Several pretty things in the new spring issue of Vogue Knitting. These are the two that spoke to me the most:
Lace Trim Bolero — I just bought a sweater in a similar style that has a ribbon tie in the front, and I’m finding it to be so handy for over sundresses.
Lace-up Camisole — I […]

My trip to the LYS winter clearance sale led me to discover a great yarn for Clapotis. Actually, I had a tough time deciding between two options. I nearly picked out some Art Yarns Supermerino, which I’ve since seen being used by other Clappers to gorgeous effect. For mine, I settled on Reynolds Odyssey in […]

As mentioned earlier, my brother’s recent wedding sparked a bunch of craftiness. I don’t have pictures that capture all of it, but here are a couple of snaps.
The first is the afghan I made as their wedding gift. It was difficult to really get the whole thing on film because of the drab colors […]

I know that the stars must be in some special alignment or something when the forces of “yarn sale” coincide with “birthday.” Whee!
My LYS is having their annual winter yarn clearance, meaning that most everything with wool in it will be 30-50% off this weekend. Happily, this is a birthday weekend for me, so regardless […]

I’ve joined Laura’s Cable-Eight Along. It just officially kicked off today, and can you believe that I’ve already begun?? (Unlike the Hayden Hat Along that I’ve basically flaked out on. Ahem.)

So here’s what we have so far…

I’m getting a kick out of how the cables just blend together in a slightly lumpy looking ribbing… untill […]

Oh dear, time has been flying lately. Time to catch up on what my ongoing and upcoming projects are. I feel the need for a reality check. I suspect I may have unrealistic expectations…
On the Needles
1. Wedding Afghan for Nathaniel: 75% done, need to finish by 3/12
2. Peace Fleece Everyday Cardigan for me: 65% done
3. […]

Cruise knitting has begun! I’ve had the black Lion Brand microspun yarn for this pattern for ages, and I think it will make a nice accessory to take along on vacation. This is about one skein’s worth:

I’m a little bit further along now. This is the laciest project I’ve tried to make so far. It’s […]

My very first spinning attempts!
Here’s the merino roving I bought on ebay:

And here it is on my homemade drop spindle (a la Knitty Gritty):

Of course, I couldn’t wait to see what it would be like to knit with it:

I’m completely awkward with this process right now, but it’s always fun to be trying something […]

Good things really came in two’s this weekend…
Stash-o-rama
Stashbusting is off to a rip-roaring start. I’m happy to say that I’m still feeling very motivated. I spent some time revisiting the stash, sorting, reorganizing, remembering it all. My two plastic bins (summery/baby and wintery/wooly) still don’t quite close nicely, and yes, there is quite a […]

Just a few random goings-on…
Stash Busting
I spent a looong evening yesterday posting some of my craft stash on eBay. I have at least one more batch of items to post today or tomorrow, also. Why does this process always take so much longer than I expect it to? It’s annoying, but also worth it.
So […]

Seems like everybody is making some kind of stash-busting pledge. Monica and Lynette, Jen and La — you’ve all inspired me. Plus, I need to find more space in my craft room (it’s getting crowded in there), AND I want to save up some spending money for the cruise in May (shipboard spa, here I […]

Stevie finally crosses the finish line! This is the pattern called “Stevie” from the Rowan Cork book, size medium. It was my first experience with cables, which turned out to be a lot less scary than I expected. Perhaps because I was focusing so hard on the cable panel, I found it was actually more […]

Here’s some knitting content for you…
These are both from Simple Knits for Treasured Babies, which has a lot of nice simple designs and really exceptional directions (step by step photos even).

The booties are for a co-worker. We’re having a lunchtime shower later this week. The top is for an unknown baby. I made it just […]

Here’s quick snap of the last of three toddler hats that I made as gifts this Chrsitmas. This one is also from Adorable Knits For Tots (love that book!), and it was my first fair isle experience. Fun!

