I'm thinking about reviving the blog...

I've been doing more knitting lately - and spending a lot of time on my new favorite hobby - beads.

I started beading to make Christmas ornaments - and it's just compounded - exponentially - into jewelry making - and I'm totally hooked (and crimped).

I hope to post a few projects soon -

Now I knit my ABCs - F is for Felting!

Felting felting felting - it's so in fashion right now! What for years we tried to avoid when laundering our wearable wools - is now all the rage!

Just a year ago you had to scour the stores and internet to find felting instructions, patterns and/or books.

And then, without much warning, there was an explosion of of matted materials. Pamphlets (especially of the complimentary variety) were always out of stock, companies have started marketing yarn specifically for felting, and now, there are a plethora of books with patterns and "how tos".

I've been "hooked" on felting ever since I washed up my first swatch (which "turned into" a soup trivet) and "hat" (which "turned into" a bowl).

Bonus recap of conversation back to car after Stitch n' Pitch...

(Phils win! Phils win!)

Sally: I've always really liked sports, but I don't have any one favorite team.
HillHippie: Yeah, but, don't you kinda think that Chase Utley is your boyfriend?
Girlfiend: If I weren't married I'd totally make out with Chase Utley
Madgirl: Does being married matter? Do you really think that Boyfiend would mind so much? I kinda see him being all "that sucks, but, was he cool; did you tell him about me?". Hey, where are my keys?




Thanks to the Ladies for the pic.

Stitch and Pitch - Philly style

tonight is the Philadelphia Phillies Stitch and Pitch event. 3 fellow knitters and I are heading out to the ballpark tonight to watch the Phillies battle the Cincinnati Reds and knit the night away.

I haven't chosen a project to bring along yet - something fun I think - and easy to transport. hmmmm.

Now I knit my ABCs - E is for eyelash

I love eyelash yarn - as an accent or alone, I think it makes a great fabric.

Eyelash can be a chunky weight (can be knitted alone) or carrying weight novelty yarn. The "eyelashes" are strands of thread (yarn, ribbon, etc) that hang down from the central cord and, when knitted, create a "fur" affect. Short, long, dense, sparse, the eyelash is a fun addition to any funky project.

It knits up so quickly and while it can be a little tricky to work with, it's very forgiving. I can remember the first time I used the yarn - it was turquoise and i was making a small boa for Katie - I was flabbergasted at the results - I've been hooked ever since.

Wizard Craft!

Here's the Hufflepuff scarf -


So now I'm knitting a Gryffindor one, as I said in the craft shop - because I want to.

I'm assisting in the decoration of my church for their vacation bible school - the theme, believe it or not is Harry Potter - so I knitted up a cap for Dumbledore this past weekend - I'm moderately pleased with it - we'll see.

Just one more change...

to the Harry Potter inspired scarf - it's now Hufflepuff.

Look, I had the yarn, it was the right gauge (the "Ravenclaw" yarn turned out to be 2 different gauges), the right colors - AND - I have kin in western central PA - so, it can be a steelers scarf when I'm finished.

It's a painfully tedious knit - all stockingette - in the round - row after row after row. Right now it looks like a long bumble bee tube. At about 4 stripes I was tempted to bind it off, add some straps and call it a halloween costume - but I knitted on.

I think it's going to take more yarn that the pattern called for - hopefully I'll have enough!

I still have my lovely gold wool (I used a blend for the "Huffleelers" project) - so if I get some scarlet - I may try to make another - we'll see....

pictures soon.

So, I was thinking that I might change my

house allegiance for the whole Harry Potter scarf thing. See, I have blue and gray (silver) yarn already - so I could make a Ravenclaw scarf without having to purchase any additional yarn - and, I could, theoretically, still use such a scarf as a PSU accessory.

We'll see, maybe I'll do both....

Boucle Beauty

Finished the B is for Boucle scarf...