It's an eye ball

D is the daughter of GOAM (who has REALLY been wonderful to help me on a project that grew to ginormous proportions). I have never met a girl who loves balls as much as this one does. She saw M's Mr. Handster and wanted one for her own. I showed her my big box 'o cotton yarn and told her I'd make one for her in any color she chose. As you can see, she chose the baby rainbow colorway.I made the mistake of showing her the head before I started on the arms and legs. She wanted no part of adding them to her ball. I am really touched by how much she loves it.

GOAM instantly dubbed it the eye ball. :)

I'm happy with how quickly it knitted up. I'm currently toying with the idea of writing a bunny pattern. I'm just thinking through how I'd like it to look.

I watch too many movies

I saw this on Tasha's blog and had to play along:

"It’s been alleged that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, figure out whether you’ve got a life or not, and post it."

Bleh. I counted 161 and it could be more if you count that I saw a lot of the originals, too.

(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) AnchorMan
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
(X) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X)13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
(X) Robots
(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(X) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
(X) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(X) Joe Dirt
(X ) King Kong
(X) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(X) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(X) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
(X)The Ring
( )The Ring 2
( )Surviving Christmas
(X) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
(X) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(X) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
(X) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
(X) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number SlevIn
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
(X) Ocean’s Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
(X) Lone Star
(X) Bedazzled (I’ve seen both versions)
(X) Predator I
( ) Predator II
(X) The Fog (Does the original count?)
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
(X) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(X) Christine
(X) E.T
( ) Children of the Corn
(X) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That
(X) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
(X) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
(X) Big Trouble in Little China
(X)The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday (Both versions)
(X) Reign of Fire
(X) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(X) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
(X) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
(X) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
(X) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(X ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
(X) Kung Fu Hustle
(X) Shaolin Soccer
(X) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(X ) Shaun Of the Dead
(X) Willard (both versions)
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X) Hulk
(X) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
(X) Orgazmo
(X) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(X) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(X) the Hills Have Eyes (again, does the original count?)
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
(X) Re-Animator
(X) Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(X) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
(X) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix: Reloaded
(X) The Matrix: Revolutions
(X) Animatrix
(X) Evil Dead
(X) Evil Dead 2
(X) Team America: World Police
(X) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

Robots in the round & another Mr. Handster

I've been on a real kick making Jess Hutch's robots. I made one without taking a picture. But the other two are proof in concepts - i.e., you *can* knit her robots in the round. These two guys are headed to a pair of twin boy babies.

These were knitted in Sugar n Cream cotton. I love knitting them in cotton because they're nigh invulnerable and easy for new parents to throw them in the washer/dryer.

One problem with knitting them in the round is you have to start at the top of the head and, therefore, can't attach the antenna on the inside seam. Here's how mine turned out:
But the real problem occurs when I'm doing intarsia in the round. I still haven't found a clean way to wrap and turn the work without it looking wonky. My next attempt I'll knit them with an extra stitch cast on on both sides and mattress stitch the border. I think that's going to be the cleanest way to do it.Here's a Jess Hutch Spherey. My daughter dubbed it Mr. Handster when she was younger and the name stuck. When we got Mel our dog, he ended up chewing up Mr. Handster. This is his replacement with a different color scheme ala' M's choices.

I wanted to fix the smile, but M loves it just the way it is.

Snaggle Tooth

M has lost her first tooth at age 5. I couldn't help but feel a little sad to see her tooth fall out. The nights I spent trying to calm her when she was initially teething. . . We worked so hard on keeping her comfortable. I know it's a good thing, but I can't believe I have snaggle tooth!

Yarn

My neighbor raises satin angora rabbits and spins her own yarn. Her stuff is just beautiful and she's now venturing out on her own.

I have my eyes on the Blue Saphires!

Free Pattern - Nearly Gloves II

I fell in love with the Ziti yarn from Artfibers when I went to San Francisco. It reminds me of a sparkly mosaic. The photo doesn't do it justice! Here's a photo of the front and back of the gloves.The good folks of Artfibers sent me to Marnie Maclean's website for her Nearly Gloves. I wanted something a little more ornate and based this on the cables and eyelets dishcloth I did a while back.


