Happy Halloween!

 I always wait to the last minute for everything.

 The Mister had to make a frantic trip to the attic when I suddenly decided that I couldn't have a year without Halloween even if no one was coming knocking.

 See those spider webs behind Jack? They are real. My house is made for Halloween. It's always spooky around here.

 We even dug out the terrible old wooden wreath I painted years and years ago when we lived in another house with a whole lot of kids. Halloween without kids is not much fun.

 I pulled an all nighter with my Halloween DVDs and got the edging on my runner finished. I was doing the Time Warp at 2 am but it's done.

 Not bad for using only scraps. I would have liked more contrast with the background material but it is what it is....

...and what it is, is covered with candy. You send The Mister out with for a bag or two just in case someone comes and he comes home with enough for a herd. We can only hope. The pumpkin lights will be glowing tonight. I'll be waiting....

Rest in Pieces

My poor little Halloween runner is made up of Daddio's scrap paper pieces. He made a gorgeous runner last year and I love it so I snatched the leftovers. It's the same material I made my apron out of and I wish I had bought more. It was great collection and now it's all gone. Boo.

 Like many of you predicted yesterday, I decided to have a late night and get most of it done. I love paper piecing but I hate taking out the paper because I think it's pretty. Daddio does a great job with his pieces. They are all little works of art.

Something ridiculously simple that is making me very happy right now is using a loop of masking tape to catch all my thread scraps. I always make such a mess when I sew and coming up this little trick has made my night. It doesn't take much.

Purple Reign

 I'm still working my way through all those purple ice skating costumes.

 My little sewing room is covered in purple sparkle.

 There is also a pile of yellow boot covers. I've got The Mister working on those.

Back in a corner is my forlorn Halloween runner that never got finished. Next year. Maybe.

Two Done, Two to Go

 My first handspun mitt is done.

As is my first man sock. Since I only knit on these projects when I am either knit walking the dog or sitting in the ER with Daddio, you can see how I've been spending most of my time lately.

Fall Color

 I had been lamenting the lack of fall colored dishcloths in my stash and not happy about the color choices of cotton online. I was ready to believe no one made an autumnal colorway when I spied this cone at Joanne's.

 It's even called Autumn Leaves. I see lots of dishcloths in my future-even a small doggie one or two.

I also finally broke down and bought myself a pumpkin. I didn't grow any this year and I was resigned to not having any but I caved- a little. This cutie was only $2. If I get a handful of seeds to roast on Halloween, I'll be happy.

A Tale of Two Pom Poms

I really missed the boat with this pom pom thing. I wasn't even close to the size Daughter wanted. When she said big she meant BIG.

 This took some thinking and You Tubing.

 I've done this cardboard thing before so I had an idea of what had to go on but the devil was in the details. After struggling through the first one, I realized it was possible to cut a slit to get the yarn through. Much better.

 This enormous amount of yarn had a lot of spring to it. It took The Mister and I to cut between the cardboard discs without it springing off in a very alarming way.

I took a tip from weaving and used some strong carpet warp to tie the thing together in the middle. I followed that up with yarn so I could sew it on the top of the hat.

 But.....after all that work, that giant pom pom was too big and round for her liking so I ended up ditching the cardboard and just wrapping the yarn around my Kindle, believe it or not, and cutting the loops later to get a more relaxed looking pom pom. I also completely redesigned the hat to make it look more like the one she had sent me a picture of. The one on the left is in Half Linen Stitch with a much flatter top so the pom pom sits down on it better. Goodness, so much drama for a simple little hat.

After all that, I'm still not sure if I am close to an acceptable pattern or pom pom but what I do have is an ever growing pile of pom pom waste and a new found appreciation for the silly things.
Pom poms are hard.

Chunky Two

With size 13 needles and Lion Brand's Thick and Quick, I can make a hat a day and I did. I thought everything was going well until.....

 ...Daughter had an issue with the pom poms. I thought these were big enough but they weren't.

 My nifty little doo-hicky wasn't making the right size or shape pom poms so it's back to the drawing board. Whatever that means.

Happy Pupday!

It's someone's first birthday today.

She grew up too fast.

I don't even remember her being so little.

 She's a big girl now. She loves to have her teeth brushed....

 ...but she hates to have her hair brushed. As a result she's pretty scruffy looking most of the time.

She's always in the mood to play. She wears The Mister and me out. I've perfected my knit-walking while chasing her around the house. It's that bad. No complaints though. She's a handful-but she's worth it.

Four Row Rule

 While my big projects are getting two rows a day (maybe), my little projects are getting four (maybe). My first mitt has been almost done for ages. The thumb is one the other side in case you are wondering.

 A man sock is just past the heel.

 My thrummed mittens are just past the thumb.

 I have discovered that my old broken down sewing room chair makes great thrums.

The texture of it gives them a great rolling which helps in the knitting department. Sometimes they can be boogers to get on the needle.

Ahhhh......thrums!

A Whole Lot of Sewing Going On

 Daughter, the ice skating coach, is launching a team production that involves lots of costumes.

 I'm no seamstress but I offered to help make a few vests and some felt skate covers.

I'm not allowed to divulge any information as to the theme of her production until the February competition season begins but let's just say their are lots of multicolored boots to be made and sparkly purple swirly things. I might also mention that there will be umbrellas involved but don't say you heard any of it from me.

Public Shaming

 The only thing that ever gets me going on UFOs is setting a deadline and then telling everyone about it. I said I would have Daughter's wedding sampler done by October and I did, now let's see if I can complete a 12 month challenge by getting this calendar sampler done by next December.

My plan is to work on the border until January and then start trying to complete each month in time. First I have to dust off this tangle of thread. It's been hanging in the sewing room for at least five years gathering  who knows what. Ah choo.......

Stick a Fork in It

 Before all the stuff hit the fan last week, I finished my really ugly hooked rug experiment. Thank goodness. I like the hearts and stars but the middle thing-ummm, not so much.

 This was the last corner to go and it was all over in a flash thanks to.....

 ...this new doohicky.

 That's my new handy dandy frame and I LOVE IT.

 It makes things so much easier in just about every way.

 I've got plenty of wool strips leftover so I am all fired up to do another but I need to do some homework first or else I may end up with something just as awful as my first one.

 Middle Sister gifted me this bag for my birthday and the whole kit and kaboodle fits in perfectly. Have frame will travel.

As for Daddio, he is home from the hospital and doing much better although he still has a terrible cough. The cigarettes, much to his dismay are history and he's once again wearing the dreaded patch of shame.