sweet alpaca stockings

marc made another trip to the bins (aka goodwill outlet), and scored big time! tons of beautiful wool sweaters for me to craft into, and some other fun finds too. including these gorgeous slipper/socks that fit him perfectly. lucky man, heh? they also look really cute, especially in favorite warm thermals cozied up in the evening. probably even better fireside, or log cabin-side! aww! but i digress. they had some mending in order:

please forgive the photo quality around here. we've lost our camera battery again and our other one does weird things with color. or we just haven't figured out how it works.

now, i've tried to mend socks before, but i don't actually know how it is done. surely i will learn someday, but here's what i did in the mean time. after picking up all of the stitches i could, there was really only one row with breakage. huzzah! i remember overhearing someone say you must sew around the hole to ensure no further unraveling, so i secured the loose ends and knitted a row, then sewed all the way around. it doesn't look as neat as it could, i'm sure. but it is certainly serviceable, and on the inside of the leg so not noticeable either. marc says it is just as comfy as the rest of the sock. and yes, it was done with a bit of that gorgeous knittn' kitten alpaca yarn from an earlier post, doubled up.

that's leather stitched on the bottom too. tag says made in bolivia. 100% alpaca wool. so sweet slipper socks.

check out my sidebar

i've taken the plunge. i keep telling myself i can always change it to make it better (that perfectionism preventing me from sallying forth), but really, there's little to risk! oh, and i'm open to feedback, as long as it is positive.

quota

i brought a big bunch of yarn with me on our trip last week, so that i could really get a whole bunch of mitts ready to sell on etsy. (as soon as i get that all tidied up!) i actually asked marc to give me a goal that i could meet; how many pairs? he said 20, but i talked him down to 12. i'm supposed to make up the difference though, before the end of the month. should be well within my means. though the driving from chicago to iowa and back did help me out with this bundle.

this is also dependent on me not giving them away before then. whoops. this pair went to venessa, whom we were fortunate enough to get to spend a few hours with in chicago. i'm sure she'll be drawing tons of business my way though.

and this one went to julie, when i learned that it was her birthday yesterday (via h2m's blog!)! only one button here (i'm going for two usually), but it was an irresistible one.

the rest are awaiting sewing ends in, buttons, photos, and all that. or maybe you'd like them?

party!

fingers crossed that this posts properly! i'm pre-writing and showing off my wedding gift for ben & lindsay, who just happen to be getting married on my *birthday*! best party ever? oh yeah. and i'll never forget their anniversary. luckily, with typing this up in advance, i can't get too sentimental. that and seeing as we leave for the airport at 4 am in a few hours - words fail me.

they made their invites with their silhouettes and the chicago skyline - i just traced it and embroidered it as best i could. i love you guys!!!

whoo who!

here he is! i was able to consult with marc this morning over buttons v. felt, and we ended up liking the buttons that looked like felt anyway. felt it is! i also needed the help to have some time with the owl to get his face on, because colden is already very attached. i've been reading some other crafty mamas' blogs, and it seems universally true - if you've made it, the little ones love it even more from seeing its making. so, i still have to stuff him, and i would like to get my ravelry account more active and share him there as well. but essentially, he has been an owl since his first felting. don't tell cole i took him outside (the owl stays inside) for this photo. i just don't want him in the sandbox!

another project still 'on the needle', so to speak, before we leave for the midwest tomorrow. i might try to set up a post for that one to reveal itself at the right time. or i will just concentrate on finishing it and not get any blogging in for the next week! either way, i won't have as much computer access over the next few. til then!

(p.s. i forgot to include the pattern link, just in case you didn't read my other massive sock summit post: woolly something - owls)

knittn' kitten finds

so, i finally made it out to knittn' kitten (no, i hadn't been - i know! i know!), and since i've heard that they are in need of customers, well, i went ahead and splurged a bit. i think you can see all the price tags and figure out that my splurge was still quite the bargain! i don't know what i will do with the yarn yet (except maybe go back for more), but i have something in mind for that suede cord. yep, mouse tails! maybe i ought to knit a cat with the yarn. you know, just so the kitten receives due respect.

my owl is almost done, i just need to finish the beak and eyes. that's what i had in mind for the buttons. even though they're recycled, i'm not sure i want plastic on my owl. i definitely don't want it going in you-know-who's mouth. so maybe the buttons will go on to something else...

as for the ribbon, well, it was too gorgeous to pass up! i don't know how i made it out of the vintage linens room without even a handkerchief! once i find my swap partner out, i'll definitely have to return!

little mouse

this qualifies as a completed project from the pile because i had a small mousie printout from long ago sitting on a stack of grey felted sweaters. i had a similar looking one from germany as a child - until my cat got it. naturally. this is one drawback to the toy intended for children (not cats). however, he still needs some work, so although this guy is finished, it's still on the to-do list. i think the next incarnation will include some actual wool felt ears (instead of crochet), and a slightly bigger, perhaps tapered, tail. i'm open to other suggestions. here he is hiding under an adorable church-rummage sale find (25 cents, i think).