The Singing Gnome

Randomness

2011-04-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost 3 months since my last post?! Oops! Well rather than make some lame excuses I'll just share some finished projects.

This hat was a birthday gift for my sister. Pattern is the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret (Ravelry link). The picture isn't the best but it's the best I could manage using a crappy bathroom mirror.

This bag is intended for one of the ladies in my knitting group. She mentioned that she liked all the project bags that everyone had so I told her I could whip one up for her. It measure 11"x 14" is lined and has a zipper at the top. I also made the bottom a little wider so it can accommodate skeins of yarn a little easier.

This fabric has been laying in my stash just waiting for the perfect project. I seem to have a fair amount of unfinished knitting projects laying around and not nearly enough time to finish them. So this baby should at least help keep everything together.

Next up, more bags for my shop. I know, I know. I still haven't opened my shop. I've been a little insecure about the process so I've decided to do a trial run. My mom and sister participated in a craft fair last year and this year it just so happens to fall in the two week period that I will be back in Iowa before our move to Florida. So I'm going to go in on a booth with them and "test" the market to see which bags sell the best.

This is my favorite bag so far. I absolutely love this print. Anytime I find a yard or two on Etsy I grab it. I was so nervous actually cutting into it the first time. The pattern can be found here.

I love this blue print too. It's probably a good thing that I don't have much use for a small purse these days (with diapers, sippy cups, and all that comes with a little one) otherwise this little guy would be mine! Pattern here.

Last but not least is this beauty. I originally bought this fabric to use as a Christmas gift but ended up using something else. Boy am I glad I did because I just love the way this bag turned out. Same pattern as above.

Ok that wraps up the FINISHED items. I'm working on finishing up all my "in progress" items before the big move so hopefully I'll have more FOs to share soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Assembly Line

2011-01-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

I made a few mini clutches. I thought that making the same pattern from multiple fabrics at the same time would speed things up. You know like an assembly line. Great idea, in theory.

Just one problem. When I made a mistake on one, I systematically made the same mistake on several others before I noticed. So I also systematically used my seam ripper.

In the end I had to scrap two clutches and have two that had to be ripped back to square one and are still waiting to be reassembled. But I did end up with six new mini clutches destined for the shop.

Pattern is the easy envelope clutch from my favorite pattern shop, keykalou.

Wedding Crafts

2011-01-16T18:46:00.001-08:00

I'm finally getting around to posting about the projects for my sister's wedding.

First up are the mustaches on a stick. We didn't make nearly as many as originally planned and in fact the whole idea was almost scrapped. But Mom and I had already put in too much time cutting them out to let them be scrapped all together. They sure made a good photo prop for the wedding party in the end. Plus the kids still play with them.

The most daunting task was the cake. I can't complain because I totally brought this upon myself. My sister had originally planned to make the cake but decided to order a cake from the local Hy-Vee. I asked her if I could give it a go and after many You Tube videos, articles on cakecentral.com, and a failed attempt at taking a class at Michaels, this is the result.

I had planned on a butter cream frosting but unfortunately on the day of the wedding my frosting decided to rebel, despite my many practice cakes. Fortunately I had a couple boxes of fondant on hand, just in case. I wasn't as practiced with the fondant so it wasn't as flat as I would have liked but what can you do.

The fondant was so thick that they had to stab the cake. :) Good think there was a sheet cake.

The vest for my son turned out really well.

It was hard to get a good full length shot because he was on the go the whole time.

He was not interested in wearing his hat and although I didn't make it I'm glad we at least got one picture with him in it.

(Just ignore my horrible hair please)

Although I didn't have anything to do with it I had to include a picture of my sister's dress. My Mom made it! Maya, the flower girl, is wearing the dress that my niece, Emma, wore at my wedding! Maya was only a couple of weeks old at my wedding and I can't believe how well the timing worked out and that if fit her.

Congrats Meg and Adam!

Bounty of bags

2011-01-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

I love making bags. They are so quick and satisfying. I am so close to having a large enough inventory built up for my etsy shop. Over the holidays I cranked out a few more while I had access to my mom's machine which is so much smoother than my own. So here's what I managed to make.

This zebra number was a gift for my niece who loves zebra print. The lining is bright pink.

This red clutch is headed for my etsy shop (once I get that up I'm going to have to go back through my blog and make a ton of links).

The pattern is from my favorite shop, keykalou and the fabric is from Moda's Wonderland collection.

I made this green clutch using the same pattern.
I will definitely have to take better pictures for the shop.

This pattern is also from keykalou along with the pattern for the matching wallet.

In hind sight I should have made the pockets on the inside with the floral print and used the dots for the lining.

