It's a sweater

More importantly ti's a sweater for me! More accurate it's just the back of a sweater. Very importantly it's out of Alpaca. Very accurate it will be Thumb Thermal. Sweater AND Fingerless gloves in one!

The Giver Socks

Just in time for Christmas I finished some socks for Mr. Gnome. That wasn't really the intent but it was nice. I started these socks a good month ago. All while I've been knitting on them Mr. Gnome has been talking about The Giver. His theater is doing a play adaptation in January. I'm very excited I love that book. So here I am knitting gray scale socks while talking about The Giver. Then it hit me that they needed a red stripe at the top. Not showing by may poke out so someone could think what was that?.
Thus here they are. Mr. Gnome's Giver socks. Finished just in time for Tech.
Yarn was Marks & Kattens Fame Trend, the red is Lorna's Laces Sock. Knit up on size 0s. Yes that's why it took so long; madness. The stitch pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book. Knit toe up, stitch pattern reversed on second sock.

Moon

The Bug has been very interested in space lately. It stared with just space exploration then went to Mars now she's on the Moon. She got this Moon book from the library recently. At the end it suggests an experiment using flower and marbles to make model moon craters. She's been asking and asking about it. Tonight we were making scones for tomorrow's knitting group holiday party. It's always her job to cut margarine into flour. Hey look that's just like dropping marbles into flour. Well close.
She experimented with different sizes and dropping heights.

Our moon had a lot of craters by the end.

Cupcakes

The Bug and I made Cupcakes today. Lemon Gem Cupcakes from Vegan with a Vengeance to be precise.
Sweet Lemony Goodness. To go along with our cupcakes I also made Scalloped Potatoes and Butternut Squash with Roasted Chestnuts from Vegan Dad. Hope you enjoy the next few days however you see fit. Hopefully with a loving family because that is the part that matters.

Confessions....

I made my self an apron. Maybe this isn't much of a confession. I like to cook, you know that, I've started sewing, you know that too.It's quite an apron and I've been working on it for some time. Every time I'd be cooking and get stuff on me I'd think about this apron. I like the top, it's less frumpy than some.
But what sold me was the back. I'm a sucker for lace up backs. Also helps with the de-frumping.
The fabric is all just random fabrics from random places. The ribbon here on the tops of the pocket was found at an antique mall as was the border on the bodice. This was a very involved bit of sewing and I really enjoyed it. Wow. Amazing. And now I have an apron.
Oh what? Confessions was plural....yes well... you see......I'm officially on a yarn diet........because of this. Is it February yet?

Something from Nothing

Three pillows from a couch we bought 7 years ago and have rarely used. We're not bit pillow people I guess.
Tied them together with some yarn. Rope could have worked but I couldn't find any.... Totally know where the scrap yarn is though.
Wrap and sew a piece of fabric found at the St. Louis Teacher's Recycle Center. I told you there would be more about that place. And wallah, a foot rest.
I recently rearranged the living room so now there is a chair without an ottoman. Mr. Gnome liked this chair but hasn't used it without the foot rest. We Gnomes need foot rests since our feet don't reach the floor when we sit on your Human sized furniture.

Papers

Annual decorating of the wrapping paper. I always forget to account for drying time. Thus I always get packages out later than I hope. Ah well.

Little things

I like how much joy The Bug gets out of picking a new flavor of jelly. I also like the smell of strawberries and peaches (her favorite I think when I open that jar. It brightens any gray, snowy day.

More Sweaters!

Three more sweaters in two days this time if anyone wants to keep track. If I could make sweaters like these I'd sign up for the 11 Sweaters in 2011 group on Ravelry. These are the kitty sweaters to accompany the human sweaters made a few weeks ago. Saul, TJ and Attica. Yes, I made sweaters for cats who have passed away. You want to make something of it?

The Gray Thing Complete

No not Mr. Gnome, though he doesn't look too awake... no the sweater. Ah yes the sweater I started back in September. Yes That one.
The back. I did an extra repeat on the back. The pattern wanted you to just do plain cables after the third diamond but there was room on the back for another.
The side didn't quite come out in this picture. It's more cables, supposed to be netting. I think it looks nice. He wore it once to his work's holiday party....so that must mean something....right?

yup

it is just as addicting as they say........ Luckily Mr. Gnome is working late all this and next week. The kid and I can live off sandwiches.

Decorating

Before Thanksgiving, back when we were talking about not having a tree again because of the cat, I got some shirts for Goodwill to make into a garland. I didn't really know how the garland would come together I just knew it would involve pieces of fabric. Largish ones no smaller than an adult's hand. Then we decided to try putting up the tree. It's worked out just fine by the way, Attica is mostly over it. Though I am glad we forgo the breakables. Anyhow, this left me with three half cut up shirts and no ideas. I thought about putting the garland on the tree but with still not plan and a tree to put up I lost my steam on the project.
Right around that time we went to the St. Louis Teacher's Recycle Center. I had a coupon for ten pounds. Wow, that's a lot of crafty goodness and they had some really neat and interesting things. With ten pounds worth of stuff I will be talking about this trip for a while. While there I found two metal hoops.
My brain worked on what to do with the bag of fabric and the bags of recycled stuff. Eventually it came together. Wreaths.
I'm glad I made the pieces of fabric to so big. Simply tie around the metal. Push them all together.
Bam, two wreaths. Fun was had by all.

So....Close.....

Painfully close. I'm almost done with the commissioned knitting. Soon my pretty soon.

Happy Chanukkah

Happy Fourth Night of Chanukkah. As you can see The Bug got her hat. She loves it. Well she got it lost it that same night.......then Daddy performed the Chanukkah miracle of retrieving it. Apparently if you are fairly certain you lost a hat at a restaurant but they say they haven't found it you should go there yourself.

Now I've Dont It.....

My world may never be the same.