Hope everyone is having a great new year!

Doctor Who... inspiration again

Of course, I had to have a TARDIS door... but then I got to looking at my watering can that I leave beside the door... hmmmmmm

 and close up....

Dalek Watering can!

I spray painted it yellow (it was green, and needs a bit more paint) 

and then painted on the black bits. I like it!

New year...old projects.

I am on a "finish my UFOs" kick this year.
Here are the Oak Grove mitts finished!

I received the pattern, yarn, square (yes square) needles, and stitch markers to make these in my TOKmas Christmas swap 2013. The yarn is Madelaine Tosh-Geode. It is sooo pretty in person. Sometimes it looks brown, sometimes it looks purple. Cool. In case you can't see well enough, there is a big oak leaf on the backs of the mitts. And, I must say, I love the Cubics square dpns! 

I also just finished making this little guy. 

Mortimer Mandrake... he is crocheted.

BEEDO BEEDO BEEDO BEEDO

Hey, y'all! I just finished putting up some more Minion stitch markers on Etsy! Anyone interested can buy these little guys in my shop.. named battatter.
Here's a pic! They fit any needle up to size 11.  If you prefer smaller needles, I can make them with smaller rings. Just 'convo' me.

New Year, new, well not really, knit projects.

Whoa.. haven't posted in a while.
So... I decided this year, 2014, I am going to finish my UFOs. UnFinished  Objects, for those who don't know. I have a few. I usually do a lot of swaps, but I haven't seen any that interest me for quite a while, so, I am doing the UFO thing.
First off.. Just Batty Socks. I am almost finished with them! I have sock one done, and  most of sock two done. I LOVE these socks! They are my very first pair of socks knitted by me! I bought the pattern for myself for Christmas, (friends and family are not on Ravelry, so can't see my wishlist there).
I used purple and black instead of the recommended orange and black. Yes, the orange would show the pattern more, but I love purple and black together.
I also left of the first chart, because I wanted shorter ankle socks instead of knee socks. I was unsure about the 'chemistry' of making them fit, but somehow it worked out! They fit!
Here's a picture of sock one.

I love that checkerboard bottom!

For my next UFO... my Bat Shawl. Yes, I did do a Bat shawl a while back in worsted, but I began one in lace weight yarn quite some time ago. I will be gorgeous when it is finished, as the yarn is beautiful. I just have to finish it. 

Here is a pic of the beginning of it...

you can't see in this pic how pretty the yarn is, but I'll post more when it is finished. It is purple, black, blue.. it is called Galaxy.

Plus the bats eyes are purple glass beads. My idea, not part of the pattern.

wooooooo Halloween!

OMG... what fun I had in the Halloween swaps!
Here is what I received in the MINI, yes, I said mini, Hootin' Halloween swap.  This was unbelieveable!  The cowl, has giant spiders knitted into it.  She sent all the yarn to make the mittens I wanted, plus the pattern, the jewelry and the zombie (!) stitch markers she got from etsy. I kept saying to myself as I openned the packages.."this is crazy!" Wow, I loved everything soooo much! Thank you Diabro!

This is what I sent my spoilee...angiedawnc
The felted witch hat (full size) I hand needle felted the sun and moon on. It was a favorite logo of hers. I made the cat bag, stitchers, cat box, cat ornament, and owl pin.

In another swap, the Creatures of the Night mini swap, it was a personal swap I did with ChrisFixedKitty, here's what she sent me...

I love everything! The yarn bowl ..which has a Doctor Who 'crack in the wall" crack in the glaze, the bee necklace and there are earrings to match too, the bat bag, cute little bat, stitchers galore, zombie duck...and a bone tatting shuttle and thread winder!!!!!!

Here is what I sent her. She is really into steampunk so..

...I made her a steampunkin! haha.. And an adorable, if I do say so myself, steampunky Octopus knitting a bat scarf. She also wants to get into tatting, so I sent a tatting book and a bookmark I designed myself. Mint Meltaways..something she loves but can't get where she lives. I had never had them. wow.. they are good!

And finally, my last Halloween Vampire swap from knitredsox...

 the cloth is a giant skull and crossed bones, adorable bat bag, bat cookie cutter, and I adore the bat acrylic necklace! 

Here is what I sent my swap partner. She liked Twilight, so got Bella's mittens and a headband that matched, and some other cool stuff.

