Wednesday 27 February 2013

WIP Wednesday 133: Frankenwabbit 2 or, Igor Gets to Work

Victorian Romantic Tarot











Well, I survived half-term, and in fact I would have really enjoyed it if only the kids hadn't been hell-bent on squabbling every living moment of every day. I was dutifully maternal, enough so that I didn't get to knit very much; so today I was looking at the WIP I'm supposed to be rushing through, but thinking ''Meh'' and just not feeling the love for it:



Cafe au Lait Mitts, left hand, Sirdar Country Style DK


 And at the back of my mind was this itch, the really irritating kind of itch where you have forgotten something vitally important, but you haven't forgotten that you forgot. After Herculean efforts in the old brainbox, I remembered the FrankenWabbit, which MUST be completed for Mini Diva's birthday next week. 

So today may now be told in pictures:
 

Right, Igor, find me the body parts

 
2 rabbit's feet must be extra lucky. Except not for the rabbit



we're not too fussy about sourcing our body parts, are we, Igor ?



only missing 1 limb, does it really need all four, Igor ?


sitting before we can lie down, are we, Frankenwabbit ?



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Wabbit

Igor, where is his neck ??

 
Quick Igor, hide him, I can hear the villagers coming ...



Igor, coffins are for vampires, not Frankenwabbits






                                    “...learn from my miseries, and do not seek to increase your own.” 
                                                                Mary Shelley, Frankenstein




Pop over to Tami's Amis for things of far more beauty ....





Monday 18 February 2013

Captain Oates

Housewives Tarot

Like the good Captain, ''I am just going outside, and I may be some time''. 

I just popped in to quickly let you know that it is half-term, and because I know no fear, not only is Mini Diva's BFF here for the day and to sleep over, this afternoon we are going to collect one of Destructo Boy's friends and his little sister, and all head over to the park.

Wednesday the children are going out with Belo for the day, Thursday Mini Diva is out at a friend's house, Friday Destructo Boy is at a 5 hour football coaching session, during which time I have Secret Plans for Mini Diva before she goes to a friend's disco party in the evening.

How this all fits in with MIL's (so far) present-less birthday tomorrow, I don't know  - I have the pattern, the yarn and, to DH's utter disbelief, some new circular knitting needles. 





What he didn't believe was that I have so many pairs already yet still lacked this particular size (3.50mm). All I have to do is sit down with no other distractions and nothing else to do and knit like a fiend. Uh-huh, that's so gonna happen.

Oh, and I have signed up for a KAL for eskimimi's latest pattern, Mrs.Tumnus; fortunately, that won't start until half-term is over, thus giving me time not only to wind the yarn, but to catch my breath ....




Pop by later in the week and see how - or if - I'm surviving ....


Wednesday 13 February 2013

WIP Wednesday 131: Frankenwabbit

Universal Fantasy Tarot












Here's the thing: a while back I mentioned I had cast on to make a soft toy rabbit for Mini Diva, as a birthday present (mainly because, anything to put off actually getting a real one to add to the menagerie). I even found a pattern I thought was kinda cute, and small soft toys must be a snap to make, right ?




Of course, I needed to add my own unique adjustment to it, which was merely to invert the color scheme, ie. pink bunny with white paws and ears. I ignored the likelihood that the Sirdar Snowflake DK yarn was probably going to be a pain in the butt  hassle to knit with because it is fluffy and has a kind of weird sticky feeling to it, as I thought the very soft fluffy feel was worth the sacrifice of convenience and ease. 

Which just goes to show one of the super-rare times that I am wrong: I neglected to notice that instead of the yarn's recommended 4mm needles, Flopsy is made using 3mm needles. Everything is very tight, very difficult to see, and it hurts the tips of my fingers as the yarn has no elasticity whatsoever. On the plus side (there is always at least one) its fluffiness is exceptionally forgiving of errors.

I bought the recommended 4 balls of yarn, only to run out with only an outer ear left to knit. I bought the necessary extra ball last Saturday, but yet Flopsy is in a sad state of organized chaos:



The labels are to show me which is the right side, and also the orientation (top or bottom) as with Sirdar Snowflake, neither is obvious and there's no way I'd rely on my memory. I have the stuffing, I even have the pretty ribbon for its neck. I just need to hunker down and finish the ear and sew it all together instead of ignoring the bowl I have stacked the pieces in.

And just think, I'd actually been considering making another one, but in blue and Snowflake Chunky, for a bigger wabbit ..... 




As usual, lovely things to see over at Tami's Amis ....


Monday 11 February 2013

Swag

Victorian Romantic Tarot

So OK, the muses have abandoned me - even Melpomene, for which one must be appropriately grateful - and so I have been very, very quiet.

But I know you are as nosey curious as me, so you'll be wanting to know what I received for my birthday last week; and if you're a tarot person, look away now, because nobody gave me anything to do with tarot at all. I know, right ?

But, my other obsession has been generously catered for, as you can see below, although my Twins appear to have swapped roles ...

My Eviller Twin gifted me with the pattern for the Blackberry Cabled Cardigan, and Belo gave me cash to buy yarn with, so I bought a cardigan's worth of Stylecraft Life DK in Rose (even though the Eviller Twin curls her lip at pink as being suitable only for little girls up to the age of six ... which is not me). But I think it will look lovely, and the lighter color will show the pattern to better advantage:




Belo's generosity stretched to these as well:


400m of 'Parakeet 17' Jawoll Magic Degrade


600m of 100% 4 ply lambswool in 'sky blue'


And somehow I managed to find a Raveller who was destashing some marvellous Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace in 'Gold' for the absolutely bargain irresistible price of only £10 (approx.$15) ! So that was my birthday present to myself ....



So that's the yarn part of my birthday swag, and I hope you'll notice my adventurousness in terms of colors chosen ... not my usual kind of palette at all, I think.

Good Twin obviously revelled in being more evil, as see what she has sent to me:




It is very pretty, and is on my bedside table to be dwelled on before sleep. But dwelled on in a kind of theoretical, distanced way. You know, like, wow that's totes amazing and I will never make anything from this book in this lifetime or any other but I really enjoy the eye candy. But in a parallel universe somewhere there is a Me that has already completed at least one of these patterns. Probably the same universe in which there is a Me that is six foot tall who does not have panic attacks when getting into a car.

The SIL who is thoughtfully providing a baby in August just for me to knit some pretty things for, sent me this book. I am not saying that there is any kind of point or agenda, oh no. But I used to think she was a gentle, kind person.



And therefore it is also directly her fault that I spent the Amazon vouchers sent by my lovely MIL on a book of Baby Afghan patterns. 

Crochet patterns, because we like a laugh realistic goal, don't we ?




I might have more to say later this week: but you'll never know unless you come back to see, will you ?



Friday 1 February 2013

FO Friday 123: Twilight Time

Whimsical Tarot










Just the quickest of quick posts today - just look at the photo !

 No, not the shawl - the clear BLUE sky ! As in, not grey. As in, not cloudy. As in, not raining.

So I abandoned all thoughts of housework, grabbed this shawl that has been washed and blocked for over 2 weeks, and ran outside to drape it artistically over the fence for you, and then take a rubbish photo.

It is the Summer Flies Shawl, which I have called Twilight Time on this occasion because of the lovely purple Adriafil Azzurra that it is made with:



,


And the soundtrack is, of course:




While you hum along, pop over to Tami's Amis for lots more finished items ....