If only there were more hours in a day for...

Crafting!  I've been on a huge craft-blog kick these past few weeks.  I just love seeing what other people come up with and share with the world.  It's so refreshing and inspiring, and honestly it's great to be inspired by objects and projects in an medium other than knitting.  I've been perusing How About Orange's blog all morning.  She has some awesome DIY projects and gorgeous inspiration on her site.  The other blog I've been enjoying this morning is The Purl Bee's blog.  They feature more knitting, crotchet, and sewing projects.

It all makes me wish I had infinitely more time and creative genius at my command.  Check out their blogs, and be inspired!  I know that I am, and can't wait to make a bunch of their projects.

My husband Nick and I have recently bought our first house, and I have begun to look around and see that far too much of what we've used to decorate with has come from ikea.  I mean, a lot of the artwork has come from me, but just about all of the furniture and bigger pieces are not.  All I can think about lately is finding some beautiful, old, and slightly beat up pieces of furniture with tons of character to de-sterilize our home a bit.  My main desire, a Queen Anne style buffet table, which I shall paint and distress... I get excited just thinking about it!  This is the kind of buffet I am talking about.

And then I will paint it a fun color and distress it like this...

And finally, I am going to hang a ton of mis-matching vintage mirrors over it.  It will be perfect.  I can't wait!  If only money grew on trees!  I've found the perfect buffet on craigslist.  Now I just have to come up with the funds to buy it!  I've definitely come to realize that owning a home is the never ending project.

I haven't been blogging, but I've sure been knitting!

OK!  I promised some photos of all my Christmas gift-knitting, and here they are!  I knit these awesome Felted Slippers from French Press Knits for all my sisters and my momma.  I think they were a hit!

They are surprisingly easy to knit up, and the felting isn't that hard either.  They look a bit more challenging than they actually are.  Also, they are SUPER warm since they are just a thick layer of wool when you're done!  Here's a couple more detail shots...

The other fun thing I've been working on is a hat for myself based on the one Hermione wore in the Deathly Hallows.  If you see the movie, keep your eyes out for the knits she wears in the Godrics Hollow scene.  They are gorgeous.  Here's the movie hat...

And the version I made, based on a pattern a fellow Raveler created.  It's not exactly right, and with a little tweaking, I could probably get it to look a lot closer, but here it is.  I'm pretty happy with it even though it is a bit different in shape.  ok, and I just couldn't resist the Harry Potter-inspired wand shot.  I'm feeling a little nerdy tonight.  What can I say?

At any rate, it's 1 am, and I need to get some shut eye.  There's plenty more knitting to be done tomorrow!

A New Year of Knitting

Four posts this last year in as many months really is a sad thing, but thanks to blogging inspiration from my amazing friend Sarah, here I am again, attempting to be better.  For now.  You know how these things go.

Like a lot of knitters, I have had a really busy Christmas with all of my gift knitting (in fact, there is still knitting to do... oi) and I am ready to get back to doing a couple of projects for myself.  When I'm doing tons of gift knitting, I feel it's easier to get burned out... it's best to throw a quick hat for yourself in the mix to keep the motivation going.

I do have some photos that I will post soon of all my gifties, because what I chose to knit for everyone really is a fun pattern and project to try, and maybe you will be inspired to give it a go.  For now I am just surfing the web trying to find some cheap but luxe yarn (because as much as I LOVE high end yarns, the price tag doesn't love me!) to complete some of the 150 projects in my Ravelry que.  So many of my amazing friends are pregnant right now, that I need to find some beautiful yarn for baby blankets!

At any rate, I just wanted to say Happy New Year to those of you who read this, and just let you know that I pray so many blessings on you as we move into 2011.  I know that Jesus has just blessed my husband Nick and I so much throughout 2010, that I'm excited to see what he does in 2011.  I'm stoked to see what He does for all of YOU as well.

Happy new year, and happy knitting!

Introducing the Emma Woodhouse fingerless mittens!

Remember a couple of posts back when I said I was going to challenge myself this year to create my own knitted creations sans patterns?  (I hope you remember... I've only written two posts so far!)  Well I have gone and done it!  I started with a stitch that I liked, & one that I thought would lend itself well to some lacy fingerless mittens without too much fuss, figured out how many stitches I would need to cast on in my chosen weight of yarn, and just went for it.  I frogged a couple of first attempts with different stitch patterns, but this one turned out much better.  I'll post some more photos when I actually have both mittens knit up, but for now here are some detail shots of the first, as well as the helpful tutorials that will have you creating thumb gussets for your mittens in no time!

If you're up for trying out your own fingerless mittens/full mittens, check out these video tutorials to get you started!  They are general instructions, not pattern specific, so they are a HUGE help!  I hope you feel inspired to try your own, I know I will be making more!

thumb gusset set up part 1
thumb gusset set up part 2
Thumb gusset finish part 1
Thumb gusset finish part 2

Modern Knitting- It's not just for your grandma anymore.

  Once upon a time, the only people you ever heard talking about knitting seemed to be gray-haired geriatrics.  They knit ill-fitting sweaters and odd-colored socks, and quite often gave you something hand-made for Christmas that would make even the happiest most easy going elf cringe.  I would like to tell you that this is no longer the case.

  Now I am sure there are still some grandmas out there knitting up reindeer sweaters to give the grandkids this winter, but they are quickly being out-numbered by twenty-somethings who long for all things hand made and unique.  A generation of fashion conscious young women who have begun to reject the notion that knitting can't be cool.  If you don't believe me, spend an hour browsing Etsy or Ravelry.  You will find tons of patterns for everything from silly stuffed toys (my current personal project fav) to anthropologie knock-offs (ravelry anthropologie group).

  If knitting is something you've been wanting to try, but have been secretly too embarrassed to do so, now is your time!  Put the nay-sayers in their place as they marvel at the luxe new baby alpaca scarf you are wearing this winter.  I guarantee you they'll ask where you've bought it... and look at you in disbelief when you tell them it's a one-of-a-kind hand knit that they won't find anywhere.  There are tons of places to learn all the ins and outs of knitting... like I said before, youtube is a wonderful place, as is ravelry, and even online yarn shops like Knit Picks, where you can find both inexpensive yet high quality yarns, and video tutorials on just about everything.

  So go ahead, pick up those needles, and feel free to laugh at the people who try to tell you that knitting is for grandmas.  After all, for some of us it was our grandmas who opened up the possibilities of creative modern knitting... and that's pretty cool.

Casting On

   About 7 or 8 years ago I attempted to teach myself how to knit.  From a book.  With illustrations.  This was before the time of youtube and amazingly in depth knitting tutorials from vloggers/teachers extraordinaire like The Knit Witch (http://www.youtube.com/user/theknitwitch).  Needless to say, it was a long and rather confusing process.  With no knitters in my family or circle of friends, I was all by my lonesome in my pursuit of knitting greatness.  Or mediocrity.  I would have settled for mediocrity after my tenth attempt at a scarf that just kept getting wider and wider with unintentional yarn over increases throughout.  After far too long I was finally able to finish my generic knit scarf... and shortly after got stuck because I couldn't even figure out how to purl.

  I put away my new-found passion for a couple of years until the bug bit me again, and I once again tried to teach myself, this time with a few other people and the help of the internet.  I was much more successful the second time.  Ever since then I've been knitting and trying new things, and I don't think I will ever stop.  So far I've really only attempted to knit patterns that others have created, but I'm feeling bold, and will try to create some of my own this year.  This is the story of my journey from knitting mediocrity to knitting greatness (or something like that).