couldn't help my-elf

yes, the above are crocheted elf slippers via CRAFTzine.  CRAFT stopped publishing paper issues but their web site is going strong and i get several updates a day from them on facebook (which is turning out to be the best way for me to keep up on blogs)

anyway, the pattern is written as a crochet chart and it seems to be just a granny square that's been artfully seamed together. not that i expect most of you will be inclined to make crochet elf slippers (well, i think cindy from studioloo might be into them), but i hope you enjoy the whimsy. i think they might make a good Christmas decoration for the store this year.

Boobies!

why didn't i think of it sooner, they are 'Boobie' Dolls! thank you kristen.  on the left is wonder woman in an outfit made my michelle kissoore, the centre is one of liane's childhood boobie dolls, and on the right is curly sue, a chick i picked up at value village. i have taken to posing them around the store on fixtures and in the yarn.

so it turns out that i am actually playing with dolls. while i was at my aunt & uncle's house i pulled wonder woman out the try on the sweater below for fit, and it felt very awkward. i explained what i was up to, but i still felt weird to be dressing boobie dolls in public on my uncle's porch in suburban toronto. now, my family is fully used to my eccentric ways and a boobie doll didn't throw them, but i felt like a kid who's a bit too old to be playing with dolls but still does it on the sly. for years, whenever i find myself in a toy store or a store with a toy department i make a b-line to the boobie section to sublimate my affection. the real question is, now that i have a socially acceptable boobie outlet will i devolve into waylan smithers, editing boobie magazine and living in a boobie panorama?

this chick doesn't have  name yet, but she's sporting a brand new little cardie in koigu kpppm.  i'm very much enjoying making the boobie sweaters in nice merino sock yarn, if you have bits & bobs i would very much appreciate donations. I doubt it takes 10g of sock yarn. 

Dress The Boobies
c/o Knit-O-Matic
1378 Bathurst St
Toronto ON
M5R 3J1
Canada

if you would like to make clothes for my boobies i would be much obliged, i've got a few girls and boys who are nekkid and the chilly weather is almost upon us.  i'm going to restrict the outfits to natural fibres, so if you need some yarn just ask me. info (at) knitomatic (dot) com

i finished a tulips baby cardie in mission falls 1824 wool. i'll take a better photo on Wednesday, for now you'll have to settle for the blocking pic.  i decided to try the mission falls because i know a dream in colour kit might feel a bit costly for some people. the mission falls is soooooo soft, i could bury myself in it.

dress the dolls

have you ever noticed the dolls at the goodwill or value village? the 12"dolls (brand name omitted because it is proprietary, but you know the type, she's been involved with Ken for years) are strung up naked, in clear plastic bags, looking like they've been raped and dumped in the river.  it just makes me want to save them and knit little cardigans for them (well, at least the ones who still possess nice hair and all of their limbs).

this lady came with all her clothes, but she wasn't dressed for an interminable canadian winter. i originally got her for my friend's daughter (not to worry, i am not THAT cheap, they are down with second hand toys and this one had barely been touched), but her hair was so nice and curly that i was not able to let her go.

i am thinking about making this into a window display and then an art exhibition. a dress the dolls project.

dear me, after all these years, have i finally found a rationale to play with dolls again. jeepers, this could be bad ....

by the way, if anyone can come up for a euphemism for the doll's brand name, please let me know. every time i avoid using it i feel like i'm writing a CSIS (like the CIA, except Canadian and therefore it is also doll sized) report. she was Malibu Stacey on the Simpsons, but i don't know if that will work ... "dress the maibu stacey project".



Doll pullover, knit in one piece, in Dream in Color Classy. everyone needs a cozy sweater to get them through a long canadian winter.

Doll booties, knit in 1 piece, dream in color classy (spring tickle). the advantage of knitted boots is that they are not as easily lost as the more more traditional Manolo Blahniks.

ma belle & etc

Liane finished the Ma Belle child's cardigan in Dream in Color Classy and it looks great! it only took 2 skeins, not bad.

here is a better picture of the baby cardie i made in Regia 6ply Kaffe Fasset Design Line. Supah cute! the buttons are vintage, dug out of my little hoard. they are an iridescent black. the yarn's colours are so sophisticated, love it!

the bulky shrug on display sprouted arms, so now i guess it's a bulky jacket/cardie.  it just wasn't compelling without sleeves.

