Here Kitty Kitty

I had written a post about how cool the Korkfisshe cat toys that I knit for Rue are. It talked about how cool it is to have a wine cork as the filling rather than stuffing and it talked about playing with my new kitty. Then I accidentally deleted it. At this point, it has taken me longer to write about them than it has to knit them. So here are some pretty pictures that Hubby took of our new companion. 

I made these from scrap cotton and they are not very compelling, but you can find a picture of them on my project page if you are really curious about mine in particular.

FO Friday: My first charity blanket

Since starting my  new job, I've joined a great knitting group that focuses on charity projects. I've mentioned it several times and on Monday, I gave you most of a look at most of the finished blanket. I want to share a good finished object picture to celebrate its completion.

This was the first project that I brought to the group finished. I felt a weight lifted once I turned it in. It is odd and unnecessary, but I was carrying around some guilt for all the free yarn they had given me with out having given them anything in return. To defend myself slightly, I took 5 different balls of yarn for this blanket and 2 giant skeins for the second blanket before I brought this in. Now I feel I've proved that I will uphold my end of the bargain and I can be trusted with massive amounts of yarn.

Hubby has been playing and learning with his fancy camera so I've started asking for him to help me take better pictures of my completed knitting. He seems more interested in portraits, but I really appreciate the time he is putting into great lighting and staging for me. They are so much nicer than the quick cell phone shots I'd be sharing otherwise. Thanks babe!

Migrated

My flock is finally finished. Weaving in all of the ends was a daunting task

While I tackled those, Hubby sewed them onto the branches and arranged the birds. It took both of us the better part of an afternoon, but it was a lovely result.




Here is a baby's eye view!




I love it! Hubby was having trouble letting it go. He had it hanging in our living room right up until I packed it up to ship out. Eventually they migrated south (a bit late but all in one piece) to our friends and their new baby. I hope he enjoys those adorable tummy stripes as much as I do.

Bagged

After knitting dice bags for Hubby and a couple friends, I finally have a reason to make a dice bag for myself. This weekend I went to my first DnD game. Of course, I couldn't go unaccessorized! I couldn't  decide what I wanted so Hubby started one for me with the self-striping yarn that was left over from Syndey's leg warmers. Because of my impatience, I had to take over and I finished it.



I love my sparkly dice! 


Inspired by Hubby's stripes and Being Elmo, I knew exactly what I wanted for my polyhedrals.



Look familiar? You get 100 cool points from me if you immediately thought of this guy:

From Sesame Street

I did much better with my jogless stripe on this bag than my birds. I think that the stripes on the birds were just a bit too thin for the jogless technique that I was trying to use. It worked much better on the wider blue and red stripes here. These little bags are a great way to practice new techniques. I love them. I'll have to come up with an excuse to make some more. Now I just need to resist the urge to buy some primary colored dice that match my bag. Maybe I need one that looks like Bert. Vertical stripes would be a good thing to learn.

FO: Stripe Study

I finished my Stripe Study a bit ago, but I haven't gotten a picture until this weekend. Something about this heat wave made it difficult to remember to grab my wool wrap. I would have finished it earlier, but I made the ridiculous decision to spend as much time binding off as I did knitting. I don't know when or why, but I decided that the sewn bind off is my favorite. I am here to assure you that a garter stitch shawl that binds off on the two long sides does not require a sewn bind off. It is a good technique, but I spent a full day sitting in the park pulling that long bind off end through each stitch...TWICE! It was a lovely day, but I am officially saving that bind off for lace (and maybe toe up socks.)

I decided to go as long as I could with each color to use up all of my yarn, and when I finished I was worried that it was a little small. The longest point reached just past my mid-back. It seemed to work just fine, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting based on the photos from the pattern. I was especially disappointed because I knit 2 extra stripes before I ran out of the darker yarn. Since I took it across the country and the park I gave it a bath right away. When I laid it out to dry it grew a lot more than I expected for just garter stitch. I am very happy with the final size.

I'm not certain how I feel about the asymmetry yet though. It looks fantastic, but I haven't had occasion to use my new wrap. The tallest point falls over my left shoulder instead of down the center of my back. I'm interested to find out how well it stays in place and protects my back from the giant window at work.

Billy - Class of 2011

From Billy's introduction letter:


Hello,


My twin brother Willy and I decided to sign up for the internship program because we were inspired by the Abbott and Costello programs we saw during class. We saw how funny they were and then thought how much more wonderful it would be if they would have been twins like us! I am looking forward to getting to observe your family and learn all of the great things that I can from you, hopefully faster than my brother does from his host family!






Favorite Joke:


What did the right eye say to the left eye?
Between us, something smells.




Jessica's pattern is written completely flat. Even the adorable tail is done back and forth and seamed up so for Billy I decided to do everything in the round. I used Susan's Elefante feet and then just converted Jessica's purls to knits and rows to rounds.

