A Knitted Minion

Do you love the minions from Despicable Me? Who doesn't?!! So when I saw this free minion pattern that someone pinned, I instantly repinned! But I didn't just repin! I actually knitted, and made one for Laura's birthday that was Monday, the 9th.

If you click on the pattern link above, you'll notice that I made some changes. Some were intentional, some were probably a knitting gauge thing, or knitting inexperience thing. Like I'm not sure why his feet look like he's wearing elf shoes.

I made his goggles removable, and one change was to make the eyes out of felt with painted eyes instead of knitting them.

His overalls also come off, so theoretically, I could knit him more outfits. Or maybe I'll sew him some... that would definitely be faster.

The birthday girl was happy!

She named him Frank.

A Little Knitting

Thanks for the fitness goal encouragement. That little "project" is coming along. And thanks for the other sewing suggestions... I'm not opposed to sewing for others, and actually have something planned for my mom that she requested a little later this year. And home dec... my home is pretty much "dec-ed" out right now. I actually don't mind "recharging" breaks from sewing, as I have other creative outlets.

I've done a little messing around with painting and drawing. No real talent to speak of, but sometimes I just have to paint. Kind of weird.

The other creative outlet that I enjoy is knitting. I would still classify myself as maybe an advanced beginner, and am not really interested in knitting garments for myself. And my mom keeps me well supplied with scarves... I have more than enough for the warm climate in which I live. I do see myself knitting for babies (when the time comes). And I like knitting toys. Go figure.

My primary source for toy patterns is the book Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson, and I've shown off some earlier creations. Click on her name and you can see lots that she creates... not just the toys.

Last year I started the sock monkey, and then put him down, about 90% finished. So I finished him. I really did a terrible job on him, and didn't add his hair because I couldn't figure out the instructions, and really couldn't be bothered. But here he is, in all his weird glory.

So ugly that he's kind of cute, right? Maybe not. Anyway, I'm knitting something else right now that I'll be taking on a little semi-spontaneously planned beach vacation. Hopefully that little creation will turn out a bit more successfully.

And if you want to see some really fantastic "itty-bitty toys" knitted by a fellow sewing blogger, check out Clio's blog!

A Sweater? A Sweater!

I knit a sweater! A cardigan to be precise, and to be even preciser (preciser?) I finished knitting it, um, last summer. It's a cropped, 3/4 length sleeve, scoop neck cardi knit in some kind of washable cotton yarn that is soft and scrumptious. I think you have to be a member of Ravelry to see it, but it's the Miette pattern that is a free download from there.

A couple of details. Well, I can't remember any of the details of the actual pattern. But as a beginner knitter, my grasp of size and gauge is, well, admittedly, weak. I made this with one particular dress in mind, and when I put it on with the dress, I just wasn't thrilled. Does that ever happen to you? What you see in your mind is really different than how a project turns out.

Heck, I'll just show you some pictures!

Doesn't look too bad from this angle. I'm not wearing the dress I imagined it with, but a different skirt and top.

It's supposed to be pretty much fitted, and it is just too wide across the back and at the neckline. (It's also a little long to be called a cropped sweater, oops.)

Oh, maybe I AM wearing the dress, hee hee.

Yep, I like it better with the skirt, which looks fluffy and full over this full skirted dress.

I want to leave you with a close up of the chartreuse green square buttons and the eyelet design. But don't look too closely, as there are tons of mistakes!

A Little Knitting

I haven't done any sewing lately, though I did cut out a blouse. I still need to take my serger in for repair, so my slip is currently a UFO as well. I walk into the sewing area in the basement and it is a M.E.S.S. Never mind though because in a couple of weeks, the entire area will be emptied out so we can fix the sagging kitchen floor before we remodel the kitchen.


Yep. So much organization and cleaning out to do, and at the moment it has me a little overwhelmed. What did I do today about it? I went shopping and out to lunch with a friend. Ah, yes, the old avoid at all costs technique. I did get some super cute shoes for $22! I'll take a picture soon, I promise.


In the meantime, I didn't make too many Christmas presents. OK, I only made one. And it's a cowl I knitted for a friend of mine. She's a huge Ohio State fan (a former cheerleader), and a huge Atlanta Falcons fan, as as luck would have it, they have the same colors. For pattern info, I'll have to direct you to Tasia's Sewaholic blog where I got my inspiration.


Meet the Ohio State/Atlanta Falcon Honey Cowl:

It's a mid-length version, and is really a little tight if it's doubled. Possible, but tight. And it's chock full of mistakes. Luckily, no one can really find them. Not even me. Well, maybe someone can, and there is one glaring one, but well, there you go. Oh! I got the yarn on Etsy at Huckleberry Knits, and it is gorgeous!


I do enjoy knitting, but I am really slow, so my projects are a bit few and far between, but there is almost always something in the works!

Knitting a Bunny

I can't help it. I love to knit these little toys. And it's something to do in the evenings since I'm finding it too hard to sew anymore then. I think it's the light, which doesn't seem to be as much of an issue when knitting.


