Shower Curtain + One Use for Old Socks

I decided to try my hand last summer at making a custom shower curtain.  Since it's difficult to find a 72" fabric bolt at a traditional fabric store, I sewed two panels together like so with a bit of trim to hide the seam:

The new shower curtain

For the left panel, I chose gray-on-black owl print for a bit of fun.  When it came time to decorate the office/guestroom across the hall, I decided to make stuffed owls to match.  The bodies are stuffed old socks, the wings and eyes crocheted circles, and the beaks crocheted triangles.

Cozy little owls (and a pillow with hot-glued ribbon roses)

Other Favorite Gift for New Parents

I saw this pointy elf hat on Drops (http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=5433&lang=us) and fell in love.  At the time, I was not comfortable with knitting and stuck entirely to crochet.  But once I started knitting again a year and a half ago, the pull was irresistible.  I've since made three.  They're pretty simple.  I usually use a bamboo sock blend, and it only takes one 50g skein.

An Adventure in Arm Knitting

Looking to add some color to my living room, I decided to try my hand (or shall I say arms) at an arm-knitted throw for the couch.  The pattern is given in this Drops video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsvwDCFB7Lo, although I found this blog with pictures of the technique to be essential for getting the tension tight enough: http://www.flaxandtwine.com/2014/02/arm-knitting-how-to-photo-tutorial-part-2-knitting/.  As it turns out, the secret is in how you grab the yarn with your thumb and turn the newly-formed stitch to put it on your other "needle."

Hope you enjoy this bit of craziness.  No, I did not take any pictures while it was on my arms.


The finished project will be on the blog as soon as I can copy the picture off the camera... which may be a while :)

Close-up of arm-knitted stockinette

 

Three skeins of Lion-Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick

My Favorite Craft for New Parents

Gray girly socks with picot trim

Striped forest green elf-inspired socks for a boy or a girl

I found the pattern on Drops, of course: http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=4909.  These are pretty simple to knit because they are basically a rectangle that you fold in half and sew together.