3 month catch up

Hello friends!  Anyone still out there?  Has it really been 3 months since I was here?!?!

To state the obvious- life is busy.  Blame it on the kids.  When I started blogging they used to take naps and go to bed at 7:30.  Fast forward 4 or 5 years and they are up late doing homework after a full evening of hockey, ringette, dance, playdates and so on.  Not a lot of time for Mom!  But it's all good. They are fun and quirky little humans and I am just going with the flow and trying to enjoy and keep my head above water.

But today I have a day off- it's my birthday :)  Woohoo!  So far that has meant crossfit, getting cranky and tired kids to school, several loads of laundry and painting cabinets.  Do I know how to party or what? But while the paint dries, I am taking a break, having a cup of tea and some chocolate almonds and am going to chat a bit about my projects over the past 3 months...and you are going to have to cope with mostly crappy iPhone pictures, usually taken late at night in my bathroom.  Nice!

So, there has been knitting.  Knitting is my go-to these days as it is portable and can travel with me on the chauffeur circuit.  Made this cozy fall sweater:

And this one:

Started this one:

And just finished this one, which I am wearing today for the first time, yay!

Also knit myself this hat:

And made a good friend at work this shawl for her retirement. I think I need one, too!

I haven't done as much sewing as I'd like.  I had a 2 month no-sew hiatus but managed to get these in before and after that time.

The HOPE quilt.  This is a special one to me, made for a little girl in our community, Mackenzie, who was diagnosed a few years ago with Batten's disease, a terrible hereditary illness where a once completely normal child begins to suffer increasing seizures, motor loss, mental impairment and loss of sight until they are eventually lost to the disease.  There is no cure.  Mackenzie's family has been working hard to raise awareness for Batten's at their blog Mackenzie's Hope.  They are such an amazing and positive family. I wanted to give them a little "hope" back!  So I put together this happy rainbow quilt for her, quilted with hearts.  It was a pleasure to make and to give.

After my unintended quilting break, I felt the need for a quick instant gratification project.  I had received this gorgeous pack of Liberty hexies from my bestie Sam so I had my first go at putting those together.  I arranged them into a larger hexie shape, appliquéd it to some Kona Snow and did some grid quilting to add some texture. I now have a lovely mini quilt to go on my soon-to-be sewing room wall!

We have also been busy with crafts of a different variety: renovations.  We are fixing a few final things in our home, including converting the front living room to a sewing/craft space for me!  Yippee!  I think I will sew so much more if I don't have to make a production of hauling everything out and cleaning up each time.  Hoping to get that done in the next couple months.  The bigger renovations are happening at our cottage, which had water damage due to a hose that broke in our fridge and ruined most of the flooring and then some.  We have decided since the place is getting ripped apart that we might as well also do some other updates we had wanted.  So we have been busy scouting out lighting, painting cabinets, making curtains, choosing new counters and vanities and faucets and all sorts of fun stuff.  Really excited to see the finished product!


More to share, but that's enough catch up for now.  Hope you all are well!

Kristie

snowfling toque

The love affair with my Snowfling mitts continues.  I love them so hard.  So I decided I needed the fun to continue with a matching hat!

I improvised the pattern and design, starting with a basic Norwegian Star pattern chart and adding rows of other designs and motifs inspired by the mittens.  I had soooo much fun watching this take shape over Christmas break when we were out at the lake!  Nothing like putting your feet up and knitting fireside as the cold winds blow :)

The pom pom, for me, is kind of like the cherry on top of a sundae.  Actually not at all….I hate those things….but it is the crowning touch of Canadian winter whimsey.  I can totally pull that look off ;)

(Yes, my hair is actually frozen. Baby, it's cold outside!)

