Announcing...

Anybody been wondering why I've been such a busy little bee of late?

No?

Well, too bad because I'm going to bore you with all the details anyway.

Last Friday I finally opened my very own Etsy shop: dancing sheep (of course!).


Right now I'm featuring a variety of little things but I have much more up my sleeves and hope to continue adding new products as inspiration strikes.

Zippered Pouches

Bookmarks

Magnets (no idea why this photo changed direction, stupid Blogger)

And today I am giddy as school girl to have shipped out my very first order!

So exciting!

Step Away from the Self-Portraits and No One Gets Hurt

I'll be the first to admit that photography is not my thing. I have been blessed in many areas but holding a camera and making it take the picture I want isn't one of them. Unfortunately, as a knitter and crafter who aspires to have a semi-decent blog, I have to take photographs.

Most of the time I muddle through and by virtue of taking a zillion pictures, I come up with something usable.

This is the Infinite Monkey Theorem approach to photography. It works for me. Mostly. Unless I have an adult item I want modeled. Then I am forced, by virtue of a husband who, love him though I do, would surely roll his eyes at me if I asked him to photograph me wearing a newly completed knit, to employ the Dreaded Self Portrait.

Oh I know. I could set up a tripod and set the little 10-second timer and then I would, perhaps, come out with a picture that is somewhat more, well, photogenic. But let me be honest. Not happening. I barely get photos done as is. The extra steps would prove a barrier and I'd never take any pictures.

Hmmmm... Not really a great deal better.

So imagine my joy when, as I was wandering though Display & Costume a couple weeks ago, I stumbled across a cheap Styrofoam mannequin head! It is a small head, better suited to children's hats but for three bucks who am I to say "no"? I'm keeping my eyes open for a full sized head. No doubt I can easily find one with a quick Google search.

Whew, much better!

Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot

Malabrigo Chunky in Brisa

Size 10.5 Addi Turbo 16" circulars & dpns

My Daughter, the Tulip Killer

Over the years there have been times when I've asked my mom a question about my childhood and she's turned to me and said, "It was a good thing you were cute." This statement puzzled me. Huh? What did being cute have to do with anything? I just didn't get it.

Well, Mom, I get it. I understand. It only took the acquisition of two adorable but mischievous (intentionally or otherwise) children before I heard your words playing in my head, "Aaaaaaaarrrgh. It's a good thing you're cute..."

Any mother will tell you that no matter how much you love your children, sometimes they behave in a way that Just. Makes. You. Crazy. And then, indeed, it is a very good thing they are cute.

Case in point:


Gwen loves flowers. To Death.
sigh

I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my tulips since they were planted last fall. I love tulips and eagerly looked forward to the day when I could step outside, cut a few blooms and bring the colorful vibrancy inside with me. It is not to be. At least in the backyard where Gwennie has shown herself to be even more eager than I am to enjoy the flowers. Poor things were plucked from the ground before they could bloom.

Thank goodness for the fence that prevents her from ravaging the flowers in the front yard.

Successful Hunting

Egg hunting that is. Saturday we took the little ones to the Bunny Bounce at Woodland Park Zoo.

Gwen moved up from the Toddler area to the "Big Kid" area so I was a bit worried she might have trouble holding her own.

I need not have worried.

Everyone had a good time and we topped off the egg hunting with a turn on the carousel.

I haven't said much about it here but I have been doing a lot of sewing. Here is my favorite creation to date:

Simplicity Pattern 2674

Gwen's Easter dress. Cute blue (her Favorite color) "Baby Bunny" fabric is from Lakehouse Dry Goods.

My only modification was the placement of the ribbon, not a big deal. I thought the pattern was well written and explained. My only criticism would be the lack of detail for setting in the sleeves... That was the hardest part and had virtually no detail... or it could have been my lack of sleep catching up with me. At any rate, I am pleased with the dress and Gwen loves it so all is good.

Even if she is a total goof ball.

But What Exactly am I Doing?

