Valley Girl Swap

I got my package today!  My favorite Ravelry group Knit Knack had a swap! We picked a movie or TV show that we wanted our package to be themed about.  You can read about the Hedwig and the Angry Inch package I made for Amber here.  I chose the movie Valley Girl!

Georgia got me and did an awesome job with my theme!  She included two packages with movie quotes on them.  "Gag me with a spoon!" and "It's like sushi, ya know?"  Inside was a sewn spoon and a sushi toilet paper cozy!!  Hilarious!

She sent hot pink neon yarn and knit me a fabulous 80s inspired cowl.  Also she sent some jelly bracelets and a friendship bracelet.  So great!

Of course I had to put my hair in a side ponytail for the photo.

And a temporary tattoo!

She also sent some nail polish from Zoya!!  Midori and Kissy!  You all know how much I love my nail polish!  She included emery boards in a matchbook!  So cool!  I've never seen anything like that before.

Dark chocolate!

And she sent some things from her Dio de los Muertos shop!  A chicken toy for my kids.  My son Bailey is totally mesmerized by it.

And a Day of the Dead candle boat!  So cool!  I can't wait to try it out with the kids.  Click this link to see a video on how it works.

Thanks so much Georgia for everything!  I love it all!  Totally!  Like for sure!

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Swap

Once again, my favorite Ravelry group had a knitting swap.  This time, it was movie themed.  We all picked what movie we wanted our package to be created around.  I got Amber and she chose Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  What a great movie to pull inspiration from!

I knit her the Charlize shawl.  I've knit it before and it's a great pattern!  I saw at one point during the movie Hedwig wore a black shawl that was lacy.  Perfect!  The yarn I chose has actual silver spun into it.  The best part of this shawl?  When you lay it flat it looks like Hedwig's hair!

Name: Hedwig Hair
Pattern: Charlize by Vanessa Smith
Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk & Silver
Colorway: Black
Yards: 420
See more photos and notes on my Ravelry page.

Knit Knack's mascot is Helen, an owl.  I borrowed some felt from my friend Katie and made Amber a Hedwig Owl!

I also crocheted her a flower brooch with cassette tape.  So rock and roll!

I made her crazy glittery fingernail polish inspired by Hedwig's amazing make-up.

I dyed her yarn inspired by Hedwig's hair.

Lastly, I sent some candy.  If you've seen the movie then you know the significance of gummy bears, sugar daddy and German chocolate- with nuts!

Stay tuned to see what my buddy sent me!  My theme was the movie Valley Girl.  Can't wait!

Pick Your Own Swap

My favorite group on Ravelry, Knit Knack often holds knitting swaps or exchanges. Usually there's a theme and a designated dollar amount and you're given a partner. You knit and find goodies for them based on their preferences and within the theme.

The most recent swap I hosted called Pick Your Own Swap swap. This time, each person got to pick their own individual swap theme and not explain or define it in anyway. That way whoever was their partner had to interpret the theme however they wished.

The theme that I chose was Recycled/Upcycled/Secondhand. I was lucky enough to get Kim aka Chickenlady. She wrote in the note that everything but the yarn and the pattern had come from her- wasn't bought. That's exactly what I wanted! She gifted me a book on knitting and felting, beautiful yarn and a pattern to knit a cowl with them (can't wait!), little owl note cards (the Knit Knackers logo is an owl), pumpkin decorations and a haunted house with candles. My family is a little bit obsessed with Halloween. I love these goodies!

The main project is a fabric scrap crocheted rug! It's amazing. The colors are perfect and the construction is great! I've always wanted a rug like this but never got around to making one. Thanks Kim!

In this same swap, the person who I had to knit for was Mary aka SeaHagMary. The theme she picked was Twin Peaks. I embroidered a wall hanging dedicated to that Twin Peaks cherry pie. I gifted her some amazing local coffee from Wandering Goat and some good Oregon chocolate as well. I sent her an owl pin and my husband helped me make her buttons out of a log (branch) from a tree in our backyard.

Lastly, I knitted her fingerless mitts based on the design of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks. I'll have the pattern for the mitts up shortly. Edit: Mitt pattern now available here.

This was such a fun swap! Can't wait for the next one!

Alot of Fun

... and fur.

I'm part of an amazing knitting group on Ravelry called Knit Knack. A short while ago, they hosted a competition. Inspired by Allie Brosh who is the author of the blog Hyperbole and a Half. In April, Allie posted The Alot is Better Than You at Everything. We all laughed and raved about it and then set about to see who could create the best Alot. This was my entry and I was lucky enough to win! And now I'm sharing it with you. Please check out the other way awesome entries here and here!

I should mention that I've never written out a pattern for someone else's eyes. Usually, my own patterns are scribbled on the back of receipts and only make sense to me. That being said, if you find a mistake or need clarification on a step, please let me know. I'm new to this.

What skills do you need to make the Alot of Fun? Knitting in the round, magic loop, short rows, increases, decreases, kitchener stitch and just a wee bit of crocheting and embroidering.

Download ALOT OF FUN here.