EASTER BASKET TOYS - the first batch

Now you can see some of what all that yarn abuse was about. I'm a needles in hands kind of designer so far. I think a part should be bigger I add some stitches, if I want it round I add them evenly, if I want it to have a shape, I only add them where I want them. And I rip it back out fairly often. The bunnies, the duckling, the carrot which will get wheels and become a race car are all my original stuff.

Here are the photos of the first batch of my OWN and ORIGINAL designs. These are some of the Easter Basket Toys I will be teaching in March 2009.

The blanket is my idea of a substitute for cellophane Easter grass and is a small Pi shawl from EZ. The eggs are from two patterns on Ravelry.

The yarn may disagree.

First, let me state that there are NO yarn police.

But. . .

If there were they would be on their way to my house with sirens screaming. The charge?

Abuse of yarn. Poor defenseless yarn ends up in my knitting bag. I knit it up, and, what I have done doesn't quite please me. I rip back a few rows. I knit it up, and it's still not EXACTLY what I was planning. I rip back those same few rows. I knit it up and decide that I have been working the entire thing on too many stitches and it has to go. I rip it back and start over.

Poor defenseless yarn. But I can hear those sirens and they're on the way to my house. I have become a yarn abuser.

Working on my own designs has been so much fun for me, but I think the yarn may disagree.

Some Problems With Knitting In Public

Hello Again,

I have discovered the very great pleasure of meeting in public with a group of knitters. What fun! The group is ChesCoSnB and evenings we gather at a Barnes & Noble bookstore, but daytimes we are likely to show up, believe it or not at a local grocers. This place has a living room area with enough seating that 4 or 5 knitters can settle in for a couple hours nice chat and knitting.

The problem with knitting in public. . .
well, as a knitter, we are often quite happy to start and work our way through a project. Knitting in public lets us bring that project out to be seen by "the ones who understand" this is great fun. . .
until . ..
well, until you see that they have discreetly set aside, their own very advanced level of the same type of project on which you were satisfied with your progress and skill development. I had taken my second felted tote bag to show. IT did look nice. The fabric had felted down nice and thick there were no krinkles or odd folds from it's trip through the washing machine and the colors muted just the way we all thought they would, it will suit my husband very well. Then as she was leaving another knitter picked up her felted, fair isle ! !!, multi color, multi textured purse. Wow! !! I didn't know you could do stuff like that! Can't decide whether to feel like an underachiever or to move into high energy, "Now I've seen that I know what I want to try next! !! Insane Creative mode."

The other problem with Knitting in Public. . .
drop ins. . .
you go out with your work bag and it's a plain and simple invitation for every sticky fingered kid in the neighborhood to stop by and see what you are doing (note to self, might be time to knit up some little give away bears again). . . and it's an invitation to folks who haven't been brave enough to try this yet (one of our group tries to carry extra learner yarn and needles). . . and then you get the lovely senior citizen who identifies the fiber you are using and offers to GIVE you her entire stash of mohair as she is no longer knitting . . . and you get folks who like to talk and need somebody to listen.

It was a great day. And I am very glad that I had no pressing need to rush home and could spend the time to share my work with others and to receive from them the encouragement and pleasure we all get from working with our hands.

Got the knitting Brain Fever

Hi,

I'm back again.

I've been having so much fun with the knitting and the new knitting communities I've found through Ravelry and the local Knitters Stitch and Bitch that I didn't get back to the blog till now. My mouth did it again! I checked in with the ACMoore and managed not only to schedule my Seamless Slipper class but the Events Lady is allowing me to offer my Intro to Sock Knitting Class too! Then I heard myself saying, "Would you like me to work up an Easter Basket Toy class?" What was I thinking? I checked their shelves and right now the store isn't offering any books OR pamphlets with knitted toy patterns. Sheesh! !! That means I have to design for "other people" or modify existing patterns to make them mine, or write the polite letter of inquiry to designers asking for permission to use a pattern they created.

Note to self. Either spend more time designing n general (of course this would be easier if I had grandchildren to inspire me! !!) or do not offer classes you have not prepared IN ADVANCE.

So. .. I've been a true Sherlock Holmes style brain fever of trying to design my own toys. I used to make them for my kids but then I was just knitting along trying to reach the goal of the day. Mommy I want a fish can be easy and fun. Design a pattern other people can use is a bit intimidating.

And I just love my rabbit. I have a little sheep too that is enough different from the two others of the type I found out there to count as not the same, I hope. I'll do some modifications on the generic garter stitch teddy pattern to make a bunny of my own. Then I start on the duckies and chicks. I love to do things in the round but I keep wondering if I make it too hard for other people. DH swears he hears me muttering, "I'm sure I can make this harder." Why didn't I look to see if they had a book first?

Ah well, time to get back to real life.

More later,

Lynne