Celtic Knotwork Lace

Took the week off blogging last week, as there were Deadlines and Family Events and Other Things that made actually getting on line tricky. However, as I wasn't online much, I got a LOT of crafting done.

For example, here is what I did for most of last week when all the other things weren't going on. It's a modified version of Keltische Verknotung (Celtic Knots)by Utlinde; the yarn is Wandering Wool's North Country Sock in Rainbow.

Sunday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Saturday II		Sunday

Wheee! More about where I got that amazing yarn on Wednesday!

A finish! Just now!

Okay, I've backdated this post to yesterday, since it's supposed to be the Friday post, but it's actually 12:58 a.m. on Saturday. I have just finished a project that HAS to be done later today (Saturday) as I'm going to see the recipient. Since scheduling may get truly weird, I needed to have it done *before* attempting to sleep.

So, I stayed up until it was knit, did the finishing, took photos, and will hand it off. But first, I share with you:


As you can hopefully see, it's a Hello Kitty illusion-knit dishcloth. The recipient is TOTALLY into that beribboned feline, even more than I am (and you may remember that scarf I made. So, woohoo, an actual post REALLY INSANELY CLOSE to the time of finishment!! Slowly, I get back into the Blogging Regularly thing...!

Note: Because I gave the original pattern away, I had to recreate it for this dishcloth - but I *cannot* share it, sorry, as I do not own Hello Kitty. (Man, I would have SO MUCH YARN if I was in Sanrio's league, money-wise!)

Slytherin Swap of Awesome!

This term, Slytherin (HPKCHC) did a "Bellatrix's Big Box of Awesome" swap. We each got a Secret Spoilee, and everyone got someone. I had fun putting my box together, and I'm hoping my Spoilee likes it even half as much as I liked what I got!

To wit:


Yeah, it totally rocked.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As it's St. Patrick's day, and as I just happened to make my own March door decoration for the front of the house this year, I can share it today (instead of the usual blinged-out sparkly animated GIF from heck that I usually find for you).

Materials: one of those wire wreath frame things, a roll of super sparkly ribbon, and two strands of gold wire with shiny rocks. (I have no idea where the rocks-with-wires came from; the other stuff is from A.C. Moore).

Step one: cover wreath frame with ribbon by wrapping with a bit of overlap; tie bow. Discover you are COMPLETELY COVERED in grass-green glitter. As is the floor. And the chair. And your socks, which makes no sense, as they weren't actually exposed to said glitter.


Step two: wrap wire rock things around, keeping all the rocks on the "front" of the thing. Yes, more glitter happens. LOTS more glitter.


Step three: hang on fron door. To date (it's been up for three weeks), NO glitter is on the doormat, the doorsill... really, anything. Either all the extra fell off on me, or it's just waiting for me to accidentally brush up against it to deposit more glitter.


Step four, if you're my mother: add a tiny crocheted pot of gold, just because.



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Another random assortment of things I'd like to make someday:

I keep almost getting this kit...	A Tiffany Peacock Window CAKE!!!
HP Swithplate	Make your Own Snitch
Just to freak out the neighbors	Star Wars snowflakes

The Neverending Tablecloth

OWL Progress - heading into the homestretch now, as the finished product has less than a month to... well, become a finished product. Here's where I was at my last turn-in (end of February). From where I stopped before (several years ago!!), I did an additional 40 rows:


The little silver arrow in the photo shows where I started - and the forty new rows to the right. Just 32 rows left to finish this. I am REALLY looking forward to having it finished up!!


Just 32 rows... sigh... I'd better get cracking!

Nice Grooved Mitts (another finish!)

I finished another thing!!

This is a pair of mitts for a Secret Slytherin swap (I don't think she reads my blog, as we don't know each other previously and she doesn't know I'm her Spoiler). She requested wool in darker colors for her Made Thing, either socks or gloves. I decided this was both representative of me (russet/orangey), and "darker" - so I hope she'll like them. Her shoe size is similar to mine, so I hope her hand size is, too. Just in case her hands are smaller, I didn't block these before sending them off (with a bunch of other goodies - a pedicure kit and a tiny journal, both covered in sparkly green; some lovely Stitch Jewels stitchmarkers, and two books for knitting Smaller Things - she does a lot of cowls and scarves, plus a ball of deep garnet wool to play with!)

I really like the way these came out; it's a GOOD modification of my simple mitts, so I'll be writing up THIS pattern and pulling the old one. Solved the whole "holes at the gusset" problem nicely, and fits my hand even better. Hooray!

Anyway, see? That's two RECENTLY finished things in the last two posts!!

New iPhone Case - Done!

First, the photo of the finished thing, for those of you who want the final results fast:


Ta-Daaaah!
I have an "ancient" iPhone 4. (It's actually my second one, the first having died as a result of the Great Toilet Water Hilarity last May.) Even though it now lives permanently in an exceedingly waterproof (and dustproof, shockproof and drop-proof case), I make cross-stitch iPhone covers for it. BECAUSE.

Anyway, the latest (not that I've finished the first two yet or anything) got started last December, and is the most likely to be completed as it's currently on my table and I can still find all the fiber necessary. It started because the internet gave me THIS:


NOT mine, someone else's, couldn't find whose, but it's lovely!
So I just had to make one. I found several versions, and am combining them - I love stars in the background, feet out, all that sort of thing.


Didn't have to hit the store, even!
Note: If you decide to stitch yourself a cover (any size item), I cannot recommend pearl cotton strongly enough!! I'm usuing size 5, one strand, for all the blue in the background and it's working like a dream! I only reached this epiphany because the first color blue I picked I just plain didn't like:


All Hail The Seam Ripper!
Here's where it was at the end of December:


Stars!
I picked it up again recently, and kept going...


More Stars!
Unfortunately, the stars I did at first got in the way of the rainbow, so they had to come out.


Less Stars!
Luckily, that was pretty easy - so it was finished!


Just Right!
I really have to recommend one strand Size 5 Pearl Cotton for these cases - easier than floss (don't have to worry about railroading the stitches, stays flat), and the coverage is about the same. Anyway, I had it done in time to take along to the Woodlawn needlework show last weekend so I could show all my stitching friends. Hooray!!

COOOOOKIE!

Another stock that didn't sell - "too much flour, not enough shiny". Oh well, I'll know for next time? I like it, anyway!


To continue the adventure, these are the cookies that resulted from the baking above: that is a 10" plate, y'all.


Also... why are cookies baked instead of cooked? I mean, you'd think "cookies" would be the result of "cooking"... but if that made sense, then we'd call them "bakies". Which only sounds strange because that's not what we call them. Cookies would sound weird if that was the case!

A Sad Note

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Christine Larson passed away in hospital. She'd been very ill for over a week with flu & pneumonia, and her body just gave out. Christine is one of my oldest local friends; I've known her and her husband, Grig, since before there was a "their son, CR". She has always been active in the Con community, running the Art Show with me at the FanTek cons, and being the Grand Goddess in Charge of Making It Work at Katsucon. She is a well-loved member of the community, and she will be sorely, sorely missed. Along with Carol in Denver, who passed last fall from pneumonia, she was one of the women that was at the center of a social circle, the one everyone else orbited around. It was her house things where Things Happened, where everyone got together; it was her drive and determination that *made* said things happen. Goodbye, Christine. We miss you already.