Well that's it for now. I have a ton of fabric waiting to become more clutches and coin purses but I have to make (another) run to Joann's before that can happen.

It won't be long now!

Handmade Holiday

2011-01-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to make as many gifts as possible for Christmas. Unfortunately, time (and ideas) usually runs out and I end up buying stuff for half of the people on my list. This year was no exception but I do feel as though while the quantity of handmade gifts didn't go up the quality did IMHO (in my humble opinion).

First up are three jewelry organizers that I made for two nieces and a cousin. Each organizer has four zipper pouches for the girls to store what ever treasures they may desire. These things were pretty big (11x24) and very time consuming but I really like how they turned out. To add to the gift my husband (!!!) made bracelets and necklaces for the girls. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of those.

I found this pattern in a magazine and for the life of me I cannot remember the name and the magazine is back in Iowa so I can't go look.

This blue and brown combo was my first attempt. In hind sight I should have chosen a different fabric for the tie.

This green and white organizer was made of mostly fat quarters which weren't quite big enough for the measurements in the pattern so I had to do a little adapting but it still turned out nice.

This one is by far my favorite. Were I not so crunched for time I probably would have made a second organizer with these fabrics for myself. :)

I also made two tutus, a flower hair accessory, a coin purse, and a purse (which I will post later). I also managed to get a few more bags for my Etsy shop which is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. I'll share more about those in the next post.

Maybe I should start sewing now for next Christmas.....

To Do List

2010-11-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

My sister is getting married soon and like any good big sister I'm helping with some of the crafts and food. So as a way to manage my to-do list I'm using my blog and putting it all out there in cyber-space.

First on the list are these pom-poms to be hung something like this.

Then there are these mustache on a stick favors.

Next there is this vest in a grey plaid for my son, the ring bearer. Who will be the cutest ring bearer ever. :)

Finally is the cake. I'm going to attempt to make and decorate my sister's cake. I promised her that if it didn't turn out well I would buy her a cake instead.

After all of the wedding projects are finished begins the rush to make as many hand crafted Christmas gifts as possible and maybe even finish enough projects to finally officially open my Etsy shop.

I'll be updating my blog with updates as I go and to make up for the lack up pictures in this post here is a dose of cute to tide you over. :)

Halloween

2010-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

The first of (hopefully) many homemade costumes.

He was supposed to be a muskateer but ended up looking more like a little prince or knight. Since we only made two trick-or-treat stops I guess it really doesn't matter. The important part is that the costume had a cape because of this....

He kept bringing the blanket to his daddy and whinning. Finally Mr. Gnome wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and sure enough that made him happy. We safety pinned the blanet and he ran around like that for the rest of the night.

Mr. Gnomes and I didn't have costumes this year but we did carve a couple pumpkins.

I found the Hello Kitty pattern here. It was fun hearing the trick-or-treaters outside our window talking about my pumpkin. Mr. Gnome's pumpkin had a couple fans too.

Another bag

2010-10-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to share my latest completed sewing project.

More of the black and white fabric. I like to use it for trial runs so I don't have to cut into my precious (more expensive) fabric.

The pattern is the zip clutch available here and here through my favorite pattern shop
Keyka Lou (she has two shops).

Gotta run. My little gnome and my crazy cat are demanding my attention.

The three year socks

2010-09-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

About three years ago I decided to make a plain jane pair of socks. I thought a pair of socks with no pattern to concentrate on would just fly off of the needles. I thought wrong. I have never been so bored with a project in my knitting life. Now don't get me wrong, the yarn was nice enough and I love the way they turned out. I just don't see myself making another pair of plain socks again. I apparently need a pattern to keep me entertained.

So with out further ado, here are my Just Sucks (no that is not a typo).

That is all. I refuse to spend another second working on these in any way shape or form.

Fabric Stash and Plans

2010-09-11T18:48:00.001-07:00

I've been stock piling my fabric here in California in preparation for my new Etsy shop and Christmas crafting. This post is more for my reference and that of my family (so they can make requests) so I apologize for the lack of content but perhaps you are a fabric collector and will enjoy the pretty pictures. On with it then..

This is my Etsy collection (this is what I plan to use for my shop and it was all purchased on Etsy). These fabrics were purchased from The Sprout Store . I also bought a few coordinating fabrics from Cotton Thread Fabrics but haven't taken pictures of those yet.

