French Press Slippers. Again.

I made my first pair of French Press Slippers about this time last year. They now live in my office and I try to sneak them on as I walk into meetings when no one can see my feet. Otherwise I just flaunt them. Yeah, yeah. I work alone. But they are well loved these days.

So this year I decided to make my sister-in-law a pair as well. Come Christmas she will be well in her second pregnancy. What pregnant woman doesn't love slippers? And pickles dipped in chocolate? Okay, the pickles dipped in chocolate thing is merely a sterotype. I've never been pregnant.

Project: French Press Slippers by Melynda Bernardi
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Colorway: Burgundy
Needle Size: US15
Ravelry Project Page

While these took the usual process...

...I'm still always impressed with the results. This was also another reason I was glad for a well timed Mom visit. I wear a massive size 10 (the unfelted slippers are on my foot). But Mom and my SIL swap size 8s all of the time, so she got to stand by the washing machine with me the last ten minutes and try on warm wet wool every two minutes to see when they were done with the shrinkage. 

I've found it useful to stuff the toes with newspaper while they are drying to make sure the toes are nice and rounded.

So one more Christmas present done and ready to wrap! And maybe a new pair of these will be on the needles for me after Christmas...



Quilting Neophyte

This weekend my hot mama offically become a quilting neophyte rather than just a wannabe.

Here she is with her very first quilt block. Isn't she cute?

To illustrate my belief my parents set an unreasonably high bar for marriage, when I texted this picture to my Dad after 28 years of marriage he replied "Isn't she so cute?". On a sidenote, if this blog isn't updated again my mother hunted me down and severly maimed or possibly killed me for putting up a picture of her in her glasses. With crazy hair and no makeup. She was so distracted by finishing her first block she didn't think to take them off for this first picture. After a weekend of sewing in my poorly lit spare bedroom turned craft room, she returned home to her amazingly converted from my brother's bedroom to her pimped out sewing room, handmade cabinets by Dad and all.

They grow up so fast. There may or may not have been a meltdown with some possible tears at the craft store. But look at her beam with pride.

I was also accused of sucking all of the cool out of my hot fun mom. Hey, she came to the dark side willingly.

Other accomplishments of the weekend including making a puff pastry comeback after my former fail. Never say die.

Etsy Shop Revival

Did you know I have an Etsy shop? I know, I kind of suck at shameless promotion. This blog really wasn't meant to be a promotion piece. Just a rambling piece. However, despite my best efforts to sabotage my etsy shop, Angel Dancer Delights, I seem to still be selling. Even though I haven't added new merchandise in over a year. So, the other night I decided to get my act together and put some new items together to revive my little corner of Etsy.

What is it I make you ask?

Row counters. And these seven are a sneak peak of the newbies I'll be introducing to the shop over the next few weeks.

What are these row counters you ask? Row counters help you keep your place in patterns. They are basically a little pretty wrist abacus. One row represents 1-9, the other your multiples of ten. So, for instance, if your inner row of beads has seven beads slipped through the little stretchy ring and the inner has three, you are on row 73. 

I started on Etsy back in 2007 and it's been interesting. Back in the day there were only three or four of us selling row counters. I about had a heart attack when my very first order, ten minutes after my first listing, was for twenty-five counters for an online knitting store based out of Australia. I've gotten to make special order gift sets for  repeat customers, one honoring her mother for reaching master knitter status. Just last week the same day I posted my Tucker Teddy the designer bought a counter, unknowing I had just finished one of her projects! I've sold some other  types of things over the years, but these days I stick to knitting accessories. I love the idea that I get to be a part of someone's knitting process. 

Oh, you got that blog special up there. :) Next week I'll be starting a holiday special that will go until December 18th. For every row counter purchase every order will receive two complimenting stitch markers. However, as a special to you lovely readers, put the code SimpleEclectic in your comment to seller box when checking out and I will include two ADDITIONAL stitch markers for you! And I'll even give you a head start. You don't have to wait until next week. See a counter you like and I haven't listed it? Let me know and I'll put it up early as a special order just for you.

Happy weekend!   

Olympic Reindeer Hat

Do you know what has...

...tassles...

....an American flag...

...a double rolled brim that requires thirteen additional rows of knitting solid blue and additional seaming...

...and reindeers?

A finished Olympic Reindeer Hat!

Pattern: Olympic Reindeer Hat by Clever Knits /Rav Link
Based on the official hat of the 2010 USA Olympic team (she did a pretty amazing job re-engineering)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Wool
Colorways: Christmas Red 8895, Ecru 8010, Navy 8393
Needles: US 5 & 6
Ravelry Project Page

Is this hat for me? NO. I'm a beanie kind of girl and my fair isle takes the form of things like little owls or cupcakes.  But this isn't for me. As I previously divulged 

"When we were out for my birthday last week [March] I had asked a friend of mine what he was planning to get his wife whose birthday was a few days away (she was obviously unable to make it to supper). He told us how watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics she had fallen in love with the US team hats. It was a tale of woe. Seems he went online looking for this and it had been $75 (too much for me already), but they had sold out pretty much instantaneously and then they were $300-$400 on eBay (which they must have sold out there as well, because I couldn't find them in a search). Now, I am a bit of a pushover when it comes to a husband wanting to make his wife happy, so I told him "Hmm, too bad you don't know a knitter". I promised to go looking to see if I could find a pattern for this hat. I am a bad American. For multiple reasons, one of them being I do not watch the Olympics. Not a second of it. Luckily, Ravelry to the rescue. I did a search and I found it! I was pretty psyched. Granted, her birthday is past, but we are aiming for Christmas. I also have little fear she reads this blog!"

