Felting!

Yes, I also created a small bowl out of scrap yarn as well. This is for holding markers in my busy classroom. I think the kids will love the texture!
I had no idea of how important the idea/process of felting is. Thanks to my teacher/friend, Janine I was able to felt 6 clutches this afternoon! Wow! I look forward to sewing some decals of sorts on them to 'spruce them up a bit". I have the privilege of working with a few universities who place young people in Kindergarten who are interested in teaching in a public school. I have had many this year and look forward to giving them one of my felted bags as a big Thank You for helping out in Kindergarten!



This afternoon I was able to get some great felting lessons from my friend Janine. She is an expert knitter, sewer, etc. During each spin cycle we were able to chat and work on our current knitting projects. Janine is working on a market bag and I am working on a Flapper! This is a great felted handbag!

Spring Is Here, Despite All The Snow, Really!

Of course I can not forget my furry little friend and helper with creating balls of yarn for this project.




I hear the robins singing, but the temperature is still a little nippy and the snow, yikes! I wish it would just disappear! I finished a pair of spring booties for a little baby boy along with a cotton watch cap to match! This is my second attempt! My first knitted creation was a bit too small. The little bundle of joy is growing so fast! I am delivering the goods this week before he has another growth spurt!

Cotton Knit Dishtowel!

I just finished my first dishtowel. This pattern is easy, simple and so useful! The pattern is by Cristina B. Shiffman. All you need is 100% cotton yarn worsted weight and size 7 needles with a stitch marker. It knits up quickly and beautifully! I am beginning to make some more in bright spring colors; peach, lemon and baby green! I also made a simple, but elegant dish cloth. The pattern is simple and quick. You decide how large you want it to be. I have displayed the pattern for you to see how I whipped this up!
I made this dish towel and matching washcloth for a bride to be! I was so excited to be a winner of a small vase of fresh flowers from the bridal shower I attended! Spring is here!

Hats That Are Warm and Snug!

I just finished 2 hats this afternoon. The design is inspired by knitting pure and simple. I used Lambs Pride 100% wool from Mitchell, Nebraska along with a 100% cotton rim on the hat with the rolled edge. I love the warmth of a wool hat, but the cotton band near my skin prevents unnecessary itching! The wool is easy to knit with. I used size 7 double points along with a 16" circular needle for the hat with the multi colored rolled edge and size 10 circular needle and double points for the other hat. The hats will be great for snowshoeing in our snowy, woodland property!

Pink and Flashy!

I just finished a couple of children's hats based on the pattern Knitting Pure and Simple. I made a couple of changes to the ribbed cap. The yarn is a wiry, pink yarn that has multiple variations of pink and other bright colors. I thought that it might be a nice way to dress off the cap.

In the background you see a sample of a bed quilt that my great grandmother made with her sisters, really wonderful. The case in the photograph is a design created and made by my dear friend, Cindy known as the fussycutter! Go to her website to see more of her designs and creations.

Hats, Caps and Mittens!

The idea for the photograph was based on a story called, "Caps For Sale" by, Esphyr Slobodkina. In the story a group of clever monkeys take the merchants caps, wear them and then hang out high in a tree. Since I have no monkeys, I improvised and used the branches! Only 8 more to go!
My original goal was to have 18 knit hats for my 18 Kindergarten children for the holidays, then I changed my goal to Valentine's Day! However, I have yet to reach my goal! So I have 9 more hats to go! I hope to have them for my students before spring! I am using variety of patterns and styles. Some of the hats have a slight rolled edge, while others are ribbed. One of my favorite styles is the pink hat as it is Knit 2 ,Purl 2 for the entire hat. The pattern is simple and easy to fit.







Special thanks to my husband extraordinaire! He is my photographer!

What do you do to keep all your hair out of your face?

I have very thick, natural curly hair. As a child and teenager I always hated my hair as I felt it wasn't "like everybody else". Long, shiny, smooth, etc. Little did I know how lucky I was to have such great hair! Besides being so easy to care for, I have been designing and creating headbands lately. This one is easy to make and just tie off!