My first piece of measured clothing...

Ya'll know that I can't stand a pattern. Naturally, I rebel against definite measurements, too. That being said, both of these things make it very difficult to make clothing...

A few skeins ago, while working on a Wrapped in Love project, I came across a pattern for a precious baby jumper. It was a little thicker and heavier weight than what I would like, so I tinkered with the design a bit.

The original had a full bodice, front and back, ruffled shoulders, and seemed a bit bulkier overall. I used the rough cast on count of 202 (I used slightly large needles than called for, so I decreased by twenty) and went to work on the base of the skirt. A few rows in I realized that the size of the skirt base was larger than anything I'd ever seen for a one year old child. I decreased every fifth stitch for two rows, which gave me a ruffled edge. (This was fine. The stitch I was working was stockinette, so it would roll anyway!)

Using the base measurement of the pattern for the proper length, I proceeded to cast off all but 60 of the remaining stitches. Then worked these stitches in a basic knit stitch for four inches. Casting all of the stitches off, I decided to add some crocheted lengths to the edges for the purpose of fastening the jumper.

Results -

Front

Back

I like it. I'm still hung up on the size. It looks like it's a little large in the waist for a one year old, even with all of the adjustments. I'm going to search for a childs sizing chart online today. But, what I REALLY want to do is find a beautiful little girl to try it on!


Do ya'll do that? After you've created something, seek desperately for a model to wear it? I think this is the hardest part of creating things to sale - there is no instant gratification of seeing someone enjoy your work...

Another Knitting Machine masterpiece...

Truly, it's not really a masterpiece but, that sounded good didn't it? Oh, to be the Michelangelo of the knitting world! I suppose that will have to wait. Guess I better get back to the reality of it all...

This shawl began last week as a creative attempt in crochet. I found a beautiful pattern for a triangular shawl. Honestly, I tried to stick to the pattern. Promise. However, when I got to the 4th step I was lost. It looked and sounded complicated. There was no way that I could wrap my mind around that concept. Rather than give up on the start I had, I messed around a bit with the original stitches, to no avail.

Unraveling that bit led me to another attempt at a triangular shawl. This one was shear imagination on my part. It started well, but I landed in the place of "I should've increased more" once again. My mother, who was sitting nearby crocheting her heart out, told me to give up and unravel it. Not being a quitter by nature, I staunchly refused and kept going.

Two days later I was racking my brain for ideas on how to salvage what would've been a fantastic shawl, had I only changed the increase rate. I began to improvise with rotation and addition along the sides, which looked good (for a while). Somehow I ended up with what appeared to be a VERY large thong - definitely NOT what I was looking for. Resigning to failure, I begrudgingly unraveled the "thong" and quickly resolved to complete a shawl on my new knitting machine.

After letting the yarn relax overnight, I began the process loading the machine. Four hours later I had a complete shawl base. Please note that the four hour time frame includes a forty-five minute learning allowance for me. I wanted to attempt a cabled edge at either side of the shawl. It worked fairly well, although there was a step that I neglected to follow through with. That step would've made the cable a bit more pronounced. (The recommendation was to remove the stitches on either side of the cable. By then I was afraid to ruin this project again, so I skipped that part.)



The effect is nice, even though the cable is not as raised as one would expect it to be. The yarn used is a basic white cotton by Lily. Normally, it would be used for washcloths or rugs, but someone donated it to the prayer shawl ministry. Ideally, it will become a super soft, durable shawl for someone!

The following morning the fringe was added. I felt that the width of the shawl was a bit shorter than I'd hoped. It was a little hard to properly gauge the length while knitting the shawl as you have to roll the fabric in on itself to keep the weight properly balanced. The fringe helped with this matter.

Help! They're taking over!

Do you ever get to that point?

Have you ever completed so many projects in such a short time that you dream of the pattern?


Do you knit or crochet in your sleep?


Do you jump up in the middle of the night to hurriedly scribble on a note pad, because you know that if you wait for the morning you'll forget the pattern idea?

I'm there! (But, I'm not sure if that good or not...) I've been here before - when learning to tinker with new recipes, when learning a new language, when starting a new relationship as a teen. I suppose we all go through this when learning anything new. Some days it's fun because I never quite lose motivation. Others is wish I could sit down without grabbing needles.

