More Embroidery

 Salt & Pepper Buddies! I made this as a "thank you" for a friend of mine:

We were invited to a summer wedding, so I wanted to make a more detailed towel that I could still finish within a week.

During this project, I discovered that I REALLY like using variegated embroidery floss. It made the project deadline easier since it was so interesting, and I like how it worked on the flowers.

Finally, this towel was for a small housewarming gift. I'm really happy with how classy the red turned out with the monogram.

Projects Lately...

I found some ribbon on clearance (WAY on clearance), so I thought it would be fun to try and make some hair bows for my little girl.  It was fun!  A quick project is really nice sometimes. So, now I've bought actual clips, hot glue sticks, and a few more yards of ribbon.  After I look up how to make more bows online, I'll be making more!

 

 

After spinning a load of llama roving during the last year, I made this purse for a friend of mine who loves llamas.  It was the first time I sewed in a zipper, which was scary, but it turned out great!  I also put it a lining and was happy with the overall results...

 

This is sort of a side note, but for a long time, I've really wanted to prepare lobsters - starting with live ones!  It was a LOT of fun with some of our best friends. Here are the poor lobsters we proceeded to eat - yum!

 

In memory of the lobsters, I put a tribute on top of the apple pie I made for dessert.

 

 

I'm working on some crocheted cowls right now and hope to share a pattern or two soon.  Think - one skein...chunky yarn...big hook...fast project for Christmas gifts!

Pattern Coming Soon!

I have made my first knit pattern ever and I'll be posting it soon! It's a pair of simple fingerless mitts that I'm calling...

"Early Morning Mitts" 

 



Yarn: Cascade Paints 100% Peruvian
Wool in "Grape."

I've been up during the wee hours lately with my new little boy, so I've had a lot of little moments here and there to get this accomplished. Before I post the pattern, I'm going to knit another pair and tweak things a little.

Keep your eyes peeled!

P.S.  I'd just like to say I'm really excited for Christmas cookies this year!

Spinning Again

A great gal in our local knitting group had a Wizard of Oz party.  We watched the movie, knit, spin, and ate some yummy themed treats (yellow brick road cheese and crackers, ruby-red-slipper-thread licorice, green punch, I'm Melting!-in-your-mouth brownies...).

I hadn't spun in almost a year - yikes - so I ordered a custom colorway from Wren in the Ivy (link here). It's modeled after the Emerald City, and I love it!

Wren in the Ivy
Custom Colorway - The Emerald City

Now I just have to try my hand at plying...

Until then, here's my work so far.  The colors are even more rich than the photos show...

TRUFFLE COWL

This is a nice project to show off chunky handspun yarn. The weight of this yarn is sometimes quite variegated. It lends itself to natural, artsy feel in this project, though, so I’m really happy with how it turned out.

Truffle Cowl (Handspun)
By Erica Knudson

Truffle Cowl
By Erica Knudson

The example in the photos was made with bulky yarn (handspun, variegated in weight) and a size N crochet hook.

Chain 127.

1. Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each st across – 126 Starting ch of row counts as 1 st.

Join this row and each row with a sl st at the top of the chain across.

2. Ch 3, skip 1 st, hdc in next st. (Ch 1, skip 1 st, hdc in next) throughout row, join – 63

3. Ch 2, hdc in next and throughout row (including ch sts), join – 126

4. Repeat row 2 – 63

5. through 9. Repeat row 3 – 126
If you'd like your cowl even wider, you can continue repeating row 3 until the desired width is achieved.

10. Fasten off. Weave in ends.


Key:
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet
st = stitch
sl st = slip stitch

**Please don’t sell this pattern.

"Truffle" Handspun Yarn

"Truffle" Handspun Icelandic Wool Yarn
Erica Knudson

My Man purchased a lot of Icelandic wool from an organic farm and suprised me with it for my birthday. The brown and white colors are the natural colors of this bulky handspun yarn, made by me (and I'm really proud of it).

GWENDOLYN

Gwendolyn Yarn
Erica Knudson

Well, here is my first complete ball of hand spun yarn.  It's variegated in weight and it should be perfect for some artsy crochet project.

This brilliant, naturally white wool came from a cute little sheep named Gwendolyn.

A BETTER PHOTO

First Handspun Yarn
Erica Knudson

Here is my very first ball of handspun yarn.

A NEW SPIN ON THINGS

First Handspun Yarn
By Erica Knudson

Here is a quick shot of my first handspun yarn! Thanks so much to my friend Cathy for lending me her wheel, wool, and words of encouragement.


If I can somehow just get my hands, feet and eyes moving in different directions and get the yarn on the bobbin, I should be all set!