I don't know about any other moms out there but I feel like I am busy All. The. Time. Which is to be expected, I guess, when you are trying to take care of a couple little ones and yourself and the house and the cats and meet your outside obligations and manage take care of your husband and all the other myriad things we need to do. Busy is okay. What bothers me is that I don't always feel like I have anything to show for it. How can I be so tired at the end of the day and feel like I never stopped and yet, if someone were to ask me, "What were you doing?" I'm not sure I could come up with an answer. I look around, and yes, the kids are fed and (mostly) happy but my house is a mess and I have to scramble to find clean clothes in the morning... I don't know. I'm sure this is a common feeling (don't burst my bubble if it isn't!)... I guess if I gave up knitting, crafting and the other little things that keep me sane I could have an organized house but then I wouldn't be much fun to live with so for now, until a resident house elf moves in I'll just have to deal.

So, yup. Busy, busy, busy. Just don't ask for the details.

Spring has Sprung?

Mother Nature is ignoring my (not so) silent pleas to end the cold dreariness and bring on the sun, already. Damn her. I am so very ready to don some fresh spring togs and enjoy the sunshine. At least today we have not had any of that lovely slushy mush that greeted us yesterday morning.

It has occurred to me that Mother Nature is perhaps withholding my spring until I perform a Spring Cleaning of some sort. Little does she know who she's playing chicken with... Bring it on Mommy Nature!

In lieu of any real spring I have been trying to manufacture one instead, or at least some springy items.

Cherry Garcia by Adrian Bizilia
Malabrigo Chunky Merino in Brisa
Size 10.5 - 16" Addi Turbo Circular

This was a super quick knit: one day, cast-on to bind off. In the Malabrigo Chunky the cowl is super soft and squishy. It will definitely keep the winter (or spring) chill away.

Zune Cozy by Michelle Mooney
Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Vetiver (green) & Paris Nights (navy)
Size 5 & 7 dpns

So admittedly not as springy as the cowl but it does house my happy pink Zune so that counts right? Another quickie knit (I am clearly in instant gratification mode), I think this took me a couple hours at knit night so under non-distracted circumstances I'm sure it could be cranked out lickety-split.

Now here is something genuinely springy:

Flowers! I adore fresh flowers and wish I could afford to have arrangements in my house all the time but alas... perhaps when I win the lottery. I made the above arrangement yesterday at my MOPS meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers). I had such fun. Normally I indulge in a riot of color when I put together a floral arrangemnet but yesterday green was speaking to me and I decided to try the monochromatic/tone-on-tone look. Pretty darn good if I'm allowed to toot my own horn.

That's Beezer the Cranky One in the background. She is a floweraholic. I have to make sure to put any and all flowers out of her range or they become a kitty snack. And I do mean Any and All. She has been known to consume silk flower arrangements in their entirety. Yup. Silk flowers. Not quite the brightest bulb, our Beezer.

Seeing Double

I feel like maybe I've used this post title before but a quick perusal of my old posts says I haven't... hmmm. Still feels too familiar. Oh well, I'll get over it.

I know there are knitters out there who bristle at the thought of making the same pattern twice and, for the most part, I am in agreement with this school of thought. But there are a couple patterns that are just so tremendous I have no problems knitting them more than once.

Case in point: Foliage from Knitty. I knit my first one about a year ago and I loved knitting it. The pattern was interesting but not difficult to follow, quick to finish and the hat itself always garners a compliment or two when I wear it.

So when I needed to make a hat as a donation for a fundraising auction this February I pulled out the pattern again and whipped this up:


The yarn for Foliage #2 is also Malabrigo Chunky, this time is Verde Adriana.

The auction raised money for Jerboa Dance, a modern company here in Seattle that is run by one of my very good friends, Jaime. Jaime always admires my knitting so back in the late fall I made this for her:


Dean Street Hat by Nina Dayton. The yarn is, you guessed it, Malabrigo, this time the worsted weight merino in Holly Hock. This is a fantastic pattern. It is also a quick knit and while it looks cabled, it doesn't require a cable needle as it employs a twist stitch instead. I was lucky enough to be a test knitter for this pattern so I was one of the first kids to get to play with it.

