Knitting Sandwich

my most favorite thing about knitting for other people

the best part about knitting for other people (especially other people's children) is when they send you a photo of said knitted item being used.  for example: i knit a baby blanket for dear anna over at anna's creative corner.  it was the seedling blanket (rav link) and my photos of the finished project looked like this:

 yup, that's a picture of a blanket... sometimes peapod sticks her nose in my business and tries to help liven up the photoshoots:

 but nothing, i repeat, *nothing* beats getting a photo like this in your inbox:

 i mean look at those cheeks!  that sweet baby face... i can barely stand it!  want to see more of sweet max wrapped up in his new blanket?  check out anna's beautiful photos in this post from her blog.

one more example, if you'll indulge me (and trust me, it'll be worth it): for mateo's 2nd birthday lillian wanted to write him a book about cows (his favorite animal, at least it was when we were visiting last fall) and commissioned me to crochet a little cow toy (rav link) to go along with the book:

 again, no photo i could have taken can beat the photo claire sent us as a thank you:

 now that right there is enough to melt my heart and make a crafty gift giver as happy as can be!  but claire didn't stop there, a few days later some videos arrived in my inbox which pair up perfectly with the photos i had taken and are without a doubt *the* most adorable thing you will watch today:

 

dedication from melissa martensen on Vimeo.

 

 

cow in a tree from melissa martensen on Vimeo.

 

 can you stand his little voice?!?  it's just the sweetest thing ever!

 so thank you to both anna and claire for being such gracious gift recipients and making the giving of gifs *that* much more special!

-melissa

red scarf project 2014

my donation to this year's red scarf project is finished!  i love this project and i know i've talked about it over and over in the past, so we'll cut to the chase and you can click here for the rav group, or here for the official web page if you want to learn more.  they're accepting scarves until december 15th, and i would encourage you to grab some red yarn and knit up a scarf!

 this year's scarf is a 3x3 slip stitch scarf (rav link) knit up in some lion brand wool-ease.  i love this pattern because it is so squishy and thick and it never ever ever tries to roll up even a little bit.  

 i love this yarn because it's soft and warm and most importantly for college students - it's machine washable.

 and while we're at it, i love my scarf model because she completely cracks me up!  here she is plotting... something... adorably devious!

-melissa

p.s. don't think for a minute that i forgot about pip in that first picture, he is my very sweet kittyboy and i love him a terrible lot.

yarn along 05.07.14

 

joining ginny at small things for this week's yarn along:

 crocheting: just working away on my hexagon afghan for my niece... you'll be happy to know that since implementing the chart system i have had no further repeat issues.  i'm sure you're all relieved, yet not as relieved as i am.

reading: oh you know, just reading books for kids about squirrels :)  (kate at this point you can just skip down to the photo of peapod if you'd rather.)  when i heard that kate dicamillo's latest book was about a girl and a squirrel, i bought it without even thinking another thought.  flora & ulysses is a fun and completely silly book.  i give it two paws up!  

i was walking down the isle in the library when i saw a book cover sporting a squirrel with a cloak and sword... i didn't even think twice before grabbing it and bringing it home.  mistmantle chronicles: urchin of the riding star is a completely charming book.  think: wind in the willows meets chronicles of narnia, but with squirrels playing the lead characters!  too adorable for words, i give it two paws up!  luckily this is the first in a series, so there's more squirrley adventures heading my way!

 peapod is not amused.  she thinks i should be reading books about kittens!

-melissa

yarn along 04.09.14

 

joining up with ginnie at small things for this week's yarn along:

 reading: lily and i started the secrets of the immortal nicholas flamel series back in october.  she finished them a month or so ago, but after reading the first two i kept finding excuses to read other books instead.  until last week.  last week i got hit with a killer head cold. the kind where you can't think, can't sleep because you can't breathe, and just want to lay there staring at the wall.  i had just started an ian m. banks book, but found that my snot-addled brain couldn't follow the words, let alone the plot, so i needed something simpler to read.

