April KALs

The April KALs were both so awesome! For the April KAL, we did a beautiful pattern created by Lindy. It's called Meadow, and I just love it. I had never done bobbles before (because I was intimidated by them). Once I tried them, I realized they are not difficult at all!



For the April 16 KAL, we did an awesome striped pattern. For this, I chose to use one solid color and alternate it with a variegated yarn. I think it turned out so pretty! I love yellow and blue together.

March 16 KAL (Bunny Illusion Cloth)

The March mid-month knit along was my first illusion cloth. If you look at it straight on, it looks like a bunch of stripes ....


However, when you look at it an an angle (as below), you see the outline of a bunny. How cool is that????


Here's a closeup shot ....

Second Pair of Socks - Finished!

I finished second pair of socks in early May. I just love these bright colors! Below is a picture of the recipient wearing the socks. (Sorry about the poor picture quality!)

First Pair of Socks - Finished!

I finished my first pair of socks back in April, but never got around to posting the final pictures. I just love how they turned out, especially the heel.

Jesus Christ is Risen Today!

The Empty Tomb
by Lindy

John 20:
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home.

But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher.

Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and what he told her.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book.

But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

February 16 KAL - Finders Keepers

I just love how this one turned out. I will definitely be making more. ;)


I also finished another Blissful Moss last week. This pattern is so easy to memorize. I tried it with a variegated yarn and did not like it much. However, I love it with the stripes.

First Sock - Progress Report

As you can see, I finished the heel of my first sock. I am so in love with the colors in this self-striping yarn. I am using the book "Sensational Knitted Socks" by Charlene Schurch. The yarn is Schachenmayr Nomotta Regia Silk Color in colorway 190. If you are a member of Ravelry.com, there is more information about the project there. My username on Ravelry is bunnystamping.

First Sock - Progress Report

Blissful Moss Rib Dishcloth

This pattern has now become my second favorite, right after the infamous DW dishcloth. It's called the Blissful Moss Rib Dishcloth. I absolutely LOVE how this cloth feels in my hands. The pattern was very easy to memorize, too, so I will be making many more.

This was my first time using Bernat yarn and I must say that I love it. This colorway is called Violet Stripes.

Another DW Cloth!

I was visiting a friend recently, and while I was at her house I knit another DW cloth for her. I really love this yarn. The colorway is called Midnight Magic and it is by Sugar 'n Cream. I think I need to purchase more of this colorway for myself. ;)

February 1 KAL - Valentine Candy Box

This one had me fooled until about row 40, and then I finally figured out it was a picture of a box of chocolates. How clever!

I used size 7 bamboo needles. I think for the picture cloths I need to use smaller needles from now on so the pictures show up better.

January Mid-Month KAL is Finished!

If you would like to see other versions of this cloth, check out the Monthly Dishcloth KAL Challenge Blog.

ChemoAngels Patient is Graduating

My ChemoAngels patient has finished her chemotherapy and is graduating from the program. I am so happy for her! I am sending her a "graduation" present of a cute pink dishcloth and a composition book that I turned into a journal. I hope she likes them and that she lives a long and healthy life!

January Exchange Received

I received this awesome dishcloth in the January exchange. I absolutely love lime green, and I also love the fact that the year is on this cloth. What a clever idea!

24 Dishcloth Challenge for 2008

I belong to an awesome online knitting group called Monthly Dishcloths. We have two KALs (knit-a-longs) each month. We are starting a challenge to do all 24 dishcloths this year. I just finished the first one, which just happened to be my now *infamous* football dishcloth. I did this one in orange for a swap I am in for another group.

Lovely as a Tree Christmas

This beautiful card was made by my friend Suezette. It looks so much prettier in real life because she used glitter on the trees. Thanks, Suezette! ;)

Simply Circles Birthday

I belong to an online community of rubber stampers at Split Coast Stampers. They post a lot of stamping challenges, which I like because it helps my creativity.

I recently combined two challenges to make this card:


The first challenge is called Featured Stamper. It involves looking at another member's gallery and choosing a card to copy. I chose FS42 (TexasGranny) and loved the use of circles on this card. I then chose a color challenge (CC143) to decide the colors I would use for the paper and ink. The colors are Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive. I love how it turned out!

Thanks Again, Monkey!

My online friend, Monkey, sent me a goody box this week with some yarn, needles, a knitting book, and a couple of cute dishcloths. Thanks, Monkey, you are such a sweetie!