I like the pattern so much in fact, that I made another one for the auction:

No, you're not seeing double and I didn't make a mistake and link to the same project twice. I made a second hat in the very same colorway. And, surprisingly, still fun to knit and not boring at all the second time around.

I wanted to offer a "set" for the auction so to go along with the hat I made a pair of Fetching in the Holly Hock Worsted to match.


And, in case you're wondering if the theme would continue, yes, this was the second time around for this pattern as well. Here is my original set, made for me last year:


Yes, they are incomplete at the time of the photograph, but you get the idea. The yarn is... wait for it... Malabrigo Worsted in Dusty (yes, I do occasionally use other yarns... just not very often). I am much happier with the more recent set. I learned the first time that I don't like the picot bind off (floppy and loose, just not neat looking) so the second time I opted for a decrease bind off instead.


Much better!

In non-knitting news, Matt continues to grow so that I get more and more questions from strangers asking if the kiddos are twins. (See, brought it back to the theme- clutch writing I tell you.) I started getting this question from people a year ago and thought t was completely ridiculous at the time. Now? Not so much. Poor little Gwen "towers" over her baby brother by a mere inch and I think he now has an ounce or two on her in the weight department. And there is no denying that they are very similar looks-wise:

Um, yes, this last little section is to indulge the grandparents... ;)

Happy First Day of Spring!

Pooh. What Happened to the Sun?

Looking outside today it is hard to believe that just a little while ago it looked like this:

Glorious!

This was a couple Fridays ago and I took advantage of a babysitter to steal a little time for myself during the day. I grabbed my lunch and headed down to Golden Gardens to enjoy the sunshine. It was still pretty cool temperature-wise but I could feel Spring waiting in the wings.

I think Spring got stage fright because it is nowhere to be seen now. Oh well. At least I got to indulge for a couple hours...

And what did I do with those hours? I worked on this:

This is Thermis by Kristen Patay.

And here it is completed:

I used Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Natural (unbelievably soft!!!) and my trusty Addi Turbos in size 6. The buttons came from The Fiber Gallery.

I love it! And really, if it isn't going to be Spring- could it be just a little colder so I can use this? I hate to think I'm going to have to put it away until the fall :(

And just to spite me for maligning it, the sun has come out as I put the final touches on this post. Go figure.

New Year, New FO

I thought I'd start the year with some knitting content.

I'll pause while you all stand back up from the floor...

OK, here it is:

This was a Christmas gift for Todd and I am inordinately pleased with it. The pattern is VERY loosely based on an Irish Hiking Hat (Ravelry link). Loosely as in, "I cast on the 96 stitches the pattern called for and did a cable and rib patterned hat." Everything else I changed: order of the ribs and cables, width of the cables, height of the cables, the decreases... you get the idea.

The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Pearl Ten and I knit the hat on a size 8 Addi Turbo 16" circular and dpns.

I like the hat a lot but mostly I am pleased as punch with the way I worked out the decreases:

They make a fun, swirly pattern!

Should anyone be interested in the alterations I made, let me know- I actually took copious notes (shocking) so I know what I did.

It cannot possibly be the end of the year!

Hi all!

I am madly trying to finish up what feels like a billion things so no real post tonight, just a quick one to say:

Happy New Year! Wishing you all love and happiness in 2009!

They'll Turn on You So Fast...

As I mentioned in my last post, it has been quite snowy. Gwen has enthusiastically embraced all the frozen goodness, happily romping in yard and sledding down the street.

Until now. I'm thinking a case of housitosis is setting in:

G: Mommy, is it still cold?

Me: Yup. Still cold and snowy.

G: Mommy... is spring almost here?

Winter Wonderland

There is much knitting here at Chez Sheep: a beep for [censored] for example, but I'm afraid I will have to wait to share those projects with you until the items arrive at their intended destinations.

