Photo Challenge - 3kcbwDay2

Today's challenge for knit and crochet blog week is to take a creative photograph. I'm certainly not the most creative person out there but I think Droid fans will get a kick out of this.

Of course an Android has got to use a Droid phone!

To find other Knit and Crochet Blog Week posts from today, just search Google for 3kcbwday2.

 

Knit and Crochet Blog Week - Day 1 3KCBWDAY1

Knit and Crochet Blog Week is here! This is my first time participating and I'm so excited. The goal is to blog about dIfferent fibery subjects each day. Today's topic is color.

I've been knitting for about five years. Just recently I was trying to remember why I picked up kntting and I realized it was because I wanted to make a pillow for my mom. I had no idea how complicated it would be since it was multicolor and had charts. (I still have a hard time reading charts even though I know how to knit.) I tried to find the right colors based on the pattern but obviously I never knitted the pillow. Smartly I decided to start with something easier.

Most of my projects follow the same method. I decide to make something, find a pattern that suits it, then pick the yarn. Color is usually the last choice. It tends to be dictated by the project, like doing a ladybug in black and red, or by the recipient's taste, like doing my friend's blanket in colors that match her nursery. I don't really even have much of a stash to draw from. Seriously half of the yarn I have in my stash is yarn my grandma gave me when she was decluttering. I tend to buy just what I need and I let the project dictate the color.

The monster I made for C is a good example of my typical method.

I knew he wanted a monster so I had him pick the pattern he wanted. I didn't have him decide on a color until he picked a pattern.

I can think of two examples where I did pick the project based on the color. The first was the monster I knitted for my nephew. My BIL is a huge Chivas fan so I knew whatever I did I wanted it to be in those colors and I picked a pattern to highlight the colors.

The other was my drawstring bag. I found self striping yarn at the store and I've always wanted to try it so I bought it without any project in mind. In fact it sat for a while until I could figure out what to do.

It was fun to think about color in a way I hadn't before. I always figured that it would be more of a driver in my projects but it appears I go for the patterns first.

To check out other knitters and crocheters thoughts on color, just google 3KCBWDay1. And if you want to participate head over to Eskimimimakes for the instructions.

House decor

When I first joined Pinterest one of the first things I pinned was a great decorating idea from this website. For the longest time I wanted to create something like it for my house. I finally got my chance to make it this weekend.

 

Most of the decor in my house is pictures of the kids, E and me so I was looking for something that would go with the pictures but be a little different. This was the result:

 

It was super easy to make! I used scrapbook paper to trace each family member's hand, then cut them out and glued them down. I wrote our family name at the top of the blue page (it's out of the shot of this picture I took). I love my new picture and it captures a nice moment in time - before too long my hand will be the smallest in the family.

 

Linking up to the Sundae Scoop on I Heart Naptime

 

WIP Wednesday on a Saturday

I totally missed doing a work in progress update on Wednesday this week. I've been so busy at work that I've barely had time for anything else. On top of work it was Easter plus C's, E's, my mom's and SIL's birthdays. Fortunately we have a bit of a lull this weekend (I hope) which will give me a chance to catch up around here.

 

I have managed to sneak in a little bit of crafting this week. I've got two knitting projects and one cross stitching project going. First up is the socks. I'm going super slow on these; I'm still on the ribbing on the first sock. But there is some progress.

My second is the brown bear for my coworker. I've been paying a little more attention to it since I will rapidly run out time if I don't. I've got the bottom of the body done but nothing else and I only have two months to finish.

My last craft project is my cross stitching. I hadn't done cross stitching in years (cross stitching was my first crafty love but fell to the side when I learned how to knit) but I started again when I knew I would want something besides knitting to entertain me on the plane ride to Hawaii.

Right now it's a little dull looking since I've only done the pale blue but it does get more colorful. I think it will go on my desk at work or in the kitchen when I finish it. It's been fun to get back into cross stitching.

 

And even though this isn't a craft project, another thing I've got going is my basil. I planted it a few weeks ago and it's actually growing! I'm going to have a caprese salad and some pesto when it's ready!

 

Gummi candy!

I wanted to make some treats for Easter and I have some really cute bunny and chick molds so I decided to make some gummi candies. I found a good recipe from Skip to My Lou. It's so simple - just three ingredients! To make them all you need is a box (3 oz size) of flavored jello, two envelopes of unflavored gelatin (1/4 oz each) and 1/3 cup water. Add the water to a small sauce pan. Add in the gelatin and stir gently until it is mixed in. The mixture will have the consistency of jelly at this point.

 

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Put the pan over medium heat and stir for 2-5 minutes until the mixture is liquid - no lumps! (All four of my batches barely took two minutes.) Let it cool for a minute and then pour into the molds.

After 20 minutes remove them from the molds. They pop right out! I did dust just a tiny bit of powdered sugar on the backs before I pulled them out to make them less sticky. The gummies absorb most of it but they still ended up sticky and they tasted the same.

I made strawberry, orange and lime. I think the strawberry was my favorite. Yummy!

Check out Wayward Weekend and I heart Naptime for other great crafts.

 

FO Friday - Caterpillar

The caterpillar is done! I finished it just a few nights ago and I'm very pleased with it. The pattern was Caterpillar by Kimberly Chapman. I loved her pattern but I made a few modifications. I wanted my caterpillar to be bigger so I increased up to 48 stitches at the widest part instead of 30. I also used i-cords for the legs and antenaes instead of knitting in the round. For the yarn I used stash yarn that my grandma gave me. It's definitely acrylic and is probably Red Heart - the only one I'm not certain of is the yellow; it seemed slightly different from the rest.

This is going to be a baby gift for a coworker along with a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

My Ravelry project page is here. For more finished objects check out Tami's Amis.

 

WIP Wednesday

Well I did it - thanks to the encouragement everyone gave me last Wednesday I cast on my first pair of socks! I decided to go with Silver's Sock class as my first pattern since the directions look pretty thorough and I think I may need some hand holding. For the yarn, I'm using Serenity sock in pink (J helped pick out the color). I haven't gotten very far because I've had to cast on three times. The first time my cast on was way too tight and the second time I twisted the stitches. But this time seems to be going smoother and I've managed to get a few rows done.

My other WIP is the caterpillar. Look how close I am to finishing!

For other WIP Wednesday fun check out Tami's Amis