Another day in Vermont.

The leaves have almost all turned, and tonight there is a freeze warning. The weather channel keeps calling for snow flurries, but so far we have managed to duck that.

With the cooler weather here, my daughter has asked me to make her a new pair of fingerless gloves. Aparently the pair that I made her over 2 years ago have been worn to total shreads. So with this idea I created a new pattern just for her hands (that can be used for any child's hands). I'm almost done with the second one and will post a photo or two of the outcome.

I love the fact that she likes to wear the fingerless gloves. She has Exama, and they help keep the hand cream on her hands so that it really soaks in. The difference is amazing.

Everything else has been put on hold for a bit. Last Thursday I was diagnosed with Bronchitis yet again. I'm trying to do my best to stay out of trouble and rest. While I was there my doctor managed to convince me to get my flu shot that I had been avoiding. At least its over and done with. I don't know about the H1N1 vaccine just yet. (meaning if I'm going to get that or not)

That's it for now. Time for some more rest, and knitting. :)

The long awaited pictures. :)

I love this hat. The yarn is so thick, warm, and soft. I made this pattern as I went along, and this time I remembered to write it down before I sent it out. My husband liked the pattern so much he asked for one in another color. :) I think I might have even found a hat that my daughter would wear! (one can hope) Right now all she will wear is the earwarmers that I make. This was taken without a flash so you can see the pattern.

This picture was taken with a flash so you could better see the color, but It really isn't THAT bright. Beautiful blues, purples and a hint of green. Its Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn in Green Mountain Color.

This is the finished Harry Potter Hat. Second time's a charm, right? Its the match to the previous scarf. Its a tight fitting skull cap, that I did follow a pattern for. However I think that next time I make one, I'm going to change a few things about it. Personally I don't like how it fits. I know it will stretch over time, but still. I really like how the striped pattern worked out just like the scarf. Starting on blue and ending on blue. :)

Next on the list is to make my daughter a new pair of fingerless gloves. She's worn her favorite pair so much that they are falling apart after 3 years. They were the second pair I ever made. I've come a long way since then so I know this pair (and pattern that I made) will last her for a long while.

Progress

Yesterday I found out that my daughter has a birthday party sleepover to go to Friday night. Well talk about not a lot of time to come up with something. So my daughter asked if we could back chocolate chip cookies. However, I was worried about allergies so we decided that I should knit somethings for her to give. That went over very well.

I've got the earwarmer, 2 headbands, and a hair scrunchie almost done. I just need to find the tapestry needle that went missing when my service dog decided to be helpful and brought me my kitting bag from the living room. (I hadn't asked for it) Once I find it I can get those set. I haven't decided if I'm going to do any more or just wrap up what I have. I'll see what happens in the morning. With luck I will find it.

The list is growing, however I have making earwarmers down to just a couple of hours! I'm so happy about that. Now if I could get really good at hats. :D

Autumn's Harry Potter scarf

Yet again, my cell phone doesn't take the best photos, but at least you get the idea of it. Now I'm off to start her hat.

A nice way to spend a rainy day...

I'm sitting here, looking out the window at the rain and the changing color of the leaves and I know that Winter is right around the corner. I also realized that its been a while since I've posted here, or on Facebook, or Tweeted on Twitter or even updated the store. Today has been dedicated to work on all of that.

I'm going to re-list the fall/winter items that didn't sell last winter today, and work on posting the new items later on this week. I have a couple of orders to fill before I can even think about taking bids.

Even though its raining pretty hard outside, I still love Fall. I love sweater/sweatshirt weather. Nothing like curling up in your favorite sweater to just make everything feel right. Even if its just for a moment.

Also I was given a wonderful present today, 99 Yarns and Counting by the Green Mountain Spinnery, by a wonderful friend who is a huge supporter in my knitting endeavors.

The best part about this book, besides that my friend had it autographed for me, is that its put out by our local spinnery, Green Mountain Spinnery, here in Putney.

Thank you Seth, for the book.

Thank you Eric for signing the book.

