Thursday, June 29, 2006

The headless blankie...

OK, so the "cuddly blankie" didn't remain in one piece for as long as I had hoped ... however, all is not lost! It has been "beheaded", but the squeky head remains in one piece (as does the blankie portion, though its been ignored for days now). Teutul's new favorite thing to do is run around the house carrying the teddy bear head and randomly making it go "squeaky-squeaky!" Here's the proof... as you can see he can't even be "nosey dog" without carrying the head over to look out the window...












Its been a very hot and humid week and between work and trying to actually do some housework / cleaning, I haven't had much time to knit. The sage green baby hat is just about finished and I've been asked to make some baby hats for my friend Jenn's space at Spa Fina Boutique (just wait until she gets her blog/site up - you will LOVE her fabulous totes, baby bags, bibs, onsies, burpies and so much more -- watch for Seacoast Baby and J. Lynne Designs!). I did cast on a funky "girly-girl" scarf last night, using a hot pink color Moda yarn with seed beads already attached on it, combined with Flutter (an eye lash yarn) in lilac. I started it with a toddler in mind, but we'll see how big it ends up being. I cast on 20 stitches on my fabulous Lola needles ~ custom made by the lovely and talented Crafty Kat herself! ~ and am just doing a no-brainer garter stitch (did I mention how HOT and humid its been?).













I just had to get my new "Spoiled Dog Lives Here" Pillow in - you like? I couldn't resist putting Zeus' "sleepy, cuddly-wuddly bear" photo in it (and yes, yes... that now means I need to find 2 more doggy photo pillows so the other kids can be immortalized too ... they asked me to tell you all to feel free to send any you find to their Mommy, along with treats and chewies!)

I'm gearing up to cast on my first sock very soon, as I keep hearing how much fun they are! I've already prepared myself with a growing stash of lovely sock yarns, but will start with some of the lesser expensive Lion Brand stuff (it would be a shame to really mess up my first sock with a $20 ball of yarn! -- oh no, did I just publicly announce that some yarn costs $20 a ball? Hopefully Matt has already become bored with reading my blog ... I think I've got him convinced all yarn is $3... and as you can see he has a hobby - or two! - of his own that involves pricey items, lol). And, I recently got a pink & white "port-a-pocket," with the proceeds going towards Breast Cancer Research (and since there is such a thing as never having too many bags, I'm waiting on my custom made sock bag from the Crafty Kat) and a beautifully colored skein of Lorna's Laces sock yarn.


Since Lola kept trying to steal borrow my sock bag, I decided to borrow one of their squeaky toys to sit in the picture too... don't you think he coordinates well with the colors? I thought so too...

Speaking of the queen bee herself, she's been a real pain-in-the-you-know-what lately with trying to sneak out with me in the morning. Here she is sitting at the top of the stairs this morning with the "I don't understand why you get to go for an R-I-D-E every morning and I have to stay here" look.


Look at that face... the tilted head... can you understand why I have such a hard time saying no to them? :) Something tells me we'll all be going for an R-I-D-E soon...


Friday, June 23, 2006

Rain, Rain GO AWAY!

As I sit to begin this post for the third time (and hoping the computer doesn't decide to shut its lousey self off), its pouring cats & dogs! After a VERY wet spring and just when we thought summer had finally arrived with a few days of sunshine, the rain is BACK. Boy were we fooled!

Just yesterday, Zeus spent hours outside keeping a watchful eye on the "evil birdies" and chasing away any critters that came too close ... He wouldn't be caught dead outside in the miserable rain today ...not even to hunt for "snakies" or watch for Woody & Chucky to come out of their hole...


Yesterday's nice weather also inspired a lunch time shopping trip. I went on a search for Lion Jamie Pompadour yarn for my Mom (its discontinued and she uses it for the trim pieces on teddy bears she crochets - if you know where she can find some, do share!)... went to AC Moore and Michael's (sorry, there's no LYS anywhere near my work!). Didn't find her yarn, but I did come across a booklet of the cutest knit animal patterns from Bernat... I bought it and the yarn to create Petunia the Pig. I even stopped in Comp USA to get what I hope is the correct size fan for our useless hunk of junk computer which has taken on a miserable personality of its own, randomly shutting down without a moment's notice... usually while I'm in the middle of something long that has not been saved. Hopefully the broken cooling fan is the only issue and this solves it.

I also found this nifty Sew Cute sewing machine, which ended up being pretty reasonable with my 40% off coupon at AC Moore. Its small enough to be very portable and runs on batteries or power cord... even has a foot pedal (let's hope it doesn't break upon the first use!). As you can see, Lola was anxiously awaiting to find out if the "treat" inside the box was for her! At least she didn't tear apart the box (she is a marvelous un-wrapper ... and if you're not careful, she'll steal help herself to anything in a bag ... groceries, balls of yarn, socks, whatever... if its in a bag, its a "present" that she must unwrap, open or otherwise just take... and if its actually a WRAPPED present, WATCH OUT!)...

