Let's talk: Christmas presents!

Firstly - thanks to everyone for the lovely comments on my last post! Its great to know I have lots of support out there, and i'll be keeping in touch about what kind of things the course involves as I go through the year(s).

On to topic - there was an interesting post that I found though The Knitting Pen's blog, about how people with knitting-based blogs tend to* respond to comments through one-on-one contact like emails (or Ravelry) - and i'm the same, although I do respond to people when it goes through to Facebook. But doing it that way makes you forget that what you are replying, might be of interest to other readers as well. (*I say tend to, because I know a couple of bloggers that do reply in-comment - but I usually forget to go back and check if there's a response!)

So - starting now, i'm going to make an effort to respond in the comments section to all comments I get. Maybe we can start a discussion about a pattern or technique that you've been wanting to know more about that I mention, or you can talk about a book you've read that you think we might like. Share your opinion!

Let's start the comments ball rolling with something topical - what do you think about handmade gifts for Christmas? Have you thought about looking at Etsy, Felt or ArtFire for something that you could get personalised? Or do you make your own knitter/crafted gifts for friends and family?

I'm doing something a little different for my family presents this year, although I guess technically it's still handmade. I saw an ad a few months back about buying t-shirts incorporating designs that are drawn by orphans in Africa [here's the link] - so Sis, Mum and Dad get to pick one each :) Buying one t-shirt will feed an orphan for a month, so its a twist on the 'buy a pig/goat/pair of shoes' gifts i've been doing the last couple of years.

Let me know your thoughts - and check back to see what other's are doing, it might help you get some ideas!

If you're like me and forget to go back and check for a response, there should be a little box you can tick in the Blogger comments screen that says "send follow-up comments by email" - that's probably the best way. Facebook should notify you if someone else comments on a note you've commented on.

Sad 'n sweet September

I didn't do alot of blogging in September, but alot happened!

Firstly, we found out that my puppy is very very sick. I say puppy, but he's really 13, and has had a very good life. We are happy that he continues to be with us, two weeks longer than expected, but its still sad news. We are making the most of lots of cuddles...

There was also some good news - not much I can talk about right now though, but I had a nice weekend away with my mum - lots of shopping, gave the credit card a good workout! There are a few photos here on Flickr if you're interested (the ones marked September) - mainly of the botanical gardens we went to, they have different theme gardens like Indian and English, and the flowers everywhere were amazing.

I have also got lots of knitting done. It was my boss's birthday, and I whipped up a quick soap sack for her, with a little starfish embroidery. Its made from cotton, with soap inside, so you can lather it and use it that way. I want to make one for me now!

I also made another couple of cherry-comb hats - one in pink and one in brown, to match scarves I have.

As I still have a couple of balls of this pink and original red yarn, a friend suggested to me that I make up kits with the pattern and a ball of the yarn to sell in my store. What do you think?

Speaking of my store, its still there - I now have stock up at Etsy as well as ArtFire, and a couple of things on TradeMe if you're in NZ. I'll be putting the rainbow shawl and knitted bag I made a couple of months ago, up on my web site as soon as the weather cheers up and I can take some decent photos!

~Happy knitting!~

Marathon knitting weekend!

I finished! Crazy full-on knitting weekend is over, and the gift has been wrapped and ready to pass on. No more late nights and headaches! Thanks for all your encouragement in the comments, it didn't go unnoticed :)

Do you wanna see?

There are some other photos on my Flickr page too.

Ok, the details. I've loved the pattern [Rav link] for the booties since I first saw it, and i'm working on another pair for someone else now too. I changed it a little though, as the first one I made was huge - I followed the Chuck Taylor adaptation, and then took out some of the rows along the bottom as the foot came out too tall - taller than my foot even! I also made the tongue of the shoe a little longer, going by some other recommendations, and just used a single piece of yarn for the laces, rather than an i-cord, purely to save a little time - it still works just as well. I found some felt stars at the $2 shop and hand-stitched those onto the side, just like the real Chuck Taylors. I did try out the circle as per the pattern, but I just couldn't get it to work.

The jacket was a last minute addition, and was based on a free Lion Brand pattern [Rav link]. I'd found some cheap ribbon when I got the felt stars for the shoes and I wanted to add that somehow, so I did a row of 'k2tog, yo' about an inch from the bottom on all the panels so the ribbon could be woven through, the used some more for the bow at the top to tie it all together - I think its a nice finishing touch. I used a different weight yarn to that suggested in the pattern so I didn't following their sizing, rather judged it on the size of a little top i'd already bought, and sadly it came out wider than I'd planned. I'm sure baby will grow into it. I'm looking forward to working with this pattern as a base again - maybe stockinette or lace, and adding the sleeves as well (I just ran out of time for this one!).

The booties took about a week and a half all up. I started knitting the vest on Wednesday night and finished on Saturday night, working on it in any free time I could find! Last night working on finishing the booties it all got a bit much and I nearly fell asleep, so i'm looking forward to an early night tonight. Next on my list is to finish my bag, which I have to do painstakingly slowly by hand, as its too much for my little sewing machine to handle, with four layers of fabric and two layers of knitting. I promise to show you pictures of everything before it leaves for the roadshow! My Squeeze Me shawl is coming along well too, it almost spans two needles now. It wasn't widening as much as I wanted it to, so i'm adding in extra increases as I go along. I haven't even used half a ball of yarn yet! Do you think it needs tassels?

~Happy knitting!~

Belated FO #10 and a photo gallery!

I took a photo at a work meeting the other day of our members (its to be put up on our website) and when I was uploading the photo today I realised that there were heaps of other photos I haven't uploaded!

So, I give you a belated FO post - my mothers day present (yes, its been that long!):

I haven't seen it used so far, but i'm sure its somewhere being treasured :) I think if I was to do another one of these I would (get the right cotton to start with, so it wasn't so stiff! and...) do the image in a different colour, so it stands out more. Maybe its just the cotton I used, but its hard to see the design. Oh well, it was a good learning curve and as always, a great pattern from KrisKnits! My only change was to make it mUm rather than mOm.

Here's a gallery of the other photos on my camera - just some goings-on in my life over the past month:

Row 1: Bec baking (they were yummy melting-moment cookies that she stuck together with melted chocolate, they were amazing!); Mum catching some z's at the airport while waiting for the shuttle (they had just come back from my great-uncle's funeral in Melbourne); enjoying a Krispie Kreme glazed donut!! (you can't get them here, so I have a special standing order whenever someone comes back from Oz!)

Row 2: Cobber pretending he's a bunny rabbit; taking a break from packing and sorting out clothes; Dad and I after the Noise conference (a worship led by Henry Seely of Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, aimed at worship leaders - it was really good)

Row 3: The sunrise from my office window (catching the train to work gets me there really early!); Dad showing off his jelly-slurping technique at the chinese restaurant (mine needs a little work...); hoodies and pj bottoms seemed the order of the day!

Row 4: Enjoying my newly set-up bedroom; my baking skills (they were little lemon tea cakes - very tasty, and only took about half an hour in total!); Dad and I discussing the option of getting a Wii from the EB sale to replace our PS2 while waiting to meet Bec for lunch (well, I was trying to convince Dad anyway, I don't think it worked...)

So there you go - a little catch-up from me.

As for knitting, i'm still working on a bag to go with my other projects for my friend's craft roadshow next month, which will also end up on my website, so once that's done I can get back to Buttony.

~Happy knitting!~

PS - I'd really love to do a book review again sometime soon, but I haven't read anything since finishing the Twilight series (i'm catching up on podcasts again) and all my books are still boxed up in the garage! But watch this space for something soon.