enter the last four books of the flamel series.  they're fun and light and straightforward enough for even the most confounded of full-sinused brains to follow.  i think michael scott studied at the dan brown writing institute.  he favors short chapters with over the top cliff hangers in the last paragraph.  so even while your shaking your head at his audacity, you're turning the page to start the next chapter.  perfect head cold reading, i mean they practically read themselves.

plus lily was desperate for me to keep reading so we could talk about the books.  and i have to say, when i finished book 5, the warlock, and was hit in the face with a huge, albeit excessively dramatic, plot twist i had to congratulate her for keeping it a secret while she waited for me to catch up.  

i'm currently reading the enchantress, the sixth and final book and have to say that even though they are silly and derivative i have enjoyed the series because they're just plain fun.  i'm even excited to hear there's talk of turning them into movies.  lily and i will definitely be going to see them.

knitting: oh i am so so so close to finishing the cooper cowl (rav link) i'm making for little heather!  i'm at 11 1/2 inches of the required 12 1/2 inches and oh i am so excited to see this beauty when it's completed!  (almost as excited as peapod is to see it *right now*!!  nosey kitten...)

so now it's your turn!  what are y'all knitting and reading?!?

-melissa

rainbow grannies

... *and* done!

 -melissa

vintage lovelies

i am currently doing some tip-top-super-secret embroidering.  so i can't show you wip photos... but what i can show you is the lovely vintage thread and needles i'm using.

i just love all those different old labels.  

and this book of needles is beyond perfection... i get so excited when i get to open it and take out a needle.

 even peapod wants in on the action!

-melissa 

oh-olympics!

i think it's no secret that the sandwich loves the olympics!  and while i never officially join a ravolympics team, i always knit like a fiend while watching the olympics.  this year is no different.

 i had to upgrade my cable and get the app so i could watch *all* the olympics, even on my phone when there's no olympics on the tv!  and what am i working on this year?  a blanket for lily for her birthday.  yes a blanket.  i still haven't mentally recovered from last year's sweater, so a blanket it is!

i'd be remiss if i did not mention, for just a moment, the controversy surrounding putin and his intolerant stance towards the lgbt community in russia.  to do my small part i purchased the russian "love conquers hate" tshirt from the human rights campaign.  i will be wearing it as often as possible during the next two weeks.

 it is also not lost on me that i am crocheting up a rainbow blanket.  

 apparently all this rainbow yarny goodness is just too much for even the animals of the house to resist...

 pippin insisted on inserting himself right in the middle of the action last night.  i know we're all excited, but seriously pip?  could you have found a less irritating place to sit?!?

even luna, who usually has no interest in my crafting came sniffing around last night!

8 down, 40 to go... bring it on, olympic fever!!!

 -melissa

blue zen circle of joy

 the blue zen circle for bundles of joy is complete!

it's my standard flat circle from lucy at attic24...

with my standard picot edging...

the fact that it is, as it were, just a plain blue circle, made it not the most interesting thing to photograph.  i did not mind so much when the kitties came snooping around...

 they were very polite and did not actually get *on* the blanket.  such thoughtful cats... (in hindsight i'm not sure what's wrong with them!)

-melissa

quilt = finished, me = happy

after a bit of this:

and a trip through the washer/dryer, i am the proud owner of this:

yes, a big huzzah is in order!  my four corners quilt is completely finished!!

here's the back:

and here is a parade of other photos:

and here's my favorite thing to do with my quilt:

thank you so so much to melinda for not only designing the pattern/tutorial but for guiding me, helping me, and encouraging me on this quilting journey!  i know they say it's not the destination, it's the journey... but this is one time i'm loving the destination a whole lot more!

-melissa

some helpers are more helpful than others

a couple weekends ago my parents came to visit and i enlisted my mom to help me cut out the pieces for lily's halloween costume.

she was indeed very helpful, giving me the encouragement i needed to get started as well as helping with the actual pinning and cutting.

today i began the sewing process and found that i had another helper...

while she's adorable, she's not really helpful.  not helpful at all actually... but at least she matches the fabric.  i would have been hard pressed if lily had wanted to be gandalf the white!

"what?!?!  you don't want my help?!?!  merp."

-melissa