Nautical Notions from Never Not Knitting

Y'all know I love the sea! So when I saw notions from Never Knot Knitting I jumped right in when they went on sale before the next season's inventory came in. Yay for sale!

I thought I'd like to share how cute everything came to me. I opened the box...

And found a smaller box inside.

I opened it up...

And my treasures were inside!

Would you look at that sea glass?!?!?! I love the scissor fob (connect one end to your knitting bag and the other to your scissors and never search for your scissors in the bottom of your bag again)...and the sea glass stitch markers!!! And the whale needle gauge! It's SO much cuter than the plastic white gauge I picked up when I first started knitting. And the scissors! It's all so beautifully made!

New Shark Stitchmarkers!

Yes, I already have shark stitch markers. But, since shark-themed crafty items bring me joy,they're pretty inexpensive AND they take up no additional room because they all fit in my stitch marker storage...AND these were REALLY ingenious...I ordered them!

Silly Sheep Designs doesn't usually carry this set, they were created ahead of Shark Week. The were really fun to unwrap...everything was in a pretty cellophane package with a floral decoration. There were stickers and a bag of tea AND a shark water toy!

All the stitch markers were shipped on a storage ring to keep them together (love that) and I love the jaws marker...it moves! The jaws open and shut! It'll take some self control to keep from playing with it when I have it hanging from my knitting!

Christmas 2016 Stitchmarkers

It's become a tradition for me to make holiday stitchmarkers for my knitting group friends. This year I found cute Christmas trees that I used,and then made them "snag free" by gluing a bead over the join of the ring. 

After the stitchmarkers are done I always attach them to a tag. It's just a little holiday treat for my fiber friends!

Little Skein Cuteness Overload!

I think most knitters at some point see a yarn that they just MUST have! It's either the feel or the color that turns us into Gollum saying MY PRETTY and needing it before they're even positive about what they are going to use it for. Fortunately when I saw this yarn dyed by Gynx I knew immediately what I wanted to make with it. Though it was designed to knit up a striped bunny, the colors spoke to me like the colors of the Caribbean.  The blue and the sandy colors spoke to me...and I saw the yardage would be just enough to make a little pair of slipper socks, which I just love!

Now, the yarn is dyed for the kit, and I love the pattern and the extras that came with it...so I ordered the kit from Little Skein in the Big Wool with the intention to use other yarn I have for the bunny (I would prefer a solid color bunny) and almost jumped up and down when my little package of cute perfection arrived on my doorstep.

The packaging is always perfect from Little Skein, from before you even open the box!

And then inside was the yarn, pattern, stitch markers in a cute tin, and embroidery floss on a wooden floss holder.

Be warned...if you knit and you love cute you may want ALL THE THINGS if you head to Little Skein's site...right now she has Secret Garden theme kits...including a yarn bowl with a garden painted on the inside....SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

May Your Holidays Be Merry and Bright!

As 2014 draws to a close and I start thinking about what I hope to accomplish in 2015, one thing I hope for is to get back to regular posting here.  To hold you over, here is an image I took of the snag-free Christmas light stitch markers I made for my knitting friends.  I used a drill to make the red jump rings, and started an assembly line of sorts to put them together.  The bead is glued in place to cover the join of the ring.  I tied each one onto a tag with red ribbon...it made a cute little gesture to let each lady know I hope they have the happiest of holidays...and I wish that for whoever is out there reading this post as well!

Shark Week!

 I'm a fiend for Shark Week! Every year for a week the Discovery Channel has all new shark-themed programming focused entirely on sharks.  My family and I love learning about sharks...and you may remember I love a theme...so a few years ago when I saw this pattern for socks called Shark Week...I knew I would have to knit them.  But unfortunately the pattern wasn't available for purchase.  As part of a club the designer posted that the pattern would be available in 2013...and then when it did become available (only as a kit) it was only if you could make it to a Northern fiber festival.  And then... the week before Shark Week...I received an email from the designer's mailing list.  At high noon, she would open up a flash sale of a limited number of kits that were available for purchase and would be mailed in time to start knitting for Shark Week.  It was a dream come true!!!  I set the alarm on my phone and was ready exactly at noon to snatch up a kit.  After some technical glitches I scored my very own Shark Week sock kit. (All the kits sold out in less than an hour) YES!!!

My huge pattern booklet, custom yarn dyed just for this kit, and misc other required items arrived in a package with everything bundled in a net-like bag.  

While at the beach...while watching Shark Week and Jaws I started them..over and over again.  This pattern is unlike any I've ever encountered.  I had to restart 4 times and get help from kind knitters on Ravelry in order to make it past this section...

to get to this section...

for every section I hold my breath hoping I get it right and don't run into any more issues.

but every night I've tried to knit a little further.

And while the fit isn't perfect

Sock #1 definitely is looking like a sock! Wish me luck!

Getting Ready for Shark Week

Next week is my favorite week of television all year...it's SHARK WEEK on Discovery Channel!!  Lots of fun shows and learning....we watched it when I was a kid and it's still something I look forward to, maybe more now than then.  Anyhoo....loving a theme the way I do...I ordered these little shark charms to make some stitchmarkers for shark week.

Stay tuned for the next part of the theme ;)

Mary Poppins Goodies

If I had ever shared photos from our amazing first trip to Disneyworld you'd know that we met Mary Poppins in like our first 10 minutes there and were completely cheesing it up in the photos we took with her.  My sister Doozer and I had both agreed that the only character we HAD to meet was her!