Top center: Freebird by Momo for Moda - Garden in the sky ( I also have this print in geranium aka red)
Left column top to bottom: 1Woodland by Momo for Moda - Wonderland Tweedle Dee in Sugar, 2Woodland by Momo for Moda - Tweedle Dum in Tomato (I also have this print in sugar just not photoed), 3Woodland by Momo for Moda - Tweedle Dee in Tomato
Right column top to bottom: 1Freebird by Momo for Moda - balls in ivory, 2Freebird by Momo for Moda - Butterflies in Vanilla, 3 Freebird by Momo for Moda - Garden in Grass

These are intended for a couple of aprons. I honestly don't remember what the names or who the designer(s) are but I picked this set up at Joann's.

I love this Japanese inspired print. I had intended to make a purse with it but I'm not sure about that anymore. Purchased at Joann's.

These are intended to make a tutu petti skirt for my niece, Maya.

These are scraps left over from other projects, a couple of random fat quarters, a few random pieces of fabric that don't really belong in any other group, and a couple of tea towels that I bought to make a tote bag with.

These fabrics are also intended for my Etsy shop but will also be used for Christmas projects. All were purchased at Joann's.

Last but not least is my Ikea big score. I was browsing through the "as is" section and found a bag of scraps for just $5!! If you're familiar with Ikea fabric it usually runs $7.99 a yard for the prints. There is about ten yards total here. The largest piece is 2 yards and the smallest is 1/4 yard, not what I would call "scraps" but definitely a bargain.

The bottom right is actually grey but the sun was shining on it and washed out the color in the photo.

Ok that's my stash, minus the fabric mentioned at the beginning, a few yard of solid colors intended for lining, and a one other home decor print that just wouldn't photograph properly.

As promised

2010-09-09T14:45:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to show my latest projects.

The first was supposed to be a small bag for me to use when I don't want to carry my big "mom bag" but it I'm just not feeling it. So I think this will be one of the first items to go up in my etsy shop (once I have enough items to make a decent inventory).

This is the pretty bag pattern from this etsy shop.

I chose this fabric because it was similar to the example on the pattern but in the end I just didn't dig it.

Maybe someone else will.

I made the inside pocket larger than the pattern called for and added a second section.

This is the half-moon handbag from this etsy shop.

I decided to use the main fabric for the inside pocket and I love the result. I think this bag will be going into my etsy shop too. I like it but I have another fabric in mind for my own. I'm making a small zipper pouch with this same fabric, also intended for my shop.

Alrighty, back to homework. Once my husband is done with his chief games I'll bring back "what to make Wednesday" but in the mean time I am working on photographing my fabric stash. At least the stash that I have here in San Diego with me. :)

Pictureless

2010-09-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm still around. I have two new purses, curtains, and a pair of socks to share. Unfortunately, my camera needs new batteries and blogger isn't letting me post pictures at the moment anyways. So I guess a new post will just have to wait.

In the mean time here's what I'm planning to make next week. I just love Keyka Lou's patterns and Michelle has all kinds of helpful tips on the
Keyka Lou blog.

When life happens

2010-08-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

What to make Wednesday was a bust this week. Mr. Gnome was selected to advance to Chief (E-7) and I offered to help with his "tasks" for the transition. First was a guide-on, that's the flag they carry around when they PT (run and stuff) to identify themselves. I had never made a flag before and thanks to some steam-a-seam and iron on transfers it turned out great.

The FY 11 stands for fiscal year 2011

This side shows the two commands and the four rates that make up the selectees at the base where Mr. Gnome is stationed. It's a little wrinkled thanks to that morning's PT.

I made him put on his selectee shirt and model for me.

He was a good sport. :)

I have a week off between semsters so I hope to have all kinds of crafty goodness to share next Wednesday. I've already started a new purse for myself and bought some new fabric to (hopefully) crank out a few more while I have some free time.

So long old friend

2010-08-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

We will miss you Curly.

What to make Wednesday

2010-08-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no bucket hat this week. Slight change of plans. My friend's daughter is turning 5 soon and I decided to make her a tulle tutu using this video. I was originally going to make this tutu pettiskirt but while I was standing at the cutting table at Joann's a lady came up with at least 5 different bolts of tulle. The lady behind the counter asked her if she was making a tutu and my ears perked up. She even had the same colors as me. So I make a split second decision to join the rest of the blog world and make a tulle tutu. I asked the girl cutting my fabric if I could get the remaining tulle from a couple of the other lady's bolts once she was finished with them. I'll get back to the pettiskirt later but this was so quick and easy I just couldn't resist.

I used about 3 yards of tulle (2 pink and 1 purple).

My little gnome was NOT happy about modeling. But he's still cuter than the lamp. :)

This week's project: Curtains for my little gnome's room. I bought the fabric months ago and even cut it already. I'll be using my mom's method for plain pannel curtains. If I get really ambitious I might just post a tutorial!!!