Oh yeah, I had a wonderful time Halloween swapping this year!!!

OMG what was I thinking!?

 As you may know if you read my blogs.. I love Halloween.  So, when the opportunity came about to be in a Halloween swap, I jumped at it.... um 4 times. Yeah, I am crazy.
Luckily, one was a small swap, with a small budget and small requirements. (though, I did go over the required items a bit). And, only two at a time overlap, so, that is helpful, too.  And when I shop for one, I can shop for them all at the same time. Well, all but one, as it starts soon, and I don't have my partner yet. All of these swaps are on Ravelry.com.
I am in the Tiny Owl Knits Hootin' Halloween mini swap.. it is only a month long and the small budget. It is finished except for something I ordered which had to be re-ordered because they sent the wrong color. It ends Oct 15th, so.. it is almost over.
I am also in the Halloween Vampire Swap.  It is coming along great, I think she will be pleased with her items. This one ends Oct. 19th.. I have a couple of weeks left to craft for this.
I am also in the Creatures of the Night swap.  I have not gotten my partner yet, but soon! It ends at the end of Nov. so, I have lots of time there.
I was also contacted by ChrisFixedKitty, and asked if I wanted to do a small "Creatures" swap with her while doing the big one. I said yes. WHAT? am I nuts. No, I just love Halloween. I have never been in a Halloween swap on Ravelry, per se, so I guess I am going a little overboard this year! haha. (I did receive a Halloween themed "holiday' swap once...a couple of years ago, but I didn't send out a Halloween package.)
This one, we decided, should be mailed by Oct. 25, so we could both have our packages by Halloween. I don't understand why the "Creatures" one ends in Nov. but.. oh well!
   I also signed up for a Christmas swap. The Tiny Owl Knits group is having a TOKmas swap.  I have received my partner, and have been making plans. The package must arrive before Dec 15 (so I have time), and we are all (well as many as can do) meet up on the internet at the same time to open our gifts! It will be and internet Christmas, well TOKmas, party. This should be fun. I have never been in a Christmas swap, either!
Well, I had better stop writing and get to crafting! I have a lot to do!!!!!!!

Star Trek swap 2013

How could I not be in a Star Trek swap? I have watched and loved it since it first appeared on my TV in the 60's! So, here is what I created for my swap partner Entropy..

she said she loved amigurumi toys, but couldn't make them. I made her the crew of the Enterprise, plus a little kitty mascot.. and Tribbles! I also crocheted her crew insignia coasters. I made her a "Boldy Go" shawl pin, stitch markers, project bags, and the calendar cover is a copy of a painting I made years ago. I also beaded her a Spock bracelet!

Here is what I received from my swap partner caranam!

First of all it all came in the fabulous handmade tote!!

She wrote me a little story, and I was to open each gift when the story said to do so. It was fun! I got glow suns and stars, a book "Redshirts", a bat dishcloth, iron on, a Tribble who cries!, a Tricorder box (so clever) that had puppy snips in it, a Wrath of Khan journal, some awesome malabrigo and hand-dyed yarn, and the BEST LEMON COOKIES EVER!

And the absolute best...

UHURA SHAWLETTE!

Doctor Who -apaloosa Swap!!! 2013

This swap was for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. I love DW, and have watched it for years!
Here is what I made  my swap partner Zara

as you can see, I go a little overboard when it comes to Doctor Who. I tatted her Anne's bookmark, and I also tatted her a Starry Night and the Tardis necklace. I made up the little Tardis, and used little Celtic knots in the necklace. The Dalek bag was the hardest thing to make... as sewing machines hate me.

Here is what I received from Skienymom.

Wow. I love the giant Doctor tote,  the shirts she painted ( I wear them all the time!) and the welcome mat, well everything! The shoes, she had a friend paint, and I love them as well and wear them constantly! So much fun!!!!

Swaps The Big Bang Theory...

Wow.. it has been a while since I posted!
Ok, let's see.
Here is what I made for my swap partner twowackykids in The Big Bang Theory swap which was in Feb!

This is what I received from my swap partner..

Misskineta. I LOVE the Oncoming storm/Dalek mitts!