Materials:

Ziti yarn (1 ball) Artfibers
Size 13 needles
Cable needle (I actually used a ball point pen)


Special Stitches:

yo - yarn over
skp - slip a stitch, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch.
k2tog - knit two stitches together
C4F - slip two stitches onto cable needle and move the needle forward. Knit the next two stitches. Next knit the two stitches located on cable needle.
pm = place marker
CO - Cast on
BO - Bind off



If you have any questions, www.knittinghelp.com is a great resource.


Left Glove:


CO 25 stitches.


Row 1: (k2, p2) six times, k1
Row 2: p1, (k2, p2) six times.
Row 3: (k2, p2) six times, k1
Row 4: p1, (k2, p2) six times.
Row 5: (k2, p2) three times, k2tog, yo, p2, k4, p2, k2tog, yo, k1
Row 6: p3, k2, p4, (k2, p2) four times
Row 7: (k2, p2) three times, yo, skp, p2, C4F, p2, yo, skp, k1
Row 8: p3, k2, p4, (k2, p2) four times (repeats row 6 for each even row)
Row 9: (k2, p2) three times, k2tog, yo, p2, k4, p2, k2tog, yo, k1
Row 10: p3, k2, p4, (k2, p2) four times
Row 11: (k2, p2) three times, yo, skp, p2, k4, p2, yo, skp, k1
Row 12: p3, k2, p4, (k2, p2) four times

Repeat rows 5 through 12 three more times (for a total of 4 cables).

Picot bind off:
CO2, BO4 till the last stitch. Weave in ends.

Finishing: sew the top inch together. Weave in threaded yarn to allow for thumb (about 1 3/4 inch) and sew remaining edges together.

Right Glove:

CO 25 stitches.

Row 1: (k2, p2) six times, k1
Row 2: p1, (k2, p2) six times.
Row 3: (k2, p2) six times, k1
Row 4: p1, (k2, p2) six times
Row 5: k1, k2tog, yo, p2, k4, p2, k2tog, yo, k1, (p2, k2) 2 times, p2, k1
Row 6: p1, (k2, p2) 3 times, p1, k2, p4, k2, p3
Row 7: k1, yo, skp, p2, C4F, p2, yo, skp, k1, (p2, k2) 2 times, p2, k1
Row 8: p1, (k2, p2) 3 times, p1, k2, p4, k2, p3
Row 9: k1, k2tog, yo, p2, k4, p2, k2tog, yo, k1, (p2, k2) 2 times, p2, k1
Row 10: p1, (k2, p2) 3 times, p1, k2, p4, k2, p3
Row 11: k1, yo, skp, p2, k4, p2, yo, skp, k1, (p2, k2) 2 times, p2, k1
Row 12: p1, (k2, p2) 3 times, p1, k2, p4, k2, p3

Repeat rows 5 through 12 three more times (for a total of 4 cables).

Picot bind off:
CO2, BO4 till the last stitch. Weave in ends.

Finishing: sew the top inch together. Weave in threaded yarn to allow for thumb (about 1 3/4 inch) and sew remaining edges together.

If you make these, all I ask is that you send me a link to a photo!

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Good and Bad

Well, I've had good times and bad lately. First the bad: I hit my neighbors tree with my husband's car with everyone in it. I made over $4,000 in damages to the car. Thank goodness for insurance and seat belts.

Another bad is that I killed my phone when I was in San Francisco (see good below). I was touching sea creatures at the Aquarium of the Bay and it slipped out of my purse into the water.

The final bad is that my windows in MY car aren't working - the good is that I have 2500 miles left on my warranty so I hope it can be fixed.

Next the good: we went to San Francisco for a week. Highlight of the trip for me was a jaunt to Artfibers and Noe Knits. If you ever find yourself in SF, you need to ditch the hubby (or non-knitters) and plan on spending lots of time in Artfibers. They have samples of everything and encourage you to sit and knit them. All the people who stopped in had the same problem I did: husbands. I could have easily spent the whole day there. As it stood, I bought some Ming, Kyoto, Ziti, and Oodles. I knitted some Nearly Gloves in the Ziti - I really like them and will have to post my version of them in a later post. I love all the yarn I got from

I then ditched J & M on Monday night and went over to Noe Knits. The shop keeper is fabulous and they were very welcoming. I then went to Bliss Bar for the Chicks with Sticks meet up. What fun that was! I fell in love with a Peter Rabbit. I'll have to knit one up.

Seven days in San Francisco is too much. M & I did so much. I am totally exhausted and am very happy to be home. I'll blog about what we did in a later post.