What to make Wednesday

2010-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

My sewing time is very limited these days. Between chasing around my 17 month old and being a full time college student (again), my machine just doesn't get as much attention as I would like. So I have an idea to set aside one day a week where I pick a project and just get to it. Enter "What to make Wednesday" a weekly (hopefully) post where I pick a project to make that week and blog about what I made the week before. This should (in theory) not only help me focus my crafting powers but keep me posting on a regular basis. Sounds like a plan eh?

Since I don't have a project from last week I'm going to cheat a little and talk about a project I made a while ago.

(Just pretend that it's clean)

This is a fabric travel high chair for my little gnome (I think that's what I'll call DA on here from now on). I first read about this idea over here at Homemade by Jill. I found a tutorial elsewhere but can't seem to find it right now.

I whipped this sucker out in no time. I can fold it up and leave it in a side pocket of the diaper bag, just in case. Although I haven't used it as much as I thought I would, it has definitely saved us on a few occasions. Mr. Gnome thinks it looks like a sumo diaper (his words).

My sister made one too.

So here is what I'm going to make this week. A bucket hat for my little gnome from Sew Much Ado. I just might have to make a trip to Joann's to pick out some cute fabric. :)

Welcome to the blog world!

2010-08-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

My younger sister has started her very own blog! She's much more dedicated than I am and actually posts on a regular basis. So if you're tired of waiting for me go check her out at Nifty Thrifty Life.

Playing Catch-Up

2010-07-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Since I won't be creating anything new while we're in Florida for two weeks, I thought I would post a couple of things I created earlier this year. Enjoy!

These three wristlets were made using this tutorial over at From An Igloo.

Unfortunately I didn't get a better picture of this green one. It was my first attempt and promptly given to my niece.

This one is for me!

This one was my sister's birthday present. Once again I only got a picture with my phone.

I made these two pouches using this tutorial over at Skip to my Lou.

I just love that little bird print.

These little shoes were made using the Jack and Jill pattern from this Etsy shop.

Did you notice the print inside...told ya I like those little birds.

Finally there is the tote bag I made for my mom for Mother's Day. I used this tutorial.

There are two different types of pockets on the inside!

Alrighty there it is. What I've been sewing the last few months. Now back to the beach!

Trying out another purse pattern

2010-07-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

My friend, Rachel, was in need of a new purse and had seen pictures of some of my previous projects. So she asked if I would make one for her. I had just purchased a couple of patterns from Sewing With Me over on Etsy and wanted to give them a try. After a couple of hours I had this...
It's a little difficult to see the details with the busy print but there are pleats just under the handles. The pattern included a fabric flower to attach but I didn't think it would look right with this fabric, plus we were running late for Rachel's 4th of July BBQ and I wanted to present it to her there. I'll definitely be making one these for myself in a different fabric and now that the first try is out of the way the second should go much faster.

A fresh start

2010-06-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Life has been challenging these last two years and I am in serious need of a creative outlet. I stopped blogging not too long after discovering Ravelry but I fully intended to return.

Then life had to go and get all crazy. Long story short (with a long run on sentence)....we left Japan, moved to California, found out we were expecting, found out hubby received orders to Iraq and was leaving for a year, decided to buy a house in Iowa so I could be near family while prego and after delivery, hubby broke his hand, it required surgery so his orders got cancelled, baby DA came 6 weeks early, spent two and half weeks in NICU with our son, hubby had to return to San Diego for three months and then go to Iraq, moved DA and I to San Diego so we could all be together in a little studio apartment, found a hole in hubby's retina during pre-deployment screening, orders got cancelled, we were stuck in a studio apartment for 7 instead of 3 months, hubby got orders to Illinois for 4 months so we moved back to Iowa, now we're back in San Diego, this time in a 2 bedroom and with a year to go. I'm taking college classes online in order to (finally) finish my AA degree and plan to graduate in the fall. Then its on to the big bad BA! Hubby is up for orders in January and by June we'll be on our way to somewhere new. Phew! Did ya catch all that? Dizzy? I am!

DA just a day old

DA now

Now that life is settling into a sort of routine I've decided it's time to start blogging again. I'm still knitting along although not as much as I used to. Having a toddler in the house limits my craft time and I've also taken up sewing again. My hopes are that this blog can serve as a place to organize the endless projects I want to create.

So while I gather my thoughts, yarn, fabric, and camera go check out a sweet Flirty Apron give away over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff.

Celebrity look-a-like

2007-10-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

This was just too fun not to post.

Howdy Stranger

2007-09-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for a while. Work has been keeping me busy and my knitting is suffering. I've had to frog a few projects because I had forgotten where I was in the pattern.