Zombie Girl...Lori Grimes

So, the Knitting Dead group I am in decided to have a contest. We are to create a zombie girl, and the winning girl will be shipped to each of the members to have a photo op with each of us. Think, travelling gnome? Anyway, I decided to create a Lori Grimes doll.
SPOILERS.. DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCH SEASON 2 OF TWD!
 Lori, for those who don't know, was on the Walking Dead. She was the wife of Rick, the leader of the survivors, and she was always 'misplacing' her child Carl, and stirring up trouble. Anyway she died a pretty horrible death in childbirth, and then Carl, her 13 yr old son, had to shoot her in the head to prevent her from becoming a zombie. Poor kid. Anyway, my Zombie Girl doll is based on what Lori may have become if Carl's bullet had somehow missed its mark, and she had become a zombie.
WARNING... GRAPHIC ICKY DEAD ZOMBIE PHOTO BELOW...

Zombie Lori Grimes

Back of ZLG (brain with Carl's bullet sticking out)

Scary face!!!

So bad.. she scared Rebel!!!

Wish me luck that my ZGL wins!

 

 

First Ever Knitting Dead BOB Swap!

Hello! As you may know, I am on Ravelry. There are many many 'groups' on there, and one of mine is called The Knitting Dead... based on The Walking Dead tv show. We talk about the show, watch the show together, and knit, among other things, Zombies.
Well, we just had our first swap, and it was a doozy! The BOB in the title is for Bug out Bag. It is the bag you have prepacked with whatever you need to survive. We had to create a bag for our swap partner. Here is what I created for my swap partner, Coleyann. As you can see, she has a bag, a brain bag, Kindle cover(with Dalek and Tardis), Arrow ink pen, Zombie shawl pin, Dalek hat, Zombie pin cushion, T shirt, survival kit, Cashmere yarn, earrings, Zombie stitch markers, fabric buttons,keychain and toy of our beloved Daryl, patterns and treats for her and her dog. I had a ball creating most everything.

And here, is what I received from my spoiler, WonderWhyGal. She has her own business, and sent me a BUNCH of stuff that she usually sells. Oh was I spoiled!

Two, count them two books, Rick Grimes doll, chocolate Daryl's motorcycle, bat ribbon, knitting wash, bat stickers, so cute zombie stitch markers, awesome wet felted bag with zombie pins (really? this thing took a ton of work!!), TWD calendar, Bat Bag, a project bag from her business with a cute alpaca on it, sweet little knitted bat I named Dixon, Goat milk soaps, Yeti breath lip balm(it is soooo smoooth!) great smelling little candle, and the yarn, oh the yarn! Four skeins of awesome alpaca!!! So soft! I was really spoiled!!!

Here is the first Zombie Feltie I made from the book. I love him!

 

Chinese Dragon shawl... FINISHED 12-12-12!!!

Yatta! My Dragon shawl is finished! I love it so much! I thought after all the work I did on it, that I wouldn't want to do the beaded edging, but, it needed to be done, and I finished it today, on 12-12-12! What a great way to remember!
Here is the photo.. click on it to see it larger.

It is 68 inches at the widest point, a great size for me! I used around 1000 beads, give or take a few, on the edge. Wow, I can't believe I did it! I actually had to go online to learn to filet crochet, THAT'S how much I wanted this shawl.  I found a mistake on row 16 or so, when I was on row 18, so I had to rip back two rows, but really that was the only problem. I used 4 balls of crochet cotton (it called for 5), but I have heard others used more than 5.  The pattern was in the Interweave Crochet Magazine, Fall 2012.

If you are on Ravelry, you can see my project page (battatter) with pictures from the beginning and LOTS of notes.

Can I say, I LOVE THIS SHAWL!

Chinese Dragon Shawl

Well, I haven't been knitting, but I have been crocheting. During the LOTR swap, a shawl was shown that I fell in love with. But the problem was, it was filet crocheted, and I didn't know how to do that (really, I am only a single crochet gal, doing mostly amigurmi, or toys).

So, I hunkered down and went online and learned to filet crochet. It is taking me a while to make this shawl, called the Chinese Dragon shawl, but it is going to be so worth it! I am hoping to have it finished before Christmas.  The pattern is in Interweave Crochet fall 2012. I can't show a picture, 'cos they are copywritten, but here is what I have so far of mine... if you can see, the wings are showing!

I have more than this finished at the moment, but not a recent photo. More to come!

