Hoppiness is.....

Hoppiness is....

A kitchen table full of knitted bunnies
being sewn, stuffed and embellished!

I am always surprised how they seem to take on their own little personalities.
I love making these little guys....

New Goodies in the Etsy Shop!

It's been a while since i had the chance to add anything new to my little Etsy shop! Christmas orders kept me busy, but now that things have slowed down a bit, it's time to get to work on some things i've been wanting to make...Lola has been playing with her dollies more lately and asked me to make her a blanket for them. I really enjoyed making her blanket and thought, why not make a few for other little girls and their dollies??? This little granny square blanket is just the perfect size (15" X 15") for the little cradle that my girls played with when they were little. Now it is Lola's doll cradle.

I've also fallen in love with the Waldorf style dolls. These little knitted gnomes are super cute and super fun to make. I love their little pot bellies...There's nothing like a gnome to bring you Luck!

This one has a heart button around his neck in hopes that somebody will take him home as a gift for their sweetheart...

And here is another granny square dolly blanket for a bigger doll (18" X 18")

There are also a few "Twinkle Stars" that i have added to the shop. These are not toys, but made for decorative purposes.

They look sweet hanging in a window or on a wall, or hung over a baby's crib.

and they sparkle with glitter too!

And last but certainly not least is Rosie. She is not new to the shop, but she has changed her attire and put on her favorite warm scarf, because it is pretty darn cold out there! She is also carrying a crocheted heart Valentine in hopes that someone will fall in love and take her home... There are more goodies to come! Stop by for a visit!

Ready to Go

I finally finished the Jelly Bean Bunny and Jelly Bean Piggy i've been working on. I have no problem knitting them up, but it seems to take me forever to sew the seams and put them together! These little guys need buttons or bows for embellishments...

Here's a backside view...And they are standing on Lola's new Dolly blanket. She has since asked for another one in red.

And these Teddy Bear Beanies are ready to go to The Anchor 5 Boutique in Downtown Troy. They are a cute way to keep those little fuzzy heads warm in this freezing weather we are having! More Valentine Hats to come!

W.I.P it up

Now that i have had a week or so to recover from all the hats, scarves, cowls and toys i made for the wonderful shops in downtown Troy, i am ready to get back to work. I have orders for teddy bear beanies of every color in the crayon box, as well as a few Jelly Bean bunnies and piggies.

And since i went thru tons of yarn these past few months, i thought i would use up some of the small balls of yarn leftovers in a baby blanket of many colors!

there is even a dolly blanket in the works for a special girl i know...

and more hats for all those cold little heads out there. I love making things that are useful to others, and it amazes me when folks like my work enough to actually buy it with their hard earned money! I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished projects. What are YOU working on???

New Knitted Bear...Jelly Roll.

As part of my New Year Resolutions, i decided that i would take a deep breath and try to read more complicated patterns and try my hand (and brain) at making some new projects. This little guy is my first finished project working with a book called "The Best Dressed Knitted Bear" by Emma King. Of course, as you can see, he is not dressed yet, but that will come, I'm sure...

He is knitted with traditional straight knitting needles and had to have his seams sewn together before stuffing

His head, legs and arms(and ears) are all separate pieces and are sewn on in a way that makes him a bit floppy, but i really like that.

His muzzle is also shaped after his head is stuffed and then his features can be embroidered on...

His arms and legs are like little sausages, and his trunk is like a Jelly Roll. So i think we will call him just that... Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jelly Roll! I think he came out sweet and i think i will definitely make more of these little fellows!

Project progress.....

I have so many little (and bigger) projects started, waiting to be finished! I love having more than one project going at the same time. Some take more time and attention than others, so i work on what i have time and attention for when i finally sit down to work at night... This is my first attempt at a poncho. It is a super easy pattern i got online, meant to be worn by Lola...Now, i knew the pattern was going to be a bit large for her...She is only in size 24 months and this was meant for a size 2-4 years...However, this finished product is more like a size 5!!! So it is hanging on the rack at The Paper Sparrow. Hopefully some little girl will love wearing it....(the wooden bird hanging under the poncho from the knob is an ornament Seth made for me)

In the meantime, i am back to the drawing board, making another crocheted poncho that should be more like Lola's size. Part of the poncho is on the table above, in violet and yellow cotton yarn... I also started a little cotton hat in size 6 months for the shop. We've gotta keep those little baby heads covered from the hot sun!

Here's a closeup of the colors. I love this yarn as it can be worn by a boy or a girl.

I have a passel of teddy bears started too. Some are waiting for arms, and the others are waiting for faces and to be sewn and stuffed....

And here is an unusual project for me. I saw this scarf on TV and loved it, so when i found the pattern online, i had to try it. It's called a "corrugated" ruffle scarf. It has a crocheted cord running thru the middle that you pull thru and tie to get this "Elizabethan" style look...

but you can also leave it untied and folded in half for a traditional style scarf....

OR open it up and wear it as a shawl/stole. You can see the crocheted cord running thru the piece here....I find it very interesting! What do you think?

(Thank you Carly, for modeling this for me!)

