Craft Update

I sang two concerts this weekend, and with a concert comes a little down time during intermission.
I had time to cast on and get some progress made on a new mitten.
Part of the Seven Skeins Club membership is a collection of exclusive patterns from Kate Davies.
The first one didn't interest me, it was house slippers, but the second was mittens: Kokkeluri.

Kate's Buachaille yarn is lovely. It's very springy, and the colors are wonderful.
I don't love the pattern. The thumb increases a little sharply for me and I find that thumbs on the side seam are not quite as comfortable. Also, I like a border on the chart so the picture can be a little more defined, but those are picky things.
Overall I can see these becoming my go-to mittens (if they don't get stolen by The Elder)
Speaking of The Elder, I finished up her Fluttershy costume last week. I didn't get a photo of her in it, but she looked pretty ponyesque.
I made up a circle skirt from some fleece and the ears I made from this tutorial.

What's on your creative plate today?

Fluttershy, Step One

Happy Tuesday! It so happens that this week is Kid's Clothing Week Challenge, and I actually have something to contribute this time. The theme is disguise.
The Elder has decided to be Fluttershy for Halloween. I don't know how many of you are Pegasisters or Bronies, but just in case you're not into the show: the ponies travel through a mystic portal and instead of looking like this-

now they look like this-

I looked around for a pattern, and found this tutorial, which was great but I made one change - I used polar fleece instead of felt squares. 

Now, you know me, I love felt, but I wanted a larger field than small rectangles would afford.

So I started by drawing a pattern on a cereal box, but I couldn't find my paper scissors so I drew it freehand on the fleece. 

I drew it on the fold, so I had two pieces like this-

The Youngest helped me with the sewing again, it's so nice to have a team.

Last night I finished the construction, watch the tutorial to see about the wires.

Photos before one leaves for the bus sometimes elicit grimaces.

All that's left is the detail painting around the edges, and the wings will be complete.
Joining Nicole for KCCO,
and the fine folks at KCWC.

Meow Meow, Finished Meow.

Add a snout and a few cable ties and you have a pink kitty face all finished.

One More Mask

A couple of weeks ago I made up some Halloween masks for a felt class that was coming up, and today was the day. 

Part of my lesson today was how to modify patterns to your own needs. I took a pattern I found online and modified it from an owl into a fox, and further altered it as a cat. 

My class ran with that idea and made a bird, a butterfly and a snow leopard. I wish I had taken photos, all of the students really did beautiful work.

My family surprised me at the end of the class, and The Youngest asked if she could make a cat mask, how could I say no.

We started in once we had walked home (can I say how great it is to live so close to work? It's great, really great) and she did a wonderful job helping me sew.

Little dimpled hands working away with a needle never gets old.

Perfect Light

This afternoon I had a couple of hours to myself so I visited my very favorite corner of St. Paul.

It's been too long since I took the time to soak up the beauty of this place. 

Seven Skeins (yep, I counted 'em)

A couple of months ago Kate Davies announced that she had a new yarn coming out: Buachaille. I was pretty excited. When she announced that there would be a club to get patterns and yarn delivered to my mailboxes, both real and virtual as the need may be, I was super excited.
My package arrived on Tuesday, and the first pattern comes tomorrow. (Woo Hoo!)
Everything is wound, and I think I even have all of the yarn names straight.
To help myself with the last part I did something new, and I don't know why this is the first time I thought of this, I attached the extra piece of yarn, you know the one tied around the hank, to its label.
It's the little things that get me excited...

The yarn even came with its own tote bag, she thought of everything. 
It's been a while since I was this excited about yarny things, this could be the door to a yarn renaissance at the Fifth Lamp Household.

New Hat to Donate

They're having a silent auction at church and I made a hat to donate to the cause. 

I need to get back to regular blogging, because I am way out of practice in photography.

These silly selfies and a lifeless hat on the floor are all I have to show for this morning's efforts...

Hopefully someone wants the hat, and it brings in something for the auction.
What are you creating lately?
Joining Nicole and Ginny.

KCCO For Halloween

I am sure that most of you saw these amazing masks on Sew Mama Sew already, but here is a link in case you missed it.
Since I have a felt class coming up, I decided to whip up a couple of these owls along with some other things as models.
The Youngest was a willing model, and here we have
Hoot -

and
Gering-a-ding-a-ding-gering-a-ding

So fun and fiddly.
The Owl mask is from the above link, but the fox I improvised.
The basic shape of the owl is so fluffy-looking, I just modified the edges a little and changed the ear feathers to regular ears.
The snout is a rounded trapezoid with a little triangle of nose at the tip.
Joining Nicole today for KCCO