My shopping wasn't limited to only yarn and crafting goods... Teutul got a new toy. It looks like one of those baby cuddly blankies, only its for dogs... and since he is THE biggest baby you can imagine and it was only $3.99... Stuffed toys don't last long at all in our house, they usually turn in to limp carcasses (mini blankies?) in a matter of minutes. I thought since this one was mostly that way already it might last a bit longer.

I managed to get a few more rows done on the Elann tank and I'm actually starting to like the yarn more as it knits up....


The second baby hat is a bit further along as well...

That's all for now... it looks like a unpleasantly wet weekend full of thunderstorms for us... oh joy!

Monday, June 19, 2006

But I'm not a monogamous knitter...

I know they exist... those who have just one project cast on their needles at a time (gasp!) and work away at the project until its completion before casting on the next... Even those who (double gasp!!!) only buy yarn needed for the project they are working on, or maybe 1 or 2 coming up in their line up -- meaning those without a true "stash!" I have to shake my head and wonder how you can get out of a yarn shop without buying more ... and as I shake my head and hand over my credit card to the dear cashier, I repeat to myself "I am just doing my part to make their odd habits balance out and to give this fluffy fiber a home."

I know several friends and family members who swear by their monogamous knitting habits. Of course, there's those who claim "socks don't count" ... I say, does it count when you have 5 pairs of socks cast on? Let me raise my hand and say afghans and hooded sweaters don't count either, but of course I've never been a monogamous knitter, so what do I know? I think I was a born multi-tasker. Even as I relearned the basic stitches, I had 3 projects growing at once (one of which, a basket weave scarf, is still on the needles... I think I got bored with the "cheap" yarn and moved on to other things, knowing in the back of my mind that one day I will return to finish the rose colored scarf that may not be made from the finest of fibers, but is still made with love ... nearly 2 1/2 years later it still sits at the bottom of my knitting bag).

Here are a few items currently on my needles...

First up is the Plymouth Encore Chunky baby's diamond carseat blanket. Its a little bit more than 1/2 done and being knit on my super fabulous Zeus needles, custom made by the wonderful and talented Heather aka A Crafty Kat.


I've finished my first circular needle project and am hooked! The yellow baby hat is off the needles and I've just cast on the sage geen one...

At almost any time you'll probably find a baby bib on my needles! They knit up very quickly and I make many for gifts, as well as to sell through Lapdog Creations. Here's a photo of some on display at Spa Fina Botique in Rockport, MA

And here's one on my lovely little model, Teutul aka King Tut! (I think he enjoys modeling the furry scarves much, much better than these crazy baby bibs!)


I also currently have 2 scarves on the needles (the basket weave mentioned above and a Lamb's Pride wool number in a 2x2 rib) and I've recently cast on a cute little tank from Elann. I think that's all currently on the needles...

Well, that's all for this super hot and humid day in Southern New Hampshire... we're expecting some thunder storms (oh joy!)..........

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Welcome!

Welcome to my very first blog ... created to share my love of knitting ... for both humans & pets ... and the start of "Lapdog Creations!"

I am a 30-something New Englander who has rediscovered the joys of knitting, while kicking myself for not letting Mom really teach me all those years... She really, really wanted to ... and I did make a blanket for a dolly, but knitting just wasn't "cool" then. Now I only wish I had all those years of experience!

I enjoy making lots of small things - scarves, baby bibs, clutch purses... and have a new found love of baby hats. I've yet to attempt my first sweater, but sure do have plenty of projects lined up! I also enjoy making gifts for friends and family. The most recent of my gifts was this little red, white and blue pocketbook for a friend's daughter.












It was well received just before Memorial Day (yes, the colors were on purpose!) and Natalie was looking forward to carrying around all her "stuff" in it... here's the happy little girl hamming it up for the camera just after our "lunch date" in Davidson, NC a couple weeks ago! (side note... as big NASCAR fans, we travel to a couple races each year, with one always being Charlotte in May where we get to spend time visiting with friends who also make the annual trip, as well as some who live down there)



Here's a photo of my 3 "test subjects", errrr... children: Teutul, Lola and Zeus. Zeus is a fabulous hat model and Tut enjoys being wrappd in luxurious scarves. Lola on the other hand, usually just likes to run off with a ball of yarn when no one is looking! All 3 of my kids have been immortalized in the world of knitting, as I've had custom needles crafted of each of their likenesses (if you're curious; Zeus a size 10, Lola a 9 and Tut an 8) by Heather aka A Crafty Kat. You will see them popping up as I begin posting photos of current works on the needles!


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