2011 Thing a Week - Year in Review

So after making a thing a week for a year I have to say it was pretty dang easy. If I was only knitting things it would have been much more difficult, but with sewing I can get something done in an hour or less. If I forget to make something, at the end of the week I can put something together after Minnie goes to sleep and still get to bed on time. Knitting things definitely takes more time and planning.

It's also been nice to make so many gifts this year. It doesn't take much time to knit up a hat or sew some burp cloths, but it's so much fun to see people using the things you've made. I've made presents for baby showers and birthdays, but I didn't make holiday presents this year. Well, I started one that I messed up a bit, and I still haven't fixed it. Sorry, Mom! I'll get it to you at some point!

One thing I need to work on this next year is my blog. Sorry friend, you've been terribly neglected. I get so excited about making things but I don't spend much time recording what I've done. I also need to work on some tutorials for things I've made, like that dang shirt bib, so that you can make them too! I also need to post some on my works in progress. I can even post gifts as the recipient won't know it's for them, right?

So, holiday presents and blog. Anything else I should work on for 2012? (I totally wrote that as 2011)

Here's some of my favorite projects from this year:

Coasters for Melissa

I wear these socks all the time.

Shirt Bibs!

Yellow Dress

Sunshine Sweater

2011 Thing a Week - Week 52 - Drawstring Bag

One thing I'm bad at with my knitting is keeping things organized. I tend to just shove everything in my knitting bag (which I love, thank you hubs), and this can cause a problem as sometimes the double pointed needles will fall out of the knitting or the yarn will get twisted. This was an extra big problem lately as the sweater I was knitting is now put aside to make some gifts. It takes up so much space in the knitting bag that it was hard to look under it for the needles to yarn that was underneath.

I sewed up a project bag this week to keep the sweater in. I'm thinking I should sew up a few more so I can keep each project in its own bag. Maybe it's just a sign that I'm in a sewing mood rather than a knitting mood?

Oh, and I sewed up a few coaster sets to give as gifts. I really need some for myself since the coasters are a little too hard when Minnie throws them at us. I only took a picture of one set. I've got extra of the green fabric so I may make some more for us. I love this Nicey Jane fabric!

2011 Thing a Week - Week 51 - Double Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies

So Dana from MADE posted this super yummy recipe and I knew I had to make them. I especially like that they are not super sweet. I think her photography helps to make them look extra yummy. With my camera is was hard to make them not look like poo.

I love them. I haven't made cookies in a long while and this was a great recipe to get back into it. They really are best to eat right out of the oven or within a day or so. After that they are terrific as double dark chocolate chip cookies with a bit of a crunch. Over time the pomegranate seeds will lose their juice and the cookies will become more moist. They are still super terrific, just less pomegranatey.

2011 Thing a Week - Week 50 - Toddler Bed

So this week we put together a toddler bed for Minnie. I know it's kind of a lame thing to post as my Thing this week since all I did was put it together, but I can't show you the other things I've been making because they're gifts. Here she is after her first night.

On the second night she started out on the bed but then she slept on the floor with the bottom half of her body under the bed. Silly bear.

2011 Thing a Week - Week 49 - Purple Sundress

It's been a few months since I made her last simple sundress, and even though it still fits (more as a top than a dress) I thought it was time to make her a new one. Hubs picked out the fabric, and I was bummed at first because I didn't have a coordinating print for the tie. I went with a solid white bow and I actually really like it.

I whipped this up in like an hour and a half because on Friday evening I realized I didn't have anything made for the week. I sewed up this dress after Minnie went to sleep and still had time to cuddle on the couch with the hubs. He's been all about playing Skyrim lately, and he wasn't even super excited about getting it. Anyway, it always surprises me how quickly this dress comes together, and how well it looks. Pattern available here.

2011 Thing a Week - Week 48 - Kukui Nut Leis

This week I made Kukui Nut Leis! The hotel has a class they offer once a week. They have baskets with the different colors of nuts and you get to pick your own and arrange them how you like. We made some last year too, and I'll try to get a picture when we get back.

This is supposed to be for my mother in law, but Minnie loves this.

I made this one for myself.

This is the one I made for Minnie. She likes to wear both rainbow
leis at once.

2011 Thing a Week - Week 47 - Toddler Socks

Now that it has gotten cold, I wanted to whip up some socks for Minnie. Her cotton socks just are not warm at all, so I wanted to knit her some wool socks to keep her little toesies warm.

I really liked the look of this pattern, but when I knit to the heel flap, I realized the front was 1/2" shorter than the back due to the slipped stitches. Since I wanted to finish these quickly as it was getting cold at night, I just used her numbers but did a plain stockinette stitch.

