Pumpkin Porn

Welcome to my pumpkin patch!  As you can see, I have been busy with pumpkins and leaves. 

And what goes best with pumpkins?  Owlies! 

Last week I shared a link for the little crocheted pumpkins, and I see some of you have been making them.  I decided to add some leaves to mine I thought it dressed them up a bit.  I found this pattern for the maple leaves here.  The name of her etsy shot is Golden Lucy Crafts.  I love her patterns!  These leaves look complicated, but her pattern makes it so easy, I can make one up in about 40 minutes. 

 

I love the little green one.  With all this "pumpkin porn" I filled up my etsy shop and started making more for myself.   This is such a great way to use up that leftover acrylic yarn we all have.  I am tempted to run out and pick up some more yellow because I am just about out.  I keep telling myself I don't need it, but then the other side of my brain tells me I DO need it.  LOL

I did a search on pinterest for "crochet leaves."  Holy Crap!  There is some cool stuff on there I want to try. 

Just for fun I did a little Jack-o-Lantern to go with the "Franken-owl".  Notice the little bolts coming out the side of his head!  LOL! 

As promised, I wanted to share my finished sweater with everyone.  I have the buttons on it, it has been blocked, and I have even worn it once already!

 It fits me perfectly.  I can wear it like this..... or....

with the collar up.  I have learned so much from knitting this!!  If anyone is new to knitting sweaters I would definitely suggest this pattern.  Look, I even got brave and added pockets!

I am off of here for now.  I am sure I will be back next week with some more crochet.

Dawn

 

My First Sweater!

Yay!!  My first "official" sweater complete!!  And I love it!  The yarn worked out a little wacky, but I still love it anyway!  

I found this super-duper easy pattern over at "Dances with Wool".   It worked up beautifully.  I made my cardigan a little longer, and also the arms and cuffs are a little longer too.   It is a raglan knit from the top down.  I find the medium size to be dead on.

You can actually see the way the yarn worked up.  Believe it or not, this is actually one yarn!!  It looked like a completely different yarn when I got to the end of the skein.  

What I learned from making this:  

• It would be easy to custom this to a larger size.  You can try it on as you go to make sure it fits right under the arms.
• It would be very easy to make a standing collar by doing several rows of k2, p2 ribbing before you start the increases.
• Also the placket for the buttons could easily widened for larger buttons.  
• Stripes would be pretty or using two shades of yarn every two rows!
• I used a k2, p2 ribbing on the sleeves and cuffs, I prefer the look.
• Once you have made one, you will have to do another!!

As you can tell I loved this.  I have always wanted to make a sweater, and it actually be something that I would wear!  And this pattern has giving me knitting courage to try more complicated ones.  

It will definitely be my "go to" sweater!

I also wanted to share pictures of the shawl I finished up awhile back.  

I used the flower loom to do the flowers and then crocheted them together using some black crocheted cotton I had on hand.  

It took more time than I thought it would, and I started to get burned out before I finished it.  Joining the flowers got a little monotonous and something that required more concentration than I had.  If you look close you will see little places where the joining is off.

It would  be pretty over a black turtle neck.  I am thinking I may put this in my etsy shop.  

So, now I am in full sweater mode, and have already begun another!  LOL!  I am so ready for fall and sweater weather!

Before I go, here is a picture of me in my sweater!!  Isn't it cute!

I'm off for now.  Have tomorrow off for Labor Day so I have a whole day to do what ever I want. Who can guess what that will be?   LOL!

Pumpkin LoVe!!!

Sweater Pumpkins!  Aren't they cute?  I have been busy making these for my upcoming craft sale.  It is amazing what you can turn an old thrift store sweater into. 

This one turned out so pretty.  I found one of those old sweaters from the 90s that were long and had the big shoulder pads in it.  $3!!  I still have some pieces of the sweater left to salvage.  It is so hard to photograph black, but you can get an appreciation for the bright colors of the pumpkin.

