Category Archives: Handmade presents

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In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

And then I made this…

It’s a birthday present for a friend. And I think it’s awesome. These are four Green Lantern superheroes. It’s very 8-bit in the best possible way.

I bought the pattern from Wee Little Stitches, who make all kinds of amazing geeky designs. Check it out.

The only change I made was to put seed beads on the for the rings instead of French knots with thread. I really like the effect; I’m glad I made the change.

I have been very busy creating all kinds of things to share with you! I hope to finish them and get them posted soon.

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Starting a New Quilt!

I decided to make a baby quilt for a little boy who is due to join us in a few weeks. I was dreading picking from the crappy “boy” fabric options, but then I found these!

Look at these amazing fabrics! Aren’t they super cute?

This polka-dot fabric is going to be on the front, and the camo fabric will be the back.

I can’t wait to start cutting. I hope to get this quilt done super-fast. Wish me luck!

I hope everyone is enjoying a creative and inspiring weekend!

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One Fish, Two Fish

It’s exactly what you’re thinking.

I started knitting these fish last week, and suddenly, all I could think about was Dr. Seuss. So I had to make that happen. As they allegedly say in Minnesota, “Oh, fer cute!“

And here are a pair representing the Green Bay Packers.

And more obscurely, the Colfax (Wisconsin) Vikings.

These are too much fun! I had all of the supplies on hand, so that makes them even cooler.

Anyway, this set of fish isn’t for me. I am going to pass them along to a sweet 2-year old little girl who loves “shish”. They are theoretically a good way to learn colors. Plus they are awesome, so there you go.

What are you all making? I am knitting like crazy and I love it!

 

 

 

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Funny Bunny Is Funny

I’ve been noticing a trend lately of bloggers being completely honest about some aspect in their lives, as a way to show how everything isn’t perfect online. “Keeping it real“, if you will.

Here’s my confession for the day: sometimes I make things that I think look bad.

Exhibit A: Funny Bunny

This is one mangled softie. You can’t really tell in the picture, but her legs are all wonky. All four are the same size, which makes the bottom ones seem out of proportion.  They aren’t really in the same plane either; it looks like she’s constantly doing some weird yoga move. Also, her “face” isn’t centered on her head.

Same thing with her ears.

But you know what? She was made with a whole lot of love.

So I’m going to send her to my niece anyway for Easter, and I hope that someday she can see appreciate the intention behind this accidentally-creepy rabbit.

Funny Bunny reminds me of a quotation from Ira Glass on NPR about ambition, intention, and skill:

“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work … It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions … It’s gonna take a while … You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Back to Funny Bunny: she comes bearing chocolate, so I hope that helps.

Have you ever made something that didn’t come out the way you planned? What did you do with it? Did you try to improve it by adding chocolate??

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Show & Tell 10/21/2011

Whew! What a week. I can’t believe that October is 2/3 of the way over. Where did it go??

I am getting my Christmas presents started; I feel like I’m pulled together. :) I sewed this sweet little gem for my niece from this apron pattern. It came together quickly. I think it took me less than an hour from start to finish. And look – it’s reversible!

I wanted the colors to be child-like without being too girly princess sparkle magic. These fabrics definitely fit the bill!

This pattern is so clever; instead of sewing on straps, you make a casing under each armpit. Then you string the tie through both casings. It makes the apron adjustable as the child grows. Brilliant, right?

I love the way this turned out, and I can’t wait to finish up some more presents!

What have you all been doing this week? Did you make anything amazing?!?

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Show & Tell 9/9/2011

I am excited to share this hat with you! It is so luxe. I wish you could feel it.

Let me start at the beginning.

I have a friend who is doing an incredible favor for me, so I wanted to make her a little something to show my gratitude. I found this hat pattern and thought it would be the perfect present. After a trip to the yarn store, I came home with this gorgeous chunky alpaca yarn.

It’s Alpaca. It’s chunky. It’s white. So pretty much, it’s perfect.

It took me about a day to actually knit this hat.

And then a few more weeks to buy the buttons, and then a bit more time to actually sew them on. But I persevered! The final product was completely worth it.

The drape is just wonderful. Most of the ladies at my knitting group are planning on making this too. It would be a great present, you know, for any major holidays that might be coming up.