Wave good-bye to Pirate Haystack and Bellatrix. The pretty pirate is back in my stash waiting for a new purpose in life. Bellatrix was only ripped back to the cuff and has been reincarnated as Eleanor.

I think this pattern is a much better fit for this yarn. That's Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Midnight color way.

In addition to Eleanor currently on the needles is Molly. Might I add this is my first attempt at cables?!

Speaking of knitting firsts. I did my first ever toe-up sock!! This is Phineas in Regia bamboo #1062. I've got some major second sock syndrome going on with this one. There's just too many new projects I want to start.

It's been a while huh?

2007-07-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Ok so my blog has been neglected for a while. But guess what!? I got a job!! Hopefully this will help keep me busy (and mentally occupied) while my Sexy Sailor is gone. I'm really enjoying it so far but it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. Which means, my knitting time has taken a big hit. Despite the decline in knit time I have a few FOs for you. Some have been finished for a while but I just haven't gotten around to posting about them.

First up. The finished Menehune Cobblestones socks for my mom. The yarn is the fabulous
Yarn Pirate in the Rain colorway.

OH! Speaking of Yarn Pirate I signed up for the booty club!! This is my very first club and I am so excited.

These are my Mermaid Matrimony socks. Which I happen to be wearing right now and they are sooooo soft. The pattern is the Gentleman's Matrimony Celebratory socks from Sock Bug. The yarn is Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Mermaid colorway from The Loopy Ewe. The sock blockers are also from the Loopy Ewe.

Next is a little hat I made for a friend's daughter. I forgot to take a picture after I added the icords but you get the point. The pattern is the top down bonnet from Hello Yarn. The yarn is Mystical Creations (I won't go there right now) in the first kiss colorway.

This doesn't really count as an FO but I thought I'd post a pic anyways.
I'm participating in the LimeNViolet scarf circle over on their message board. Basically everybody get a list of names and addresses of people in the circle. You start off by knitting 6 inches of a scarf for yourself and then send if off to the next person on your list. Each time you receive someone's scarf you add 6 inches. So by the time your scarf makes it through the list you have a finished scarf from all around the world. Aren't knitters wonderful people? :) So anyways here's the scarf I just added to. The picture isn't the best but I think the concept is so cool (does anybody say cool any more?) that I had to post about it.

Finally a couple things from my pottery class. Not my favorite piece but it took so much time that I'm hoping I'll warm up to it. The glaze around the outside was supposed to be green. So much for that. :) Oh, it's supposed to be a vase in case you were wondering.

Last but not least is my lantern. That I have yet to use. :) It's just sitting on my tansu begging for a candle to be put inside. One of these days I should do that. Oh yeah, in case you were wondering about that castle I was working on. It has been glazed and fired but the colors were horrible. Even my sensei didn't like it. So why all the glaze color issues? We have like 5 colors to choose from because the order for new glaze was on back order. So sensei told me I could re-glaze it when the new colors come in. I hope it works or I will be so disappointed.

Look what I'm making!

2007-05-28T16:17:00.001-07:00

Up to this point my blog has been mostly about my knitting. Well that's all about to change. I've always dabbled in various crafts but it wasn't until I started knitting that I really made anything on a regular basis. I guess that got the ball rolling because I'm trying all kinds of new things. So I figured I would share my polycraftual skillz (yes I went there) with the blogging world.

A month or so ago I started taking a pottery class at our base community center. One day I walked into class and sensei brought this catalog/magazine over to me and next thing you know I have this castle. Since I took this picture I've added several rows of windows on both sides. It's ready to be fired and should be waiting for me to glaze at the next class. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it didn't crack!

I'm it!

2007-05-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

OMG! Someone actually read my blog. Ok so there are a couple other people that have stumbled across it but still! I feel like a real blogger now. What's all the fuss about you ask?

FiredUpFairy tagged me with the 7 things meme.

The rules: Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven other people and list their names on your blog. Then you leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. When I was little my nickname was Omi and my family used to call me Omi-wan kenobi.

2. Since moving to Japan I have become obsessed with cherry blossoms (Sakura in Japanese). Anytime I see something with a cherry blossom design I have to have it. I have dishes, a coin purse, lotion, wall hangings, and I want to get a cherry blossom tattoo before I leave.

3. I am a closet fantasy geek. I have a huge dragon collection that lives in my home office. I read fantasy novels and will watch just about any movie with a fantasy theme. I even have two dragon tattoos.

4. I can't grow my fingernails to save my life.

5. My dad is a musician and when my younger sister and I were little he used to take us to the nursing home to sing Christmas carols. I have pictures of us standing in front of a mic in our 80's dresses with Dad in the background playing guitar. I love that.

