September 2014 – Thimbleanna

Dear Burglars,

30 Comments / September 13, 2014 September 13, 2014 / Chat

If you’ve been searching the net for people who’ve mentioned that they’re going on vacation, my last post may have directed your search engines here. But I’m not worried about you because I’m leaving the house in good hands.

We have Watch Cats. They know everything that goes on around here. Trust me, you don’t want to disturb these two. That one on the left, in particular, will nail you if you whizz him off. He sleeps a lot, which is the problem — if you enter the house uninvited, you’ll wake him up, and that makes him very grumpy.

And don’t worry — if the Watch Cats aren’t a deterrent, you should know that TheManoftheHouse will still be here. He going to stay home and hold down the fort — and take care of the Kitties. So, don’t get any big ideas. Besides, there’s nothing of any real value here – unless you’re into fabric, but the little shop will be locked up tight and you won’t be able to find anything.

Oh, and not that it’s any of your burgling business, but you might be wondering where I’m going. I’m Off to See the Wizard. This One:

And her trusty assistant there with the camera. And I’m beside myself with excitement.

So. Nothing worthwhile for you here. Move along to the next vacationing blogger and maybe you’ll have more luck.

G’day Mate.
Anna

TAW Update

31 Comments / September 10, 2014 September 13, 2014 / Quilting

By now, I’m pretty sure you’re probably getting tired of seeing my little trip around the world quilt, so I’ll just apologize now. We get our assignments monthly, so I like to document the stages of this fun project.

Our assignment this month was for rows 24 through 30. We technically have until the end of the month to reach row 30 (if you’re trying to keep up like me), but I’m getting ready to go on vacation and I didn’t want to return and be behind. The rows are really getting time-consuming now, so, to be behind just a few rows means to be behind a lot in time. I’ve been working like a crazy person to get this far and I’m so pleased that I made it before I leave on my trip.

It’s been amazing to me that I’m not tired of this project yet. I love picking out fabrics for new rows — even though I don’t really know what I’m doing anymore. I’m basically just trying to stick with the basic colors that I used in the first 9 rows. It’s really surprising to me to how it changes personality as the rows are added. I really liked the way rows 1 – 9 started out (upper left), but I worried after rows 10-18 (upper right) that it was looking a little too yellow/red/brown. (Btw, sorry for all the different lighting — ideally, I’d take the pictures in the same setting, but it doesn’t always work out. I was hoping to go outside tonight, but it’s been pouring most of the day, so I had to stay inside.) Then, by rows 19 – 24 (lower left) I’d managed to add more blue in which made me happy. I thought maybe I should tone the blue down a little, and now (lower right) there’s maybe a bit too much green going on.

I’m guessing I’ll have 10 – 12 more rows, so I need to take more time and figure out how to finish it up to get the effect I want. As if I even knew what I want. That might be part of the problem. I’m pretty far out of my comfort zone here!!!

Anyway, if you’re still here, thanks for sticking with these TAW posts. If you’ve never tried a TAW, you might really love the adventure! This little quilt is getting pretty big now — it’s just a bit bigger than the top of a double sized bed. And, as you can see, when it’s rolled up, it pretty much fills my little train case. I’m going to need a bigger case!

That’s a good problem, right?
XOXO,
Anna

Faux Taxidermy Knits (& a Giveaway)

56 Comments / September 4, 2014 September 13, 2014 / Books, Chat

I’m very excited today because the super nice people at Stitch Craft Create have invited me to review Louise Walker’s new book Faux Taxidermy Knits. (Thank You super nice Stitch Craft Create people!)

Now, I’ll admit, the initial invitation was a surprise to me, as my first thought was “Hmmm, I’m not really the type to hang animal heads on the wall.” (You might recognize Louise Walker as the creator of some really fun faux animal heads for Boden ). But, my apprehension dissipated as soon as I took a look at the patterns in this cute, upcoming book. Taxidermy isn’t just for hanging animal heads on your wall anymore LOL!

Faux Taxidermy Knits contains 15 patterns divided into two sections – fun stuff to wear and fun stuff for your home. I thought I’d give you a little peek for yourself – here are a few of my favorites:

A Tiger Rug – wouldn’t this be cute in baby’s room with a wild animal theme?

Baby Bear Coasters (or mug rugs, if you prefer).

Hedgehog Slippers – you know how I love me some slippers and these look super cozy!

An Owl Tea Cozy.

I’ve tested out one of the patterns for you, just so I could check out the instructions. Unfortunately, I was limited on time, so I had to choose the quickest project in the book. Do you remember those little rabbit’s foot keychains we used to carry around as kids? (Ewwww. Really? Were those real rabbit’s feet? What were we thinking?) This little rabbit’s foot is the kind I can handle.

The instructions were clear and easy and it probably took me a whopping 45 minutes to make this little foot – an hour if you count the hardware. The picture doesn’t come close to doing this little rabbit’s foot justice – it’s really cute and it feels so soft in my hands. I’m thinking I’d like to make another one and hide one of those GPS things in it, so that I can find my keys when I lose them (which is all the time thankyouverymuch).

If you’re a knitter (or even if you’re not), this is a really fun little book to add to your library. But, don’t just take my word for it – check out these other reviews on the September blog hop:

Mon 1st – Louise Walker

Tue 2nd – iMake

Wed 3rd – Knit Happens

Thu 4th – SCC

Fri 5th – Thimbleanna

Mon 8th – Yarn Demon

Tue 9th – Greedy for Colour

Wed 10th – Knits and Crosses

Thu 11th – The Yarniad

Fri 12th – Crafts from the Cwtch

Mon 15th – The Creations of Crazy Dazy

Tue 16th – Knitted Bliss

Fri 19th – Lapdog Creations

Mon 22nd – Slugs On the Refrigerator

Here’s a little bonus for you – those super nice people at Stitch Craft Create are offering a hard copy of this book to one of you. Just leave a comment on this post and I’ll draw a winner sometime around October 1st.

And if you don’t win, don’t despair – the book is available HERE (oooh, and while you’re there, check out this PAGE for some other fun knitting books!)

But WAIT, there’s more (haha)! I forgot to show you one of my very favorite projects in the whole book.

Behold.

Mr Wolf.

How fantastic would Mr. Wolf be for the costume in a Little Red Riding Hood play? Three Little Pigs anyone??? Or, how fun would it be to have the big bad wolf accompany your cute Little Red Riding Hood while Trick-or-Treating??? Bring On Halloween!!!

Ok — remember to leave a comment if you want to enter to win a free copy of Faux Taxidermy Knits.

Good Luck!
XOXO,
Anna

Month: September 2014