DW Cloth in Sagebrush

This awesome DW dishcloth was created with Lion Brand cotton yarn in a colorway called Sagebrush. I just love how these colors work together in this cloth. ;)

Recent Knitting Exchanges

Happy New Year!

I was in a dish cloth exchange in December. I sent my partner one with her initial on it. :)


I took a picture with my camera of the one she sent me, and I will have to upload that here soon.

I am currently knitting some dish cloths to give to my brother-in-law and his bride when they get married in April. I will upload pictures of them soon.

I also recently took part in a bookmark exchange. Here's a picture of the one I sent ...

The yarn looks better in real life - it has a shimmer to it and also has beads sewn into it.

Jesus is the REASON for the Season

Luke 1:26-56

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Pay it Forward (PIF)

The guidelines: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days that is my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. Want to participate? Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and make the same promise on your own blog.

Not So Random Acts of Kindness, and 365 days to do it in!!! What a cool idea!

So, here goes! If you're interested in participating, just be one of the first three people to post that you would like to PIF! You don’t have to be a knitter, you can hand craft any gift you are good at.

By the way, I found out about this at Jant's Art Blog.

Grandma's Favorite in Playtime

Another pattern that I am in love with right now .... I made this one 50 stitches across this time and it seems to be the perfect number. The others I had made seemed a little small to me.

Patio Pink DW Dish Cloth

I just can't resist this pattern!

Polka Dots and Paisley

I belong to an awesome online rubber stamping community called Splitcoast Stampers. If you are a stamper and/or scrapper, you should definitely check out this site.

They have weekly color challenges and layout challenges. For this card, I combined both types of challenges into one card (SC137 and CC125). The colors I used were Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery by Stampin' Up! I just love these colors together!

I made this card to send to my Chemo Angel patient.

DW Dishcloth in Key Lime Pie

This is my favorite dishcloth pattern so far! I really love how it shows off the different color patterns in the yarn. I found the pattern at KnittingKnonsense. I will definitely be making more of this one.

Thanksgiving Day Cards

I received a couple of wonderful Thanksgiving cards from some of my rubber stamping friends.

This first card is by my best friend, Suezette. She must know how much I love brads on cards. *grin*



The second card is from an online friend, Shawna. I love how she used punches for the turkey.


Thanks, ladies, for the smiles. :)

Seed Stitch Dish Cloth

I am getting much better at the seed stitch. I didn't make a single mistake in this dishcloth. Yay me! The seed stitch really gives the cloth a nice texture.

Meet the Greyhounds

We are very fortunate to have two wonderful greyhounds. Their names are Janie and Bandit, and they make us laugh every day with their antics.

Since the weather is starting to cool off, I thought I would first share some pictures of them in their coats. The lady that I order the coats from makes them specifically to fit each dog, and we even got to pick the fabric she used. She donates all of her profits to her local greyhound adoption chapter.

This first picture is of our boy, Bandit. Look at that handsome profile!!!

The coats came with "snood" attachments. Look at how our girl Janie looks.

Here is a great shot of the two of them together so you can see their size difference. Janie may be smaller, but she is definitely the Alpha dog, and Bandit lets her boss him around. She THINKS she is the boss of me, too.

Here's a lovely shot of Janie relaxing. What a beautiful face!

When a greyhound is happy, he or she will flip upside down. They can even fall asleep in this position. I don' t know how that can possibly be comfortable....

When we first got Bandit he liked to sleep in his crate with his head hanging out. Again, how can that be comfortable?

Now he likes to sleep all over. His favorite place is in my older daughter's bedroom ... away from bossy Janie.

Here's a shot of princess Janie on the spare bed in my craft room. She likes to cuddle up with my stuffed bunny.

Grandma's Favorite in Faded Denim

Another Grandma's Favorite. I really like this pattern, it is very simple to knit. This yarn is Faded Denim by Lily Sugar'n Creme.

I crocheted a loop at the top so it can be hung. I really like that idea and will start incorporating it on some of the cloths I knit.

Knitting My First Purse

I found a local yarn shop! The owner is very nice and very knowledgeable. She recommended that I knit an awesome purse and helped me select this fabulous wool yarn. Yes, wool in Florida, I must be crazy. But the colors are so adorable. In fact, I recently purchased a wallet in these very colors, so when the purse is finished I will have a matching set.

It's hard to tell what the purse will look like by the pictures here, but trust me, it will be fabulous!!!

This first picture is of the yarn. I purchased 3 balls, but it already appears that I will need a fourth one to finish the pattern. I will pick that up at the yarn store in the next few days. I really love the combination of the orange, greens, and pink.


