Legwarmers inching along and an affair with fabric

I am definitely on a fabric sewing kick right now. But my finances are tight with the up coming wedding/Vegas trip and Christmas. That is why my window shopping has reached an all time high. Check out my Hancock finds. I have a Hancocks in the next town over but Joann's is always on the way home from work but traffic is a little tough getting there. there is a construction bridge/Walmart intersection of hell to contend with where the left turn lane toward walmart is about 5 feet long so eveyone going there waits in one of the 2 straight lane. gets backed up for miles. Joann's is not next to walmart but I must go over that bridge and then turn left. but since Garrett and I carpool, I must cross the traffic of doom to pick him up after shopping. However, since my mind is everworking, I have devised the I recently noticed the much "hipper" fabric selection at Hobby Lobby. Stopping there on my way home does not help me to avoid Traffic hell but it is on the correct side of road on which traffic lives so I can pop in to happy lobby, take my time and then in 2 min be at Garrett's work. Much easier and more shopping (I mean window shopping, unless it is for Christmas and I do want to make some stockings...umm. no must finish knitting leg warmers).
Speaking of leg warmers, I am not sure if I have yet blogged about my master plan. If not, let me enlighten you. but if I have, well then let me repeat myself. The pattern calls for approx 26 inches of legwamer. but said pattern also calls for total project time of 2-4 hours (not happening even if this time is per leg). so I have stopped leg 1 at 15 inches and will continue with leg 2 (at 10 in + as of press time) and will then judge how much more I can add to each in time. Now these are for under my wedding dress. I am getting hitched outside and in 50 deg and do not want to think about how cold I am. I would rather think about how cool this is and how pretty I feel. So I feel that 15 inches will adequately enable my legs to not add to an coldness. Anything more than that is to add to my happiness.
right now I am in the middle of RSVP hell. No one does it anymore. But I have a plan. Whoever put the name on the list, must call the person and get a commitment the day after the deadline, which is the 1st. So if MIL requested the invite, she must track down the offender, same for groom, me and my mom. it will work great for me and hopefully will serve as a tackful reminder of how they rudely did not RSVP. I hate that.

One for you, One for me, One for you, Two for me

Well really it is 2 for loved ones and one for me. I made 2 recipe gift bags this weekend from a pattern in Amy Butler In Stitches. The blue bag is the large size and made from dishtowels (They are really thick and gave me all kinds of trouble) and the pinkish one is the smaller size and made from cotton (super easy to work with, as usual). They are really fun to make and I have plans to make 2 more.
I also made another In Town handbag by Amy Butler. I love it and i think this is now my go-to pattern. There is a full picture on my flickr site. I really love this bag. It is, as i am sure i have already said, very fun, quick and very fulfilling. Plus this purse is the right size for me and the set up that i usually look for. Plus it can be very simple looking or dramatic. I like how much room there is to customize. I can make this pattern while watching a movie. P.S. i love my rearranged sewing room! Sewing is so much more fun when you have room to work and are not crowded. Plus, with my new heater, i can work without hand warmers and my dogs and Scout are more inclined to visit and nap while i work. Their snores are very soothing and motivating.

Sewing and Knitting

I finished my Amy Butler In Town Handbag this weekend and I love it. It was fun, easy but a little challenging. Enough ease for me to enjoy it and enough Challenge to keep me at it. I will use stiffer interfacing next time but hopefully the picture will deceive all into thinking that I did, indeed, use the correct stiffness.
I also was able to start and finish Womb from Knitty.com. it was a fun knit and I recommend it, but just not in this yarn. I don't remember which yarn it was but I am sure once you see it you will remember to steer clear.
I finished a pincushion I had started some time ago and got frustrated when my circle turned in to flat tire. So last night I ripped the stitching and closed up the opening a little (3 in is a little too big for a 6 in diameter circle) then I re-did the closing stitch and it turned out great. I used this pattern and the instructions are very clear and easy.
And finally I sewed up my felted pumpkin. I think it is super cute and I don't care if the other pumpkins call him pinocchio. They can kiss it because I love him. Next time, though, he will be a shorted, um, nose.