6. We don't have any kids yet but everyone wants us to have a boy. Sexy Sailor is the only boy so he has to carry on the name and all of my siblings have girls. Problem is, I really want a girl!

7. My Sexy Sailor and I like to quote the elevator scene from Mallrats.

Wow that was more difficult than I expected! Since I really don't "know" any other bloggers I think I will use the I stalk L&V ring to randomly tag people. If anyone I've tagged isn't a fan of memes please forgive me and I totally understand if you don't want to do it. But hopefully this will be a way to "get to know" a few fellow L&V fans! :)

Here goes..

Dragons do knit

Handcrafted Happiness

Get a Clew

Crewgrrl

Kit knits

Wanda

Froggin' knit up

This should be fun! Happy knitting!

Socks and stuff

2007-05-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Told ya I wouldn't learn my lesson. It's been almost a month since my last post. Bad Gnome! Wanna know my excuse? I won't blame my dad this time. Instead I'm pointing all fingers at my Sexy Sailor! He's finally home!! So now that we've established that I'm just a slacker with an excuse let's move on to what I've been knitting. :)

Remember the picture of all my yarn pr0n last month? There was a sock in progress in there and this is what it has become. A beautiful pair! I L.O.V.E this colorway! It's Spring is Here from Spritely Goods. The pattern is Tropicana from MagKnits June 2006. I added some 3x2 ribbing for the cuff. These were also my April submission for Socktopia for the April Showers theme. Blue for the rain, green for the new growth and brown for the mud. :) I'm so clever. Ok forget that part. Onwards!

I just took this off the needles. This is the first sock for a pair for my mom. The yarn is Yarn Pirate's Rain colorway in the Menehune Cobblestones pattern. I think I'll use them for my May Socktopia submission under the Ahoy Mateys theme, since it's Yarn Pirate and they're blue. Either that or.....

These! More Yarn Pirate. This color way is Pretty Pirate and I'm using the Hay-stack pattern.

I am my father's daughter

2007-04-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Gnomes and I am a procrastinator. I got that from my dad who used to try and scold me for it but in the end would just say, "Well, you learned from the best." I've neglected my blog for so long that now I have a months worth of blogging to do. That will teach me. Err, no it won't. I am my father's daughter.

April has been a very depressing month and my yarn purchases reflect that. I tried a little retail therapy but unfortunately, retail therapy isn't a long term solution so I was right back at it a couple days later. As guilty as I feel about it let me tell you I scored some great yarn. Before I go into the pr0n I want to share a fabulous experience with you.

Thanks to the enablers over on the LimeNViolet message boards I found my way over to Pick Up Sticks where there was a battle going down for some Sweet Georgia. I had never purchased Sweet Georgia before and after hearing about it on L&V I just had to have some. So in my haste to score some of the coveted yarn I didn't pay attention to the yardage and only grabbed one skein each of Stillwater and Roy. Then someone over on the boards mentioned that you need two skeins for a pair of socks! I ran back to Pick Up Sticks and tried to score some more. I was able to get another skein of Roy but Stillwater was gone. I had to laugh at myself for getting so worked up about yarn so I added a comment with my second order to explain my stupidity. Next thing you know I got an email from Connie offering to send me some Louet yarn to coordinate with my lone skein of Stillwater....FOR FREE! I emailed her back asking her to please add the cost to my order. She responded that she insisted and this way I will have a surprise to look forward to. I can't thank you enough Connie. So all of you that read this blog (all 2 of you) go to Pick Up Sticks and support this fabulous woman! I <3 knitters!

Ok on with the pr0n!
In the bowl:
Back row left to right: Yarn Pirate - Cannon Beach, Yarn Pirate - Shiver Me Timbers, Yarn Pirate - Pretty Pirate, Lorna's Laces - Black Purl, Lorna's Laces - Jeans, Cider Moon - Winter Twilight.
Front row: Regia bamboo - 1062, and hidden in the shadows is Panda Cotton - black
On the chair: Spritely Goods - Spring is Here, Fleece Artist Sea Wool - Midnight, and some Giza Egyptian cotton that I got here in Japan.

As if that wasn't bad enough I still have a couple orders on the way!! There is of course the Sweet Georgia order from Pick Up Sticks and a skein of medium weight Socks that Rock in the Lagoon colorway.

