Football!

     So recently I was honored by the wonderful blog mistress, Aly, to join her list of guest bloggers on this wonderful site and I have been going crazy trying to think of something to blog about. THANK YOU, ALY!!!  I have been knitting for a number of years, on straights, until recently when I taught myself (through Youtube) how to use DPN's. My first project on DPN's was a pair of Spiral Tube socks but I wanted to do more! Enter football season!

Finished football

     I am a HUGE football fan....I will not name my favorite team since other football fans are opinionated (JUST LIKE ME!) and I would not want to offend anyone while I am a guest blogger (I bleed green and gold, however!) Football season opened this year on 9/8/2011 which happened to coincide with the birth of my great-nephew! My team, which happens to be his mothers team as well, played and WON the game! So I decided my next project would be a knit football! It has double meaning: a gift for my great-nephew AND he is my football good luck charm!

On the needles

     I searched all over Ravelry.com for a pattern I could use on straights to make the football. Then I remembered: I know how to use DPN's!!! As soon as I realized this (after smacking my forehead loudly!) I found the perfect pattern! "Plush Football" by Ali Tong! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/plush-football 

     As this is the first toy I have ever done on DPN's I think I should share what I learned:

          1. Stitch markers, marking the first round, really are IMPORTANT! Especially if you set the knit    down (like I do) to walk the dog, eat dinner, drive (really why can't I learn how to drive and knit at the same time?) or because you have a million WIP's and want to work on them all at once!

          2. When changing colors, (I have never done this before so it is something new for me!) do not do it on the increase or decrease rounds because then it will look...well....wonky.

          3. Make sure you knit it in the right direction! I know...I know! This is a no-brainer but when you have never used DPN's before sometimes you get confused and do it backwards! I had to re-do a row because of this!

          4. And finally....as cute as the football is....it is a GIFT! I cannot keep the football!

Inside shot

Side view

   I really loved making this football and cannot wait to see my handsome great-nephew with the little ball in his hands (ummm....ok...next to him because he is a baby and cannot hold it himself). And I already have several other family members asking for a football in their team colors!

     Thank you, Aly for allowing me to guest blog! If anyone wants to see anymore of my projects feel free to pop over to my blog...http://mad4marvin.blogspot.com/

With laces showing!

Angry Birds!

So, I don't know about you, but W (my boyfriend) is OBSESSED with playing Angry Birds on his iPhone.  I looked for a pattern to make some Angry-Birds-inspired dolls, but could only find crochet! Story of my life, really.  I told myself that "I'll just have to figure something out myself." And, of course, they haven't been made yet.

But, OMG. I looked on Ravelry and the amazing Shirley knitterbees has designed and written the pattern for both the red bird and the green piggie! For those 2% of people not familiar with the game, don't worry, I have photographic evidence!

The Red Bird:

Image © Shirley knitterbees

Green Pig:

Image © Shirley knitterbees

Even if you don't know someone that's obsessed with the game, they're still REALLY cute! Truthfully, I think these knit versions look way better than any of the crochet ones, but I'm biased. Seriously, why don't these amazing patterns have more fav's, queues, and projects on Ravelry!? It's a mystery!