There are so many completed projects sitting around my house that I think they're starting to take over! It's like those bad 80's horror movies. You know the ones...where something oozes around the corner chasing you or the black entity that is always lurking close by.

Here they are - don't let them follow you home...

Of course all are for sale in my Etsy shop - VidaDulce...it's ok if you do want them to follow you home...but only if you promise to provide a good, loving home for them!

Busy, busy bee...

My hands have been busy this past week creating many, many crocheted dish cloths and some knitted reusable "swiffer" cleaning pads. They've turned out well and I've had fun making photos to post to Etsy, my blog and Ravelry. Sometimes it's challenge to get the lighting just right and the photos cropped to suit you, but it's always worth it for a good photo.

Although, I have seen some really top notch photos on other blogs. Perhaps I should invest in a better digital camera????? (Here I go again. Always dreaming up more ways to spend money!)

My Hubby's Christmas scarf

So, after several complaints from me on how badly the stockinette rolls and 3 attempts at a proper scarf for my husband, this is what we arrived at...

I decided to go with the roll effect and utilize it. I ribbed the scarf by alternating knit and purl from side to side. You knit the purls and purl the knits on each rotation. I love the effect and it gives him some extra warmth due to the propensity of the ribs to remain closed.


I wish that it was wider than this, but I had no more of the blue yarn and can't remember the manufacturer information since it's been so long since I made the first scarf. Hubby seems ok with it, but wasn't so excited as the first scarf. He has yet to wear it and I finished it 2 weeks ago.
Oh well, I tried!

Old hat, new hat, red hat, blue hat...

Don't you just love Dr. Suess? That was one of my favorites books growing up! Who would believe that I now make hats?


Presenting hat two:





And hat three:





Hat two was a sizing error but some lucky little girl will be the recipient of this gem through our prayer shawl ministry! It's made out of donated remnants and I was hoping to make this an adult size. This is what happens when you guess...


Hat three is my Angel babies birthday present. She wanted a beanie hat to match a hemp necklace that she has. It has teal, royal purple and a lovely yellow color. It's about 1/2" too big but she likes it. Unfortunately, this is the one time that the yarn claims to be shrink-proof! Oh well.

My 1st Double Point Knitting Project!

Drum roll, please! The moment you've all been waiting for...the revealing of the now famous first double point needle project...Ta-da! Amazing! Astounding! How did she do it folks? (Hehehe...wouldn't it be funny if there truly was an announcer following us around all the time?)

Well, after three days of fussing and fidgeting with these needles, followed by 3 days of furious knitting in the round, I produced a teeny, tiny baby cap suitable for 0-3 months (I think). My finger tips are throbbing and sore from knitting so tightly and then performing "k2tog" (knit two stitches together) for 3 rounds on these super tight stitches.

I love the combination of the pink and variegated yarn. They're both a lightweight cotton and knitted so well together. The variegated yarn left a nice blue star on the crown of the cap!

For those mothers out there, I liken this to child birth. Immediately after birth you say, rather convincingly, that you'll never do that again. A few weeks later, once recuperated, you're thinking about how precious you're little one is and know that you'd do it again in a heartbeat. This is exactly where I'm at now. As a matter of fact, I've already been browsing new yarn selections for the next project.


Maybe I just like punishment!

Completed Baby Blanket

This is my first baby blanket! It's made for our prayer shawl ministry and from donated yarns. I think it turned out ok. It's not as soft as I had hoped for and maybe that's due to the combining of the yarn. The yellow was super soft on the skein, but it's a little rougher now that it's knitted.

I did run out of yarn a little sooner than I'd hoped. I guess some lucky premie will be the recipient of this blanket, otherwise it may be too small...

Completed Lap Robe

Last week led me to explore the possibility of making a lap robe for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. I started it on Wednesday and two days later received a phone call about a man that was in a terrible situation health wise. The caller stated that she thought he might benefit from something from our ministry. God works in mysterious ways doesn't He?

This one began as a single piece in a basket weave design. Somehow in the first seven rows I ended up off one stitch, which would've messed up the basket weave. I frogged the original project due to my inability to let mistakes go without a fight. Besides, I was only seven rows in.

