Clapotis times two

Okay, usually I try to stay away from trendy knitting projects. The great fun about having a hand knit item is that they are unique and if thousands of people are making the same thing as you, well there goes unique. With that out of the way sometimes the reason that everyone is making the same thing is because it is great. Kate Gilbert's Clapotis is that kind of knitting. Yes, everyone and their mother are making one, but that is because it is a fun, easy and not too boring project. It also doesn't hurt that the pattern is free on Knitty. I already had the yarn and the pattern was free, what the heck? Why not follow the herd? This one was made in with two skeins on Mountain Colors 4/8s wool. Above is the scarf before blocking and the photo below if the scarf during the blocking process. My recomendation for this pattern is you are using wool is to block. After I bocked mine the scarf draped so nicely.

Here it is again after the blocking was done. I used the pattern for some Rowan bamboo tape yarn that I had. This one I did not block, but the bamboo is so heavy already I was afraid to get is wet and try to shape it. Besides is really didn't seem to need it.

Introducing Elodea

After looking at other peoples blogs I noticed how well dress forms display ones knitted or sewn items and I mentioned my desire to my mother-in-law and Voila! So, here she is, Ms. Elodea. Yes, elodea is a common water plant, but Lena (my youngest daughter) thought that is was pretty so we ran with is. She also had great fun dressing Elodea up and adding a head because she said that she looked creeping with out one.Elodea does not look quite as nice when you see her undressed. She does have a nice figure although she does need some work. I have to decided if I should recover her or leave her the way she is. The top is very faded by the sun and I would love to put some cheery fabric on her, but I also know that when you mess with "vintage" things you "destroy" the "value." In the end I suppose I will do what ever I find to be the most valuable to me. What do you think? Better to leave her be or monkey around with her?And here she is doing a little modeling for me. I was not quite sure how clean she was so I made her wear an old T-Shirt to protect my hand knits.
And scarf number two which I really love. I will post again with the specifics of the yarn and the pattern that I used.
PS I think I am developing a thing for scarfs. I have never been much of a scarf knitter, but look what I found on the morning paper! Another scarf. The cast-on fairy must have worked her magic last night. This one is made from Urban Silk yarn and should be nice and cool for spring.

Little Knitting Projects

Many knitters like to describe themselves as "process knitters" or "product knitters". Process knitters are all about the process. They try new things and don't mind starting over after finishing 3/4 of a sweater because they are learning. Product knitters, on the other hand, want the knitted item and the sooner the better. To be perfectly honest, most knitters are somewhere in the middle and I am too. After all knitting is just like "real life" (well is is a bit better that real life) and as much as we want easily defined we are really a muddy mix of things.

All that being said, I am on a "product knitting" jag right now and you "process knitters" don't know what you are missing. Quick aside for non-knitters, the product vs. process applies can apply to other areas of you life as well. Just think about is for a moment and I am sure that you can come up with something.

Here are some of the quick to knit items that just flew of the needles.*A Hogwarts hat for Lena's birthday. It matches the scarf that I made her last year which at over eight feet long was not a quick knit. The bonus was that I didn't even have to purchase yarn. I already had it leftover from the scarf. Both patterns come from this book.I also made Sara a birthday gift, a cowl for her morning bike rides to school. She seemed to like it. I mean, I don't know for sure, but she has actually worn is and for a teenager that is saying something! The pattern is here.

Okay these are a bit of a fudge. They were not quick to knit, I mean they could have been, but I really started them last summer. They just had a little bit to go so they were quick to finish up and that felt really good. I also love the colorways of Noro yarn.

*I am sorry for the lack of photo quality. My photo quality was not that good to begin with and now I am down to using a really inexpensive digital camera of my daughters until I face fact and repair (who am I kidding, I can buy a new one for the cost of repairing) my camera

Look Ma no cast

Okay, you may remember that my daughter Lena broke her arm back in November. Well, today she got her cast off, hopefully for the last time. No she has not had the same cast on for the hole time. What she did was to re-break her arm about a week after the first cast got off. This time it was no green stick fracture. The bone has to be set which required us to spend a hole evening in the emergency room and have her put under sedation. I think that for a parent there is nothing quite so scary as seeing your child sedated. Seeing the life drop out of your sweet little thing is so hard. I really feel for parents of very ill children who have to see that every time their kid needs a procedure. Here she is in the ER with cast number two. (Sorry the photo is not great, I did not take the camera to the ER, but of course I had my cell phone.)And here is that same arm today.
The orthopedist did not seem particualry concerned that the bone is not straight as you can see in the above picture. He said that kids bone can straighten 10 degrees every year.
I promise my next post will contain some actual crafting.

A different pace

Toddlers worlds move at a different pace than the rest of us. I had the pleasure of spending part of the day with my nephew and I had forgotten how hanging out with a toddler really slows you down. My own children have long past the phase where they are happy just meandering through the day. They have things to do and people to see. It was nice to hang out with someone is thrilled to visit the chickens two or three times.
We walked to the library and then went outside to the park. It had been a long time since I had pushed someone in a swing and I remember what a chore is was to have a toddler who wanted to be pushed in the swing for hours at a time. I also remember how relieved I was when my girls learned how to pump for themselves. Now looking back on it I really can't remember why it was such a chore!?! Funny how that works. I mean how could pushing that smiling face (see adorable baby photo below) be a chore. Ah well, we won't ask his mother to answer that question.

Mad about

Lena had been studying France. She built a really cool French castle, alas camera trouble prevented me from getting any pictures of that. One thing that she and I did do that we were able to get pictures of was making Madelines. I really enjoyed making them and I wish that I could give out taste test over the blog because they were so good. They were not that hard to make, but the real key is a well greased and floured pan. The pan we used was new and the first batch stuck a bit, but still tasted really good.

book making

Yesterday Lena and I made some books. I have never really made a proper book before so we used a book making kit that we got at Yarn, Paper, Scissors in Burlingame. Lena made a lovely accordion book for her sister birthday and I made a couple because, well, we were making a mess anyway. We were not able to get very many shots of the process because our camera is trying to die. I think cause the camera to lose the will to live because I mentioned my desire for an SLR. Lena did manage to capture a few shots before the camera got to cranky so here they are.


In case you are interested the kit that I used can be found here.