"a little help" needed

I have been sending small donations to an organization i first found mentioned on the nightly news. It is called "a little help". It is run almost single-handed by an American woman named Rosemary Stasek. Click on this link to hear a little bit about her story. It is fascinating....http://msnbc-222615.newsvine.com/_video/2008/06/27/1619286-lending-a-hand-in-afghanistan Even more fascinating, when i send her my little donations via Paypal, she actually takes the time to write me back, personally thanking me for my small donation. Right now it is Winter in Afghanistan and it is very difficult to get supplies to her various locations. So, money is the best way to donate. But Rosemary has special programs she runs, like the school for the blind for women and girls, where they teach the women how to knit. (This gave me the incentive to learn to knit. I figured if THEY can lean how to knit without sight, then i certainly can at least give it a try!) When the weather clears Rosemary will again be collecting donations of yarn and knitting needles for her program. She accepts clothes, blankets, toys, etc for her children's programs and schools. She also offers a school for young women artists and accepts donations of art supplies too, weather permitting....Rosemary travels around the country speaking on behalf of her organization. She will be visiting California in January and February, and is scheduled to be in New York at Cornell University in March. I would love to try to see her there. She is a remarkable woman who is making a huge difference in the world, all by herself. The photo at the top of this post is of one of the blind students, learning how to knit on donated materials. Click on the photo to see Rosemary and her photos from 2008.

Special Order~ Aunt Peggy's Bears

When Aunt Peg saw my first bear, Cornelius, she asked me to make two bears for her grandsons for Christmas. Because the boys are very young, these teddies have no joints or buttons, or small parts that can be pulled off and swallowed...

The pod like shapes they are laying on are more bear parts knitted up and waiting to be stuffed and sewn together. And when they are ready they will sit on the shelves of The Paper Sparrow, waiting for children to take them home!
(or just some big kid like me! ;)

Cornelius the Bear

Remember the pile of oatmeal colored squares in this photo in my last post?

Meet Cornelius, my first knitted bear
(He is named after my Grandfather Keefe)

He's only about 7 inches tall from head to toe

But he is a handsome fellow

He has thread and button joints, and is far from perfect.

But i like him just the way he is, and i am happy with the way he turned out for my first bear!

Onward and upward!

Knitting Away!

Here it is...my first hand knitted baby sweater!

And i am amazed... I have talked about learning to knit for years, and have always said i would get to it "someday...." Well, that day is here! After 4 weeks of beginner knitting class I have finished my first ever baby sweater, and am almost finished with the second one! It is a very basic pattern, all squares and rectangles sewn together. The sweater above is done in garter stitch, with a single crocheted edging.

And this turquoise sweater is the very same simple pattern done with a garter stitch edging and the body of it is done in stockinette stitch. I still need to sew some seams and do some finishing touches on this one.

Here is the first hat i made with knitting needles (I've made plenty of them using a loom) The second hat is well on the way and should be finished tonight. I am using a self striping yarn and i LOVE it! It makes the piece look so much more complicated that it really is. I had nothing to do with the color pattern. The yarn did it all! When i am ready to move up to more complicated projects, i'd love to try socks with this type of yarn...

I tried to get my hat model to sit still for the camera, but you know how it is....

I can see with each project that my stitches are more consistent and uniform. But boy do i need practice in seaming! My knitting teacher Linda suggested that i make up some squares and practice the seaming techniques on those. She really is a brilliant teacher! Thanks so much Linda... You helped me to reach my first goal of making a baby sweater. I'm having so much fun!

Latest Projects (Knitting and Jewelry)

Well, just a week into my new "schedule" and i am liking it! I decided i needed to be more productive with my work and have decided that Mondays are jewelry making days, Wednesdays are fiber days, and Fridays are dedicated to painting. I wish this meant that i could lock myself up in my studio first thing in the morning and emerge hours later with a few new masterpieces on these days, but hey, i gotta save some time for life too! So i am making sure i dedicate at least one hour a day to these aspects of my creative life. It sounds like it should be easy, but...

Anyway, here is the latest in the jewelry and knitting department....

My newest serpentine bracelet nestles in Buddha's hand. The colors are deep and rich mossy greens, greys and ochers. The clasp is sterling silver

Here are a few pair of earrings. More chalcedony with sterling silver wires, and some green peacock fresh water pearls, and tiger iron beads, hung on gold filled lever back ear wires...

Mixed turquoise nuggets, some real rough and some more polished, are hand chained together and held with an oversized sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

More of those peacock green fresh water pearls strung with a sliced shell centerpiece, and sterling silver fish hook clasp. The necklace and matching earrings sit on a bed of amethyst...

here is a picture of the back of the centerpiece, which can be worn either way...

i really like the sheen on that piece of shell...

In the knitting department...LOOK WHAT I MADE! I still have to sew the seam together , but you can actually tell it is a baby hat! The wonderful world of knitting has opened up for me! And i could never have done this without my wonderful knitting teacher, Linda Lange, who teaches knitting classes at The Paper Sparrow This may not look like much to you, but it is the first time i have actually been able to read a pattern, and make something in knitting with needles other than a square or rectangle! Thank You Linda!

And for my latest project and one of my goals for the year...make a baby sweater. This one is all in garter stitch and is the easiest pasttern i could find on the internet. Once i get this one done and put together, i'm going to try to make a fancier sweater for Lola and then one for Seth. Wish me luck!