Happy Easter!!! Today should prove to be so much fun! All the kiddos are still asleep, but the baskets are hidden around the house and there are MANY eggs hidden in the backyard :o) The cousins should be here around 10:00 and then the real fun will begin. I just can't wait!!

While we were on vacation in Maui, we drove to a lot of different beaches to snorkel and to hike. The snorkeling was fabulous and the hiking was so beautiful - I couldn't believe how lush and green everything was and how many waterfalls we could hike down to. "Little" J is a better climber than his mommy! Anyway, while my husband was driving, I would knit - 21 fish I knit. I didn't even know how many until I got home and started weaving in all the ends!! That brings my count up to 96! I am now officially past the halfway point (I need 180 total) - VERY exciting. When I first started knitting these fish, I did not weave in the ends. Whenever I ended one fish I immediately cast on for the next. As a result there are lots and lots of fish that still need their ends woven in. So now I am alternating between knitting fish and weaving in the ends. I can't wait to get them all finished so I can lay them out and begin sewing them together!

I have also been working a little bit more on my weaving. This pattern is called "rep" and is very tightly woven. You have to beat it really hard so that none of the warp threads can be seen.

This closeup show that all that is visible are the weft threads.

This next pattern is called the basketweave. You are supposed to be able to see the warp threads as much as you see the weft threads. You cannot because I beat this pattern way too hard. I was in the groove of beating and when I changed patterns, I forgot to just let it go. This has been such a great learning experience!! I have quite a few other patterns to try out before I go back to the shop where I took a lesson and my teacher can show me how to get this off of the loom and then rewarp for a new project. Weaving is so much fun and once you get into the rhythm it's very hard to stop!

Did you see??

this beautiful shawl pattern from knitty?? Isn't it exquisite?? I love the way it looks. Not only that, but the way it is knit looks very interesting - a NEW to me technique!!! I have way too many things on the go right now, but I will keep it on the top of my to do list. We were away last week in Hawaii - we had such a wonderful and relaxing time. The kids did really well on the plane and the trip could not have gone better. Lots of beach time and hiking. It was too sad to come home to a regular schedule once again!! Above is my Easter Sampler after Part 6. I finished Part 7 on our trip and am now most of the way done with part 8. I just don't have any updated pictures yet.

Parts 1-6

I did manage to finish part 6 of the Romantique Sampler and get the photo to the designer before we left. Thanks so much for the encouragement Hakucho!!!

A close up just because I think it is so pretty!
Parts 1-6

Waves of Love Dishcloth from the Monthly Discloth Group.

I love this color and the design on this cloth.

I am now behind by two dishcloths!! I told myself I would make them all this year (I have not been able to do that in the past) - I better get cracking!!

Romantique Sampler progress and Kid's sewing

These two sections of the Romantique Sampler seem to be taking me FOREVER to stitch. I know it's just me - the pattern is lovely - I am enjoying stitching - but I just stitch so slowly!!

Section 5 complete. Section 6 on it's way. This picture is from a few days ago and I am now at the half way mark. I need to finish this by the 10th. I think it is possible :o)

9 year old finished her little bear and is so happy with it.

I surprised her by stitching up the larger bear and giving it to her when the smaller one was done. She was thrilled!!

TUSAL & 2011 KALendar mystery shawl

This is my TUSAL for April 1st. The larger bits are from the fish I am knitting. All the other threads are from various cross stitch projects.

It's kind of cool to drop the ends of my threads in and watch the beautiful color changes! I finished clue 3 of the 2011 KALendar mystery shawl. I am really liking this knit and also knitting from a chart once again. I had forgotten how fun it is to see your stitches take shape like this.

We had the option to add beads or nupps. I chose to do both. I was having an awful time with the nupps. I found a way that worked for me where on the row that I had to knit all those little stitches together, I used a size US0 needle - that worked, but was really slow. Then on ravelry, one of the other knitters knitting this shawl posted a link to a youtube video for the Easy Peasy Nupp! This method worked wonders for me and is how I finished up the nupps without going stark raving mad.

