Christmas UFOs

This year we are hosting my husband's office Christmas party in our home. I love to have parties. I love planning for them, decorating for them, cooking for them (although we are getting a caterer for this one), and everything to do with hosting parties. The only time I don't like it is when I'm busy, kind of like right now. Well, it really isn't as bad as all that, but I'm finishing up performances for INTO THE WOODS through Sunday, and then Monday I go right into rehearsals for another musical, URINETOWN. Also, I'm trying to organize my craft room and especially my stash before company comes over. No easy feat. I'm going to be reading all the e-mails I've seen go around lately on how to organize your stash. Finally, I'm desperately trying to finish the felted Poinsettia Wreath by Pick Up Sticks. There are basically seven flowers to the wreath, and each flower has four layers of petals. I'm almost halfway done with knitting the petals. I'm not even going to get into what it will take for felting and then assembling.


Scary, isn't it. Actually, when it is done I think it will be gorgeous. This is what I hope it will look like!

You can order this pattern from Pick Up Sticks at http://www.pickupsticksonline.com/products/flowers/pw.php.

Finally, here is Justin in his hat. I think he liked it. It is a Knitty.com pattern which can be found at http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/PATTtopi.html.


Okay, back to knitting poinsettias.

Hat Making Fool...

I have been a hat making fool! Literally. I've made so many hats that I've actually created my own pattern -- called the Easy Peasy Cap, versions 1 and 2. You will find those patterns over to the right. I'm still performing in INTO THE WOODS and these are the hats that the actors and stage crew have asked for. It is a great way to use up my stash yarn! After creating these hats and handing them out this evening, the rest of the cast basically came up and asked if I would make them a hat. As our show ends this Sunday, not likely. I did tell them that if they wanted a hat, I would be happy to make them one -- they just wouldn't get it until after Christmas!

Here are pictures of the cast in their hats, or some are of my daughter modeling the hat.





Finally, another one of my hats for Michael who is playing my son Jack in the show. He is soon going to be a new and first time uncle. As I adore Michael, I wanted to make sure that he would be the favorite uncle by making a matching cap for his nephew-to-be.


On the needles, or OTN (my daughters hate when I talk in knit), a Harry Potter scarf for another cast member which I don't think will be finished prior to Sunday's performance, a bunch of petals for a poinsetta wreath that I am going to felt, a pair of fetching fingerless gloves for my MIL for Christmas and a pair for my DH as well, a self-striping sock and too many charity projects to mention.

My First Movie Wins a Film Festival!!!

I know, I know. What does this have to do with knitting. But I had to share the fact that my first film won Best of Festival and the Audience Choice Award at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, and "Most Dramatic Film" at the What You See is What You Get Film Festival in San Francisco. I had a supporting role, but the film won based on our leads and the beautiful filming/editing. Anyway, you can see a trailer of the film here at www.theoathfilm.com

The film is going straight to DVD and will come out on December 5th, 2006. I don't know where the film will be available yet, but anyway, I just had to share my good news!

Alex's Freshman Sweater

Boy have I been busy this past week. I just opened a musical called INTO THE WOODS, and with late night rehearsals and then performances every evening and two matinees, blogging has been moved to the back burner. I actually have been working hard on a dishcloth with the Monthly Dishcloth KAL (photo to come later), another beret for another actress in my show (again, photo to come later), working on a cap for charity, a Harry Potter scarf, and trying to figure out an entrelac hat. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I did want to post a pic of the sweater I made for my daughter though. They wear uniforms at her school -- very strict dress code. However, the Freshman class was allowed to select a "class color" and was told they could wear a sweater/cardigan of that color on Fridays. They chose lavender, and this was in late August. There were no lavender sweaters/cardigans to be found in August, so darn it all, I had to knit one for her. I let her pick out the pattern, and lo and behold, she picked an old pattern of a sweater pattern from the 70's. In fact, my mother made me a sweater from the same pattern when I was in highschool. Anyway, as I have not done many sweaters, I was rather proud that it came out pretty cute (of course, I think anything on Alex is cute). More importantly, she went with me to pick out the buttons and she loves it. I think that she really likes that she did receive many compliments on it and she was proud that she could say that her mother made it for her. Even some of her teachers seemed to be impressed. I also made her a pair of fingerless gloves to match with the leftover yarn. Okay, I'm through with my bragging for the moment.

I thought you would like to see a quick cast shot from the show though, I'm the older woman on the left, playing Jack's Mother. What you can't see is that under that mop cap is a wig piece with enough ringlets to make Shirley Temple proud -- a fun and silly look for the second act!

OSU Dishcloth (Ohio State University)

Well, here is another attempt as my design for a dishcloth. Marge kindly asked me if I would give it a shot. I did try to knit up the OSU logo, but it was so busy that it was very difficult to read. When I get a chance, I think I will take what I created, though, it try it in intarsia. I bet that might come out nice. In the meantime, and until I get more time, I wanted to get this posted for any OSU fans out there. Maybe someday I'll even attempt a design of Brutus. In the meantime, the pattern is listed free over at the right.


A friend of mine also asked if I would knit a hat for her daughter. Of course, she knew exactly what she wanted. A design that I had not seen, so here is my creation of "Sarah's Bobble Hat". I know, Sarah is just so darn cute it is hard to look at the hat, but the pattern is listed at the right. Let me tell you too, that this is a very fast knit and is a great way to use up scrap yarn!

Lakiaya's Beret

Okay, here is another hat made for a cast member. Lakiaya, a sweet girl playing the part of Florinda asked for this Beret. Although it came out kind of big (she does have big hair though), I think it is still cute on her. I seem to be having the continued problem of my hats coming out too big. What, measure for gauge? It just seems like the patterns I have never call for the type of yarn that I have.
Here is another view and yes, she still looks cute in it. This was a really, super fast knit. It got to be a little boring after awhile, just because the decreasing part took forever! I think I would like to make one for me too. Oh, wait, another cast member has already asked for a hat like this. Oh well.

Texas Longhorns.....

This cloth is for all you Texas Longhorn fans out there. Actually, Diane asked me if I would consider designing a Texas Longhorn dishcloth -- so this is my shot at it. I thought it came out kind of cute, even though I'm really a Notre Dame fan.....

Anyway, you'll find a link for this pattern for free over to the right. Enjoy.