Since I’ve been spending so much time lately NOT blogging, you must be thinking that I’ve been busy being productive in some other area of life. You would be wrong. Life is prettty much puttering along as usual around here.
My current knitting projects are
1. Stalling some more before again attempting the turtleneck on Kate’s “Stevie” […]

Christmas 2004 was a winner! Kate and I got to spend two full days visiting our families, opening gifts, and indulging in good food. To top it all off, we even got to have a white Christmas this year. What could be better?
As usual, I was spoiled by many great gifts . . . but […]

It was a sad, sad sight to behold late last night. I gently washed the pieces of Jake’s Christmas sweater in the sink and laid them out on the blocking board, only to find that the lopsided tiger, located front and center, had unraveled itself beyond the point of repair. sob.
Actually, I’m not as crushed […]

I’m back - whew! Word Press wasn’t recognizing my login password for a while there, but now we’re friends again so I can post some more.
Klaralund is done!

After reading some online erratta notes about how the sizing was smaller than what’s listed in the pattern book, I cast on an additional 4 stitches for […]

In order of urgency…
1. knit 3 2 toddler hats & 3 1 pairs of mittens
2. knit ear warmers (75% done)
3. knit toddler sweater (75% done)
4. sew 3 tote bags (fabric is cut and ready to go)
5. sew 2 sets of oven mitts
6. sew satin sash
7. sew satin sleeping mask
8. knit Kate’s sweater (need to add […]

The new Knitty is up! At first glance, the most tempting patterns for me are the Aibhlinn cowl, Belle Epoch tea-gown inspired sweater, and the Leftovers vest.
I’ve been eyeing several cowl patterns lately, so that one’s no surprise. And I loved the recent Regency House Party series on PBS — so it’s no wonder that […]

Well, it’s not like I didn’t know this would happen . . .

That’s Bridget, our resident Christmas Tree Explorer. I didn’t even get the entire thing put together before she’d managed to climb up into the branches. On the plus side, anchoring the feet of the base with hand weights has so far kept […]

Just a quick post to show you my swatch for the Hayden Hat-Along. I like the colors and the stitch pattern . . . but I’ll probably hold off on making the full hat until my Christmas projects are a little more under control.

p.s. Isn’t Miss Sadie looking cute and festive among the Christmas tree […]

Of course, I already knew that Nicole was the best secret pal (SKP2) in all the land — but she really made my day by sending me a surprise thank-you package of goodies. Wanna see?

I really wish that you could smell the amazing Ginger Orange Bath Milk pouches in that little bag. They’re like tea […]

Time for a seaming party!

Believe it or not, I’ve got several photos in the digital camera at home destined to make an appearance on this blog… but for right now, I just want to get a handle on my list of Christmas gift crafts. I think I’m in denial (as usual) as to what amount of handmade gifts are […]

Hey! I missed my one-year craftmuffin birthday as of October 8. Awww.
Anyway, I’m still chugging along on the cabled sweater for Kate, and zooming along on Klaralund. I’m still enjoying Klara very much, but I will say this for her: those are some loooong sleeves! Since the sleeves also account for a portion of the […]

Here’s the back of Klaralund in Noro Silk Garden #82 — a nice subdued fallish colorway. It’s a little lighter than it appears in this photo, but you get the idea.
The only thing that has me a bit puzzled so far about this pattern is the gauge. Looking at the knitted fabric, the gauge seems […]

Kate moved his own blog over to WordPress several months ago — so rather than do battle with the spammers on MT, we’ve just moved craftmuffin as well. It’ll take a little while to get everything back in place and spruced up, but so far, so good.
I’m still chugging away on the “Stevie” Rowan Cork […]

Had to shut down the comments feature altogether for a bit while I try to get a handle on the recent flood of comment spam. Grrr.
I’m happy to be making some progress on Kate’s “Stevie” sweater — although it doesn’t make for the most interesting progress pics. I have the back and both sleeves done […]

I love autumn. And the beginning of winter, too. Like a lot of people, I
suspect, the stretch from Halloween to New Year’s is my favorite time of
year. I’ve been cooking and baking more often, sewing up and assembling
costumes, thinking about Christmas shopping, and planning holiday crafts.
Oh, and playing Sims 2 — but that doesn’t really […]

Don’t you just love starting a new project? I do. Especially one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. This is about half of the back piece for my nephew Jake’s Tiger Sweater from Zoe Mellor’s Animal Knits book.
I substituted yarn and am using Jeni McMahon Soft Australian Wool instead of […]

It’s long since been finished, but I just now have a couple of pictures to share of the baby blanket that I created along with my boss for another co-worker. This co-worker was the project coordinator for a huge website redesign project, so the blanket was as much a thank-you gift as it was in […]