The next thing that came to mind was to piece together something from individual squares. I think it ended up more rectangular than square, but the overall effect I like and it seems to be the perfect size. This is constructed from mill ends of a fairly soft yarn in two different greens: mint and army. Great for a man, don't you think?

Prayer Shawl Ministry Update

Take a look at the amount of items already made for the Prayer Shawl Ministry! AMAZING! These two bags are full of scarves and shawls. Even more amazing...there are more in the making as we speak.

And can you believe that all of this has already been donated to make more? I'm happy to say that I'm rapidly running out of space and storage ideas for all of these goodies. What a wonderful problem to have.

When I look around at these lovely colors and lovingly, hand crafted items I'm almost rendered speechless. To think of the time, effort, care, love, and concern that went into each tiny stitch and to know that God's love emanates from each and every piece...now that's amazing!

By the way - these nice storage bags are recycled. For other great ideas for reusing zippered, plastic storage bags visit my other blog - The Simple Life.

Posy Pink Poncho

Hi, ya'll! Here's the finished Posy Pink Poncho that I started last week. The hardest thing about doing this one was finding some thread to stitch the seams that matched this "Pepto-Bismol" pink color.

This poncho is made into the same pattern as my original purple poncho. Using Joann Fabric Stores Angel Hair yarn, you cast on 70 stitches to a size 10US needle. You probably need 14" long needles or circular to hold this amount comfortably. For a plus size gal I knit 3 complete skeins, bind off and repeat for the second side. 2 1/2 skeins would probably suffice for someone size 8-14.

Once bound off, I rotate the sides so that one width side matches a length side. This gives the poncho an interesting pattern change, with no effort. Be sure to match finished side to finished side, otherwise you'll have tie on, frayed edges showing on your finished project.

Once the sides are matched, I pin the edges of two sides in an "V" formation, leaving about 5-6 inches open at the meeting point for your neck opening. Stitch the edges with a similarly colored thread, double stitching the corners at the base and neck opening for added strength at these stress points. When you finish stitching remove all of the pins and flip it inside out.

The finished product has an "A-line" cowl neck effect and will come about 3/4 of the way down each arm and to the base of the crotch front and back. Another option is to wear it sideways which will completely cover the arms and have a midriff length front and back.

One of the best thing about this yarn is that it's so incredibly soft. It's a wool, acrylic blend but it's heavenly. I made this design up, so if you like it let me know!

Newest Prayer Shawl

Here's Johnny...

Well, not Johnny, but another prayer shawl. This is number five. It's very similar to the "Bat Wing Shawl" but I think it's significantly better, in my opinion. I used the same Sensations Boucle yarn by JoAnn's. It's a combination of pink, gray and black and this yarn is self-patterning.

The main difference between this shawl and the other is that I tried a different stitch combination. The Bat Wing Shawl was very haphazard and not well thought out on my part. Although, it is an interesting design.

For this shawl I started with 3 stitches cast on and increased each row by three - a yarn over at the beginning and end and one near the center of the shawl. I cast off at 175 stitches. It's knitted on size US 17 needles and utilizes the standard knit stitch. (The stockinette stitch wouldn't show up well with this yarn stitched on so large a needle.) This particular yarn comes on a massive roll and I used about 1/3 of a skein for this project.

The interesting thing about this design is the fact that the shawl was knitted as a triangle and once off the needles rounded itself out. If you look at this picture closely you'll notice the circular pattern radiates from the top center of the back. This was a completely unexpected effect that I do enjoy. (The yellow dots are on the models shirt and not part of the design.)

Well, mom says it's okay...

Here's one of the latest in prayer shawls. It is the first I've tried from the triangular angle (haha!) I have this bad habit that I developed with recipes several years ago. Sometimes I read cookbooks for inspiration, never truly trying a specific recipe, just making things up from combinations of other recipes. Or I read over the recipe and then rethink it as I throw it together.

Now I find that I've been doing that with my knitting. At least I don't have to worry about whether or not it'll rise!

So, this little number came from a legitimate pattern and I butchered it. This is the result - I call it my Bat Wing Shawl.

Here's the story. I cast on three knit stitches and yarned over one stitch at the beginning of each row thereafter. Several rows in I realized that if I continued at that rate I would have a shawl taller than most people and it would be more of a bathrobe than a shawl.