So, let's see... the count is 1 owl, 1 reversible cat/mouse, 2 balls (one still intact, the other... not so much... puppies have sharp teeth), and, introducing:

He's (well, I think it's a he) already a little dirty, as a couple of random body parts were snatched by my dog before attachment. That's life as a bunny, I suppose. Always on the lookout for the enemy dog.

Another critter is already in the works, and shouldn't take as long as Mr. Bunny who turned out bigger than I expected. Yes, the measurements are in the pattern, but you know, my perception of a flat measurement into a 3D animal is obviously a bit skewed.


Here's the whole family together:

It's probably about time I started giving them names, don't you think? If you have any suggestions, feel free to give them to me.


Oh, p.s. these are all from the creative mind of Susan B. Anderson.

I Thought It Was June

I was going to do my first Me Made June post, and daughter, Laura and I took some pictures, and upon uploading, well, that's when I discovered that it is actually still May. So, I'll show you the top I finished last week with some commentary. It's not one that will get heavy rotation so you won't get bored.

Yep, we've had a hard couple of days around here with some incredibly sad news, and you'll have to forgive me if my brains are scattered. Frankly, I'm pleased that I still kind of know how to type, but this is a welcome distraction.

This top, McCalls 5661, has been cut out for awhile, but I finally got around to it. It's the first Palmer/Pletsch pattern I've made, and it's "The Perfect Fit Top". The instructions are fantastic, complete with fitting instructions. Lines for making alterations are printed on the tissue. Sprinkled throughout are "Fit Tips" and "Quick Tips" (which are sewing tips). I decided to glam up the hem, and for the record, my top was already cut out when Gertie posted about the scalloped day dress.

I will most likely not wear it with this skirt, but I wanted you to be able to see the hem. And it fits amazingly well, Except for one teeny little annoying problem.

I followed the sway back alteration lines to a t, and when doing the tissue fitting, all seemed well. When doing the pin fitting, all seemed well. But you can see that all is not well. The print is busy enough though, that I'm probably the only one that notices, and it feels kind of weird.

I do envision wearing this top with black trousers, and maybe a black cardigan (or an ivory one). But mostly, I made it to wear with this:

How about some belted options?

I even have a wider belt that mimics the black border, but forgot about it when I was taking the pictures.

For the inside facings, I ran into a wee little dilemma. First, here's a picture of how I had to redraw the facings, which I ultimately traced onto their own tissue. This is just the front facing.

Can you see the red line? On the front piece, I had lowered the neckline about an inch, and had to take a tuck at the armscye to make it lie flat. That raised the armpit portion of the armscye. The shoulders and upper bust are the size 12, and then I made my usual widening out to the 14 + to accommodate the tummy and hips.

Oops, not enough fabric to cut out the front facing. After making the scallops, I made a facing to match for the hem, and followed instructions from my Vogue Sewing Book.

Finally, a knitting tragedy to share, but not really a serious one in the scheme of things. Darn dog.

The Galloping Horse Theory, and other Catching Up

Whew! I'm back from 10 days in Texas staying with my mom, and helping her deal with a bloody $#@%!@%# mess of crazy. Apologies if I've offended anyone, but this is one time when, if you knew the whole story, you'd totally understand. At least I hope you would. Anyway, I'll spare you the horridness, and get on to some of the better parts of the trip.

First highlight was meeting an online Etsy friend, Wendy, of Sweetwater Gifts. My mom and I made our way out to Allen, TX where Wendy was participating in a craft show for our first meeting. I knew her right away, and even got a chance to meet her hubby who was cheerfully helping her sell her beautiful jewelry. Well, cheerfully might not be totally accurate.

(Note to self... make a cuter denim skirt.)

A couple of days later, we met up on a toasty morning at the Dallas Arboretum, for a stroll through the gardens before a delicious lunch on the terrace. Thanks, Wendy! I'm including this picture because she looks adorable, but. (Yes, I have neck issues, but my therapy dollars are being spent on more pressing problems, lol.)

I also traveled with my mom and sister down to College Station to pack up my niece's freshman dorm room, and carry all her (*&^*(&  belongings down 3 flights of stairs in 96 deg. heat with oven like wind blowing strongly. No pictures of that lovely sweatiness. We did eat at Cracker Barrel... my sister's first time, and she pretty much cleaned her plate.

I won't talk about the Mexican food I ate that was the potential reason for a 24 hour miserable stomach thing that cramped more than my style.

Let's see. Oh, yeah, I started a sweater. This is how far I've gotten:

Hmmm, well, hard to tell what it looks like, but it's knitted from the top down and I'm almost to the armpits.

I also had an afternoon with an newish old friend (an amazing woman I've known since 1995 or so), and lunch with an oldish old friend (another amazing woman who was my best friend from my earliest memories until 4th or 5th grade when we drifted to other cliques. We reconnected about 2-1/2 years ago, and it's all water under the bridge.)

Meet Gibson.

He's my mom's dog, and will jump up on your lap when you're not looking.

