Iris, a monster

Oh look!

Another monster!

I'm on a roll, right now. I've been going through my big bin of UFO's (unfinished objects) and working on a few that caught my eye.

One of them was this little cutie. She's made of the yarn from a kid's cardigan kit I bought a few years ago that just didn't turn out as I'd hoped. So, I re-wound the yarn and used it for Iris, the Gourmet Monster (pattern by Rebecca Danger, Dangercrafts).

Settling In

I love my new house!

I love the huge windows that face the sunshine all day long. I love the soft shag carpet. I love the sauna. I love the new neighbourhood and the huge garden. I love the deer that walk around my property every day, despite the fact that they will eat my flowers in the summertime. I even love the dated wood-paneled rec room with it's fireplace.

I just love it here and am settling in comfortably. I still have a ton of boxes to unpack yet but I'll get to them ... eventually. The important things like wool, knitting needles, teapot, kitchen things and computers are unpacked.

Can't find our xmas decorations yet though! Will have to take care of that this week. Good thing my mom and auntie brought us a huge house-warming poinsetta plant.

Been getting alot of knitting and finishing done on some projects that have been sitting around awhile. My box for the TOKmas swap was mailed off to my spoilee on Monday. I finished up her Gnome Homes (for double-pointed knitting needles - or pencils!) and her Hopsalot bunny slippers.  Tracking the package shows that delivery was attempted and she should have a notification card to pick it up at the parcel depot. I'm excited and nervous! I hope she loves everything I sent her!

Also finished up a gang of Travelling Gnomes that I sent off as a gift to a fellow knittie. I forgot to take a pic so this is hers!

And... I finally finished this guy! Gort the monster (pattern from the Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger). I started him at the cottage this summer but only just had the time to finish him up the past couple days.

I have a ton of Xmas knitting yet to do and cards to mail out and gifts to buy and wrap! With moving, it's all been left to the last minute... but that's ok! I work really well under pressure! ♥

FOs: Bump in the Night Swap monsters!

Oh I can't believe I forgot to post pics of the monsters I made and sent off to my swap partner for the Dangercrafts group's Bump in the Night swap!

I came up with an idea for a monster in a costume and improvised my way from there! I used the Angus the Attic Monster pattern from Rebecca's Big Book of Knitted Monsters and his body shape worked very well with my plan for a pumpkin costume. I used Malabrigo Rios, a superwash wool for this project and wow, it is the softest yarn ever! I loved knitting with it. I also used up the leftovers to make a few "Pumpkin Chunks" by fiddling a bit with the Monster Chunks pattern (free pattern on Ravelry or her website) too. I'll leave my notes at the end of this post on the Chunks. I may write up my pattern for his costume too later. Maybe I'll work on an Xmas themed costume too! who knows!

I also sent her some pretty post its, tea, sour patch kid and warhead candies, chocolate eyeballs and pumpkins, a pumpkin candle, Halloween and monster stickers, Halloween pencils and some mini yarn skeins for her Beekeeper Quilt.

Now, onto the pics!

Monster Chunk modifications were as follows:

She writes it to start with 36 stitches and knit to the top then to pick up 36 stitches from the cast on row and knit down to the bottom. I just did it all in one piece:

1. cast on 6 sts, join to work in the round
2. kfb all sts
3. (k1, kfb)around (18 sts)
4. (k2, kfb) around (24 sts)
5. (k3, kfb) around (30 sts)
6. (k4, kfb) around (36 sts) Rows 7-22. knit even
7. (k4, k2tog) around (30 sts) Add some stuffing and your safety eyes now before closing top.
8. (k3, k2tog) around (24 sts)
9. (k2, k2tog) around (18 sts)
10. (k1, k2tog) around 12 sts
11. (k2tog) around (6 sts) Break yarn and thread through remaining stitches.

Making the stem on top was an afterthought for me so I made a little 5 stitch icord and sewed it on afterwards. If I do them again I will just change to green wool at row 28 and do the icord for a few rows there, THEN break the yarn and pull through.

Swap - Dangercrafts Bump in the Night

I am utterly spoiled!

I received an AWESOME swap package from LoveOfWool on Ravelry. The swap was in the Dangercrafts group on Ravelry and the theme was "Things that go Bump in the Night".

She sent me the greatest Black Swan themed monster made of wool she dyed herself! She has her own crown and great costume! Check out her mask! Reminds me of awesome cat-eye glasses from the '50s! She also sent me a skein of yarn she also dyed, a whole bunch of mini yarn balls for hexipuffing, a notebook and stickers, chocolates, tea and teabags and a cute card.

I cant wait to pick which monster to use that yarn for!

FO: Harold the Two'th

I finished Harold number 2 for hubby.

Aren't those little toes and thumbs adorable!? I think he's become my new favourite Dangercrafts pattern! I must make a whole gang of them.

This guy was made of the leftovers from one of my shipments of the Dancing Dog Dyeworks Monster Mania yarn club shipments -- Waltz Worsted in the Monster in a Lemon Tree colourway.

FOs: A couple new monsters

I LOOOOVE this little guy and I think I need to make a bunch more!

Aren't those little toes and thumbs adorable!?

He's made of Dancing Dog Dyeworks Waltz Worsted - one of the Monster Mania yarn club shipments and is a swap monster I'll be sending to the daughter of a woman in the Dangercrafts Ravelry group. I may also *just* have enough to make one more.



This next one is made of Noro Aya which is a blend of cotton and silk with a teensy bit of wool in it. She's sooooooooo soft and cuddly and all mine! I sell or give away most of my monsters but she's for me. She's like a little pillow.

Daphne & Delilah monsters

A purple & lilac set of Daphne & Delilah monsters (pattern by Rebecca Danger, Dangercrafts) for a friend to send off as a birthday gift to another friend's daughter. Monsters are heading to Sweden!  I made a modification to the body and added a few rows to make momma monster a tad taller (@ 6 rows). This is one of my favourite Dangercrafts patterns!

Monsters for Twins

I forgot to post pics of these guys many weeks ago when I finished them. Both are the same pattern, Dot the Dress up monster by Rebecca Danger. They were a gift to a coworker for her twin grand daughters. They all loved 'em. The twins were totally engrossed with the little x-bellybuttons.

Each about 10" tall, made of worsted weight yarn.

Monsters, with pockets!

Leila, Lydia and Lucas the momma and baby monsters, pattern by Rebecca Danger (Dangercrafts), from the Big Book of Knitted Monsters.