Long Weekend Project

I have ensured my rating as coolest Grand mother EVER with the latest project.
Gothlet grand daughter should be suitably impressed.
This is a cover for her sketch pad. She loves to draw soooooooooo ...
Above: the front cover. Below: detail of front cover.

Back cover:
Just to make sure she never forgets...lol... a label on the inside of the front cover.

...with my lady bug trademark!

Saturday was play day.

Corinne had sent me a note, on Ravelry, about a journal swap. Ever game for something new I jumped in. My "swappee" is Pennsylvania. We communicated and I learned of a recent trip to the Maryland Faerie Festival. Armed with this information I designed a cover for his journal.

Pellon interfacing for a base. Then I printed off pictures, bless google images, and laid them down side by side, Then added the leaves, maple of course. The overlay is a variegated green and yellow organdy. When I had everything pinned in place I stitched through all the layers together with beads. The faerie wings are from a butterfly window decal.

The back, represents me, with the "green man." The lace was white I soaked it in a solution of tea and vinegar till I got the colour I wanted. The organdy overlay gives it depth and it just feels good in your hand. The organdy doesn't show up very well in the pictures.

The front. I "photo shopped" the faerie from another web site onto the picture of a faerie glen.

Both sides. I agree it isn't very practical. So I made it as a removable book cover. Shades of my youth. Our school books always had to have covers. We made them out of brown grocery bags. Unheard of today.

Anyway I thought it would be a better idea to do it this way then it can be replaced and left out on the coffee table. I haven't had this much fun since I made the zombie for my grand daughter. I just hope the recipient likes it. I have a feeling I will be doing this again.

My 'Steampunk' Shawl

Finally, It's finished!




Lady's Circular Shawl in Shell Pattern by Jane Sowerby, from Victorian Lace Today
The yarn is Kauni Lace ~ XEMC and it was ordered from Tausendschon Beautiful to work with and you can spit-splice the ends together so easily which save on weaving in later. (I really detest weaving in later and will do anything possible to avoid it)

This was my first shawl that required a knit on border. The damn border took longer to knit then the entire body! I picked this up and put it down so many times over 9 months because I found it so monotonous. Now that it's finished I think it looks lovely but for a while I didn't think I'd ever reach the end. LOL



I'm showing off here :-) Originally, I planned to get all dressed up in something a tad more Victorian. But, waiting for that I might never have gotten the pictures taken. I rather like the way it looks with jeans.

Progress report: Sophia

The back is finished and I am starting the intarsia design on the front. It is a blood red bow. Should be striking.
Today I hope to get the Goddess Knits project on the needles. I have decided to go with Chart C for Clue one. I am also going to be shopping for beads for this one too.
I wore my swallowtail shawl(Olympics 2010) to work today over a black sweater. I am very pleased with the results. I can see this one being knit again for sure.

I know, I know

Folly, folly thy name is Susan...sigh
As if I didn't have enough things on the go I signed up for this. Dearest neglected friend Sandy gave me 2 skeins of the most beautiful lace weight for Christmas. It will be perfect for this mandala. Who needs to sleep?...work?

It's all about colour.

I love colour. Even orange has it's place in the palette. One of the wonderful aspects of knitting is working with colour.
Colour can brighten our day, our outlook and our ability to deal with the most mundane of tasks.
I have a lavender baby sweater on the needles and a turquoise sweater with a blood red motif for Sophia (which yes, I am back working on) a royal blue jacket for myself and some to die for coral cotton waiting in the wings. Now I ask you isn't this uplifting?
Gorgeous, if I do say so...Plug in there for my LYS..lolol

It's all about the toys...

One of my co workers has a new baby soooo, I get to knit a baby thingy. Lavender wrap cardi. Very sweet. More about that later.

First here is my new toy. Not only is this going to be wonderful for reading books but the pattern possibilities are endless. No more lugging around huge pattern magazines. Just scan and copy to the SG card and I am good to go.

No contracts to sign. I am not limited to Amazon as in a Kindle or Chapters as in a Kobo or Sony Books as in a Sony. This puppy will read them all. For half the cost of the reader and downloading books for free. I have just downloaded Steig Larssen's "The girl who played with fire." I had bought the book in hardcover but it is very heavy. Added bonus when knitting boring stretches on stocking stitch, I can read and listen to background music. Pages turn with the touch of a button or I can set the pages to turn automatically, I just died and went to high tech heaven.

Memorial for my Mom

Sixteen little faces all waving good bye as they head out tomorrow on an adventure. One bear for each of Granny Ann's descendants. I will be including a letter and a picture of my mother with the box of bears.
Packed into their bags and ready to go all the way to Africa. Mom always believed that a little charity knitting or sewing was good for the soul. When I was first learning how to knit we made bandages for the leper hospital. We knit miles of garter stitch. That just about finished me in garter stitch for the rest of my life.
She encouraged me to take on at least one project a year. This one has taken me 3 months. With every bear I knit I have thought of her. How I wished she was here so I could show her how they were turning out. I know she would be overwhelmed to see this depiction of her offspring.
A co worker has a new baby daughter so I am more than ready to take on some stocking stitch in lavender. There is some royal blue mulberry & merino and some coral cotton waiting in the wings. Life and knitting goes on.
Mom sewing (on her 40 + year old Singer Sewing Machine) dresses for little girls who had no other chance to have anything "pretty."
My Mother taught by example.
















edit: This is the letter that went with the bears

Only Good Juju

Knitting in progress while I was sitting at the mall. You can see the pattern on the serviette. Which by the way was from Teopia not Subway. Not that it really matters.

Finished: One zombie voodoo doll. Only works for good Juju. I will put this in the mail tomorrow.

The Goth Princess has a request....

"Grami, can you knit me a voodoo doll?"
Grami can do anything, I did wonder what my mother would think.
Off we went to Spun, in Burlington. She chose green and purple. I mean how threatening can that be??
This is the prototype in the works. It has already been ripped back to the top of the heart.
Nothing I like more than designing on the needles.......snort
I am keeping track of the pattern, with strike outs and corrections, on the back of a Subway serviette. All will be revealed, hopefully, this week.
I have already had one phone call.
"Grami, how is my voodoo doll coming along?"
Reminds me of a story my mother used to tell. My grandmother, the oh so elegant "Nana," was making me a sweater. She had stopped knitting whilst talking with my mother. I reportedly tugged on her arm and said, a little impatiently, "Nana, knit on my sweater." There is nothing worse than waiting.
Bear update: all 16 are stuffed. I am embroidering faces. Too bad I am such a perfectionist or they would be done by now.