Ok that was a lot of fiber goodness so I think I'm going to hold off on the rest of my updating for a bit. :)

I've been a bad girl

2007-04-04T21:33:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when my Sexy Sailor goes out to sea for extended periods of time. I buy yarn, and lots of it! As if this isn't bad enough.... there's more on the way! I have three more skeins of Yarn Pirate on the way, one skein from Spritely Goods, and one skein from the LimeNViolet Etsy store!! Oh and three out of those five are mostly blue! PLUS, I'm going to a 5 floor craft store tomorrow with some friends. Where one entire floor is dedicated to needle crafts. I'm hoping to score some local hand painted yarn for myself and my Magic Yarn Ball swap partner.

After tomorrow I am so going to have to go on a yarn diet.

What I'm listening to

2007-03-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

I do a majority of my knitting while my Sexy Sailor is out to sea and I hate a quiet house. I'm not talented enough to watch TV and knit so I download all kinds of podcasts to keep me company. Well one of those podcasts is an audio book, Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell and he's doing a little contest for his listeners. I'm going to be totally stingy here and NOT tell you what the contest is. If you really want to know you'll just have to listen to the podcast. :) I am by no means a writer or a critic so I appologize for my ramblings.

Daughter of the Sun is a fantasy novel with originality. Each chapter pulls you in deeper and deeper to Ezell's realm and leaves you on the edge of your seat. The characters each have a potential for greatness that you can sense just over the horizon. I highly recommend Daughter of the Sun to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre. So check it out at http://www.lonnieezell.com/

Where did I put those pom poms?

2007-03-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sock Madness is officially over for me. My opponent finished her pair before I could even finish my first sock. I'm a little disappointed but in all honesty I didn't expect to make it past the first round.

This round's pattern is called Mad-tini and is designed by Karin Bole. It has a really interesting cuff, a neat spiral pattern around the leg, and an Eye of Partridge. It is just challenging enough to be interesting but simple enough that I didn't have to look at the pattern for every single round (once the pattern was established that is).

When the supply list for Sock Madness first came out I ordered some Lisa Souza sport in Earth Birth. Unfortunately with Lisa going to Stitches and then a shipping problem, my yarn didn't get here in time for this round (totally not Lisa's fault). I had ordered some back up yarn just in case and although it got here in time it was really rough on my hands. So I swatched anything in my stash slightly heavier than normal fingering weight and I came up with my Yarn Pirate mernio/tencel in Apple (first picture below). I love that yarn and I love the Mad-tini pattern but not together so once my opponent finished her pair I frogged my sock. It must have been fate because that very same day my Lisa Souza showed up in my mail box! I quickly cast on the Mad-tini again (second picture below) and I am in love!

Lucky Snakes

2007-03-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

As if I didn't do enough knitting earlier this week for Sock Madness. I've started a pair of Snakes on a Sock...for St. Patrick's Day! The other day I said to myself, "I don't like any of my green clothing so I think I'll knit some green socks to wear instead. I knitted my Mad Cow socks in a few days so I should be able to finish another pair by Saturday. Right?" Umm NO! I've just finished the gusset of sock number 1 and it's Friday afternoon. I guess I'll be wearing them next year.

Sock Madness Round 1

2007-03-12T23:17:00.001-07:00

Mad Cow finished - Wendy's Toe-up
Originally uploaded by yardgnomes.

I think I made it! These are my first socks from Sock Madness. My color choice doesn't really shoe off the pattern but I'm still happy with how they turned out. Since I have HUGE feet I've decided to give these to my sis. I still haven't mailed out her other pair so I can just throw these in her package too.

It's a good thing there is a novice division. Let me tell you these folks can knit super fast! Some people had their socks done in the first 24 hours. Not a single sock..a pair! I on the other hand only just finished my socks this morning (still Monday night in the states).

One down one to go

2007-03-04T04:29:00.000-08:00

Quick update. Just finished sock number one for my niece. Sock Madness kicks off on Saturday so I need to finish the second sock before then. :)

What have I done for you lately?

2007-03-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

Socks that's what! I finished my sis's socks yesterday! I am so happy to be done with those. They were definitely a learning experience on how to read patterns, mistakes and all. The yarn is Lisa Souza in Can't-Elope. It looks bright orange in this picture but it's really much softer. The pattern is the Maple Sugar Socks.

I finally broke down and bought a new digital camera and wouldn't you know it, less than a week later the old one is found. Where was it do you ask? On top of our dining room hutch hiding behind the molding. I had a couple of my plants up there for the winter and now that it's warming up I decided to move them outside during the day. Had it not been for that I probably wouldn't have found the camera until when we move next spring. Of course now I'm totally in love with the new camera and can't bear to return it. :( Anyways... on with the knitting goodness.

