Momartfully

The Caps for Good Campaign

I'll be participating in the "Caps for Good" campaign
from November 2010 - February 2011;

Caps for Good will run from November, 2010 through February, 2011 and will call on knitters and crocheters of all ages and ability levels to help protect infants in some of the word’s poorest countries so they survive the critical first month of life. (Warm Up America)

I'll be cranking out baby hats as quickly as I can - both crochet and knit. Join me by making hats, or make a donation to the "Caps for Good" campaign. Help all of us provide newborns with hats to help improve infant survivability.

I will also be offering first pick of the hats I produce to my friends and family members who would like a hand-crafted hat.

Sticks and string showdown

I'm enjoying crochet (I'm just learning how) - but I still love knitting. Moving back and forth between projects I feel very much like I've got one foot in a canoe and one foot on the dock... and they're drifting apart.

Are knitters and crocheters (is that actually a word, "crocheters" it seems... awkward... I keep wanting to pronounce the "t" like cro-shett-urs) really in two entirely different camps? Does everyone eventually pick a side?

To outsiders this is all just a bunch of string and a stick or two... it doesn't seem that different, but I've noticed a lot of yarnie types favouring one over the other. Actually, favouring two - sticks, that is. My LYS (local yarn store) has a definite preference - their "accessories for sale" wall was covered in dozens of packages of knitting needles - and exactly one crochet hook.

A little obvious, that.

Do you ever find yourself in a knitting only mood? A crochet only mood? Do you hate one or adore the other... or are you like me, firmly undecided, but happily surrounded by sticks and string?

Sticks and string showdown: which is better knitting or crochet? (Poll Closed)

Knitting 33%

Crochet 0%

Both! 67%

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Mad Hatter

I completed my first big crochet project - a pink/brown/lilac colour mix hat for my daughter. The pattern is from the Klutz Press "Learn to Crochet Six Great Projects" book. I added a double flower to the hat, chose a beautiful silk and merino wool blend yarn - and she is thrilled with the result.

I also offered to make a hat for Natasha - just because she's a great person and I wanted to help lift her spirits. She likes handicrafts and is addicted to Etsy (grin), so hopefully she'll like her hat.

Anyway, Natasha asked for a mossy green hat. I'm hoping to have finished in the next few days and sent off to her.

I chose a green/brown and a wee bit of gray mix yarn for her hat - it is also a hand-painted silk and merino wool blend. It's not only a beautiful yarn to work with, it also makes pretty hats that are soft and comfortable.

Ignore my lack of manicure. I've tried to cultivate a beautiful french manicure to show off with my knitting and crochet efforts. I've been inspired by the Dominknitrix's gorgeous nails all over her drool-worthy book. I just can't maintain my pathetic Sally Hanson nails for more than five seconds with all the typing endlessly at work, knitting and crocheting, wrestling the kids and the cat, grinding through chores and in general living life lurching around like a zombie. I've  destroyed any chance I may have of looking elegant and girly.

Speaking of lurching - I sprained my back last week. Sadly my back would not tolerate any activity more ambitious than breathing, so my knitting has been sitting neglected for days.

Now that I'm on the mend (and heavily medicated with muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory meds) I'm getting back on the knitting track. I'd better get back on track - I have three hats to knit this week plus Natasha's hat (crochet), plus the finishing (a trident pattern on the seven blue birthday hats).

Did I mention the birthday hats are for a birthday party next weekend?

My son asked for a Percy Jackson theme party (the movie and lunch at a Greek restaurant) and he also asked for a knit hat for each guest. Each hat will be blue, have a ribbed edge, and a "team Poseidon" trident pattern on the front.

I really need to set up the knitting machine. This would be a lot easier in bulk.

Scarf-o-ramma

It's scarf-o-ramma time (no, not that kind of scarfing). This kind of "scarfing":

 

Three scarves, hanging out (har, har).

• pink
  
  • knit horizontally (end-to-end)
  • dollar store find yarn (2-strand confetti chenille and eyelash)
  • cotton yarn for the center stripes
  • about 125 stitches long, 18 stitches wide (6 novelty/6cotton/6novelty)
  • I love the fringe - the confetti chenille yarn looks beautiful
  • this one's a gift scarf (for a little girl) who will LOVE having her own "feather boa" scarf
  
  
• grey - (previously mentioned, this is a better photo)
  
  • knit traditionally (side-to-side)
  • short scarf (for a 3 year old boy)
  • acrylic slub yarn (dollar store find)
  • 8 stitches wide, garter stitch
  • also a gift scarf (little boy)

• orange - (previously mentioned, this is a better photo)
  
  • knit side-to-side.
  • Each row is 15 stitches, garter stitch
  • I am not overly happy with this one, may rip it out and re-do it in a more lacy pattern
  • this scarf is also a gift

I found a great informative video on scarf trends (how to tie them, types for each season and tips).

More to come, of course!

What Will Your Kids Be (this week, anyway) & 3 Scarves

Based on your kid's interests lately, what would you say they would grow up to be?

My darling, dainty, Tinkerbell loving, pink-and-glitter-on-everything little girl wants to drive a big rig.

This week, anyway.

Our day home caregiver's husband is a long-haul truck driver. A couple weeks ago the caregiver's husband and grown son took the bigger kids to go visit his BIG truck.

She was HOOKED. Smitten. Clutching the steering wheel, chattering on the radio and waving out the window.

However that dashboard may be a wee bit of a problem - she probably should be able to see the road.

She even asked - I'm so not kidding - if I had any "tattoos" in the house. She wanted a tattoo - the wet transfer kind. I explained to her that real tattoos are made with needles and hurt. She didn't seem deterred.

Thankfully Miami Ink isn't on Treehouse TV.

My son normally states he wants to be an author. A children's author, a graphic novelist or "something like Percy Jackson" - as long as he's writing, he's happy.

But lately he's been all about trees.

He scaled every tree in my parent's commercial orchard this summer - and that's a LOT of trees.

He's building a treehouse in our back yard - by himself.

He spends almost all his time in the back yard hanging out in the trees, thinking, talking to friends and figuring out how to fasten the tree house to the tree without nails, "The nails hurt the tree, mom."

He's also perfecting his climbing skills by clinging to the door trim and climbing up the walls - or climbing up opposing walls in the hallway.

Peter Parker (Spiderman) was a writer, wasn't he?

Three Scarves

On the knitting front - I've been cranking out a lot of scarves this week. I knit when I'm stressed, and since I've resigned my current job and accepted another job offer - I'm just a wee bit stressed. It's change - and I'm not good with change - it's a good change, but still. Stress.

So, I'm knitting.

I'm going to be giving out a lot of scarves for Christmas. 

Finished this a "slubby" hand-dyed merino wool scarf in orange

...and this a gorgeous pure viscose moss stitch scarf in teal

...and this dollar store find! Grey mix slubby acrylic yarn

Now I'm working on another dollar store find scarf - a pink 2 strand (eyelash and chenille) yarn that will be combined with a pink organic cotton yarn (how's for a combination LOL). I'm also working on a purple kettle dyed merino wool scarf (it's sooo soft), some cotton dishcloths (always!) and thinking about tackling the goat yarn (that I first mentioned here).

I hope it'll be a cold winter.