P.S.
i give in, i ordered a dark coloured cover for the sofa. people are responding very positively to this particular piece of furniture and there is no way it will stay clean otherwise.

regia cardie & furniture

first things first, i am almost finished my baby cardie in Regia 6ply Design Line (the Kaffe Fasset sock yarn, but the DK thickness). i think it looks great, despite the over exposed photo (sorry, i will take a better pic when finished). i just washed it and it is drying now. buttons and labels go on, the it is finito!  i had to wait a while to get the heathered grey trim colour in, but in general it took very little time.  i love the way superwash wools loosen up after a bath in Eucalan!  beffore they go in they are so uptight, and when they come out they're all "hey man, wanna get high?".

but lets move on to important things like my new sofa!  i am furniture proud, i spent thursday cleaning my new/old sofa, gratis kristen.  the fabric says it can only be cleaned professionnally, but it is scotch guarded and i have my methods.  actually, my method comes from doityourself.com.  i don't guarantee any results, i only attest to my own. test it first in a small spot in back to make sure you won't be wrecking your sofa.  also, i found this to be a gentle and slow process, i had to go over the dirty parts several times. that said, the sofa is a fairly light colour and dirt befirends light coloured fabrics.  i have not found that the Eucalan discoloured the fabric at all, but parts that were stained i scrubbed harder are noticeably lighter, although when i went back over the surrounding area it all came togther. my sofa only had surface wear, but if you have to dispatch some smells i suggest you maybe try the Eucalyptus or Lavender scent.  i also tried the grapefruit sent near the end but found the smell extremely gentle and i don't think it really  astayed in the fabric afterwards.

this is how i did it:

1. vaccum sofa, clean off solid debris.

2. in a big mixing bowl (the bigger the better) pour 1/4 cup Eucalan and 1 cup water (i used unscented, but none have dyes anyway).

3. with hand mixer or mixer whip the soap into a stiff foam. it is acutally a very satisfying feeling.

4. with a clean sponge scoop up a generous amount of foam (no water) and gently scrub the foam on in circles.

5.  you do not need to remove the suds as instructed in the link above, they dissipate quickly.

6. let fabric dry. repeat util your sofa is as clean as you want it to be.

While i was picking up the sofa a few other pieces of furniture came into my possession.  this is my new cash register nook.

the shopping basket district.

and a new addition to the front window vignette! so basically, now Knit-O-Matic looks like Kristen's sun-room. the sofa is soooo comfortable! love it! someone intoned a desire to bring their dog on it and my reaction was reasoned, but inside i was thinking "You want to do WHAT? You want to put your drooling, ass sniffing, unbathed pet on MY beautiful new sofa, which I've spent ll day cleaning? I don't think so.  I don't even know why you presumed to think so."  but ya know, in retrospect, I think maybe they were playing with me. From the outset I was planning to get a cover, but i don't think it is the shape of sofa that will fit a cover properly, or at least elegantly.  i've seen stretchy lycra covers that are designed for the less conservative sofa, but they look like a unitard and feel even worse.

anyway, hat's about the size of where you set your eyes. xox

addenda 9:06 pm
it was not a joke, she really wants to bring dog on sofa. will purchase sofa-tard.

february baby sweater

 
i finished my february baby sweater last week. i cheated and knit the arms in the round.  it looks very cute. the yarn colour actually looks ok with the lace. but more importantly, i got to use some of my strange coloured vintage glass butttons.clearly, baby clothes are what odd colouured vintage buttons were made for. it only took 1 skein of dream in colour classy, not bad!

people have been commenting on the Dream in Colour yarn, saying that it is very well priced. well, that it was, becuase i accidentally priced it incorrectly, at the cost price.  so if you got it for $11.80, lucky you, but the price has now been adjusted to $22. 

good news, i got a sofa for the store!  i will post pictures tomorrow. it is a very nice sofa, which i have spent many hours cleaning with Eucalan.

project update

it's september but the weather is still undecided, so we're exploring the Dream in Color Classy right now and i think we'll move to the Malabrigo Chunky next. i have ideas for it :-)

I am working on a February Baby Sweater:



the pattern is simple enough, but not the way it is written.  kudos to the 3276 people on ravelry who have made it.  that said, as i go i'm editing the pattern for easy comprehension.  i have just gotten to the part where i separate for the arms and have to stop and figure out what i'm doing. i should also consult a very useful tutorial before i proceed. paying attention - blech. but i must get this done because i went to H & M yesterday and the new fall produce (because, for me, good sweaters have the seduction of ripe fruit) is inspiring me to work on some new fall designs. i would like to browse the fall shows on style.com, but i will get my work done and resign myself to the satisfationg of crossing things off my to-do list. maybe my next post will be a list of wooly trends for this fall?


Liane is working on Ma Belle from Dream in Color. this is theirs:

and here is ours in Petal Shower:



and liane finished te sample for her  upcoming class Knitting in Colour Workshop: Slip-Stitch Welcome Mat (sept 15 & 22).