Lord of the Rings swap 2012!

Oh, my gosh, this was such an epic swap! You would not believe the amount of work and creativity people put into their packages!
I tried my best, and think I did ok. My spoilee was ashpags, and here is what she got.

She got a chunky leaf shawl, with a real Mallorn leaf pin. Fellowship stitch markers I made, with a glow in the dark Gandalf. Felted quiver with a mallorn leaf to hold knitting needles or a water bottle. Celtic tatted necklace, knitted leafy mitts (I really love those!), Eye of Sauron pin cushion, hand painted Tree of Gondor shirt, tatted spider and web bookmark, leaf fabric,  moon and star bracelet ('cos she is an astronomer!), and since it was her birthday, I made a little Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy necklace of a whale and a petunia.
 She also received haribu candy, Crunchies (dried fruit), and a few patterns.  Oh, and she also received THE ONE RING!. I don't know why I didn't have a photo of it. hm.

Then, I waited patiently for my package. And when it arrived... well, I was floored!
Looooooky!

Can you believe she made all of this for me!? First the Smaug socks. Yes, I said socks! So beautiful! She made this giant Smaug dragon quilted project bag! It is fabulous!  Next, Endomiel mittens with Arwen's necklace as the cable pattern. Gorgeous! She also made me this super awesome Dragon's Egg purse. I love it so!

Really, there was more! I couldn't believe it. She hand covered this journal and gave me pens in my favorite colors, knitted a Shelob square to go on my Ravelry Halloween afghan,  she made the Elven ear cuffs (sooo cute!). She also got me some crystals and hand wired one to make a necklace. Also, a dragon bookmark and keychain, beautiful little stitch markers, raspberry tea, no bake cookies (they are almost gone now!), and she made Rebel a rattle toy dog bone and sent him some chicken treats. (which he LOVED). Finally, she sent the rest of the leftover yarn from the socks which turned out to be 160 yards. And, some other beautiful blue and black yarn. She hand dyed the yarns, so they are even more special! Wow.. I made out like a bandit, didn't I.  YEAH!!! Thanks to Hermionejean!!!

Star Wars swap to and fro!

I had the pleasure of being in a Star Wars swap recently. This is what I made for my swap partner, Caitinc.

She loves Keroppi, and so I made her a Keroppi Yoda. I also made the Ewok purse, hood for the vintage ewok, Yoda hat for her dog, (being modelled by Rebel), a Journal with an original Ewok toy cover, Stitch markers, Han Solo soap, Tatted necklace she liked on Etsy(I made her a copy), light saber needle holder, Nightmare before Christmas stitch markers, little Millennium Falcon necklace. I also bought her dpn holders, candy, Wookie Cook Book, yanr, and gave her some vintage cups and Kneesa bank I had.
Here's what I received from my partner. Well, she wasn't my original partner. My original partner
'flaked' on me, and they had to get someone to fill in for her. As a result, I received the package over a month later. But, it was worth the wait! And You-von did a great job!

She sent me a very cool t shirt with Jack Russells on it, yay! She also sent these uber soft mitts, gorgeous yarns, and all the toys! There is a SW tin box full of stickers, little Yoda, mini figurines and extras, playing cards,  and Mug and insulated cup (I use those every day!) and a blow up light sabre. You can see.. Rebel likes playing with that! Thanks a bunch You-von!!

Harry Potter swap.. from ladymay

Wow. Want to see what I received from ladymay? First, I received this HUGE box! (I couldn't stop saying "holy crap"!haha..)

You can see how big it is compared to my big boy Rebel.

Open says me...

Look at all the packages.. plus one not shown..

My very own mandrake! And the gloves to handle it with! I named it Manny.

Cute little project bag and doggy fabric!!!

Tons of candy from Honeydukes..yum

Mini skeins, and project bag from "Lily".

Cool calendar that talks, my patronus.. dog, HP book, sorcerer's stone, Butterbeer mug,

and my new favorite thing to eat... cracked pepper triscuits!

Phoenix project bag and ribbon

HP postcards and bag from exhibit!!

Beautiful yarns and large picture of gifts.

Closer view of yarn and counter and scissors.

Patterns! Yeah! I love these patterns.. and have since made two shawls

from one of them!

And last but not least.. slippers. So comfy!

See? I got really spoiled! Thanks so much ladymay.