Purple Bunny

I made a purple knit bunny from Fuzzy Mitten's 'Scraps Chaps' for Karen's daughter. It came out hugely better than my first attempt to make a bunny, though I think that time I was using the "Easter Bunny" pattern. Anyway I was quite pleased with the results, and also used it as an chance to work with my skills at color swapping and pattern making.

I didn't put a heart button on it, since the target owner is three years old, so I just sitched a heart on with some embroidery floss.

I gave it pale pink eyes from Suncatcher-eyes, and I think the whole thing came out pretty nice. I even gave it an little bit of a tail, just knotted on a bunch of fluff on it's butt.

I felt pretty awesome, since I finished the whole thing in two days!

... I want a long relaxing QUIET soak in the tub, with bubbles, a peanut butter sandwich, and a Smirnoff Blueberry Lemonade.


... Did I mention Quiet?

Snoozers gonna Snooze

Taken in the parking lot after a shopping trip. Mini fell asleep in his Aunt's arms when she took over carrying him so I could make a dash for the ladies room.

Roxy and Short Rows

I just started working on my "Roxy Fox and her Pups" kit by KnitPicks, which I don't think is available any more or I'd provide people a link to the pattern.
((The tutorial's are still up though.))

The yarn is crazy soft and INSANELY fluffy, so it's like trying to knit my cat, ((A Himalayan)) but that wasn't where things went wrong.

Nope I screwed up around row 21 where the 'Short Rows' start. I saw the term and had no idea what they were talking about. All I saw was that stitches were decreasing and I had NO idea where the hell they were going. Were we decreasing them? Putting them on holders? What was happening? I had NO idea. It was infuriating and frustrating, and I completely screwed up. Then the fuzzy nature of the Suri Dream made it pretty much impossible to 'frog' what I'd done. So more frustration right there.

I stomped around for half an hour being enraged at the world and at my failure to comprehend what was required, and wondering if I'd just totally wasted my money, and wondering how another lady in my knitting group had actually suceeded at making this clearly diabolical knitting project.
Even better, my theoretically comprehensive knitting dictionary DID NOT include the term 'short row'.

Finally I got my temper cooled down enough to check online.

Knitpicks had a tutorial for short rows on YouTube.

It was one of those moments where you feel incredibly enlightened...and incredibly STUPID at the same time.

Lemon Cake for the Actor

So Grandpa P. Came over today, as well as one of my half brothers. It was a nice visit. My half brother lives a long shot away, so he doesn't come to our neck of the woods terribly often. It might have been slightly more pleasant though if Grandpa P. hadn't decided the entire affair was best suited to demonstrating his acting and hypochondria.


... I'm just not going to get into it. But it was really an incredible show. Awards have been given out for less. ((Also yes: I do see the man regularly, it really really was an act. Yes I'm sure.))

Anyway... it was nice other than the bad Shakespearean Drama, since evidently it was totally not fair that they drive forty five minutes to see Mini Monster and then have Mini Monster steal the stage... *cough* Heaven forbid.

We had something to drink and I served up some slices of Lemon Cake I made this morning. I was, in fact, pretty damn proud of that lemon cake. It's one of the first cakes I think I've ever iced that didn't fall apart. Partially due to me taking a tip and putting the damn thing in the fridge/freezer to get cold before I started trying to ice it.

Big day for cleaning too, so I'm feeling fairly accomplished all in all. I've just had my fill of bad acting for a little while. So the next person who staggers onto my personal stage throwing their arms up dramatically and weeping about the trouble they've seen... will probably get their slice of lemon cake stuffed in their ear.

Rebel without a Bottle

So Mini got some new clothes this weekend, since he persists in getting bigger ;) And because we needed some warmer clothing for the approaching fall.
One of these was an amusing little set with skateboards and the logo "Born 2 Skate". This included a hoodie. ((Here he is being the Rebel without a Bottle. He pulled up his collar himself and it kinda reminded me a little of James Dean. XD

Well. James Dean in a little black and red hoodie sweatshirt. Anyway it was cute. This was followed by me pulling up his hood to tease him. That's when we found out the hoodie had some cute details I hadn't seen at the store....



So Yeah. Good times. XD

Craftsmans Fair and Artifa-cation

My mom, my sister and I went to the Craftsmans Faire in Sunapee this weekend. I'm a little jealous I couldn't join them for breakfast, because the place they went makes DELICIOUS breakfast sandwiches and I'd just about bite someone right now to get one, but had fun anyway.

I got a new Purse and wallet from a craftswoman there who makes fantastic stuff. Every time we go we look at her stuff. I love my leather bags, they smell so nice, and I've always been a Leather person. It's wonderfully resilient if you handle it right, and good Leather Work just ROCKS.
I admit I was almost swayed by another purse maker I hadn't seen before because of some astonishing bead work... but Nericcio Leathers are tried, true, and pretty, and I got a really awesome purse for no where near the 950$ the beaded one would have cost. ((It was gorgeous, but I can't justify that for a PURSE.))

I also bought ((Well technically I'll pay my mother back for it.)) An original etched plate from an artist who makes etchings. She retired the plate, and had it matted and framed in black. With the picture in black against the copper of the plate ((Which glows in the sun)) and a black mat and frame ((A thin white edge accentuates the mats that pin down the plate)) It. Is. Gorgeous.

Tilmani doesn't think it's 'His Thing', but I think it's one of the most beautiful things we saw. I did make him chuckle though and will try and get him to go see another Wall hanging we saw, a quilted wall hanging shaped like a Fish. I didn't spot the Artists name but they had a couple of them. I was ((Surprise)) kinda taken with the vibrant red one. It was just so much FUN.

I also bought, after years of stopping in and drooling, two necklaces from Luann Udell. I have a 'charm' necklace with a tiny soapstone fish, an round disk, and a greenish freshwater pearl, hanging from a silver ring on an leather cord, and a small Soapstone horse on an dark beaded metal chain.

I also got a glass heart necklace, very pretty and swirly colored, it looks kinda like a slice of fruit or a flower petal, with three little swooshes like apple seeds or stamens. ((MiniMonster I guess figured it looked like Fruit. He tried to eat it.)) Again, sorry folks, didn't catch the artists name for this one.

The last few years we went it was kind of a bust at the fair, and felt like it was the same stuff over and over. This time there was plenty to drool over, or maybe it was just looking at it with a fresh pair of eyes. Anyway we had fun, though as usual the band was WAY. TOO. LOUD. We all joked about having localized hearing damage from having one ear pointed toward them when we got a snack at the concession tent.

Good times, had by all. Well... Tilmani had his hands full with the Mini Monster. He was mostly well behaved, took a nap, had some food, but apparently kept demanding me when Tilmani tried to feed him. Poor Tilmani. <:/ Hard to feel appreciated when your young charge keeps looking around and demanding "Mama??" I gave him a big hug when I got back.