Thus began my bright idea of going up 3 stitches every row. 10 rows later I went to increasing 5 stitches every row. I'm still not sure if I was just impatient or hadn't thought it through completely.

I happened to be at my mother's when I determined it was completed and cast off. I was dismayed but good ole mom, she said "I think it's cute. It kind of reminders me of something my grandmother used to wear. You know, just a different color..."

Since mom gave her blessing I refuse to unravel it. I just pray that the person that gets it enjoys it!

Another completed shawl!

Here's another completed shawl. This one is knitted in Mega-Brushed by Premier in Blue Berry. It is stockinette stitch and has a beautiful chevron style design from the yarn variations. I knitted this on size 12mm/US 17 needles, which gave the shawl a lacy, open style.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Exploring the craft stores can lead you to many things. Sometimes it leads you to spending more money, sometimes to new crafts, and occasionally to your next great idea. Recently, I found my next great idea.

Browsing the knitting and crochet "how to" books lead me to a wonderful discovery. Two Prayer Shawl Ministry books caught my eye. Published by Leisure Books and sponsored by Lion Brand yarn, these books are marvelous. They each contain prayers, thoughts and ideas along with knitting and crochet patterns for several shawls.

Prayer Shawls are often offered up as a confirmation of God's love for each of us. Each shawl is handmade, with love, by a member of the ministry group. As the shawl is made it is regularly prayed over and upon completion receives one final blessing before being gifted to a chosen recipient. Most recipients are home bound or have an illness, but these can be given for any number of things. As I flipped through the books I longed to purchase them, but I often put things up to go home and pray about how best to spend my funds.

Several days later these books were still on my mind and my heart. I went back to see them again. Again, I left without them. The next day I overhead a conversation at another store that mentioned these shawls as a good idea. I knew that was my final nudge. When I returned the following week, both books were on sale...God's final confirmation that this was for me...He knows I can't pass up a sale!

Once I had the books and did a little more research on the computer I knew this would be a fabulous ministry for my church. Approval by the pastor and board immediately followed in December. We will start 2009 with this new ministry!

This is the first shawl offered into service...

The shawl is stockinette stitch. It's composed of Lion's Brand Homespun in Windsor Blue. The combination of color and stitching lends itself to the appearance of flowing water. Gorgeous!

There's nothing better than sharing your God given talents!

Some other finished projects...

This is a scarf I knitted for my husband for Christmas. It's Dallas Cowboy colored. Uhhhh...he doesn't really like the Cowboys, it was extra yarn from the Panthers scarves and my sons scarf. (Parents normally get the leftovers....he'll be okay.)

It's the second scarf I've knitted with the Stockinette pattern. It's a sport weight yarn (or 3) and as I was knitting the darn thing curled as I knitted. I'm not sure what happened here but it has issues.

This photo is of the same scarf after ironing on low heat, as the fabric calls for. Shortly after this photo it re-curled. HELP! If anyone out there knows how to remedy this...I'm begging, PLEASE HELP!

The next project is something I made for myself. It was my 6th project. My hubby bought me this yarn for my birthday. I couldn't decide what to do with it. It's purple and lusciously soft. It's the best yarn I've ever run my hands over.

The yarn is called Angel Hair and is part of the Sensations line at Joann Fabric Stores (and it's exclusive!) It's an acrylic, wool blend but you wouldn't know it to touch it. It has the nicest, silky texture. It's heavenly!

I'm notoriously cold (low iron) and I thought at first to turn it into a throw for home use, but after several other projects I finally decided that I would make a poncho. That way I could wear it and enjoy it even more, plus I could still use it at home if I'm chilled!

Anyway, I worked it in garter stitch. It's two rectangular pieces. Each piece is 3 skeins of yarn and I knitted it on my US 10 needles. After completing both sections, I stitched them together on the bias leaving the top corner unsewn. This gives it a chic, modern look as the unsewn portion flaps down over the body at an angle. (I couldn't get the flap to show up well in the photo.)

For a closer look at this yarn you can take a gander at the purple ball in my blog heading - that'd be it! (Along with the remnants of the Panther Blue, Moss Green for my babies scarf, etc...)