Knitting Projects from the Past

Part of the reason for this blog is to document stuff I've made over the years, and my sister too.  (One of these days we'll get her stuff on here!)

I made this pig sweater a looooong time ago.  A friend in Boston, Sara, fell in love with it.  The only problem was that she had three boys.  Well, she and Joe ended up having a 4th baby, a girl.  I was so excited to give this to her - mostly because she finally got "her girl".

Here's a close-up of "this little piggy's" cute porky face.

This pattern came from MinnowKnits, Too.  I think I was making it for the baby girl who we thought we were going to adopt in Boston.  When that didn't work out, I think I gave it to the Makechnies (more Boston friends) who were expecting their 3rd or 4th girl.

This is one of my all-time favorite little girl sweaters designed by my favorite knitwear designer, Debbie Bliss.  I've made this sweater four or five times.  The pattern is found in her book titled Classic Knits for Kids.  This particular sweater went to Ann, the friend who also got custom-made bolero sweaters from me.  I think we've already established that she loves the color red.

Debbie Bliss also designs amazingly intricate toy patterns.  This is actually one of the simpler patterns found in Toy Knits.  Until today, I had totally forgotten that I wanted to use this for a custom Christmas card.  Maybe next year - only 362 more days 'til Christmas!

This was another option for the Christmas card.  Hubby and I had a bare bear photo shoot that day, whenever that day was long ago.

I can't even count how many times I've made this Christmas stocking pattern with different embellishments or color patterns.  This one was for our niece, Sophie, who lives in Switzerland.  Her sister Sarah has one that is similar.  Poor Alexandra, the youngest in the family, doesn't have one yet.  It's not likely that she'll get one anytime soon because of my hand issues - which I'll post about some other day.

This is the "boy" stocking design that went to Nick and Noah in Switzerland.  Somewhere I have pictures of their parents' stockings, that weren't so elaborate.  For all the other in-laws who never got stockings like these - I learned that it's best to NOT start a tradition like this!  It's too hard to keep it up.  Just ask poor Alexandra!

Hubby and I took a gazillion close-ups of the snowman on the stocking, thinking that it would also make a cool and unique Christmas card.  Don't be surprised if this comes in the mail next December.  Actually, you should be really surprised because I think the last time that I sent out Christmas cards was in the last millennium!

Leaves and a Star

I'm obsessed with the color green.  I want everything in my house to be green - the walls, the art, the furniture, the dishes, the linens, my clothes, etc.  My husband laughs at me because of my obsession with rusty metal, especially rusty GREEN metal.  Anyway, I got excited when Evelyn requested a quilt block with lots of green and leaves and stuff.  I've been wanting to try these paper-pieced leaves so it was the perfect excuse.

For December Pat requested some sort of yellow or gold star.  I used a pattern similar to this except the square in the middle is a nine patch.

Extreme Knitting

Hey knitters, you HAVE to watch these!  I want to know how they funded these extreme projects.

The giganto blanket

One thousand strands of yarn

Knitting with two backhoes

A Custom Clif Crate

Our dad likes to build stuff.  While I was in Houston, he was building a crate to send some stuff to my brother - stuff that he's had forever and has lugged across the country multiple times.  Our folks' move from Oregon to Ohio took four Penske truck trips that, of course, dad insisted on driving himself over a period of a few months.  But, I digress.  Anyway, here's how to build a custom crate.

Make sure you have your favorite tool nearby - a roofing square.

Start cutting 2x4s.  Remember to always measure twice and cut once.

Get some screws from...the Costco candy isle?  Dad had to sacrifice and eat a whole lot of candy to collect enough containers to hold his vast collection of fasteners.  I bet that random blue lid up there is going to drive him crazy.

Ignore your cardiologist's orders to "take it easy" before your upcoming heart surgery.

Finish the base of the crate.

Start loading the crate with really big heavy things - with the help of your tiny wife who's your same age.  Then make sure to anchor things down so they don't slide around during the trip.

Finish loading the two-sided crate, just as you visualized it before you ever began the project.  (This is why I'm good at Tetris.)

Dress up and play army man one last time before you send off your old army gear.

Call a strapping young guy with a forklift and a big truck to load and haul away the crate for you.  There you have it folks, nine easy steps to making a Custom Clif Crate.