In the next picture, you can see the knitting start to take shape. But don't let it fool you, this really looks nothing like the final item because when it is finished it will be folded in half and stitched together.


In this last shot, you can see that the yarn goes from being loosely spun to tightly spun and back again. It creates an awesome texture!


You can see the orange, pink, dark green, and light green pretty clearly in this shot.

I am thinking about lining the bag with hot pink fabric when it is completed.

How I Created My First Pattern

Someone asked me how I created my first pattern, so I thought I would share the response here for anyone else who might be interested. ;)

First, I downloaded some grid paper that is made especially for knitting. I found it at

http://www.sweaterscapes.com/grafpap-134.htm.

I decided to make my design 35 stitches wide and 60 stitches high. I lightly drew the football in pencil first, and then went in and filled it in with Xs where I wanted the pattern to show. I also drew in the border.

When I converted it to text format, the tricky thing was remembering that odd rows are read from left to right, but even rows are read from right to left. Also, remember that on odd rows, the Xs would be knits and the blanks would be purls. On the even rows, the Xs are purls and the blanks are knits.

It was very confusing for me at first. LOL I would say it took me an hour to convert it from the grid paper to the text format. I am sure it gets easier with practice.

When I created the cloth, I checked each row on the grid and on the paper as I knitted it so I could find my mistakes. I did find 2 in the text version, so it was a good thing I had done that. I kept track of my progress by using a highlighter to color each row as I started it (on the text and grid versions simultaneously).

If you have designed things before and have any advice for me, please feel free to contact me. I am always open to learning new "tricks."

Football Dishcloth

I created this dish cloth for my husband who is a Steeler's fan. I have included the pattern. Feel free to use the pattern as you wish, but remember to give me credit if you pass it on to others. Thanks!

Football Dishcloth by BunnyStamping

Cast on 35 stitches.

ROW 1: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 2: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 3: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 4: K1, P1, K31, P1, K1

ROW 5: K1, P1, K1, P29, K1, P1, K1

ROW 6: K1, P1, K14, P2, K15, P1, K1

ROW 7: K1, P1, K1, P13, K4, P12, K1, P1, K1

ROW 8: K1, P1, K12, P6, K13, P1, K1

ROW 9: K1, P1, K1, P11, K8, P10, K1, P1, K1

ROW 10: K1, P1, K10, P10, K11, P1, K1

ROW 11: K1, P1, K1, P10, K10, P9, K1, P1, K1

ROW 12: K1, P1, K9, P12, K10, P1, K1

ROW 13: K1, P1, K1, P9, K12, P8, K1, P1, K1

ROW 14: K1, P1, K8, P14, K9, P1, K1

ROW 15: K1, P1, K1, P8, K14, P7, K1, P1, K1

ROW 16: K1, P1, K7, P16, K8, P1, K1

ROW 17: K1, P1, K1, P6, K18, P5, K1, P1, K1

ROW 18: K1, P1, K6, P18, K7, P1, K1

ROW 19: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 20: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 21: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 22: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 23: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 24: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 25: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 26: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 27: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 28: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 29: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 30: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 31: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 32: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 33: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 34: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 35: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 36: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 37: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 38: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 39: K1, P1, K1, P4, K22, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 40: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 41: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 42: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 43: K1, P1, K1, P6, K18, P5, K1, P1, K1

ROW 44: K1, P1, K6, P18, K7, P1, K1

ROW 45: K1, P1, K1, P7, K16, P6, K1, P1, K1

ROW 46: K1, P1, K8, P14, K9, P1, K1

ROW 47: K1, P1, K1, P8, K14, P7, K1, P1, K1

ROW 48: K1, P1, K9, P12, K10, P1, K1

ROW 49: K1, P1, K1, P9, K12, P8, K1, P1, K1

ROW 50: K1, P1, K10, P10, K11, P1, K1

ROW 51: K1, P1, K1, P10, K10, P9, K1, P1, K1

ROW 52: K1, P1, K11, P8, K12, P1, K1

ROW 53: K1, P1, K1, P12, K6, P11, K1, P1, K1

ROW 54: K1, P1, K13, P4, K14, P1, K1

ROW 55: K1, P1, K1, P14, K2, P13, K1, P1, K1

ROW 56: K1, P1, K31, P1, K1

ROW 57: K1, P1, K1, P29, K1, P1, K1

ROW 58: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 59: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 60: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

Grandma's Favorite in Pinky Stripes

Yahoo! Finally another dish cloth with no mistakes. This is a really simple pattern to do. I really love this self-striping yarn.