What cool fabric. But don't know what I would use it for.

The Purple Poncho

 Here it is finished. It's a little big but she loves it.

Yesterday I cut out the purple poncho. I had been putting it off because I knew I would have fuzz all over the place. I was right!

  Not only was it all over the floor but on the furniture too. It flew all over the room. I stuffed the cut pieces in a bag and vacuumed like crazy before Deborah got home from school. It is to be a birthday present next month, so I didn't want to leave any evidence.

Dishtowel

I finally finished this cotton dishcloth. It took me forever because every row is different.You MUST pay attention to were you are, even within a row. I had never noticed before how often people in my family start talking to me when I sit down to knit.

I got the pattern online HERE some time ago. It is called King Charles Brocade Dishcloth. I like the pattern and the way it turned out. The yarn used is something I bought long ago at JoAnn's. I think it is Bernat Holiday Print pound of cotton. It has red and green flecks in it.

I also should have looked at the size before starting. It does say right on the pattern that it is a 10 inch square. But I didn't visualize in my head how big that really is. I prefer to have smaller dishcloths so you can ring it out easily with one hand.

In which I learn to knit toe-up socks.

I am very excited that I have finally learned how to do toe-up socks. I tried several times in the past but became too frustrated. I have always given up, ripped it out and started again from the top. Yesterday, I did it and it looks o.k.! Some of the stitches aren't quite even around the toe but it is passable.

I found these instructions to be helpful : Eastern cast-on.

But Lord help me, this is superfine yarn on size one needles. TINY! 72 stitches per round. This will take some time.

I have used self-stripping yarns before without success. The people I knit for have big feet and the strips usually wind up looking more like splotches or puddles. I am hopeful that this particular yarn will turn out to be stripy. So far, not too bad.

Giving up on Etsy

As you might have guessed, I have lost steam and excitement about selling on Etsy. In all honesty, I think my designs are too traditional and time-consuming to do well on this venue. I think I will be using this blog to document the crafty things I do from now on.

I am gearing up for Christmas. Traditionally I make many of the family gifts. So, I will not be able to post pictures of them until after they have been given. I have several relatively big projects planned. I am already worried about finishing on time.

365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs: Day 78 - Bleeding Heart

365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs: Day 78 - Bleeding Heart

New mittens for my kittens.

These are new pink mittens I just knit for Deborah. I washed her old ones and they shrunk.
For my birthday, my family gave me Ann Budd's book Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns . (Actually, I bought it and told them to hide it till my birthday.) This was the first project I made from the book and it turned out great. I found the book VERY easy to follow. The mitten on her right hand looks bigger because it is. I didn't follow the directions. It is actually the second one I knit and was out and about, waiting for the kids and going by my memory.... which I should know by now NOT to do!
It's only slightly longer and her hands will only grow.