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i made it myself: slip stitch scarf

Yay! My dad’s scarf is finally finished. He’ll be so happy. I bought him this yarn last year from Liberty in London. It’s Rowan Cashsoft and is super soft and cuddly! He got a hat for his birthday and this scarf was his Father’s Day present. Since it was hot in June, I gave myself until Fall to finish it. It still needs to be blocked—the edges could use a good straightening. You’re probably thinking, oh no, not more Halloween colors! Well, just so you know, they are Orioles colors. Heh.

dad scarf

It’s a simple slip stitch pattern I pulled out of my stitch calendar. I think it’s the same as the Mason Dixon burp cloths (from their first book). Work in multiples of five:

Row 1 (ws): k2, *p1, k4; rep from * to last 3 sts, p1, k2
Row 2 (rs): k2, *sl 1, k4; rep from * to last 3 sts, sl 1, k2

Repeat these two rows.

dad scarf

Other specifics:

I knit both sides at the same time from the stripes up and then grafted them in the middle with the kitchener stitch. I did that because I wanted to use up as much black yarn as possible and I figured it was the easiest way to make sure the stripes matched up at the bottom.

I also practiced weaving in ends as I knit. Kind of tricky, but I think I finally got the hang of it.

Finished size: 8 inches x 1 1/2 Bellas

Did you make something yourself? Post it here!

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i made it myself: amigurumi pumpkin

I feel silly posting about this little pumpkin. It looks almost the same as last week’s apple. But, I got all excited yesterday and posted my trick or treat bags and Halloween cards and totally forgot that today was I Made it Myself Day. (I have to support my fellow crafters!) So, here it is.

It will be up for sale on etsy later this week. I was thinking about writing up the pattern and posting it on the blog, but does the Internet really need another How to Crochet a Ball pattern? Aren’t they all the same?

In the meantime, I’m designing some new felted sweater bags for Fall. Hopefully, I’ll have something new to post next week!

Did you make something yourself? Post it here!

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only 47 more days until halloween

Around here on the blog, though, you’d think it was already October! I’ve been busy sewing up some orange and black goodness that I wanted to share with you. It all started with a doodle.

Then, M and I were sorting through (playing with) fabric, and I got inspired to make her a trick or treat bag.* It turned out so cute, I made a bunch more.

Then I sewed up a stack of Halloween cards. I’ve been trying to do more things with my left over stash from paper trade shows. I made these cards out of Fox River Confetti paper. (Love, love, LOVE this paper!)

There’s more coming. Remember how I said I was becoming slightly addicted to amigurumi? I’ve got two little pumpkins on my windowsill looking for a new home. I hope to get a picture posted soon. I also may have possibly bought some glow in the dark yarn for a little amigurumi ghost. Oh, and I was thinking a little black cat might be cute to make, too.

All in good time, my little pretties.

*No, I’m not taking her around this year to collect a bunch of sugar. She’s still too young. She’ll probably just stash her keys, phone and baby Elmo in her bag. What? Like you don’t have a baby Elmo in your bag.

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undead dolls

Here are the little dolls that I poured my heart and soul into for my daughter. They sit on her window sill practically untouched. She got a “Thomas the Choo Choo Train Coloring Book” the other day so the dolls’ heyday is officially over. Although she now knows four new words: vampire, ghost, skeleton and zombie.

undead dolls

They are an early Halloween present. I say that because it sounds much more on the ball than calling them a late birthday present.

If you don’t know me all that well, you may think it’s weird that I would make these for my two year old. I’m a pretty big horror fiction freak. My favorites are Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and her Mayfair Witch books. I have watched every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel too many times to count. (When I was in labor with M, I watched almost all of season seven.) I’ve seen most of the Jason, Michael and Freddie movies. I own the Bela Lugosi and Gary Oldam versions of Dracula (love them both!) and my favorite horror film of all time is The Hunger.

Not that I’m going to encourage her to watch or read any of these. I simply fell in love with the pattern and it seemed too self-indulgent to make them for myself.

Occasionally I find find them in her bed after nap time or in her Lego bin. I’d really like to put them on the window sill in my office, but they were a gift. I’ll just sneak in her room and visit them every once and awhile.

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just some thoughts for today

I hate how it sneaks up on me, almost daily, around this time of year.

I was confirming the day of my hair appointment: “That’s September 11th, correct?”

While paying the mortgage I notice the due date: September 11.

Sometimes it’s really dumb things, like looking at the clock when the time is 9:11.

Walking past the television during the GOP Convention and out of the corner of my eye seeing a plane crash into one of the towers.

Painted on the police car at the stop light: dial 911 for emergencies.

Some things really make me mad. Like hearing a Talking Head on the news say “nine one one” instead of “nine eleven” or “September 11th.” 911 is a phone number not a date. Why is that such a hard concept for some otherwise intelligent people to grasp? No one celebrates Independence Day as “seven four.” No one calls New Year’s Day “one one.” That lack of attention to such a little detail seems hugely disrespectful.

Why do these things bother me so much? Why can’t I look at my watch and just simply think, “It’s eleven minutes after nine o’clock?”

That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. I don’t have an answer and I don’t think there is one.

Maybe they’re little reminders of how lucky we are. Lucky we have each other. Lucky when my husband comes home in the evening. Lucky that a plane didn’t fall out of the sky two blocks from the White House.

There are some things that we do every day since then. We kiss goodnight every night. We say, “I love you!” whenever we leave to do an errand. We never forget that so many people lost loved ones simply because they went to work.

We live more in the present. Sometimes I just sit and soak in my husband and my daughter. I notice the details: their smiles, their hugs. I try to absorb them somehow. Store them inside. Live in the moment. Feel grateful for every day we have and don’t take life for granted.

These are just some thoughts for today.

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i made it myself: amigurimi apple

Last Saturday we went over Lauren and Paul’s to watch the game. I have a hard time sitting still while watching television. I always need to be doing something with my hands. I didn’t have any small knitting projects to take with me, so I brought a hook and some red yarn. (Red because it was a Husker game. Aren’t you proud of my Nebraska spirit?) Here’s the result:

I thought M might like to have it, but she’s totally uninterested. I just finished her undead dolls (more on them in another post), and with her birthday presents, she’s got plenty to keep herself busy. So, the little apple is for sale over at etsy. I plan on making a pumpkin next. These little amigurumis are SO addicting. I just can’t stop!

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here!