Bunnies, bunnies everywhere

It surely is spring here in Little Rock.  We've had two violent storms in the past week that left damage all over the area.  Amazingly, we avoided all damage, including power outages.  Our neighbor wasn't so lucky.  A tulip poplar in their front yard was completely uprooted and is now laying on it's side.  It did earn him a well deserved "yard of the month" sign from the neighborhood association.  So, that's something.

While out for a quick run on Tuesday morning, a came across two bunnies, another sign of spring, also out for a run (or a chase).  I was in the road when I first saw them running in a yard along the right side of me.  The two crossed the street in front of me and continued to run alongside me, now on the left side of the road.  Then, they crossed in front of me again and ran along, back on the right side of the road.  They crossed the street one more time to the left side and ran in the opposite direction I was running. I wish they had run with me the whole way!

Later, I came across a new and FREE Mochimochi pattern for baby bunnies.  Well, I couldn't resist and decided to make some, with a bit of a twist.  Mine are rings, inspired by a different Mochimochi creation.  I simply added a 2-stitch i-cord that I threaded as a loop to the underside of each bunny.  Cute, cute cute.

More knitting...

This is Lulu.  Sweet thing loves to shop for pastry and flowers and wears cute skirts with her black boots.  If only she could get that mess of hair under control!

The pattern was adapted from the Human Bean pattern in Knitting Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec.  I knit her up on size 6 dpns with worsted weight yarn.

And another Mochimochi pattern:

It is a special gift for a friend as she recovers from a very serious bicycling accident.  We're pulling for you Sally!

Godfrey gets ready to go

My grandpa turned 90 on December 9.  What do you give someone who is turning 90?

Godfrey!

 

Ready to go...

Yet another Mochimochi pattern.
Knit with acrylic worsted weight yarn on size 6 dpns.

Felting first, but not the last

It seems every project I attempt, introduces me to something new.  This time it was felting.  Essentially, you knit up a very large piece, with a loose gauge using wool.

Then, you stick it in the washing machine using a hot water setting and low water level and wait.  The product that comes out is shrunken and formed into a thick fabric where the fibers are all interlocked.  I actually had to add some boiling water to the tub, because our machine doesn't get much more than warm.  I also found it useful to throw old jeans into the mix to help with friction. 

Finally, you have to let your project dry.  For this project, it took nearly a week for the slippers to dry, before I could finish them off with a pearly button and some beading elastic.

These cute ballerina slippers are on their way to my mom for her birthday.

For a good article on felting with advice for how to fix your washing machine if it gets clogged from a lot of felting projects, click here.

The only downfall of felting is the amount of yarn you have to use, making a project like this rather expensive by comparison.  But, the item is probably cheaper than a similar item purchased in a store.  Oh, and then there's the issue with clogging your washing machine, but that can be avoided by felting inside a pillow cover.   

Project details:
Pastaza yarn on size 10 circular needles purchased at The Yarn Mart in Little Rock
Felt Ballerina Slippers Pattern by Bev Galeskas

For more specifics, you can go to my ravelry.com notebook.

Obsession with cute knits

I SHOULD be working on a project that needed to be finished last weekend for a certain someone in my life with a birthday this coming Saturday.  Instead, I am knitting cute little buddies.  What can I say?  I'm obsessed.

It started with the hamsters and the Mochimochi book.  Then it was Mochimochi Land where I found a pattern for this snowman.  (I didn't actually buy the pattern, but used a basic toy pattern from her book to make my own version of it.

Now, it's this ladybird.  I found the pattern at Natural Suburbia, searching for Amigurumi.

Maybe I'll put together a pattern of my own...

Have an hour? Knit up some Mochimochi.

It's so much fun to knit up a quick project.  A couple weeks ago, I picked up a book called Knitting Mochimochi.  The patterns vary in length and difficulty.  The instructions, hints, and photos are very helpful.

I knit a couple mochimochi hamsters over lunch this week.  Each one took less than an hour.  They're so cute, I sent a couple to my niece in Janesville.  Then, I had to make one for Steve.  (He requested one for his office.)  I think I will fill his office with small knit toys.  

You can find more at Mochimochi Land.  (If cuteness offends you, don't visit.)