I love Mary Poppins (maybe even more after seeing Saving Mr. Banks and learning there was more to the story than fun songs) and so when I saw that Little Skein in the Big Wool was doing theme knitting accessories and would have Mary Poppins, well...I was just one of many knitters who was stalking her page until she uploaded the goodies to purchase.  I didn't score a bag ready-to-ship so I waited for a few weeks to receive one that I was able to pre-order.  Yes, it's that serious folks, it's a fight to get some of her fantastic items!

When my package arrived (after I stalked the US Postal Service tracking site all day to see when it was delivered) I found the above items inside.  The bag is called "Practically Perfect" and I love the little shop touches.

The print is super cute.  The bag is flat here so you can see Mary flying over the London skyline with Bert cleaning a chimney.  Too fun!

The loops and drawstring are all well-done and sturdy and the bottom of the bag is made with a heavyweight canvas.

The inside of the bag is lined with a teabag print fabric...too perfect!

In the other included package were the stitch markers I had ordered.

Little Skein ships her stitch markers in 1 of 3 ways.  You can order them on a card backing with a coupon attached for a future order, or in a little tin, or, my favorite...in these teeny-tiny glass vials.  Love them!

I got two different Mary Poppins looks to use.  Now, to figure out a "practically perfect" project to make while using my new project bag and stitch markers!

Quick Beading Projects

I'm just popping in to share with you some quick beading projects I recently gifted.  I don't think the recipient checks in to my blog all that often, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise.  Like me my knitting/running friend loves elephants, so when I saw these elephant charms I thought of her right away.  She loves red, so I decided to whip up some stitch markers, and when I learned that she was buying a new house I realized the larger elephant would be great for a key chain!

They didn't take me long to assemble, but they made her smile and that's what matters!

Crafting Update...

At the urging of my Mom (Hi Mom!) I got my tushie over here to update the blog. I want to tell you a little about our Valentine's Day weekend, but I'll hold off on that for now and get to some crafting! Last week, Hubby traveled to Alabama for work, and I was back at work (at least for the next week or so) and it was pretty busy getting Little Man to school and back and getting to work. So I didn't really do much crafting or anything. The week before I did make this sushi-inspired birthday card for my sister using digital images. And I made the envelope to match. I couldn't show it here until after she received it. And, for the last month I have been cranking away at the Clapotis wrap for myself. It almost broke me, all the hundreds and hundreds of rows. Although, I did learn how to drop stitches to create the pattern of the shawl. I finished it this past weekend, and will be using it to keep warm from now on.

Next time I'll share photos from our visit to Discovery Place, but for right now I'm going to explain what a stitchmarker is, for a faithful reader who asked...a stitchmarker is used while knitting to mark a row where a specific knitting action should be done...for this project, I would knit in the back of the stitch before each stitchmarker and knit regularly the stitch afterwards. By using 18 stitchmarkers as directed by the pattern, you can knit without having to read the pattern stitch by stitch or count each stitch the entire time. Stitchmarkers have rings that enable you to put them directly onto your knitting needles and then just shift them as you knit. A lot of knitters collect them since there are so many cute, beautiful kinds; and are considered a sort of jewelry for your knitting.

Next time: Catch-Up with the Craft Chick Household

A Snowy Day...

It snowed here again this week (just a dusting) and the white landscape outside reminded me that I hadn't posted about a very special snow day yet. So, despite being sick with a head cold I'm going to post about it now, because tomorrow I start a temporary attorney position, and things will quickly get busy (especially with Hubby traveling Monday - Thursday next week).

On Inauguration Day, the day after we got back from our trip, we woke up to see snow everywhere. While Little Man's preschool was open (since it is subsidized by Hubby's company), I decided he should get a snow day. After all, snow doesn't happen often down here, and if he had gone to school he wouldn't have been able to play in it. Plus, I think he should be able to have a little bit of that Northern experience: The Snow Day... he is half Yankee after all! We ate breakfast, watched a little bit of Playhouse Disney, and then got our snow gear on...including the cutest little cowboy boots that someone passed along to us.


We threw snowballs!

We looked at the beautiful scenery!


We made a snow doggie (with berry eyes)

We made a mini snowman

And Mommy and Me snow angels.

Little Man took it all in...




...and played hard....

...and loved every minute of it!

Then he decided he was cold and was ready to go inside (I think knowing hot cocoa was going to be made had something to do with it). We had that hot cocoa with marshmallows and a cookie, and then we played with play-doh. And I played with some Sculpey, and we watched Barack Obama's Inauguration. It was a little surreal honestly, playing with Play-Doh with my little son, and watching this inauguration.


And I felt creative, so while also helping Little Man make his creations, I made these stitchmarkers. They were modeled after some I saw that someone else made, except for the piggie, that was all me. There are sushi rolls, a plate of sushi, a teapot, a bowl of miso soup, and a plate of shrimp tempura with chopsticks.


Later after lunch and a nap, Little Man and I did some "cooking" while watching the "cooking rat" movie (aka Ratatouille). We made all kinds of yummy food. It was just a great day of Mommy/Little Man time.


And, because it's really cold at times, and because the Charlotte Purls are doing a mitten KAL, I decided to make Bella's Mittens. The designer made them to look like the mittens worn by a character in the Twilight movie, and I loved the cables. But I didn't like that I wouldn't be able to use my fingers, so I used the idea of the Peek-A-Boo Mittens along with the pattern for the Bella's mittens to come up with a pattern that was perfect for me.








Other than that project I've been knitting away on the never-ending Clapotis, and, because I'm truly a little nuts, I signed up to do an indoor triathlon at the end of February. And I'm writing it here so now I have to do it because I've publicly put it out there!