Where Hands Create.

Knitting Frog Toes

Wendy Solberg - Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Yep, I bet the title of this blog drew you right in... Am I right?! Heck, it would have drawn me in! AND yes, I did knit frog toes yesterday - 12 of them - along with a body (stuffed with a tennis ball), some arms and legs, and a half a head. Why you ask - read on!

I have been waiting for the right time to slip in the cute Ribbit pattern from Susan B. Anderson, and as I took a day off yesterday, it was the perfect time to knit him up! The pattern is out of my new favorite yarn, Spud & Chloe Sweater. If you have not yet checked out their blog with free patterns - you really must. The newest pattern posted is THE cutest baby watermelon hat - and yes, it will soon be on my needles. Until then, I have my Ribbit to keep me warm - or at least almost. He is at present missing his noggin - but it is on the needles - just need more stuffing to give him some brains! Kinda cool looking, huh?

This weekend was also Scarves to Throws weekend - and I do look forward to it. We have a Saturday group and a Sunday group, and both are wonderful! On Saturday, Joyce shared her throw sewn together; she just couldn't wait any longer! Isn't this fun and full of joy? Long live Lorna's Laces! Check out how the color pooled on the fourth one from the left - isn't that neat?!

In the Sunday group, I didn't take a picture; however, the conversation was a hoot! A set of dining room chairs is up for sale to purchase needlepoint shoes and some Iro for a coat... Any takers? Now we know when we visit this lovely knitter/hooker for turkey day, we will be having a stand-up buffet, but we will be having some great new yarn and product to admire!

Sunday also was the day that Nana went to church and lunch with Dorothy. They were just too cute coming back that I had to take a snap. More to show you the sweater I finished for Mom for Mother's Day was stolen - and from all that has been said, I believe it is now Nana's! She does look mighty great in it! Also, it is beautifully knitted (if I do say so myself)! Speaking of the pattern - this is an awesome one that essentially finishes itself!

I will close on this high note! Enjoy your week - and I hope you too have a chance to knit some frog toes!

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Melting Away....

Wendy Solberg - Sunday, July 19, 2009

Wow, it is already July 19th?! Summer is just melting away - and in South Texas, when you are not in the air conditioning, you too will melt away! In the dog days of summer, this is the perfect time to knit up small projects and other goodies that are somewhat like summer reading - easy, fun, and generally just make you feel masterful without much effort!

Mom found a pattern while cruising Ravelry for our gorgeous Seasilk.... She did get off track and found a cute wrap that calls for Rowan Kidsilk Haze that a lady had made in a chunkier yarn with a bit of sparkle. This got us to thinking and searching the store for what we could make this out of. I do believe we found just the right mix of yarn and pattern. The pattern is a freebie from Coco Knits - Everyday Wrap. The yarn chosen is simply beautiful (if I do say so myself)!! We have mixed Muench Cleo (viscose/metal) with Douceur et Soie (mohair/silk) - and wow, the effect is stunning. This will be the perfect thing when there is a bit of nip in the air (or when the a/c is just a bit too cold). The picture below is from Coco Knits and shows the wrap in the Kidsilk Haze - and the Douceur et Soie would be gorgeous alone....

As you can imagine, when we get proud grandmothers with gorgeous granddaughters coming to show off new knitted garmets - the camera must come out! Below is a picture of Alyssa in her brand new dress (in Berroco Comfort) - doesn't she look great!? Alyssa is seven - and already in the 5th grade!

Lastly - the helmet liner project is gathering steam! We now have 32!! Just this weekend we added 3 more from Nancy, 2 more from Linda, and another 2 from Diana. These ladies are amazing - and have done multiples - huge thanks!! We are going to mail these 32 off this week - and we will keep making them until December! More to come on our next project - really looking into lap blankets for hospitalized soldiers.

Well, I think I will close for now - Scott has just returned from being in Big Spring working on planes for the week. I did get a lot of knitting done while he was gone - but it is nice to know he will be there when I get home.

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Happy 4th of July!

Wendy Solberg - Monday, July 06, 2009

Boy, the majority of my blog posts start out with the word "happy"! AND happy is what I am - who wouldn't be with a wonderful set of parents, an awesome and supportive husband, lots of cats, and of course YARN! :-)

As I missed last week's blog to complete the newsletter - I didn't want to miss the happenings then. The Hats Not Enough duo, Lynne and Yvette, arrived with a talented man, Michael, who created a fantastic hat tree to display all of the hats that have already been donated for Hats Not Enough. Isn't this awesome?! As a reminder, if you have a bit of yarn leftover or perhaps a bit of time to knit up a hat, these will keep a homeless head warm this winter....

This weekend did get started with a party on Friday Night Stitches. Several husbands joined us to see what fun we were having - and had their own party. They promptly gravitated to the beer versus the wine and had a great time talking "guy" stuff as we knitted and laughed. We also got to taste test out the new BBQ spot in town, Pancho's - and it was fantastic! Friday Night Stitches are fun to see the finished projects and generally just be together. We have gotten quite a group!

Dudes in the knitting shop?! We are so glad!!

Gorgeous finished projects on display at Friday Night Stitches!

Saturday in Comfort was fantastic. The early morning preparations to get the town ready for the parade were a sight. So much fun to watch folks pick the perfect spot on the parade route to get the best view, the farmer's market with great organic veggies, the patriotic bunting, etc. You just cannot beat it!

View coming down from High Street to The Tinsmith's Wife - flags were waving!

We have also been blessed to have my grandmother (aka Judy or Nana) visiting - and we have had her stitching away on Christmas ornaments!

Nana, Noro and some gorgeous Mexican Zinnias (thanks to Lonnie Pat)

Dad, Mom, and Nana before the parade! Aren't they cute?!

This was also a weekend where we had lots of wonderful finished projects that were shared! Everyone seems to smile when they hold up their treasures! Charli was no exception as she shared the cute baby sweater she just finished!

As always, you just must have pictures of Noro and Laurel. Would anyone be able to continue forward with a week without the antics of these two? This weekend the cats were generally naughty with a few spells of sleep! Ms. Laurel has been in the DMC floss rack again - and thinks she is too cute for words (and she is).

THEN Noro hopped up into the gorgeous Prism yarns (in patriotic colors) and took a deep sleep. His purr was super loud - and his paws were just going and he had a huge smile on his face. Oh, my! I cannot even hide when these kitties do naughty things - as you all find 'em! :-)