It has been cold enough here this past week that I have actually had opportunity to wear some of my hand knits- very exciting! And cozy :)

Now I admit that my decade here in Seattle has made me a skeptic, winter weather-wise. I hear the little weather dude earnestly predict snow for our area and I see the local news reporters go through their song & dance, touting the latest "Snowpocalypse" but my brain? It says, "Meh. Not happening. Not a snowball's chance in hell." (If you'll pardon the awful pun.) 99.7% of the time the predictions are wrong. No snow. Or at least not enough to alter my plans in any serious way. At most, we get something like this:

My backyard, earlier in the week.

And, the forecasts were wrong again this weekend. But... this time they were wrong in the opposite direction. Our snowfall was supposed to taper off late last night or earlier today changing to snow showers or freezing rain.

Um..... Not snow much:

This was my back porch almost three hours ago. Our most recent snowfall (the third this week!) is still going strong more than 24 hours after it started. Now some of you who live in hardier climes may scoff that a mere 7"-10" can be a serious Snow Event. But let me remind you that I live in Seattle. A city of many BIG hills, drivers with little to no experience driving in snow (heck, they can't even drive in the rain and it rains all the time) and woefully little snow removal equipment.

Snowpocalypse indeed.

Retrograde

I cannot believe that there are only two and half weeks until Christmas- where has the time gone? I think the late Thanksgiving and the resulting shorter pre-Christmas run up really has my brain flummoxed (love that word- I think we should bring back into regular use, it so precised describes that sort of baffled "what the heck?" feeling I experience so frequently these days).

I think I'm making progress. Gifts have been purchased. Gifts have been made, not all are done but I'm getting there. I am slowly getting the house decorated...

And... my children are slowly un-decorating it for me. My main accomplishment thus far was decorating the tree. Gwen's big accomplishment?

Removing the ornaments.

"But Mama, I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiike holding them."

well. Who can argue with that kind of logic?

sigh

I'm an Auntie!!

Yesterday my sister in law (hubby's brother's wife) gave birth to a beautiful little boy making me an aunt for the first time (I'm not posting a photo because I don't know how they'd feel about it).

Guess I'd better buckle down and finish up the knitted gifts... I'm working on the trio from the original Mason-Dixon Knitting




Baby Bib o' Love, still needs a button...



Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono. I'm now considerably further along than this, the back & left sleeve are completed and I have about ten more rows to go on the left side.



The Baby Genius Burp Cloth - done. Thank goodness something is done.

If you are wondering about the massive quantities of yellow for a baby boy I'd like to point out that the sex of the little one was a surprise until yesterday. This is actually why I am still knitting at this late date (no, it was just my natural tendency to procrastinate this time). I was all excited to knit cute little boy or girl things- had lists of them in my mind- but then my brother-in-law told us they weren't going to find out what they were having.

Plbbbbbbbbbbt.

All the air left my balloon of baby knitting happiness. I just couldn't get excited to knit unisex baby things. No idea why. It was terribly irrational. But then a week ago I realized that the due date was RAPIDLY approaching and some knitting must be done, so here you have it. Hopefully I'll have it all finished it the next couple days...

PS. I know. Two posts in a week. Try not to faint.

December?

Um, what happened to November? I swear I was just dressing the kiddos up in Halloween costumes yesterday.

I hope you all had scrumptious Thanksgiving dinners and survived the madness that was our retail establishments this past weekend. For our part we had a quiet turkey dinner at home with all the fixins'...



...and pie of course!



And we limited our post-Thanksgiving shopping to getting a Christmas tree so we have nary a stubbed toe to show for the Black Friday craziness.

I have been knitting up a storm recently but many of the items will be winging their way to rest beneath Christmas trees so I cannot share them here yet.

So instead I'll share one of my favorite projects from this past year that I haven't shown you here yet.

Pattern: Faberge Cowl by Nina Machlin Dayton (pattern available on Ravelry)

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Vetiver

Needles: Size 7 Addi Turbos (20" I think, maybe 16")

Beads: Size 6/0 Japanese Seed Beads

I knit this as a test knit for Nina and I love it. The beads add just the right touch (they are place with a crochet hook instead of pre-stringing the beads). This is a fantastic pattern: clear instructions, a fun, interesting knit, and beautiful result.