These are so easy to make.  I found the idea on pinterest (thank you pinterest!).  Here is a link on a tutorial for them.   I did mine slightly different.  At the top, I actually wanted to use the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater for a little ruffle where the stem comes out, so I gathered it just below the bottom ribbing, pulled it slightly closed and started stuffing.  The stem is a piece of the sleeve wrapped in twine and I just put in in the center when I pulled the top tight. 

I cut the leaves out of an old plaid throw blanket I got from the thrift store.  It is made out of that fleece stuff, so it is like cutting felt.  I just cut two leaves out, one green and a large black, layered them and stitched them with black embroidery floss.  I used coated floral wire for the stems of the leaves and the curly vines.  The wire will go right in between the green and black layer of each leaf.  I put a leaf at each end of the wire and wrapped it around the stem of the pumpkin. 

You can then use a pen or pencil and curl the wire around it, both ends, then wrap it around the stem. 

That's it!  You may want to secure the stem and leaves with a little elmer's glue. 

Oh, I also pulled yarn through the bottom to the top, around the pumpkin to make those little separations on the pumpkin (I don't know the technical word for it).  I made mine into six sections.

Someone had to get in on the picture.  LOL.  Look at those little feet! 

Okay, now this is the fun thing!  Using the little scraps.  I fashioned up this little pumpkin and the little owl from pieces of the sleeve.  I really like the bright striped sweaters the best (so far)!  I used pieces of old tee-shirts for the eyes and wings.

:-)  He makes me smile...I can't help it!  I do however have serious scissor thumb from using the pinking shears.  Ouch!  I had to give them up after awhile.  They were too dull for the tee-shirt fabric.  It is cute, but the pain in my right thumb has forced me to go back to regular scissors. 

Aren't they pretty with the crocheted leaves?  This was a pretty sweater, I almost felt guilty for cutting it up, if I hadn't only paid $3 for it I probably would have!

In between all this, I have still been knitting little pumpkins and crocheting leaves.  I changed up the pattern quite a bit.  Now I start with an icord and work down.  I like the look a lot better.  This one I did a little cable stitch.  Ouch, once again, the thumb!  LOL!

It is rainy and cool today, perfect for pumpkin production, so I am off to get back to it!

Pomp-A-Doodle Scarf-A-Doodle

Well, things have slowly returned to normal around my house!  Since finishing up my rug a couple weeks ago, I have needed some quick yarn satisfaction.  This Pomp-a-Doodle yarn has got my mojo to flowing!  I LOVE this stuff.  It is so unbelievably squishy soft.  I know were in the middle of summer, and it's hard to think about cold weather, but I have a feeling I will be reaching for this quite a bit when winter gets here.

Isn't it pretty?  I used two skeins and simply did a garter stitch.  You can't get much easier than that. 

They also have this yarn in a  pretty red, which I wouldn't mind knitting up.

I do have plans to start another afgan, which I will soon be beginning.  My nephew has asked me a couple times now if I have started his blanket.  So, with some planning and a trip to Hobby Lobby I will be starting that for him.

In the meantime I am working on a ruffle scarf out of some $1 Big Lots yarn...and it is so neat, I can't wait to share that with everyone!

Monday is almost upon us again....ick!  I have a long day tomorrow and a busy week!  But I am leaving on Friday to head to the Mountains for a long weekend with my family!  I can't wait!

 Phoebe and I wish everyone a great, productive, and happy week!

A Collection of Shrugs

I call these little sweaters shrugs, but I guess you could refer to them as a bolero or sweater. These are fun to knit up and work up fairly quickly. They look great in every yarn I have worked them up in. And when accessorized with vintage jewelry I think they come to life. Here is just a small sample of some of the shrugs I have made. I have purchased some natural cotton to make one of these up for myself...but being busy with my Babette I have not had the chance to start one yet. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day!

Most of the "buttons" are actually vintage clip on earrings. I am fortunate to have received a stash of my grandmother's costume jewelry. She always wore those clip on earrings!!

This is the very first shrug I knit up! Oh, I can see all kinds of errors in it, but I do like it. And that pin is a little cameo given to my by my grandma! The Noro yarn is delicious!