It's a Blond Hedgehog!

It turned out to be a blond instead of an albino hedgehog. And yes, those are eyelashes you see. The leaf is strategically placed, because this hedgehog has boobs!

This was going to be a practice piece, and it turned out rather cute, except for the puckering of the tummy after it was felted. I'll pay more attention to the tummy increases on the next one I knit. At first, I embroidered the eyes and nose, but I didn't like how they turned out. The pattern says they could be needle felted on, something I didn't have any idea how to do. But, after a google search, I figured out what I needed to know. I had to have a special needle. Of course, I went out to buy one right away. All for the eyes and nose. And eyelashes

Rare Hedgehog Sighting

The rare sighting of a knitted hedgehog has been in the road in front of OC knitters house. This unstuffed, unfelted creature could be either a blond or an albino hedgehog. The difference could not be determined as it is missing it's eyes and nose (the only way to tell). It was probably trying to cross the road. Will the stuffing get put in? Will it get eyes and nose? Stay tuned.

What Have I Done Lately

OK OK, so I'm not blogging very often. I never said I was going to be very good at this. I've been resting. It's been too hot. etc., etc. I did finish one project, though. It was about 98% completed, so I got it out & finished it. A felted purse called Blue Hawaii from the Pursenalities book, made with stash yarn. Felting is a great way to reduce the size of your stash. Before felting this was 26" wide by 15" high. Now it's about 14" wide by 10" high. It came out quite nicely, if I do say so.

Busy Weekend

raccoon on the porch

The OC Knitter has been very busy. What, you say? Doing something other than knitting? Well, the weekend started out with a lecture at the meeting of the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancectral Research (SHHAR). The subject was early California. I have an interest in genealogy and spend a lot of time looking up family and friends. After the meeting, a drive up to the mountains for a family get together, (with a visit from the above raccoon) a Pancake Breakfast put on by the Rotary Club & shopping at yard sales. And no knitting. All this with sciatica pain. I'm resting now.

Another Hedgehog?

Can you guess what my next project is going to be? I had to have this pattern as soon as I saw it. I have had a thing about hedgehogs for several years. And a large collection. This shows only a very, very small section. I'll be looking through my stash for some appropriate yarn. This is bound to be a project that I'll actually finish.

Knitting Weather

A rare late spring storm is bringing rain over the OC tonight. Just the sort of weather for curling up on the couch and knitting. But wait - any weather is knitting weather to an obsessive knitter!

Mason-Dixon Washcloth

I checked out the new Mason-Dixon Knitting book from the library. It's written by two knitting bloggers in a folksy, chatty way. It was entertaining to read, but, I wasn't interested in many of the projects. I knit this up fast, it's a
chenille washcloth - looks more like a gift bag. I made it without the bobbles. More decorative than useful. (The bar of soap is from the Marukai 98 cents plus store).

Flowers for my Anniversary

Alstroemeria

Epiphyllum

In honor of my one month blog anniversary, I present you with flowers from my garden.
And you thought all I ever did was knit! Well, almost. I do enjoy a bit of gardening, too.

More Spirals

This is the finished spiral bag from Oneskein. It was knit without the tabs in the pattern. It just didn't look right with the tabs, maybe because of the chunky yarn. Not the yarn called for, but something from my stash. I tried to set the picture like the one in the book. Don't you think it looks good? Of course, I'm not sure what use I would have for this bag. An idea will come to me if I wait long enough.

Big Mama's Hat

Hat knit for Eunice's grandmother, affectionately called Big Mama by her family. Knit from Patons Devine. One skein made two hats. The first hat given to Big Mama was made BB (before blog) in a feather and fan pattern. This one is a favorite pattern in a simple yarn over stitch. Big Mama sent a bottle of wine as a thank you. Not necessary, but very much appreciated!