I thought I would work on this during the slow summer months. But then didn't start it until August and it's been competing for stress with Christmas crafting. I am not sad to see this go.

Also, as a beanie girl the tallness of it freaked me out, 10.5"x 11". But looking at pics of the project others have finished this looks normal...

Goodbye happy little patriotic reindeer. May you make your new owner very happy and warm!

Grandma's Shawl

A couple more projects moved to the done presents list this weekend. Cue happy dance. I feel like I'm actually make some pretty decent progress. Except for some damn socks. But that will be a whole rant of a post. Promise, something to look forward to.

Anyway, about this shawl. Grandma's shawl is done! Yay! This summer I was showing off my then newly finished Summer Flies shawl. As usual, Grandma says "I wouldn't mind one of those." Grandma learned to knit this year, but she still hasn't gotten the effect the words "I wouldn't mind one of those" have on a knitter, well, probably any crafter. She also hasn't learned to stop volunteering to anyone who likes anything I make her that I would be more than happy to spend hours and hours of my life making them something as well. But I decided to make her one anyway.

Project: Summer Flies Shawl by Holly & Ella Knits Rav Link
Yarn: Patons Silk Bamboo (3 skeins)
Needle Size: US6
Ravelry Project Page

The color is very her and I like it as well, although I don't typically gravitate towards Barney purple. This was the first time I've knit with this yarn and my friends who have tried it weren't really fans. But I really liked it. It annoyed me that there were knots, but in all honesty the Ella Rae silk bamboo I used for my version of this that costed twice as much had the same issue.

The downside was I realized about halfway through this yarn is a DK weight and not a worsted, so the shawl isn't quite as big as mine. I'm thinking I will have to buy a shawl pin to go with it. Mine had nice tapered points that make it stay on, but I think that may be because I added a few more rows to that one.

Not that I'm not usually constantly knitting, but this Christmas elf thing has made me really step up my game and my hands have been killing me. The ex ( I really need to find something else to call him, I dislike that label) spent just enough time at chiropratic school to tell me that I'm messed up. He does give killer hand rubs, but I'm thinking it would be more appropriate for me to find some daily exercises to do. Apparently my hands now resemble "the claw" when in resting position. At age 28. Hot.

So, some results I found online when searching "knitting hand exercises".

Knitting Daily (with pictures)

eHow

Knitting Guru (with some whole body exercises to relax other stiff muscles stressed by knitting.



Blocking Abracadabra

So, I was reminded of the magic of blocking this weekend. I have this Lacy Baktus scarf that I made last February. It didn't live up to my expectations.

It was too small and didn't look like the others I had seen online. And I ran out of yarn in some mystical trick I still haven't figured out. Does anyone know if it takes more yarn to decrease? Anyway, I digress.

I was scowling at this scarf hanging in my closet the other day when it hit me. I didn't block it.

Now don't get me wrong. I kind of came to blocking in a resistent sort of way. I still haven't fully embraced the whole swatching theory. But I did admit blocking is a valuable practice. Especially with lace. Especially with a project like this. No idea why I neglected this.

So, water and hotel shampoo and some pinning and a day of drying later.

Abracadabra magic. Lesson learned. Silly April

Ravelry Project Page

Tucker Teddy

I finished my first Christmas present last night! And I'm pretty sure it will be the cutest. May I introduce you to Tucker Teddy?

Little Tucker Teddy will be going home with my nephew on Christmas morning. I hjope he will be loved and carried around the house and be snuggled in close when it's time to dream. Versus eaten by the dog. That would make me super sad. Truth be told, this little dude was way more work than I thought he would be.

But as long as he is loved and carried around the house and snuggled in close when it's time to dream, he'll be worth every stitch.

And I love his little bear butt that sticks up in the air. The original pattern had a pom pom tail, but I like him better this way.

Project: Tucker Teddy (Rav Project Page)

Pattern: Tyler T. Tucker Teddy  (Rav link) by bjfromnv

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease

Colorways: Taupe & Maize

Needle Size: US 6

The pattern used wool worsted yarn for this project, but I really really really like the vintage-y look of the Cotton Ease. I especially like how it gives this bear a loved on look. The downside with the cotton is that it showed the increases and decreases much more than a wool probably would have since the stitches are so defined. This yarn is a 50/50 cotton acrylic blend, so I'm hoping it will stand up to the anticipated loving, carrying around the house, and snuggling close when it's time to dream. Or have a fighting chance aganist the less desired dog on bear scenario.