Finished objects and some that are close

We will start with an close to finished project (above) a small felted pumpkin from Knitty.com. This is a relatively quick knit and kinda fun. I would have enjoyed it more but I am feeling a lot of pressure right now to finished my wedding knits. But I did finish my Handwarmers (below), my brother's sock monkey hat and start my legwarmers (Vegas in Dec is around 50 degrees!). I also updated my flickr site with some extra pictures. Tomorrow is 5 years for Garrett and I. I have no idea what we are doing but I am sure it will be fun. I do dislike going out on Friday nights, though.

Happy Birthday, Shaun!

My Brother, Shaun, has always loved Calvin and Hobbes and in honor of his birthday, I present this clip representing the great comic! Click the pic and Enjoy

Coupon and no monkey

The monkey hat will be finished tonite for it's intended victim is coming for dinner tomorrow night. All I have left are the ears, eyes, mouth and earring. The ends have weaved themselves (after some angered fist shaking and a few "why, I oughta").
And I have a coupon for 50% off one item at Joann's. Good until Sat! So go forth and spend. Let me know what you bought so I can live vicariously. I am saving for the wedding!

I hate blogger and diets

I am trying to keep my frilly font but up the font size. But it seems in blogger world there is only really really big and just big enough to read but gives you a headache from squinting. So bare with me.
Also, i had to add this. I have a pal I walk with at work. I sent her an e-mail asking if she brough her walking clothes today and this is her response:
Yes and I started my diet on Saturday. Since Saturday afternoon, I’ve been eating chicken, lettuce with no dressing, broccoli, hard boiled eggs & one orange a day. I’ve had nothing to drink but water, one diet sprite and this morning I am drinking black f’ing coffee.
I forgot, I get to eat one of their protein bars once a day and it is tastes like shit that is being masked by peanut butter.

Fashion for your convenience!

Hot off the presses! The latest trend off the fall runways, dangling ends. Knitters everywhere are cheering their new independence; freed from encumbered weaving and thumbing their noses at oppressive tapestry needles everywhere. "I no longer have to dye my hair" roused one knitted wearing a new and very fashionable fair isle hat, giving her hair the looked of a glamorous rainbow. "I have time to eat!" remarked one very thin knitter on her way to the local pizza place. Yes, it seems knitters everywhere are joyous over this new trend and are embracing it like a long lost cousin (a very rich cousin). While the 'finished' look, according to stubborn minority, will never die, it seems in this case they are wrong and appear to be very jealous that they did not jump on the band wagon in time. Non weavers, as they have taken to calling themselves, are spreading the word and giving raspberries to all non- converts. So the next time you are done knitting your project, don't pick up your tapestry needle and take a deep breathe in anticipation of the excruciatingly long nights ahead of you; throw your project on and consider yourself done. Not only will you have more time, but you are now the height of fashion!

this was spurred by 2 things:
1) I just finished my wedding shawl (bows to audience) and with 6 balls and three picked up edges, there were many ends to be carefully woven in (this is a wedding shawl people)
2) helping a fellow blogger justify wearing her new sweater now. She didn't buy it.

Edgy and soft

So I have started the bottom edge of my wedding shawl and even though i am not done, i can't wait to show it off. So i took some picture during lunch to make it look like i am done. I am so pleased and the edge while it takes longer is SOOO much fun. Here is just one pic. There are more on my flickr site. Here is a link for the bind off and here is where i learned how to do cable cast-on needed for this bind off. Super easy and with video goodness.



Behold: glorious Cotton! No, i didn't not steal it from the subject of my shameful previous post. I bought this all by myself. The shipping was SUPER fast and i am very happy with the color match. I highly recommend ordering from Elmore Pisgah. I might like yarn/knitting a little too much.

Attack or Befriend?

This is our new hero or worst enemy. I am either very jealous or plotting quietly in the corner. I am not sure but when i figure it out, I will have a lot of cotton. The only real question is will it have been had by legal or nefarious means. I probably won't tell that either. Behold, all that is good! I have advised her to keep her address secret and lock her doors just in case. However, if I can somehow amass a secret, small, but highly trained army perhaps her secret keeping won't protect her. Wait! What am I saying. I am a nice person, who would never steal yarn. I love yarn and would never inflict the pain of no yarn on anyone. However, if she were to give it to me, that would be a different story. Ok, new plan. Now I need to amass a small, still secret, highly trained army of negotiators. Whose with me?! (any yarn gotten will be split according to the time honored: 2 for me, 1 for you, 3 for me, Hey you already have 1, 4 for me...)