It is now big enough to move it to circular needles which is what I did and I have actually been working on clue 4 so am a little farther than this picture shows. It's so nice to be knitting something a little challenging and to be learning something new in my knitting!!

Easter Sampler Parts 4 & 5

This little sampler is working up so fast and easy and it is so cute. Each section is a delight to stitch. I can't wait until Saturday to get the next part...

Above is part 4 - aren't those butterflies adorable!

Part 5 is the vine and the flower in the lower left. So very springlike - like the weather we are having now. Parts 1 through 5. Each time I put this down, I just can't wait for the next pattern.

Now....I seem to be struggling with the Romantique Sampler. So very much stitching. It's very lovely and I am glad to be a part of that SAL, but I fear that I will not be able to keep up. I am only about one fifth of the way through pattern 6 and I need to be done by next Friday. Wish me luck!

Weaving!!

Finally I am weaving!!! There is a story about this. About a month ago I bought this loom for a great price $250 (at least I thought it was a great deal). Anyway, I brought it home and since I didn't know anything about looms or weaving, I thought it was great. I went about finding someone to show me how to warp it and how to weave. There are a couple of places near me that do this sort of thing, but both those places could not accommodate my schedule. Not that I am so very busy, but I do have a Kinder who gets out of school at 11:45 on most days. I searched around and found a dealer of this particular loom in Berkeley (about an hour away). She would give me private lessons on my loom on the one day that I have some extra time, and she was very reasonably priced. We started talking about my loom and I discovered that there were many pieces missing. It was actually inoperable the way I got it. I was so BUMMED - I couldn't believe that the woman who had sold it to me would do that. She seemed so nice and told me everything was there. I called her and for a week or so kept stalling about where the pieces were and now does not call me. Anyway, there is a VERY GOOD ending to this story. I have a very handy husband who took a look at the loom and proceeded to make the missing pieces. Can you believe that!!
Firstly, it needed bottom heddle bars - those were made. Then we needed warp sticks - approx. 20 of them - those were made. Then I needed tie sticks and lease sticks - those were made. With all the "important" pieces made, I trecked up to Berkeley for my first lesson on how to dress the loom and warp the loom.

It took 5 hours to get the loom in shape and get the warp threads on the warp beam. We had to retie the whole loom. The ties on the beams were completely wrong and the cords for the levers and upper heddle bar were so old they were breaking. We replaced all this, but it was not easy. Since the old cording that was used was much thinnner than the newer, stronger cording it was extremely difficult to get it through the little holes in the top of the levers. Some drilling had to happen. And it was done!! I didn't have time to stay and learn how to finish warping and then to learn how to weave so I made an appointment and went home.

My homework from the first lesson was to thread all the yarn through the heddles in a specific order and then thread them through the reed. I eagerly did all that and went yesterday for my second lesson. WOW!! Most of the prep work was done so finishing up the warp went pretty easily and then I - GOT - TO - WEAVE!! How exciting!!

I am weaving a sampler so that I can get a good feel for weaving and for some different patterns and textures. I am a bit farther than this picture shows and am loving every bit of it!!

Hula Hoop Weaving

I still subscribe to Family Fun Magazine. They have great craft, game, recipe ideas and I still just love to look through a good magazine. We got our March issue and in it was an article on weaving with a Hula Hoop. Oldest daughter had been looking at the magazine while having a snack one day and decided that she just HAD to try it out.
She cut up all her (and some of her siblings) old soccer uniforms and started weaving. Our hula hoop is much smaller than the one called for, but it worked like charm!

Here is the first one completed!

And now she can't stop - she has used up the uniforms and is now cutting up shirts and sweaters that her siblings have grown out of and no one else wants. She is talking about somehow attaching them all and making a small rug for her room!! How great is that! A regular chip off the old block.

This is a close up of one of the little woven circles. This is made of soccer and basketball uniforms. I must say I think this is pretty neat.