh 100% Merino sock yarn in Glazed Pecan
US size 1 1/2 Bamboo DPNs

Baby Sack

Friends of ours recently had a bitty little preemie baby, and I wanted to make something snuggly to keep her warm, so I knit this owl sleep sack in less than a day. An easy knit requiring little of my attention. The actual yarn is a softer shade of green than the neon as interpreted by my camera.

Owlie Sleep Sack
Berocco Vintage Yarn
Size 7 bamboo DPNs