After I finished sis's socks I cast on the socks for my niece (her daughter). Since Sock Madness is so close I decided to do a very basic pattern with k3 p2 ribbing. Let me tell you, I am in L-O-V-E with this yarn! It's Lisa Souza's sock! in Berry Poppins. I was going to try and make two pairs out of it for my niece but now I want to keep the rest of it for myself. I could so make a pair of ankle socks out of it!!

While I'm at it, now that I have not one but two digital cameras I figured I should post a "finished" picture of my very first ever socks. That is Black Pearl (Pearl for short) making sure they are up to snuff. She's our newest rescue kitty. Yes, my husband named her after Jack Sparrow's ship in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sometimes I swear he was a pirate in a past life. I'm tempted to change the spelling of her name to Black Purl. :)

My huge feet

2007-02-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

I finished sock number one for my sis this weekend! I'm already past the maple leaf design on sock number two so it's smooth sailing from here. I think the maple leaf looks more like a shell with the yarn I'm using.

The sock looks so much better modeled on a foot..even if it's made for a size 9 and said foot is a size 11. Just imagine that the heel fits properly.

Forward MARCH!!

2007-02-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

I was poking around on the LimeNViolet message boards and came across a post about Sock Madness. Basically they are going to send out a series of sock patterns during March Madness and you compete against other knitters to see who can finish first.

Now, I've only been knitting for a few months and I've only just cast on my second pair of socks so what business would a novice like me have signing up for something like this you ask?! If you said, the hubby is out again and I need something to help pass the time you're absolutely correct but more importantly it gives me an excuse to buy more yarn!!

Speaking of my second pair of socks these are for my sis. My digital camera is still MIA so this is taken with my ancient web cam.

Pattern: Maple Sugar Socks
Yarn: Lisa Souza, Can't-Elope

I'm feeling a little limited right now because all of the sock patterns that I've been drooling over call for US1 size needles and the smallest I have are 2s. I ordered a sock needle kit online so hopefully it won't be too much longer. One of these days I'll be able to adapt patterns but that day is not today.

On a side note I have the beginnings of a yarn stash!! I just got my skein of The Kilted One by Miss Lime from the LimeNViolet Etsy shop. I'm still waiting on my Mystical Creations yarn and I just ordered two skeins from Yarn Pirate in Apple and Hydrangea. Pretty huh?

Socks and more sock yarn.

2007-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

I finished my first pair of socks! I'm pretty happy with them considering I've only knitted scarves and hats before. My digital camera has been MIA since our Super Bowl party so I can't put up any pictures at this time. Hopefully it will turn up soon.

Next on my list, socks for my sister and her daughter. I'll be using Lisa Souza's Can't Elope for my sis and her Berry Poppins for my niece. I still haven't decided on a pattern and the fact that I don't have #1 size dpns is making things a little more difficult. I've ordered a pair but it will be a week or so before they get here and I really don't want to wait that long to start on their socks. I already wound the Berry Poppins into a ball and it looks so pretty!

I also have a skein of Lisa Souza's Mars Quake and Violet's Pink Ribbon that are calling to me. Plus I have some extra squishy yarn that I got for my mom at a yarn shop in Yokosuka that is run by a very sweet elderly lady. She even gave me a free sock pattern when I bought the yarn!! Too bad it's in japanese. It does have a chart but I don't understand the whole chart/diagram thing yet.

My first sock attempt!!

2007-01-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to jump on the band wagon and try to knit a pair of socks. So far I'm pretty happy with how they are turning out. They are the basic sock pattern from the winter 2006/07 knitsimple magazine using Wool of the Andes from knitpicks.com in Mulled Wine and Black Cherry Heather (it was on clearance = safe for me to mess up).

How it all began

2007-01-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

Back in November I decided to learn how to knit. I went to the local hundred yen store (like a dollar store) and bought a pair of needles and some yarn. With yarn and needles in hand I sat down at my computer and searched for all there is to know about knitting. I came across knittinghelp.com and quickly learned the basics.

After many trips to the frog pond I finished my first scarf. It is a chunky drop stitch monstrosity that I recently mailed home to my mother back in Iowa who complimented it in ways only a mother can. Since then I have knitted 3 more scarves and 3 hats (I frogged one of those too).

Then in early January I found the wonderful world of LimeNViolet. *insert angel chorus here* Since I don't have a local yarn shop or SnB to draw inspiration from these ladies quickly became my tour guides through the realm of fiber goodness. I had listened to other knitting podcasts and while they are pleasant and informative there is just something about these two ladies that drew me in.

So here I am attempting to knit my first pair of socks while drooling over Lisa Souza's yarn and checking out as many knitting blogs as I can find. At this point I decided I should jump on the band wagon and join the bloggers. If nothing else it will be a way to remember what I have done so far, what I am working on, and what I want to achieve.