Ravelry Downloads Go Up

For the knitters and crocheters out there: Ravelry! You love it, you know you do. Great place to search patterns, show off your yarn stash, even meet other local fiber nuts. I've been a Raveler for years, but I FINALLY got wise and set up a designer page. This lets me consolidate all my patterns in one spot and make them available for easy download. I'm so glad I did. Let me introduce Kendra Ann designs:

 

The link is http://www.ravelry.com/designers/kendra-ann

Not a Raveler? Not an issue. Pattern pages are reachable without signing in. 

Hooray!

Tempting Tuesday Treasury

Time to resurrect a good tradition - a blog about an Etsy Treasury on Tuesdays.

Today I was inspired by the flying snowflakes. Maybe you will be inspired too!

Click the picture to see these beautiful items up close. Happy Tuesday!
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DIY Advent Calendar

Time for a timely post!

I made this advent calendar last year for my then 2 year old daughter... she loves it even more this year!

Materials:

• Felt - A few different colors. Mostly I already had stuff kicking around, plus I felted an old green sweater. It gives the tree a nice 3D feeling.
• Cotton fabric for the background - a neutral color or unobtrusive pattern works best.
• Iron-on stiff backing material 
• Sewing materials
• Fun little treats and mini ornaments for the pockets. Sticky numbers for the pockets.

I'll mostly lay this out in pictures.

 1. Cutting out pieces for the tree from an old sweater felted in hot water/air. Must be 100% wool or this will be a spectacular waste of time.

 2. Ironing on backing to my piece of background cotton.

 3. Arranging the tree. I like how the thicker sweater material pops up off of the background.

 4. Sewing the tree pieces on the the background. I went for a long stitch along the tall axis of the tree, but you can do whatever floats your boat as long as the tree doesn't fall down.

 5. Laying out and sewing on pockets. I went for a pretty random pattern and assortment of shapes b/c that is how I roll, but you could make them all one color, or matching, or whatever. Just make sure you leave a gap in your sewing at the top of each pocket... otherwise it is not much of a pocket.

 I have a chronically "helpful" cat at my house. Bless.

 All stitched up and ready to apply the felt backing.

6. Final touches - I got lazy and used plastic stick-on numbers like you'd find in the scrapbook section of the craft store. You COULD embroider the numbers... if you are a SUPER CRAFTER. For the ornaments I scoured the dollar shelves and also used felt cut outs. Think of all the the options... this is the fun part.

Voila! This calendar is a sturdy piece of art - simply roll and store when you find yourself done with December.

Enjoy! And hey, if you make an advent calendar like this give me a shout and I'll post a picture!

All images copyright Knitty Vet.

Cyber Monday Sale

Calling all knitters! Two sweet (and quick) knitting patterns are on sale in the Etsy shop this week. Save 25% off of the original price of $4.

First up: Coffee Cozies - This is my most popular pattern and would make great little stocking stuffers.















Next: Chunky Stocking Cap - use chunky yarn to knit up this warm hat.


Happy knitting, enjoy!

DIY Denim Heat Pack

We recently had a night that threatened frost... so this post is right on time!

What you need:
Old jeans. The softer the better, but not too threadbare or you may lose some rice.
Rice.
A sewing machine. Not strictly necessary but makes life easier.
Tea. Makes everything easier.

These jeans were the husband's. They have a hole in an unfortunate location and so now belong to me.

And above is the tea. AWESOME TEA from Arbor Teas.

I trimmed the inner seam to make the heat pack a little more narrow than the full width of the leg. It ended up being about 7" wide and almost 2 feet long.

Next I sewed the end shut and compartments for the rice so it wouldn't all bunch at one end. I used yellow thread in a zig zag stitch because that's the way I roll.

Next I sewed the cut edge partially, leaving holes into which I could pour rice. I poured rice. Mostly into the pack, but also on the table and floor. A funnel would make this a snap.

After the rice was in (not too full, you want a nice squishy pack), I finished sewing the edges. And continued to drink tea. About 2.5 minutes in the microwave (with a little cup of water) and the heating begins!!

 

And... pinnable!

Possum Yarn

As previously mentioned, our great trip to New Zealand led me to a new yarn discovery.

There is a beastie known as the common brushtail possum. It is a native of Australia but made its way to New Zealand thanks to European Settlers who hoped to use it as a food and fiber source. This did not turn out to be a good idea. Today there are literally millions of possums destroying natural New Zealand habitat and acting as a vector for bovine tuberculosis, thus threatening both the ecosystem and agriculture.

However, Kiwis are nothing if not resourceful. If Australia gives you brushtail possums, make... yarn! Folks now make a living collecting possums and selling their pelts. Incidentally, Wikipedia tells us that possum is a delicacy in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, where they are known as "Kiwi Bear". Who knew.

But on to the yarn. New Zealand is of course famous for sheep and their wool. The possum fur is very fine and light, a little like angora but shorter. When mixed with wool the result is a light, very warm yarn with just a hint of natural heathering.

I wanted one of every color. In every weight. Husband pointed out we only had limited suitcase room. I ended up with the following:

I had the vague notion of making myself a hat... but then the fiddlehead mittens I was making on commission inspired me. The pattern was so Kiwi... so my possum yarn is now getting knit into mittens. The yarn is slightly more rough than pure merino wool, but I love the wispy look to the colors. The black pattern is knit with Cascade 220 wool. I also brought home some grey in a slightly lighter weight. I am sad to admit that the baby sweater still on the needles is no longer likely to fit E. We'll have to find another recipient...

Holiday Wrap Up

Writing about the holidays now is a little like going to an extended relative's house in January and having another Christmas... fun but it feels a little odd.

We'll just get caught up quick and move on. To possum yarn. No seriously. Really, this time for real.

We had a great trip to visit the grandparents and aunties and uncles... Little E made out like a bandit with books, toys, and more outfits than one little girl probably really needs. Her favorite part of the trip was smiling at all of the new faces, and being the center of attention for about two weeks.

 She sported reindeer horns (a longstanding tradition in my family)

 Helped make press cookies (she REALLY liked the jars of sprinkles)

 Was introduced to a special gift from Grandma - Badger Annie!

 Met her cousin for the first time and celebrated New Year's Eve in a snazzy outfit.

 Cheered on the Packers (Her daddy actually went to the game in Green Bay... brrr!)

 And had fun watching the Badgers in the Rose Bowl... despite the loss.

Returning to our little house under a hill in MA was a little dreary - only mommy and daddy and the kitties to play with! We'll be trying to spice life up in the near future by attending some classes - yoga? Dance? We'll see.

Ok, the holidays are caught up.
Next: Cozy Give Away! Possum Yarn! Other fun things! Not quite as many baby photos!