This week: on/off the needles/hook

The Candy poncho is coming along swimmingly. I put my slippered foot next to it for scale - the slipper is felted and I can't locate the photos of those, but there you are. Two in one. I am about halfway through the last ball of pink yarn (I have more of this yarn, but that's all I'm devoting to this project) and I'll finish with a red. Then I will be done. 

These are coming along rather well too. But you work for two days on something like this and only come out with two more inches, it seems a little defeating. O well, it's lovely yarn to knit with and I am enjoying this. 

O no. I really shouldn't have started another project. And yet... This is going to be another Sideways Single Crochet scarf. I think I have enough pink yarns now that I can do this, to wear with my Brattleboro hat and my pink/white stranded mittens (when I finish them). 

 
Now these little things were out of the premiere issue of a magazine called Knitting today!. It's not a great magazine, in my opinion, but I was absolutely intrigued by these ornaments. The gingerbread man was knit first. He came together pretty quickly, but the finishing is what took a long time. The candy cane is knit flat, if you can believe it, seamed (not very tidily), and then a string pulled through to make it bend. Given how much time each of these took, I'm unlikely to ever knit them again.

This was knit last fall - a test piece for the felting process. I really should have before pictures so you can see the difference felting makes. It was fun and annoying all at the same time. 

Gratuitous Cute Kitty shot. Actually, I knit this hat a few years ago. It's unwearable (I didn't use a pattern, completely botched the shaping) so now it goes on things like kitties and fish. If you got a Christmas card from me, you might have seen a photo of fish with this hat on...

Oh! I know why I feel like I've done a lot of knitting but have nothing to show for it! I'm test knitting a Thing for a designer and I'm not allowed to talk about it yet. I can't wait though, as soon as she says Go, I will have two or more of the things to show you - I like the pattern that much.

Something I sewed: aprons for the kiddies

  This is an apron for Charlize, my niece who just turned six. I should have set this next to something so you can see the scale of it, because it's big enough for an adult. That was not by design, but as I wasn't using a pattern, it just sort of came out this way.

This is the other side - I used lilac eyelet on one side, then a pale yellow striped fabric on the other. (yes, I did iron it later).

This is the apron for Chase, who is 3 1/2. This one turned out, ironically, way smaller than I was planning, but there you go. He's a boy's boy and likes bright colours, but also likes to help out in the kitchen so thought an apron would be a good thing for him too. 

The other side. Being a novice sewer, I used interfacing to stick these two bits of fabric together. It made them nice and stiff but I don't think I'd do it again.

With my craft room shaping up and getting organized, I'm really hoping to get more sewing done. Dan currently has my sewing machine in the living room where he is working on a Big Project for the home. It's taking a lot of work but it will be spectacular when it's finished. I will post about it!

At some point soon I'll dig out the fabric and pattern I bought some time ago for a sleeveless jumper (not 'sweater' as in the British sense, but as in dress). I'm dying to have some more clothing and since I have no money and TONS of fabric, it seems obvious that I need to step up my game with my seamstress skills.