I want to make these again using the slipped stitch because they are so cute!

2011 Thing a Week - Week 46 - Swirl Hat

A coworker of my Mom's had a baby a few months ago, and I've been meaning to make a hat. I remember talking with him years and years ago when I would go into work with my Mom.
They don't work in the same building anymore, but it's always nice when people keep in touch. My mom came over today to play with Minnie, so I knit up this hat while she was here.

My little tired model.

I really like this hat pattern, because it knits up quickly, looks great on boys or girls, and is very stretchy hat so it fits for a wider range of time.

Halloween Pictures

For organizational reasons, I backdated the 31 Days of Halloween pictures to their proper dates in 2010 and 2011. You can see them with the label links at:

http://www.mamamelcrafts.com/search/label/2010halloween

http://www.mamamelcrafts.com/search/label/2011halloween

2011 Thing a Week - Week 45 - Cabled Cardigan

So I designed another sweater for the kiddo. It turned out a lot better than the last one.

I pulled the cabling off another pattern and I love it. There's a little wonkiness at the top of the braided cable but I'l try to ignore it. I think it needs to be cabled and that it'd lay flatter.

The color's off but you can see the cabling a bit better.

Oh, and thanks for the hat Melissa! She doesn't keep it on for that long but she looks super cute when she does!

2011 Thing a Week - Week 44 - Fox Hat

Another adorable baby gift!

Minnie modeling the hat.

So I owed a friend'a daughter a gift. The two gifts I had made for her birthday hadn't worked out; maybe I will post them later.

So I let April pick the gift and she wanted a hat for her little girl. I found this adorable pattern and decided to make it into a little fox hat to go with her daughter's red hair. I hope she likes it!

I think I need to knit a second one...

2011 Halloween - Day 31

Little Lamb

Bonus:

Rainbow 2011

2011 Halloween - Day 30

Mario and Luigi

2011 Halloween - Day 29

Parrot and her Pirates

2011 Thing a Week - Week 43 - Hemlock Ring Blanket

So I finally knit up a Hemlock Ring Blanket.

Sorry about my head.

It's for my Gramma, for her birthday. I actually knit it wrong. Oops! In between the lace rows of the feather and fan part you're supposed to knit 4 rows in stockinette. I only knit 3. I think it makes it lacier, which isn't exactly what you want with a blanket, but I didn't realize the mistake until I was almost done, a few days before her birthday. I didn't have time to rip it and re-knit, but I think it looks ok. What about you?

Super lacy.

I know, crappy photos.

2011 Halloween - Day 28

Bee and her Flower

2011 Halloween - Day 27

3 Fast 3 Furious

2011 Halloween - Day 26

Sign Spinner

2011 Halloween - Day 25

Vincent van Gogh

2011 Halloween - Day 24

Hula Girl

2011 Halloween - Day 23

Phantom of the Opera

2011 Halloween - Day 22

Ken from Street Fighter

2011 Thing a Week - Week 42 - Purse

So I made another purse for one of Minnie's friends. We went to her second birthday party and I whipped this up in the morning before we left.

It's a little bigger than the original but it still works. I think I've got the sizing down for next time.

I hope she likes it!

2011 Halloween - Day 21

Star Burns from Community

2011 Halloween - Day 20

Sim

2011 Halloween - Day 19

Captain Hammer fan club members

2011 Halloween - Day 18

Charlie Brown and the kite-eating tree

2011 Halloween - Day 17

Sue Sylvester

2011 Halloween - Day 16

Mummy

2011 Halloween - Day 15

Gwen Stacy

2011 Thing a Week - Week 41 - Hummus

On Monday I cooked a ton of garbanzo beans for hummus. I just cooked all the beans that we had and it made 10 or 12 cups or something. A little ridiculous. So I will be making this hummus recipe often in the upcoming weeks.

The good news is that Minnie likes it now! The first few times I made it she didn't like it, which is a bummer as it's a good source of protein, but she gobbled it up with a spoon this time. I had made it with less garlic (the amount the recipe calls for; I usually add in an extra half a clove or so) but it could just be that she's used to the texture now.

It's yummy and super easy. Try it!

2011 Halloween - Day 14

Star Trek Red Shirt

2011 Halloween - Day 13

Woodstock and Snoopy

2011 Halloween - Day 12

Mexican wrestlers

2011 Halloween - Day 11

Hello Kitty

2011 Halloween - Day 10

Fatal Attraction

2011 Halloween - Day 9

Terminator