Remote Control Caddy

Here is my remote control caddy. I am not sure what to call it, so I am calling it a caddy. After the felting this past weekend, I sewed the main pouch into three compartments for my three main remote controls.

I just knit an extra wide scarf. I reversed the stockinette stitch for the bottom part, so that the folded pouch would have a right side out also. Then I felted. The other end just folds over the side of the chair and under the seat cushion. And voila!!

I am so happy I did a felted gauge swatch. It worked out perfectly, and my measurements and estimated change in size due to felting were also perfect. It fits all three remotes, and the felting makes it sturdy enough to hold their weight.

You can see my kitty got into the picture, too. She just can't resist a photo opp. :)

Wonderful Knitting Weekend!!

A few weeks ago, my honey asked me if I would knit him some gloves. I answered, "Of course," although I was very nervous about the prospect. I had never knit gloves before. I did knit mittens once. They did not turn out so well. They are so large that they slip off my hands, and one of them is considerably larger than the other. Yeah, you could say I was nervous about knitting gloves....I mean gloves with five whole fingers!!

But, apparently I have gotten better at knitting since I tried those mittens. I mean, these gloves turned out awesome. I used a yarn from JoAnn Fabrics. My sister gave it to me as a gift. Debbie Mumm Traditions yarn in Chocolate Raspberry. The yarn knit up really nicely. It is so soft and the color change is really neat. And, perhaps the most surprising of all.....the gloves are both the same size, and they fit. Success :)


This weekend was also felting weekend. I threw all my felting projects in the washer with some awesome Kookaburra soap and off we went.....Here are all my felting projects drying in the sun. Well, actually there was no sun, but they dried outside.

There's 4 cat toys waiting to be stuffed with stuffing and catnip, a small purse that needs to be shaved a little, a remote control holder pouch thingy of my own design, and a bright green frog waiting to be stuffed.

Hopefully, he will look more like a frog when he is finished. I plan to use some felt to make his bulging eyes look more like eyes. He obviously needs to be stuffed, and I plan to sew his feet and hands so that they look more webbed-like.

Altogether, it was a wonderful knitting weekend :P

Felted Cat Toy

This is one of my favorite things to knit. I created the pattern myself. Its super easy, and I can knit a bunch of them in one night. Basically the toy is carrot-shaped. It was originally supposed to look like a mouse, and the first one I knit had an attempt at embroidered eyes and mouth. I even knit little ears. Then I realized that my cat doesn't care if the toy really looks like a mouse or not. She just wants it stuffed with catnip, so I stuff with a mixture of polyfil and really good catnip.



Man, does she love this toy!!!

She prefers natural yarns, and she really likes when I felt the toys, so that's what I do. I knit the toy on straight needles and just sew up the seam before felting, leaving a little spot for stuffing. Then after felting, I stuff with polyfil and catnip, sew it up and leave the ends of the yarn dangling like a tail. Those ends can also be used when playing with the toy, making it much more fun.

Maybe I did use a little too much catnip. Kitty looks wasted!!! :P

Ribbon Yarn Purse is Complete :)

Ta Da!! I finished my ribbon yarn purse. It was knit in Lion Brand Incredible ribbon yarn. The color is Autumn Leaves. I like the color a lot and I like how the purse knit. The pattern was really easy to follow and it was easy to shape. I got it from the book Knitting with Ribbon Yarn by Tracy Chapman.

I used different size needles than the pattern called for. I used size 8 and 10 aluminum needles. There is something about metal needles that I really like. I think it is because I used them when I was younger.

I'm not sure that I like the twisted cord handles on the purse. They seem wimpy for the purse. If I ever knit this style again, I would change the handles to something more substantial.

This is a fun book...some really fun accessory projects. There is a cool flower pattern pillow I would like to try sometime. And, surprisingly, ribbon yarn was fun and easy to knit with (I was not expecting that).

Sunny Day

It was such a beautiful day today. Unfortunately, knitting took second place to gardening and other outdoor activities. No felting :(

But I did get a new tree, a Norfolk Pine. I think that's what it is called. It is beautiful and it looks happy in it's new pot in the front window.

I also checked on my outdoor garden: lettuce, basil, garlic, peas and such. Some seeds have sprouted, some not yet. I don't think that my lilac tree is going to bloom this year. That's a little disappointing, but all the irises are preparing to flower. I love growing things.

Also took a long bike ride this afternoon. I love to bike out in the countryside by my house. I get to see all my animal neighbors, the cows, pigs, dogs, chickens.... What a beautiful day. :)

The Frog 2

Just a couple of days ago, I finished knitting the frog. I think that the head was the most difficult part to figure out. I could not figure out what shape to use for the head. I settled on a shape with two eyes bulging from the top of his head. I will finish them with white and black circles to make them really look like eyes.













The head, arms and legs were all knit flat and then sewed together. The body I knit in the round on dpns.


Now the whole thing gets felted, then stuffed when he is dry. I am pretty happy with how he looks so far.


Meanwhile I have started a new project. I got a great deal on some ribbon yarn, which I have never knit with before. I found a book at the library all about knitting with ribbon yarn and chose a cute purse pattern. I am modifying the design just a little. The original design calls for beads that are knitted in the purse in a geometric pattern. I have decided to leave those out and add some beaded embellishment after the purse is completed. Here is a picture of how the knitting is progressing. I really like how the colors are coming out in the ribbon yarn. Its actually really fun to knit with.







I am looking forward to the finished purse.

Since the frog is ready for felting, this will be a felting weekend. I have a number of projects just waiting for felting day to arrive. I love felting, and I am excited to see how it all turns out. :)