I had intended to work on Laura's crescent skirt to keep up with the sew along, and thankfully Tasia is moving at a snail's pace. Not a criticism, but really a relief. I'm right on schedule. I had taken all the cut out pieces, and did work on it a bit, but remember that unfortunate stomach thing. That pretty much ruled out sewing. One of my favorite parts of this skirt is the waistband, and with the fabric I've chosen, I tried very hard to get it to have some matching. I think it looks pretty good.

Oh! Look at my dog's new bed... perfect size, and filled with soft comfy "blankets".

Yes, a bin of fabric.

The galloping horse? My mom taught me this saying that quilter's have to help them not obsess over little mistakes:

If you can't see it from a galloping horse, ignore it.

Wise words, indeed!

Bits and Pieces

Just want to clear up some old business, and get ready for the new, so let's reflect:

Over the Top Challenge officially ends tomorrow, and on the 16th we switch over to the Bottoms Up Challenge. You can go to the Over the Top blog to sign up for the Bottoms Up if you aren't already in the top challenge. Perfect timing, I say. Here's the top tally:
1 pj top, 3-1/2 tops (the 1/2 being the RTW that I hemmed) plus a bonus top for Laura = 5-1/2 tops made. I have a couple more that I hope to get done by at least the end of April, if not sooner.

The RTW jacket sew along (click on the badge for more info) is moving along. My fabric has been block fused, and the pieces cut out, ready for sewing. It's conveniently bundled as recommended:

BTW, that's a new lining. The original lining I had chosen was too sheer and you could see the print through it.
The crescent skirt sew along (click on that badge) is about to begin next Monday (deadline for anyone filing taxes in the U.S., so some of you might be really busy this weekend). I've bought fabric for at least 4 or 5 of these skirts, but this is what I'm starting with:

You're thinking... "wait! Isn't that already a skirt". Well, indeed it is. I wore this in 1978 as an overskirt to the bridesmaids dress I wore in my cousin's wedding. She's now been divorced for years. Anyway, that's vintage Liberty of London cotton that will flatten out nicely and give me plenty of fabric I think when I take off the waistband that's about 10" around. Ok, maybe not 10", but it's shockingly tiny. Look at this fun detail:

Those are buttons down the front that I'm going to incorporate into the skirt by simply sewing it closed, leaving the buttons as details. And it will look great with my new chambray top!

Moving on, I've bought 2 voiles from the Anna Marie Horner collection (which I'm lazy and didn't take photos of), and several pieces of rayon shirting from fabric.com that have washed up gorgeously. The rayons have a wonderful drape and aren't too bulky for the gathering. Oh, here is a picture of a couple of them (the red will be a dress for Laura). Danny approves.

Then there's the jeans sew along (I'm wondering if I could somehow parlay these sew alongs into a kind of profession... are there professional sew alongers. If there are I want to join.). Oops, got sidetracked. Anyway, I have my patterns, but no denim yet. I do have some notions though. The jeans buttons? 12 of those babies for $1.80 at atlantathread.com.

I'm not planning to make 12 pairs of jeans (or even 3), but I do have that option now. And plenty of topstitching thread.

This post is getting kind of long, but the next section was named by Kyle, and he calls it $#!%@% My Mom Makes. First up, is a favor for a friend who will be turning this into a pillow:

And finally, a little knitting project from Itty-Bitty Toys. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Knit Ball

The what? Well, you know, I've taken up knitting and one of the benefits is that I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. But, I've finished the puppy sweaters, and needed a new project. A quick one, that took little brain power, and one that I could use just any old yarn. I used the inexpensive green from the puppy sweater, pulled out the dpn's (double pointed needles), the Itty-Bitty Toys book and THIS was created:

And what, you ask, does one do with a knit ball? Well, THIS of course:

What's Better Than Puppies?

Not much, really.

You've already seen this green sweater, but of course, Sister Ella needed a sweater of her own. I finished this about a week and a half ago.

So, knitters out there, I'm pretty sure that my picking up the stitches method for the ribbing around her little butt is completely wrong, but, hey, it worked. I made her sweater a little bigger, but I think that Sam has grown!

I decided that sometimes those sweaters would just not be warm enough, so I made some liners out of fleece that can also be worn on their own. And my dear fellow blogger (who knows who she is), there is no orange here!

I made 4 little fleeces so they each have a UK and a Georgia one. And with the leftover fleece, I made some toys. Apparently, they are delicious!

Puppies!!

This weekend, Laura and Thomas drove down for a visit and to introduce us to the newest members of their family, Ella and Sam. We were so excited to meet this little brother and sister pair, and it went amazingly well! And, of course, they are SO cute!

This is not a great picture, but it accurately depicts the pups! This weekend went by in a blur of fur, with everyone getting along swimmingly. My 2, but especially Teddy (the big black one in the picture), were especially fond of the little guys. You really want to see them, though don't you?!

Meet Ella (in the new green sweater that I just finished this afternoon) and Sam, chi-weenies (a chihuahua/dachshund hybrid):

The sweater is actually for Sam, and I added sleeves after the photo shoot here. Ella's will be pink with green trim.

Even cuter than the sweater on the kitchen counter, is a video of Sam doing a bit of modeling!

Finally, can it get any better than this?