I love the baby booties!  I have some Cascade Indulgence that might work well for those...

I've had this book for so long and I've finally started a project from it, the Chevron Scarf with some sock yarn I dyed.

I had almost given up on finding a easy and inexpensive way to dye yarn after I had a unsuccessful try at kool-aid dyeing using the microwave.  After seeing the vibrant colors that Easter egg dyes produced on eggs, I was hoping the same thing would happen on yarn... well... let me know, how'd I do?

On the left is KnitPicks Bare superwash sock yarn, the right is Cascade 220


I decided to try a stovetop method to set the yarn, and it worked so much better and I found it easier than the microwave.  I put together a step-by-step tutorial on my blog if you're interested in seeing the process and trying it out yourself!

http://kathrynivy.com/patterns/extras/dyeing-yarn/

Below are more pictures of sock yarn, I am so excited to be able to have handpainted sock yarn for a fraction of the price of others I've seen.  I've stocked up on super cheap Easter dye kits now that the holiday has passed and I can't wait to do more!
There are lots more pictures there, and on my Flickr site if you're interested!

[Pattern:]

Aren't these the cutest things you've ever seen?




Pattern: Backyard Critters—Fox, Skunk, Raccoon. Owl
Pattern Source: http://craftyalien.etsy.com Patterns from CraftyAlien, one animal from each version of her Backyard Critters line.

I made these little critters to give to my daughter on Easter, and she adores them.  I love how these guys turned out, this pattern is well written and designed, and the finished toys are to die for!  I made a few modifcations, but nothing major.  The hardest part was trying to get the faces to look as cute as the originals

What do you think? Don't they make you just go "AWWWWWWWW...!"

Yarn info and a couple more pictures are on my blog and flickr site!

I am taking today so enjoy my lovely yarn!  Some of it is so pretty, and I would have never gotten a chance to buy it before.  Here are my faves:

Noro Iro for the Lady Detective Hat from Knit 2 Together, Meunch Touch Me for the Vintage Velvet scarf from Scarf Style,and Lorna's Laces Bullfrogs and Butterflies for a My-So-Called-Scarf!

What projects did you guys buy yarn for?

P.S.--At the moment I'm trying to refrain from buying Cascade 220 Superwash from Webs... I love that yarn and it's so hard to find on sale!

I also have had a naked babe hanging around for the last month.  I kinda lost the will to make her some clothes after my husband said she looked like Kathy Griffin, and my 1.5 year old took one look at her and threw her to the side...

Here she is lying forlorn on the ground...


Her maryjanes are knit right onto her legs, since I knew that I would never be able to keep shoes on her feet, unless she spent all her time sitting on the shelf.  Hopefully though my daughter will take to her eventually.

I was looking through the new July issue of Glamour magazine and came across a little section with reader quotes entitled, "The bad habit I won't quit" (p. 107)

From one Chicago woman:


Implying that knitting is worse than chewing on the insides of her cheeks... ewww.  I'm sure she was trying to be funny but still...

Here's my new blue hedgie!  He is going to be sent off to my sister since she thought he was cute  This shows you a little more of how round he realy is supposed to be.  This time I didn't run out of yarn, and I used a more appropriate yarn for his back (Lion Brand Fun fur).  I think it worked a lot better than the Disco, since that kinda afro'd up and tangled on itself...

Ok, so I have never liked "fun fur" but right now I have the urge to go out and buy some in every color of the rainbow...

Only because I just finished this sweet little guy from Fiber Trends pattern 228x.   It arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon, and I just finished him moments ago!  I used some Patons Classic Merino wool, (in natural mix and chestnut) and the ball of Bernat DISCO that I got free from that free offer way back when (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=50284.0)...



Here he is basking in the sun, he kind of looks like he's smiling from the lighting out there, but the only facial embellishments were the safety eyes and his nose, which is needle felted on.  He is about the size of a soccer ball, so he's quite large and round!

The pattern is SO AWESOME.  All of his shaping is done by short rows, which I had never done before this pattern, and now I am an expert!  It was quite easy.  There's not a single purl stitch in the whole pattern, and there is only a few inches of seaming.  

The only bits of advice I have when you start the pattern, is to have the reccommended yardage that the pattern calls for, I ran out of Disco about 2/3 down his back, so he has a plain chestnut colored bootie  Also, there is counting involved (esp. with the back part) so it is very hard to do when someone is trying to talk to you...

I fulled him by hand, and I probably could have done it a bit more, but he holds his shape quite nicely so far.  I've already got the front done for another one, but I have to go out and buy me some novelty yarn before I can finish him up... I never thought I'd be saying that!

Has anyone else made this pattern?  I would love to see other hedgehogs!

Also, anyone have any suggestions for other animals I could adapt this guy into?  It's just so fun and cute I want to knit this over and over!

Oh, here's what he looked like right after fulling, he is being blocked by plastic bags:


Here's a link to the Fibertrends website: http://fibertrends.com/ and I bought my pattern at Webs www.yarn.com

This pattern is from the same pattern (from a Japanese craft book) as the cute little chihuahuas in this post: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=72708.0;topicseen  (Not done by me, but SUPER CUTE)

While those are only a few inches high, I adjusted the pattern so this chihuahua is more life-sized.





He got some chihuahua training from my chubby Rufus before being sent to my swap partner.  Oh, and it was supposed to look like her puppy, Bullet, who you can see here: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/hertrigger/DSCN2119.jpg

I made this guy for the Secret Friend of Craftster swap.  He was hard to send off because I really liked how he turned out!

Here he is soaking up the sun before he left Las Vegas  

I know a lot of people didn't like this top from the Knitty Spring Surprises, but I thought it was really cute when I first saw it, even though I knew I would have to change it a bit.

I changed the straps to be a cross-back that snapped, rather than the I-cord ties, just to make it a bit safer.  I knitted it in the round, and forgot to adjust the pattern to take out the seam allowance stitches (oops!).  I also did a picot bind off, because I wanted to try something new, and I think it is cute!



I knitted it in the 24 month size, my daughter is 17 months so it is big on her, I added some elastic to the back to gather it up a bit, she will be able to wear this for quite some time, maybe even next summer as well, since the straps can be adjustable.