Toy Knits

Meet Clarisse.
This is my first attempt at knitted toys. This one is from an egg cosy pattern at the link below. I just added some legs. She's very small, just as tall as a small pepper mill but adorable and floppy. I'm hooked.
Here's my inspiration:
Little Cotton Rabbits
I'm working on my technique but Clarisse is such a favorite at my house and at ballet.
I like the process a lot and I seem to be leaning more to that hobby as it is so easy to transport. I'm still working on my Baby Jane but she's taking a back seat right now as I'm thinking about Christmas gifts! Hope you like her!

I'm working on a post from the Atlanta Quilt show. Stay tuned!
Stay well,
Lindsey

Early Christmas

I've been knitting lately!  These are mini-stockings from little cotton rabbits.  It's a free pattern.

Knitting is easy for me to transport and a great way to pass the time while waiting for ballet class to get out.  

We've had three of our five sick with the flu so I haven't been a very good blog girl lately.  Baby Girl hit 103 degrees with her fever 2 nights ago and that's when I start to squirm a bit.  She's fine now and just dealing with a lower fever and cough.  

Hope you enjoy my mini stockings!  I have more to show you soon.

Enjoy!

The Marriage Saver

What is a Marriage Saver?  

Well, when you're in the mountains, folks up there have a different sort of humor than us stuffy city slickers.  At the Saturday fair,  there was the son of an elderly couple selling these.  He said if he sold these it would save his parent's marriage.  Why?  Because his mother buys yarn all the time and doesn't use it up....sounds like a stash to  me.  hee hee.  Guess what my sister said as she laughed her head off.....(he was being funny btw)

"I'll take the whole box!"

He was so thrilled to pack up his box, save his parent's marriage, and take the rest of the day off.  He probably saw her Tory Burch sandles coming from far away...(who wears those to the Saturday Fair?)

These really do make a great scrubber....perfect tough scrubber and luscious latherer at the same time.  Am I making any sense?

Does anyone have a pattern for these novelty items?  I've never seen anything like it before.  It's a dollar store scrubber with knitting/crochet around the edges.  Hysterical!  Especially when you bring it to your next house warming party labeled as "The Marriage Saver".

Let me know if you have a pattern or clue as to how to make one...I couldn't find anything in my extensive research ....of course, nothing was posted under "marriage saver"

Enjoy!

Expand My Brain Please Lord!

These are the Rainbow Jane blocks I'll be working on for the next two weeks....That's a nice way of saying... "I need to EXPAND MY BRAIN!"  There are trials that we all need help with in life but this is one of those challenges in life where you just need an expert to sit with you for about the first 10 blocks....then, I think I'd have the techniques nailed down.  

For most of you this is easy and fun and a real pleasure...I do enjoy it but it's tough to work so hard at the piecing and then have it look like the neighbors cat did it.   moving on.....

(Just sneaking in a pic of my summer girls, ages 6 and 12)

Update on my Wavy Wipers....These have saved me this summer...here's the story...I've been spending 4-7 hours (I'm not kidding)  in the car everyday going back and forth to ballet, tennis and my boy's job (stringing tennis racquets).  

I've been knitting these goodies while waiting for them or even (I confess) at traffic lights.  I gave these three to Danny's mother-in-law who got tied up by the bad guy with the gun a few days ago.  I think she really liked them!  For that story, click here.  I talked to Jake, the father-in-law (probably in his 80's) who fired three shots at the guy and he said,

"I didn't know if Danny would do what the guy told him to so I had to go do something...we just can't do without Danny, he's been so good to us."  Jake broke out of his hand bindings and hopped upstairs to the kitchen to cut free his leg binding and then went after the guy.  Danny calls him, John Wayne.  

Because their house is so full of "Manly Men"...I had to take them these jalapeno, bacon-wrapped, cream cheese things that are to die for from Pioneer Woman... Recipe here.  All I know is that when I take these to ANY function....my plate comes home clean without fail.  I even make them for myself sometimes.

Here's the last of my Three by Three swap for Anina at Twiddletails.  Kind of Christmasy...after all it is July.

That's all for today...we're packing for our big trip to Montreat, NC...my college roommate is coming to stay with me for a bit so we have that to look forward to!  I'll keep you posted on all of our doings. 

 I think I'm even going to play tennis this summer for the firstish time in 15 years....did you know that I played college tennis (see the Salem College t-shirt above)?   Don't get too excited about that...my high school team was better than my college team!  My whole family plays tennis and I mean everybody...it's just that truly, I'm not a competitive person...My Hero loves to play tennis and I thought I'd give it a go for his sake.  When I look back 18 years ago, I think it was one of the reasons he married me!  

My best shot.... top spin lob to the baseline.

Ciao!

A Mild Obsession

Everyone knows how much I love the Wavy Wiper (see side bar for Karen's tutorial)...We use them every day...all day...for facecloths, kitchen towels, spills etc.

So.....I decided to try to make one for myself...I'd like to give them as Christmas gifts...BUT...

::::cue music from Sesame Street:::: - "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong" - Can you tell which ones are mine and which ones are Karen's.  

Oh help, where did I go wrong.  I realize that I'm not the greatest knitter in the world but I'm not awful either.  I've made the usual hats, scarves, baby sweaters, even socks.  But the Wavy Wiper has wiped me out.  

I will try again...I want to get that cute little size, like the original.  I will persevere!

more later on my success!

Wavy Wiper from Messy Karen

I am so in love with these "wavy wipers" from Messy Karen....the little red one is a scrubber that she knits with a little piece of tulle woven in there to make it a nice tough scrubber.  I cleaned out her etsy store the last time she had them. 

It arrived the day before Independence Day, so it put me right in the mood!

Thanks Karen

Look at My Loot!

This is part of my Variety Pack from Messy Karen....I can assure you, there is nothing messy about this beautiful array of lovelies!

Precious....

I wish you could see how beautiful these colors are...the photos do not do them justice.

I'm guessing she's a detailed kind of a girl...look at the adorable card...

Here's the pack, all in all....scrubbers, washies, dishies, lotion.  The colors are so fresh and beachy!  It was waiting for me when I got home from the Panhandle.....it's so wonderful that I'm going to admire it for a few days before I break into it....well, I did break into the Nubian lotion...it is to die for....especially when you've been at the beach for a week and the tops of your feet are sunburned!  More on that later...

Thanks so much Messy Karen....I love every kit and kaboodle!

This time....I will enjoy!