I will treasure it always.

straps

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! I finally figured out what I'm going to use for straps for the flat purses! I have been trying out all sorts of patterns and just couldn't come up with anything that I liked. Now maybe I can get them finished and up in the store for sale.

I have an order in for fingerless gloves that I need to get cracking on as well. Unfortunatly my daughter sat on one of the double pointed needles that I need for it, so that's on hold until I can find a new set. I think that Green Mountain Spinnery might have them in stock. I'll have to take a look tomorrow when I'm out and about.

Suggestion

A suggestion was made to me today, that I use some of the Homespun Yarn and make a seatbelt cozy of sorts. Something soft against one's neck instead of the harshness of a seatbelt. Being of an average size myself, I am very well aware of how it feels to have a seatbelt cutting into my neck. Why I didn't think of it myself, I'll never know.

What do you think? Is there a market out there? Should I add something like this to my product line?

Cellphone case/iPod case

I took this picture with the case on its side so that you can better see all of the colors.

fingerless gloves

These fingerless gloves are lightweight and can be worn any season. They also can stretch to fit from children to adults. I made a pair for my daughter to use for her exama.. She puts on her hand cream and then the gloves. Its amazing how fast her skin clears up.

braided head/hairband

Just a basic hair band that stretches to fit almost all heads. Made out of the Easter Basket color, I was able to create a wonderful mix of colors. My daughter and I have matching ones made out of the I'm a Big Boy color (can you tell yet that its my favorite to work with?)

Cellphone case/iPod case

This cellphone/iPod case also has a pocket for your ID/credit or debit card/cash as well. Now that I have the pattern down it can be made in just about any color. My personal preference is using multi-colored, however. This is made in I'm a Big Boy color.

Swine Flu

As the Swine Flu spreads through the US, I've been getting a bit worried about it. Here's a link to the Center for Disease Control's information about it. Also a list of what they recommend:

Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

This is a concern for me because of me having Lupus. My husband laid down the law yesterday. He told me that I'm going to carry hand sanitizer everytime we go out and I'm not allowed to touch anything, like doors, shopping carts, things like that. Understandable because I contracted MRSA like that 2 years ago this week. Not a fun week in the hospital and I don't care to ever repeat that one. So I will be wearing gloves when we go out as well. We are also going to keep a close eye on my daughter, when she comes home from school, for any signs of being sick. If so we will not be sending her back to school until she's better.

Cellphone cases

Since I'm using my phone to take the pictures I ran off with my husband's phone to show the sizes of them. One is green and one blue (but made from the same skien of yarn), again they can be combined with some hair accessories and/or the flat purse. Made with 'I'm a Big Boy' colored yarn. I haven't decided if I'm going to make straps or not just yet. What do you think? The could also be used for iPod products

Hair Accessories for the sets

Again, not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. A braided one, one in green, one in blue and one of blue/green. These are designed to match the flat purse and cellphone/iPod cases. All of these items are made from the same skien of yarn, I'm a Big Boy

Flat Purse updated

This is one of the basketweave flat purses that I have been working on. Its only the shell. I still have to line it and make the straps. Again there are matching hair accessories and cellphone purses. Not the best picture since its from my phone, but you get the basic idea. :) This is made from a skien of yarn called I'm a Big Boy.

flat purse

The basketweave, flat purse is coming along nicely. I'm using the Easter Basket color and the I'm a Big Boy color and plan on lining the inside with a piece of cloth. I still need to take pictures and post them. The ones that I took of the cell phone/iPod cases just didn't come out all that well. As soon as I get them, I will post them. So far everyone that has seen them loves them. Well my daugther's favorite is the one with 2 pockets and she keeps trying to run off with it. :)

Promotion

After talking to a few people I decided that adding Twitter.com to my links would hopefully promote my shop better. So http://twitter.com/AngelsRealm is where I will be adding some short updates/links/pictures to, along with here (but at Twitter you can follow me through text updates). However here will have way more details and pictures.

I've got 3 different cellphone/iPod cases done. While the reviews from everyone around here are great, I'm still not happy with the design. Artist's choice, however. :) I think I'm going to switch over to hair ties and scrunchies while I work on another cellphone/iPod case design.

