I knit it using some yarn that I had recycled and dyed... thinking that since the yarn had both blue and pink in it, it might somehow be gender neutral. (I knit this up before I knew if I was expecting boys or girls).
But yeah... it totally looks like a girl's sweater.
So I thought, why not see if I can overdye it blue?
So I got out my handy dandy dye pot, and dug out all of my blue food colouring and got to work.
Oh I filmed it too!
And I have to say, I think I like the result.
It came out maybe a little darker than I wanted, but that's ok, I still like it. Now I'm off to go knit a second one, and overdye it differently (because twins shouldn't match perfectly, right?)
Let me know if you've had any successful overdyeing experiments in the comments below!
That's right... Pregnant.... with Twins! And I'm vlogging about it over on my youtube channel.
I'll be posting weekly vlogs, every Monday, as I knit and crochet my way towards my June due date.
Here are week 17-18, and week 19.
Week 17/18 show notes: I'm starting a new weekly vlog! I'll be posting a video every Sunday for the next 5 or so months. What's the topic? I'm knitting and crocheting for 3 now!
That's right, I'm expecting twins this June, and couldn't be more excited to wrap them up in lovely yarnny goodness!
This is a project that I finished back in July, in time for my littlest cousin's 2nd birthday at the beginning of August. And I have to thank her mom, for taking the beautiful photos.
So here she is, Penelope, at 2 years of age, in her Shianne Hoodie.
The hoodie, which was designed by April Garwood, can be found in Crochet! Magazine, Autumn 2015. And comes in size 2, 4, 6 and 8. Now As this was a gift for Penelope's 2nd birthday, I went with the size 2. But I had some gauge issues, since I was using a different yarn than suggested.
The pattern calls for Berroco Maya, a Worsted/10ply yarn. But I picked up Diamon Luxuary 100% Merino, also a worsted/10ply yarn. However, as we yarnies all know, no two worsted weight yarns are created the same, and based on the yards/grams on the ball band, my yarn was a bit bulkier than called for. So I dropped a hook size, did some crocheting, some measurements and then some ripping out, and crocheting again.
You can watch my struggles in this video here.
But it was all worth it, because the finished sweater was super cute.
And Penelope likes it very much.
This sweater came with some new techniques for me.
Firstly, actually taking the time to pin my sleeves in place before joining them.
And second, sewing in a zipper to a knitted or crocheted garment. I watched a couple of youtube videos on the topic, and then kind of just went with it. but I Think it turned out fine. The key for me was in pinning it in place, zipped, trying it on a model, which in this case was a teddy bear (I had no toddlers handy) and then making sure everything looked lined up fine. Leaving the pins in and sewing it into place with some grey yarn and a very sharp needle.
Over all, I think this was a great pattern, not too difficult, just be sure to check your gauge. A couple times preferably!
If you're still in need of a bit of Halloween decor, here's an easy little project that you can bang out in an afternoon.
For this project you need
-1 pumpkin real or fake (fake pumpkins need to be hollow) -Graph paper and a Pen -Knife to get inside that pumpkin -Scissors -A strong, large, thick, sharp Needle -Yarn -Creativity and a butt tone of patience.
And No yarn skills required. Watch the video how-to here, and don't forget to click Subscribe while you're at it!
I love the way my pumpkin turned out, and I'm so glad I did this project on a craft pumpkin, so I will be able to use it year after year!
Here's a little project I'd been meaning to share for a while.
First, the backstory. You see my boyfriend Kevin graduated from Medical School this past June, as a member of the Class of 2015, or the Cows. You see the University of Calgary has a long tradition of giving their Med School classes animal names, and for the past three years, he and his peers cheerfully Moo'd their way through school.
So for graduation, I thought I'd give him a hand made cow.
So I searched the Ravelry pattern database using the following criteria: crochet, free, has photo, all toys and hobbies, keyword:cow; and a total of 30 patterns came up.
And he turned out great! He only took two evenings to make, and I was able to use all stash yarn, Red Heart Super Saver for the white and brown, and Red Heart Soft Touch for the rest.
I threw on some buttons for eyes, and added a stethoscope to make him into a 'Dr. Cow'.
I loved the way the pattern turned out, with the great big nose, and floppy limbs (which are incorporated into the body as you go along) this plus toy has a great feel. Plus the double thickness ears stand up tall and hold their character.
I threw a UCalgary brand on him as an added touch.
Oh, and if you are curious, I made the pillow in the background as well. You can watch the youtube tutorial here.
Well I've just finished reading One Woman Farm by Jenna Woginrich. An adorable, and beautifully illustrated diary in which Jenna shares her first year, by herself I might add, on a 6.5 acre farm in upstate New York. Although I guess she's not really by herself, she does have her flock of sheep, an assortment of chickens, geese and rabbits, her ponies Merlin and Jasper, her goat and her dogs.....and I think there might have been a cat..... also some bees. This little book draws the reader in to Jenna's love affair with her farm, and if you want to read more, she's written a number of other books (Barnheart, Chick Days, Made From Scratch, Cold Antler Farm), or you can head on over to her daily blog, barnheart.com . Don't feel like reading? she's got a vlog on YouTube, which I have dutifully watched in full and subscribed too.
And as soon as I put down Jenna's book, I picked up another one.
Adventures in Yarn Farming, by Barbara Parry, takes us to the other end of the spectrum, rather than 6.5 acres, she has over 200, and rather than just one woman going it along, so far (I haven't finished reading it) it seems that Barbara has a number of farm assistants and some serious start up funds (her husband was the CEO of Yankee Candle). However, what is clear from the start is like Woginrich, both woman have a deep bond with their animals and an affection for farm life. Throw in the beautiful full colour photography on just about every page of this book, and a few beautiful knitting patterns to boot, and this is a book I will dream over for years to come. Barbara has the fibres from her flocks available through FoxFire Fiber and Designs and also runs a blog, SheepGal.com (it hasn't been updated in over a year, but there are tonnes of posts for back reading).
Finally one last thing. If everything above sounds like too much reading, or if you're just looking for a quick sheep dream fix. Watch this youtube video produced by Etsy, featuring Susan Gibbs on her farm in Martha's Vineyard. And yep, she's another gal like Jenna and Barbara, who left the 'real world' behind to go chasing Sheep Dreams.
And for my Mother, who I know is reading this and shaking her head at her strange daughter's crazy ideas.... don't worry, Kevin knows all about my Sheep Dreams. (I love you mom!)
