Turning the Heel on an Empty Bus

The blue sock is coming along. I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out of yarn around the ankle; is there any point in making an ankle-length wool sock? Maybe I'll look for a different yarn for the calf portion ...

The Adventures of a Blue Sock

On our road trip to New York last weekend, I began the re-make of the blue sock. Here it is, looking for parking at W 56th and 10th:
Relaxing in a Manhattan apartment:

In traffic on I-95, headed to Connecticut:

At the in-law's, in Connecticut:

At a slight detour, in front of the Polar Beverage factory in Worcester, MA:

Home again, home again:

More Finger Puppets

Turns out there's plenty of time to knit at craft fairs if nobody's buying your stuff ...

(alpaca, frog, pony, spider)

Kitten Pouch

I made this little kitten pouch for Himself for Valentine's Day. The cat is an iron-on we got ages ago; the lining is flannel, left over from a pajama project.One of my only forays into embridery. I'm surprised it came out as well as it did!

Goodbye, Green Sweater

Once upon a time, there was a sweater. It was made of wool, kinda scratchy, and was bought at the dollar store. Rumor had it the sweater was vintage, but there was no way to be sure. The sweater wasn't talking.

It had a yoke with four colors! And three buttons! It was a preppy's delight. Unfortunately, the neckline came up a bit too far and was a little too tight. Plus, it was scratchy. So despite it being a comfortable cat bed ...

The sweater had to go. Happily, most of the pieces came apart without much trouble -- except the yoke, which would probably have to be felted. Halfway to its new life as balls of yarn, the sweater looked like this:

What will the sweater be in its next life? Stay tuned and see!

Finger Puppets

I've been working on these off and on, but finally wove in the ends and gave them faces last night. The frogs are my favorites, but I like the octopi a lot too. The green and the green/blue yellow are cotton (left over from the Swiffer project); the gray and red are wool (from S'Mittens).

Piggling

A pink pig, mostly completed on Tuesday, but completed yesterday with the addition of eyes.

Felt EKG Heart Garland

I woke up thinking about this project at 7 am and had to get it done just so I could be assured of a good night's sleep! It's just felt hearts sewn to black craft ribbon at regular intervals, using a decorative stitch that looks like an EKG printout. The small size, which fits a standard door or window, has 7 hearts; the large, which fits a wide doorway or double windows, has 13.

Alpaca S'Mittens: Part 2

Finished the alpaca S'Mittens last night. I was worried I wouldn't have enough yarn from the 100 yards Sheila spun, but as it turns out, I could have made these longer -- I had plenty of yarn left over. Maybe I can make some tiny blue and pink alpaca finger puppets for the craft fair on Sunday.

A Trio of Monsters

Three monsters came to life yesterday. They're monocular because I ran out of eyeballs and still wanted to make puppets. Cute, though. The teeth were an experiment -- wasn't sure how they'd look or how they'd hinder mouth movement.

I'm going to hate to sell these guys.

Neko

This is Neko. He's a much friendlier cat than his brother Mehitabel. He enjoys curling up with a book -- especially if there are pictures.

Albert

I don't know what it was, but something inspired me to make a moose and my mind wouldn't let the idea go until I had done it. His antlers (which he pronounces "ant-a-lurs") are rather heavy and tend to flop backward ... perhaps that's why he looks so worried.

Rita

Meet Rita. I bought some animal-print fleece and Patrick suggested I make a lady in a low-cut animal-print dress. I didn't have quite enough pink fleece for arms, so I gave her opera-length gloves. Her hair had me stumped until I found a bit of bright-orange yarn and was reminded of Tempest Storm and the burlesque show we saw last fall -- it was perfect.

A Trio of Puppets

Yesterday was a busy day for puppet-making.

This is Andy. He's very friendly.

A rather sly kitten. His name might be Mehitabel. Or Fitzmaurice.

This dog is very friendly too ... in a more slobbery way. His name is probably Jack.

Alpaca S'Mittens: Part 1

Testing out the S'Mitten pattern for alpaca handspun ... Sheila's, not mine. Hope it comes in under 100 yards! The yarn is nice and soft -- natural Roscoe, I think, with some pink and blue bits carded in. I've made both cuffs and have just joined them. Now just some straight-up knitting in the round -- perfect TV knitting!

"Mahvin"

Marvin's a bit of a slimeball, and he's got octopus hands. He just wants to put his arm around everyone he meets -- especially the ladies! But really -- who could resist his combover and sexy mustache?

Oh You Handsome Devil!

I knew I wanted to make a devil, but I didn't know he'd end up so friendly! He's also the first puppet to get an accessory -- a tiny red pitchfork.

Spearmint Merino Hand-Spun

Finally got around to spinning some of the Merino my sisters scored for me at the Fryeburg Fair. It's a light-green to almost navy hand-dyed fiber, plied with an all-white single. Reminds me of spearmint hard candy.

The skein's only 35 yards, so I don't know what I will use it for ... something tasty, I hope!

Ian!

Same basic pattern, but this guy seemed to want a more shaped face ... and some ears.

I love how their mouths open like they're laughing when I pose them for photos. Just happy creatures, I guess ...