Hi everyone

Sorry its been so long since I've been around. My health took a tiny turn to the bad, but I'm back now.

I've spent the last couple of days trying to come up with a new design for a cellphone/iPod case that has a pocket for your credit cards, ID and come cash. It can be hung around your neck, over your shoulder or tied to a belt loop. So long as I can keep my daughter away from them I will be able to post a picture or two of what I have come up with. No two are going to be exactly the same, thus the charm of them. :)

I really need to post more things in the store. I have the hardest time coming up with catchy descriptions.

That's about it for now. Its time to get back to knitting. I hope you all are enjoying Spring.

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

I'm a bit stunned, and very happy. Imagine my suprise this morning when I logged into my computer and found the scarf was sold! So I went right out to the Post Office and sent it out.

Since then I have posted the matching fingerless gloves and neckwarmer/cowl. I'm working on a special request scarf at the moment. I can't wait to get the rest of my stuff up. Its so exciting.

And then there is more...

After stopping by Michales, yet again, I found THE book I have been looking for. A 'how to knit socks' book that is right at my level! I couldn't believe it. Neither could my husband, because I couldn't stop bouncing with glee. So of course this ment more yarn. ;)

Meanwhile I managed to get the basketweave patterned scarf up on the Angel's Realm etsy.com site. I can't believe just how long it takes me to post things there.

I've finished a different pattern hat yesterday. One that I've never done before, and while my husband loves his hat, I'm not all that fond of the weave. Its VERY tight, but very warm. Tonight it got to 3 degrees and he tested the hat while and about in the yard. He said that his ears and head never got cold once, so maybe I will have to post that as well.

Well I'm off to finish another scarf. :)

New Products!

Just a reminder: all handmade items in this blog are available for sale. Just email me or go to my store at Angel's Realm

A Neckwarmer/earwarmer/headband made from Lion Brand Homespun Yarn. Fiesta was my color of choice.

I'm not one to wear hats in the Winter. I tend to overheat pretty easily, *and it messes up my hair. ;)* so I came up with this. Its perfectly sized to either keep your neck warm and cozy on those really cold days and when a scarf is just too bulky. I love wearing this style as a headband/earwarmer as well. Stylish, fashionable, soft and warm. I can wear my hair up in a bun, or down like you see in the pictures.

This scarf was made with Lion Brand Homepun Yarn in Lagoon. It was knitted in a basketweave pattern so that it would lay flat, and be easier to wrap around one's neck. The second picture shows off the way the colors flow better. Its warm, but breathable so that on cold days you can wrap up your face to preven chills but not have trouble breathing. Its also long enough that you can wrap it around your neck and be able to tuck the ends into your jacket, coat or sweater.

A couple of items...

First the hat, and a close up of it, that is posted over on the angelsrealm.etsy.com site.

Its made with Lions Brand, Homespun, Windsor colored, yarn. Soft, warm, hat for anyone to wear. I can also make a scarf (in any length) in the same pattern.

Next a slightly heavier yarn:

This hat and fingerless gloves are made out of Lion Bran Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Grey Marble yarn. The gloves are a tight fit (but can strech) and are ment to cover further up the arm than most, and also cover your fingers so that your pinkie fingers are kept nice and toasty. (I will update later on putting the exact measurements here)

Now for one of my favorite items. "There's nothing like a warm fuzzy to help keep you warm in the Winter" is one of my favorite sayings. This is what I came up with.

A neckwarmer/cowl and matching fingerless gloves. I have tested this product in zero degree weather while waiting with my daughter for the bus in the morning. I had my head/neck and my nose covered and didn't get cold at all! So this exact one is one I'm keeping. However the idea, with any of the colors that I can get in Lion Bran Homespun yarn, is what I'm selling, along with matching gloves with the same yarn that is chosen.

This has been made out of Lion Brand Homespun Ocean colored yarn (acrylic and polyester) . The picture didn't come out funky. The colors really do look like that. I just love how the pattern developed. Its shades of blue and white that roll together. Its edged with Homepun Windsor yarn. The gloves are also made out of Ocean trimmed with Windsor, so that's why they aren't identical in pattern.

