A Squirrel Lives in Brooklyn

I want you all to meet someone new to town. He's a little shy and doesn't talk too much, but give him a few handfuls of cashews and he'll be your new best bud! Say hello to Lawrence:

He's hanging out with his little gnome buddy. Who knows what trouble they get up to while I'm at work! Mostly though, I think he likes to hang out on the couch, watch Animal Planet, or keeping watch through the window:

I had fun making him, apart from when I forgot to stuff his tail until I was about 3 rows from the end - oops! Like Jess I was worried about him being too small, but he definitely grew with stuffing! And as long as no one sits on him, I think Lawrence will keep his squirrelish figure just fine. 

I Knit an Oven Mit!

No, I did not knit an oven mit, but that's exactly what my beloved boyfriend thought when he saw me crafting a gray amorphous blob. While I admit that Nathaniel is not the squirreliest squirrel, he is still decidedly animal-like, thank you very much. I actually breezed through the pattern in just 3 sittings, but I hadn't gotten around to photographing him because I moved. He's safe and sound in his new home, enjoying his very own wingback chair.

While he didn't seem like he'd be all that big when I was knitting, Nathaniel did come out the perfect size for cuddling (especially when you're glaring at your boyfriend for not understanding your beautiful, whimsical pillow).

I knit the pattern almost as is. The one exception was the long strings of lifted increases. I found that these were pulling my knitting way too much, so I peppering in a few make ones whenever I didn't like the tension. I'm really happy with the way that turned out, so I recommend that tip to anyone who's having trouble with the lifted increases.

Now that the squirrel is all finished, I'm at a loss as to where to go with my knitting. I need to knit another Damson (I lost mine on the train!), and I definitely need to finish my hibernating sweater. I am proud to say that I've been steadily hexipuffing for lack of other projects, so I should have a Beekeeper's Quilt sometime this decade.

Squirreling Away

After much procrastination, a Jessly squirrel is finally taking shape! I won't make excuses -- although moving and knitting a sweater are great ones, if I were to be in the business of excuse-making. Anyway, I finally cast on Nathaniel yesterday, and this little pillow is just flying by! I'm already about halfway done, and I'm seriously enjoying the chart. Although it doesn't look totally squirrely yet, I can see how it's coming together. For now, my Frankenberry doll is currently using it as a sleeping bag.

A word about yarn selection: the original pattern is knit in a beautiful 100% wool. Since this is a pillow, it will inevitably live on my couch, where it will be subjected to the less than graceful presence of my boyfriend (okay, and me) around food and beverages. That's why I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky: it's easy-care, so I can clean my pillow whenever need be without fearing felting. Since I grew up in West Virginia, I had to make my squirrel gray (the most common type of squirrel in the area). The charcoal shade has a nice heathered quality to it, too, which I really enjoy. Like Claire's, my squirrel seems to be knitting up a bit smaller than I expected, but that'll probably change with stuffing. I almost wish this project were taking longer since it's so fun, but I'd really rather finish it before I move. Eek!

Hi-ho, Squirrelio!

Hello all! Claire here, joining the "We're still here!" posting line up. And yes, we have been busy in our silence. I started my Levenwick shortly after the new year and am making good headway on that. Then Jess and I both got the beautiful book Coastal Knits and were ooh-ing and aaah-ing over that for quite a while. Finally she pressured me enough (like it was hard!) to get the yarn to start the Rocky Coast cardigan. I ordered myself some nice light grey Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Fibers. I admit, it was a front-runner because it's from a mill in Michigan - yay mitten! I think this is the first time I've had 2 sweaters going at once, so it's been a challenge to keep pace on both of them. I also finished a sock, started (trying) to learn Continental knitting, and made an exuberantly pom-pomed hat. It keeps me cheery in this snow-less NYC winter. 

And FINALLY I have put buttons on my Peaks Island Hood. Finishing a piece can be the trickiest part, and  honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to put buttons on this, since I think I blocked it a little too much and the scarf parts were quite long. But I fiddled with the placement some, broke out the embroidery floss and needle, and in 10 minutes I had a truly finished hood! 

Chewie here was kind enough to model for me. Doesn't he look cosy? I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the buttons are some I got for Christmas, from a company called Buttons by Nature. Made of spalted maple, they're the perfect size and give the hood a nice little rustic flair. 

And now on to further projects in the Whimsical Little Knitalong! We've made our way to Nathaniel, the cutest little squirrel pillow you ever did see! So far he is a very fast knit, and has some interesting construction details as well. You start with a garter strip, slipping stitches on the side to be picked up later for the squirrely body. It's a little awkward at first, but with a chunky yarn it goes very quickly! Clever decreases shape the feet and tail parts. I think my gauge is a little small, but I think Lawrence (of Brooklyn) will be just the right size to cuddle with on the couch and watch Shaun the Sheep with me.