Have you been busy creating anything lovely lately? Please share!

P.S. Inspired by this article and in honor of 9/11, I plan on knitting some preemie hats on Sunday. Please join me! I will blog about it on Monday, and you all can add your comments and links to the conversation. See you then.

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Big News!

If you notice in the right-hand column of my blog, I have included a new widget. It links to my new Etsy store!! ————>

I am thrilled to finally open my shop. I have been working on it for… entirely too long. I have more things to list, but this is what I have accomplished so far.

I am going to try to list a new item or so every day until everything is up (so I don’t get burned out!). Check back often for updates and new products. I have some baby hats up now and plan to list a few more. I also have some scarves ready to be photographed and listed.

Here’s the link in case you need it: accomplishedknits.etsy.com

Click the link and check out my merchandise!

Do you have some big news you want to share today? Or just want to say hi? Leave a comment!

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Show & Tell 8/19/2011

I can’t believe it’s Friday already! The summer weeks just fly by.

This week’s Show & Tell is a different because the project isn’t finished yet. But its progress is lovely.

This is my latest batch of vanilla extract. I found the recipe here. The brown things are vanilla bean pods. This picture lacks a sense of scale; that’s four cups of vodka in that jar with twelve beans. Which is a lot of vanilla extract.

I am planning to use this jar of extract as presents for the winter holidays. I know quite a few bakers, and I think they might appreciate some homemade vanilla extract for baking. I could get eight 4-oz jars out of this batch.

According to the recipe, you could use the vanilla after a certain amount of steeping and leave the beans in to continue infusing. When the level of extract gets to about 20%, you just add more vodka. Pretty awesome, huh? You can even keep using the same beans. Has anyone ever tried that?

This batch has only been steeping for a couple of days, which is why it looks so yellow. I am going to wait at least eight weeks before use; I shake the jar every day to distribute the vanilla.

Next up: buying amber-colored 4-oz bottles.

That’s what I have been up to this week. What about you? What have you been creating?

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Show & Tell 7/15/2011

Oh, this sweater. A sweet little sweater for a little baby boy who is going to join the world in August. This little sweater is made from cotton yarn, and it was a cinch to knit.

However, this ended up being one of the most frustrating things I have ever made. Why? Seams. So many seams!!

Let’s just say that I am happy to be done with this project. In the future, I will be using this pattern and this pattern for baby gifts. Also I want to take a stab at this one. But I think this boatneck pattern is going adios.

 P.S. I have started knitting presents for the winter! I should have one or more of them ready for Show & Tell next week. MAKE ALL THE THINGS!!

Please please please tell me what you have been creating lately. Leave a link in the comments! Also: Have a great weekend.

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Handmade holiday presents – the Gents

Guys are in some ways much harder and in other ways much easier to knit for. I feel like guys appreciate a functional item and worry less about how “cool” it is. I suppose that depends on the age of the male. But we know from history - when has a broad generalization ever been wrong?

Enough silliness and more knitting!

I am not going to divide the knitting patterns for gents into age group, because all of these can be fairly well adapted to most tastes, regardless of age. So without further ado:

Striped hat: I had this on the ladies’ list too but for different reasons. I think that the original pattern (a copy of a hat worn by Bella in the Twilight movies) is great for young ladies who may be Twilight fans. But you can switch up the colors and voila – it’s a great hat for a sports-crazed male. Easy peasy, and no one will be the wiser.

Seaman’s Cap: I love the simplicity of this one. Perfect for a guy who spends some time outside in the winter and just wants to keep his noggin warm. I have one recipient in mind for it now, but it might pop up again. It seems like a great basic pattern.

3AM Blue Cable Hat: This hat is a little fancier for the man who wants a little somethin’ extra. I have knit a handful of these, and they are finished quickly. Also the pattern can be adjusted to fit whatever size head. I have used it for big-headed men with great success.

Irish Hiking Scarf: I just love this pattern. I made this for my father-in-law last year, and he loves it. He would wear it when he shoveled snow. I have knit a handful of these too for men and women, and they are always a big hit.

Dashing fingerless gloves: I haven’t found the perfect recipient for these yet, but I still think they are awesome.

Do you have any good handknits for men? Please share. I love to hear new ideas.