The neckwarmer/cowl measures 14" long and has a circumference of 21".

That's it for now. I have finished that hat that I was working on in that rainbow pattern and am working on the matching scarf.

Again everything that you see in this post is for sale. Just drop me an email and we'll talk. :)

AngelsRealmOfKnitting at Gmail dot com

More colors...

So I broke down and bought some more yarn yesterday. A few different styles that I've never worked with so we shall see what happenes. :) This morning I spend a great deal of time looking up new and different patterns to go with the new colors. (well new and different to me, anyway)

Again, Lion Brand Homespun Baroque: 'Heathered Solid'

This one is an elegant mix of violets and gray with just a hint of dark rose.

Bernat Baby Jacquards Yarn 90% Acrylic and 10% Nylon

This is called Easter Basket and its a lighter weight than I've ever used before. I thought that it would make some cute fingerless gloves.

"I'm a Big Boy" is the name for this one. I just liked the way the blues and greens flow together.

Red Heart Yarn 100% Acrylic

This is as close to the actual color that I could find. Its called Art and pretty much is a rainbow. This I'm making into a hat.

Stars and Stripes pretty much says it all. My husband thought that it would be a cute skein to work with. I have tried and tried to make this into a scarf and no matter what knit or crochet pattern I have tried it just doesn't flow right. I say this after asking 3 different people what they thought of what I had come up with. I'm going to try a hat and see what happens.

Just some of the colors that I offer

These are all Lion Brand Homespun Yarn. 98% Acrylic and 2% Polyester. As the site says: Soft, silky and beautiful. This yarn can't be beat for softness and sheer-touchability. Please note that some colors have long, slow color variations that cause them to subtly stripe. This is deliberate and adds to the beauty of the finished garment; such yarns are designated as their 'painterly' colors

Ocean: 'Painterly'

True blue and soft white..

Lagoon: 'Painterly' A cool combination of dark gray and sapphire with flecks of dark green and chocolate.

Fiesta: 'Painterly' medium green with intgense purple, red and gold..

Windsor: 'Painterly' Medium blue, lavender, and a touch of green envoke the gardens of Windsor..

Sometime in the near future I will have more colors to post. I also will have some Alpaca yarn that I will be using. I can't wait. As you can probably tell, I prefer working with multi colored yarn. However if you have a solid color in mind just email me and I will see what I can come up with.

A new begining

My knitting is going very well. So much so that I have even begun to make my own patterns for things. I find it very hard to understand most patterns that I have found on the net, so I have begun making my own. Of course I make mistakes here and there and have to pull out stiches sometimes, but its all a learning process.

I have found that knitting is VERY theraputic and relaxing. I also enjoy seeing people wearing what I have made.

Soon I will post some pictures of my progress. For right now, I'm still setting up shop here and at angelsrealm.etsy.com

About me.....

Hello and welcome to my Realm. I'm a stay-at-home-mom who has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Lupus, and Diabetes. (thus the awareness ribbons in my shop's banner) Talk about one heck of a combination, right? I like to think that I have eclectic tastes. :)

My Great-grandma was the first person who tried to teach me to knit, then Grandma, then my Mom before they all gave up before I graduated High School.

Just in the past year my RSD has spread through out my body, I was diagnosed with Lupus and Type 2 Diabetes so finding work has been a bit difficult to say the least. I began taking up knitting as something to just get my mind off things. I had plenty of time, between being a stay-at-home-mom and waiting in the doctors offices, so I began knitting again. It is so relaxing to me, so I figured why not give it a shot selling some of what I make.

I've also begun desiging my own patterns because I find it hard to understand a lot of what is out there. I also do a bit of crochet, making jewlery and friendship bracelets. I've been known to go on a baking spree, as well, making up to 6 loaves of home-made breads in one day. (My family never has to get store bought bread)

I'm still setting up my Etsy store so please be patient with me. I will have some Alpaca yarn soon, so I'm looking forward to working with that. Also I'm learning how to knit socks.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy your stay, check out my store and come back soon!

~Angel