I once again used the matching Tanis Fiber Arts yarns, this time in Green label/aran weight.  I may sew a fleece lining in here yet for extra warmth, but so far it is snowshoeing-on-frozen-lake-at-sunset approved :)

le bun hat

My sister tends to get attached to a hairstyle.  In the 90s, it was the perm and big bangs, of course. In the new millennium it evolved to big loose curls with the sides and bangs clipped up.  She got a good 10 years out of that one.  But for the past few years, it is "Le Bun."  I get it, it is quick and fuss free.  And she looks great in it!  But when Last But Not Least started drawing aunty with a circle on her head, some sisterly ribbing was in order.

Enter: Le Bun Hat.  A Winterpeg-suitable toque with a hole in the top, just perfect for the bun! I adapted it from this free pattern on Ravelry.

I gave this to my sis as a snarky little Christmas gift.  She was properly amused :)

And she has even put it to good use the past few weeks with the crazy cold snap we had here ("had"….hoping that is indeed the end of it!).

I gotta say….I think I may need one for myself!  Babes of the Buns unite!

June already?

Not sure how summer snuck up on us, just glad it finally arrived.  The days seem to fly by around here, and I am looking forward to slowing down somewhat over the summer months to enjoy....just enjoy everything.  Some time soaking up this view will be in the cards:

 

We bought a cottage :)  So, SOOO excited!!  As you may recall, we had a family cottage that was destroyed in floods here a couple summers ago.  With it, there has been a mountain of  paperwork and bureaucracy to work through.  We were finally at the point where we could start to rebuild.  BUT, then more forecasts of floods were made (which, thankfully, did not occur), and an ice storm caused more damage for some properties.  And we decided, enough was enough.  Time to make a move to a new, more sheltered area.  While we will miss our friends at beach, we are looking forward to this new chapter.  Life is good :)

And a new cottage means new bed quilts to make!  That should keep me busy for awhile.

While I haven't been blogging much, I have snuck in some crafting here and there.  If you follow me on Instagram (I am there under Kristieocd), you have seen some of these.  But here is a few more of the things that I have made for my new muse, my sweet peanut of a niece! So, in addition to the quilt and sweater she has scored, here are a few other items I have made for her of late.

A wee knit hat for her noggin, using my baby eyelet hat pattern and adding a crochet flower.

 

A voile dress.  No pattern, just went with it, much like the one I made for LBNL's birthday.  Used some crochet trim for the hem and the shoulder straps, and a button closure on the back.  Will be nice and light, and hopefully fit, in the warmer months ahead!

Some onsies, made with t-shirt transfers.

My sister is a bit OBSESSED with New Kids on the Block, U2, and Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks (and formerly a Winnipeg Jet).  She has a keenly developed sixth sense entirely related to finding and meeting celebrities, and as such has had several run ins with Teemu, Donnie Wahlberg, and even can be seen chatting up Bono in the latest U2 documentary about the band, which was partially filmed in Winnipeg.  It is quite comical how she pulls this stuff off.  So of course I had to take the opportunity to dress her offspring in NKOTB and U2 gear. This one reading "New Kid on the Block" and another that says "Achtung Baby" after the U2 album.  Of course, the first gift my niece received was her very own baby Jets jersey!

Have a great day, back again soon :)
Kristie

baby knit eyelet hat pattern

When I made this cute baby shrug, I had just enough yarn left over for a sweet wee hat. I decided to make up a pattern that matched. As promised, I am sharing it with you!

Size: 3 months (6-12 month, 1T-2T)

To fit head size: 14-17" (16-19", 18-20")

Materials: Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label yarn in natural, 50 (100, 150 yards)

needle: circular US size 8/ 5mm (I used a 40" circular and used the magic loop method)

Stitch marker

tapestry needle

Gauge: 4.5 st/inch

Abbreviations used:

st: stitch

K or k: knit

k2tog: knit two stitches together as one (decrease)

P or p: purl

YO: yarn over (increase)

BO: bind off

Pattern:

Cast on 60 (66, 72) st.

Place marker and join in the round, being careful not to twist stitches.

Row 1-6: *K1 P1, repeat from * to end of each row (1x1 ribbing).

Row 7 (Eyelet row): *K1, YO, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row.

Knit in stockinette (knit every stitch) until hat measures 4.5 (5, 6.5) inches from cast on edge.

