knitty kitties

this might disappoint some of my readers ... but i'm not really a cat person. don't blame me - blame my horrible awful weezy sneezy allergies. however - i wouldn't mind an entire clowder of these little kitties from snowfall studio. (yes clowder is the collective term for a group of cats.)

w + i are sending that little blue kitty to a very sweet little niece on her birthday tomorrow! cute cute. happy birthday, bonnie!

baby it's cold(er) outside ...

brrr ... it's sooo much colder today in tennessee! one of the best things about being married is that a husband makes the ultimate foot warmer. each night, i thaw my icicle toes by tucking them between his knees! husband cruelty? maybe. of course wade is traveling again this week ... brr!

which of course means it's totally time to whip out the crochet & knitting needles!

{source: dottie angel / wood & wool stool /  unknown, happiknits on etsy}

i have 1 // learn to crochet flowers + 2 // finishing knitting a pair of socks on my 30 before 30 list. so it's definitely time for me to get busy. of course that's only the icing on the crochet/knit cake! 

{someday} when w+i have our little farm ... it will be warm & cozy and filled w/ homemade creations. like that amazing stool by dottie angel & that simple little heart garland by wood & wool stool. have you seen this tutorial for how to knit a jumbo knit blanket by nocturnal knits? *hint hint* broom sticks for knitting needles! and of course ... everyone could use a new cowl! beautiful work by happiknits!

and last but definitely not least, this crocheted doily blanket by goodknits (in gold) ...

{source: goodknits on etsy}

yup - every farmhouse definitely needs a doily blanket!

definitely time to get busy. of course ... i'm not opposed to santa bringing me any of these lovelies! ;)

speaking of virtual mags ...

tara of one stepp at a time sent me a link to covet garden another virtual mag this morning:

CLICK HERE to view

and i just had to share alexx's patchwork blanket:

"overwhelmed with the amazing selection of fabulous yarns in stores, [alexx] decided that instead of choosing just one colour, she'd by one of each." ... over 2 years she knit together 400 4x4" knit squares into this lovely knit blanket.

i've finally gotten to the heel of my first sock! hooray! and this might just have to be my next project!!! lovely!

tues-DIY: heart on my sleeve fingerless gloves

yarn:
1 skein of yarn for "sleeve"
1 skein of yarn for hearts (this actually doesn't take very much yarn ... so leftovers from an earlier project will work!)
needles:
1 pair size 8 needles
crochet hook
yarn needle

gauge:
4 stitches and 6 rows equals 1 inch

abbreviations:

• k - knit
• p - purl
• st(s) - stitch(es)
  
• m1r (make 1 right) - insert left needle from back to front into the horizontal strand btwn the last st worked and the next st on the left needle. knit this strand through the front loop to twist the st, creating a right-leaning st.
• m1l (make 1 left) - insert left needle from front to back into the horizontal strand btwn the last st worked and the next st on the left needle. knit this strand through back loop to twist the st, creating a left-leaning st.
• ssk (slip slip knit) - slip 2 sts knitwise one at a time from the left needle to the right needle. insert the tip of the left needle into the front of both sts and knit the 2 sts together.
• k2tog (knit 2 together)
• p2tog (purl 2 together)

sleeve directions (make 2):
loosely cast on 38 sts

row 1: k38 - knit each stitch across the row
row 2: k6 p26 k6 - knit the first 6 stitches. purl the next 26 sts, remembering to bring the yarn to the front of the project. move the yarn to the back again, and knit the last 6 stitches.

repeat rows 1&2 until the sleeve measures long enough from the cast on edge to wrap around your wrist. i did 40 rows - so it was a little shorter than 7"s.

bind off. w/ crochet hook, weave in yarn ends.

fold so that the cast on edge and the bound off edge meet w/ the right side facing in. stitch these edges together leaving an inch "un"joined 1"-1.5" from the top for your thumb.

voila - very basic sleeves!

heart directions (make 2):
cast on 2 stitches.

row 1: purl
row 2: k1, m1r, m1l, k1 - 4 sts
row 3: purl
row 4: k1, m1r, k2, m1l, k1 - 6 sts
row 5: purl
row 6: k1, m1r, k4, m1l, k1 - 8 sts
row 7: purl
row 8: k1, m1r, k6, m1l, k1 - 10 sts
row 9: purl

(begin knitting top right of heart)
row 10: k1, ssk, k2 - 4 sts
row 11: purl these 4 sts
row 12: ssk, k2tog - 2 sts
row 13: p2tog - 1 st
break yarn and pull tight through remaining st (leave a yarn end about 5" long)

(reattach yarn at remaining 5 sts to knit the left top of heart)
row 1: k2, k2tog, k1 - 4 sts
row 2: purl
row 3: ssk, k2tog - 2 sts
row 4: p2tog - 1st
break yarn and pull tight through remaining st (again leave a yarn end about 5" long)

w/ the yarn needle & yarn ends from the heart (there will be 4 - the one you began with, the end of the top right, the beginning of the top left, and the end of the top left), attach the heart to sleeve. weave in all the ends.

that's it! :) hope you love these as much as i do!

it's "snow" lovely outside ...

... and "snow" quiet in the office this morning.

wade and i went to the pancake pantry for a quick breakfast - and then he dropped me off at work. i am 1 of 3 that made it in {make that 2 - one just decided to head back home!}. the only disadvantage to a 6 block commute? i have no excuse!

the cold has me daydream about ...

1) these fluffy mittens:

2) this ginormous scarf:

3) this over-sized sweater:

4) these adorable knit leggings:

5) this darling sweater inspired purse:

all this to say ... i'd rather be knitting. ;)

my sock progress:

i'm a nervous wreck this week ...

and when i'm nervous ... i'm pretty sure i make wade nervous.

I CLEAN ... like mad.

this is a super busy week for wade. so while he made phone calls. i kept myself busy. i attacked the kitchen and the living room: we still needed to unpack from christmas and our new years trip to east - so i unpacked. i tackled one of our closets (see my last post - spring cleaning). i sorted the recycling into piles. i hung up pictures. i organized the tv cabinet. i did 2 loads of laundry. and i vacuumed the living room rug twice ...

{want to know my secret: i poured myself a glass of water about 3 tasks in and then kept using it as a reward. "finish this next task and you can have the water." ... i know a glass of WATER. must work on my rewards.}

finally i sat down with wade to relax for a bit. truth is i'm not very good at sitting still.

... but - i have a game plan: i can sit still as long as i'm KNITTING. (special thanks to seanna and lyn for my refresher course "chicks with sticks" this past december.)

i ordered a new book today! and i just had to share:

i decided that i was going to attempt socks this week. i could go on knitting basic fingerless gloves and scarves for the rest of my life - but i was ready for a challenge. so i made a trip to michaels to pick up yarn & a pattern. and since i had a few minutes to spare, i decided to glance at the knitting books.

most of the options were SO not me - dog sweaters, shawls, toaster covers ... you get the picture. but closely knit - by hannah fettig - is packed full of really comfy, cozy knitting ideas!

i especially love that it is intended as "handmade gifts for the ones you love" and that her projects range in difficulty from an easy hat for wee ones to full-on sweaters for the men in our lives.

a few of my instant favorites:

ps - hannah has a blog too - knitbot ... an instant blog reader add! :)