New Banner!

My brother, Shaun, created a set of 3 size logos for me a while ago when i orginally set up my website (www.gruenetree.com) since it was put on hold, i had forgotten about these great logos. I decided i was not as pleased as i could be with my new banner so i made the one you see now. Here is the set of logos created by my Brother. If you are interested click on his link to left. He is the best and so creative!
Big



Medium




Teeny

Buttons For ALL

Button? Button? May I offer you a button? button for you Ma'am and you sir? Help yourself to a handmade button, courtesy of your friendly GrueneTree! Lookee what I made!

K-Fed Pity Party

Poor Kevin, Britney kept him down. As proof read this article entitled: Blame K-Fed's Soaring Success for Britney Split. Maybe we should start a fund or buy his record.

Coupon and Monkey!

So i made the sock monkey hat from Knitty.com. (picture tonite) but it was WAY TOO BIG. So i went to Hobby lobby last night (yarn bee is on sale, BTW) and bought some Bernet Denim in black (much more sock monkeyish) and cast on again. I intended to use the pattern as is but with the smaller yarn. No, it didn't work. So i cast on 88 stitches and worked it back and forth for the intarsia but did not make it a foldup brim. I brought the hat together to work in the round 1 row after i finished the intarsia so it would not be a turn up brim. I like it much better. I am not very far, but i like it as is.
Oh here is a coupon for Joann's for this weekend. If anyone has a world market around, i have 25% off coupon for that, too. Enjoy

Mail! and Pictures!

Alright- let me start with the super fast shipping from Monkey Foot Designs. I recieved my package Friday and barely had time to drool. The in laws were in town. I had a shower sat morning (thank you Serene i had a great time) and scored lots of loot! Ok back to the package. the fabric is everything i dreamed and i even got a sample of another colorway, lotus lush. Thank you Kris. plus my awesome pattern which once i get new scissors i will start on for my sister.
Since blogger enjoys being so temperment concerning pictures, i have set up a flickr page. It is small for now but i hope to put most of my pictures on by the end of the week. here it is!

Shaun, Ladies and Gentlemen

My Brother is a photo genius.
I know my knitting is lovely but i cannot (yet) capture that lovelyness with a camera yet. But Shaun sure can. Feast you eyes on these pictures. take a look at the beautiful purple piece below. You may reconize it from this post. yes it is one and the same Moss Stitch Hand Towel. Isn't this great! (photos to come when blogger gets its act together)

Here is another view at my finished Flora Scarf and My Kim's Hat From Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Look at this and see the difference!
Oh and here is my little Pocket Monster waving at you!

Scarf

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Originally uploaded by shaunkrisherphoto.

Here is my completed Flora scarf but with brother photography goodness. Doesn't it look so yummy!

The Real Enabler

If one is going to offer amazing fabrics/patterns at good prices and then make it even easier for me to purchase said items then i will be forced to dethrone Murphy as the enabler. Such is the case with Kris and her fine shop Monkey Foot Designs Boutique. I was finally able to buy some Gracious Lotus by Amy Butler and i figured while i had paypal open i might as well look at the patterns (again) and damn if i didn't find one i liked. This is perfect for a certain sister i know. I may make it out of some previously purchased Forest fabric, but i am undecided.





The shawl is a mere 3 inches away from mostly finished. I am making it a little longer then patterned. Then i will pick up stitched for the button bands and for the collar. I am very stoked! I can't wait to take pictures. I will def get Shaun (brother) involved in that. He is lauching a website in the next few weeks that is ver promising. I love his pictures. He gives Garrett and i prints every year and i love it. We recently painted our hallway and hung new track lighting (not gross track lights, but cool IKEA track lights) just to display his pictures. I love gothic religious themed pictures and he is great at those. I also want some country bright colored type pictures for my kitchen and he has already promised me some. Oh and last weekend we had a photoshoot at my house some knitting and some food and i can't wait to post those pictures.