Begin Decreases to shape top of hat:

Row 1: *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row. 50(55, 60) st.

Row 2: knit all stitches

Row 3: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row. 40(44, 48) st.

Row 4: knit all stitches.

Row 5: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row. 30(33, 36) st.

Row 6: knit all stitches

Row 7: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row. 20(22, 24) st.

Row 8: knit all stitches.

Row 9. k2tog to end of row. 10(11,12) st

Row 10: knit all stitches.

Row 11: k2tog to end of row. There will be one extra stitch for the 6-12 month size hat; knit it. 5(6, 6) st.

Thread tail of yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Weave in ends and block.

Finished!

How to warm a naked Mountie

My friend Alison of Little Island Quilting has been kind enough to send me a couple stacks of British craft magazines, called Molly Makes. It is fun to check out some crafting inspiration from across the sea! Lots of good projects in there.

They even had a review of The State of Craft, the craft book I contributed to!

Anyways, I was immediately taken by the mug cozies on the cover of one of the mags. A cute and quick project! I made a few for Christmas gifts for friends. Of course I had fun embroidering on cute quirky sayings...mostly plays on the word "hot," since all my girlfriends are so darn sexy ;) "I'm hot," "Hot stuff," "Too hot to handle"....stuff like that! Here is an example of one of them:

And this one I modified for take out coffee:

So I thought I would send a little something back over the ocean to Alison in thanks. Since she claims to be knitting-impaired, and she has this terrible cough every time I post about a hat I have knit, I thought I would make one for the poor dear to keep her warm. And I didn't even make one mistake on this one! Well, not after the third time I unraveled it and started again, anyhow. A bloody miracle. I am sure it will be revered ;) Check it, Peeps!

Alison had also requested that I send a "naked Canadian Mountie" her way. Unfortunately, I couldn't cooerse one into the envelope. If I come across one, though, I will be sure to knit him up one of these:


Or this?


Or, since you live on a little island, perhaps something nautical? That's a love anchor, right?
(Disclaimer: I did not make these wonders of nature. I have no idea who did, the photos were passed on via an email and I could not trace/credit the source. Nor am I acquainted with the gentleman model. View at own risk. I can not be held responsible for any swooning or horniness that may result from viewing these photos. Please do not view while simultaneously ingesting food or water as the combination may result in a choking hazard. Namaste.)

mad hatter

I mostly stuck to my guns about having a relaxing, stress free, store bought Christmas, and my sewing machine had quite honestly not seen the light of day since November. But I did get the itch to stitch a few times, so I made some hand knit hats for some of my friends and family.

Okay- it was kind of like a factory around here... :) I think I made 7 in total, didn't take photos of them all!

I learned to cable! Now I really feel fancy-schmancy. Shhhh...don't spill the beans, but it was really quite simple. Also, Michael's had a sale on my favorite bulky yarn, so I bought a bunch and churned out these puppies. I made this pattern 3 times for friends. How cute is that button detail?

Another one from the same pattern, but modified with no button band. I love the pumpkin orange, yo!

And one more slightly different cable pattern for my wonderful and very crafty MIL:

Here's the pile of them including the purple one which was blogged here.


My favorite part? These awesome labels, bought here (found via Katie on Pinterest). Me loves to be cheeky ;) I think they will go on everything I make from now on!


Yup, I am officially a Mad Hatter!

stuff I've knit lately

I am a bit behind lately with blogging stuff that I have made. Keep forgetting to take pictures, which must tell you how very busy I am, I am usually really good about that! Anyways, with snow and cold now finding us in the Great White North, these items have been swallowed up into my everyday wardrobe and are being happily put to use to keep all my bits and pieces warm :)

Another slouch hat (details on Ravelry here):



Another Autumn hat (details on Ravelry here):

And some matching seed stitch mittens, in a pattern by yours truly. Which I plan to post for you in the next day or so :) Again with the Ravelry.


The winter ensemble. Photo courtesy of Big G :)