Willy - Class of 2011

From Willy's introduction letter:

Hello,


My twin brother Billy and I decided to sign up for the internship program because we were inspired by the Abbott and Costello programs we saw during class. We saw how funny they were and then thought how much more wonderful it would be if they would have been twins like us! I am looking forward to getting to observe your family and learn all of the great things that I can from you, hopefully faster than my brother does from his host family!








Favorite Joke:


How do you catch a squirrel?
Climb a tree and act like a nut.





These brothers are a great little lesson in gauge. Billy was knit on a set of needles one size smaller than Willy. You can look at the class photo for a great comparison of their size difference. I think I like the tighter gauge better for toys. I can stuff them a little tighter and now worry about the innards showing through the stitches.

Marcy - Class of 2011

From Marcy's introduction letter:


Hello,


My name is Marcy. My grandmother says I’m shy, but I’m just quiet. Either way I think this internship is really going to help. Grandma thinks it will bring me out of my shell, but I am just hoping to work on my comedic timing. I am looking forward to getting to know you.










Favorite Joke:


What did the fish say when it hit the concrete wall?
Dam!



This is Maddy's cousin. They lived a couple towns over from each other but ended up at the same university  and in the same program. Marcy doesn't talk much, but Maddy chattered enough for the both of them. At her internship she has 6 very qualified mentors to help her find her voice. I'm pretty jealous of her current opportunity.

Gus - Class of 2011

From Gus's Introduction Letter:

Hello,


My name is Octavius, but please call me Gus. I started school to be a lawyer, but I had to change my major. No one in corporate law appreciated my riddles or impersonations. Making the switch was the best decision I’ve ever made. It has been all giggles since I’ve started studying energy obtainment. I look forward to learning from you and in return, I’ll do my best to assist with any legalese we encounter along the way.








Favorite Joke:


What do giraffes have that no other animal has?
Baby giraffes!




Look at that happy grin. I think I am starting to get better at the embroidered faces on my toys. I had a lot of fun with this project trying to develop personalities for each of them with the little details that I added. Gus has a grumpy source, but he's a bit more cheerful.

Chibit - Class of 2011

From Chibit's Introduction Letter:

Hi,


My friends all call me Chibit. I love puns and peanut butter! I am looking forward to learning from you, but I’m really excited about the food. I have a whole list of things I want to try: Key Lime Pie, Popcorn, Clam Chowder and Lasagna. Those are just the top few. I really hope you’ll share some of your favorite foods too!






Favorite Joke:


When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.





I am almost afraid to post pictures of Chibit. It seems that once she arrived at her new home, she's decided that her antenna are now tentacles. Not that I blame her; I'd want to show off my versatility to my new family too.

Jimmy - Class of 2011

From Jimmy's Introduction Letter:

Hi,


You can call me Jimmy. My family has been in energy obtainment for generations. I grew up learning all of my father’s best scare tactics, so I am counting on this internship to help me catch up. I want to be as good of a comedian as I am a scarer. My hero used to be Axe Cop, but lately I’ve been trying to pay more attention to Jughead. Thank you for this opportunity. With your help, I’ll make my dad proud.




Favorite Joke:


What is the difference between roast beef and pea soup?
Anyone can roast beef.




I am really proud of Jimmy's mohawk. Not only did I find a use for some left over fun fur, but it looks fantastic! I was so caught up in making that I didn't even think about the jog in my stripes. If I was smart I would have put the mohawk over the the new round repeat, but I was too worried about making it work to make it perfect. Next time I'll do better. The one regret I do have about Jimmy is his plastic eye. I tried to make sure that every one in the cohort that was going to live with a young child would be resilient and safe for rough housing. The plastic eyes are not child safe (they can pop out and be swallowed by the very determined) and I just found out in the past month that the family he is going to live with is expecting a new arrival.

Maddy - Class of 2011

From Maddy's Introduction letter:
Hi!


Thank you so much for this opportunity. I am very excited about getting to spend some time observing your world. I am a huge fan of music and movies. I also love to go shopping with my friends. I know that we are going to have a lot of fun together and I’m confident that I am going to learn a lot from you.






Favorite Joke:


Knock, Knock
Who’s there?
A cow goes...
A cow goes who?
No! A cow goes moo!

Maddy was the start of this entire project. I wanted to do something special for a girlfriend. She is almost as big of a Monsters, Inc. fan as I am (though she makes up for it with her undying love of other Disney creations.) I had tried to make her a Hug, but mine just looked creepy. I decided to go through my queue and find something huggable. Penelope was perfect.

I wrote up the internship letter from Roz. As each monster finished they hung out in my apartment and Hubby and I started coming up with tidbits about them to include in their introduction letter. Right before sending them out I decided to include their favorite jokes in the introduction letter. I think it gives the host families a good sense of where their humor levels are at.