A Little of This and a Little of That

I've had several things I've wanted to share with my readers but none of them are lengthy enough to warrant a post. So, here is a mish-mash of things of interest, albeit, maybe only to me. :^)

First off, the oldest order of business is the shawls I knitted for some little "girlfriends." They are the daughters of a friend of mine and I posted about the shawls here, back in May. I thought their birthdays were in June but they are in July. So on a hot day in July, hubby and I went to their birthday party in a park, carrying our gifts of knitted shawls. I didn't get great photos that HOT day because modeling them, especially for the 5 year old, was not on the agenda and I didn't have the heart to insist. I did get one of the 7 year old and Mama got a few more the next morning.

Just look at those eyes!

This little one insisted she have
her box of crayons in the photo.
I wonder if she was seeing
all the little bits of color in her shawl.
:^)

Apparently they didn't realize at first that there was an outside and an inside to the shawls, but a few days later, the oldest one asked her mom to take a picture and to make sure the design was on the outside.

I have not heard from the girls whether they like them or not but Mom says they do. So hopefully they will use them when the weather warrants a cozy wrap.

Second, I had made this hat for my youngest son, quite a while back and he wears it ALOT and it's starting to show it.

So I wanted to make him another one. I wanted to use colors that he likes and had some yarn in mind. When I got the 2 x 2 ribbing finished, I loved how smoothly and consistently I had done it. I was already suspecting that there wouldn't be enough contrast in my 2 yarns selected, but hated to rip out that lovely rib. So I didn't. And there wasn't. (enough contrast, that is) But here is the completed hat and he likes it. And it will serve the purpose of keeping his head warm outdoors under a hood and indoors - which he does a lot in the winter up here in the north woods.

My last few hats have ended with a point on the very tippy-top. I think I have to stop with the decreases a bit sooner and end with a few more stitches left on the needles. Do you think that will work? Let me know if you have another idea. 

Third, hubby & I recently went to a HUGE Flea Market. (For those from other lands and cultures, we don't actually buy fleas. We go in search of vintage and antique treasures - which at this Flea Market were in abundance.)

The Flea Market starts early in the morning and ends early in the afternoon so we got a room the night before and arrived at the market bright and early. And by closing time, we were finished - our feet and brains had had enough.

We didn't buy too many things, because there is always the problem of where to put them once we get them home. But I found this little gem that I just couldn't pass by.

When I picked it up, it was soiled from play and storage but I immediately pictured a mother or grandmother lovingly knitting this on needle size 0's or 1's for the little girl she loved, who played with a Barbie doll. I was amazed at the tiny increases at the shoulders and at the knitting of the tiny cuffs, hemline and button edging. So precious. I took the fur off when I washed the coat and it is a tiny slip of real fur. I obviously won't be playing with it, won't be wearing it, and have no little daughters to give it to. But it is a treasure and I'm glad I payed the $4.00 USD to own it.

Here are the other things I picked up:

Fourth, a few of my knitting friends and I got together earlier this summer at Karla's home to learn from her the craft of making Candle Mats or Penny Rugs. I've always admired penny rugs when I see them in gift shops and antique/craft shops but they are always a pretty penny (pun intended) so I had only purchased a small autumn one. Therefore, I was happy to learn how to make them but have yet to finish my first one. I plan to do just that and also to make a Christmas one. But knitting keeps getting in the way of my progress. Soon. Very soon.

Here's what I've done so far.

I guess I'm putting off getting the shape of the background drawn up. But I've left it out so I'll keep seeing it and then one of these days I'll just stop by it and figure it out.

And lastly, on another day more recently the same knitting friends met at Kate's home and we decorated bottles for lighting. First off, I must say, when we meet in homes, we all bring something to eat - so we have lots of visiting, laughing and EATING. 

Here's the only one I've finished - a Christmas one. 

This is actually red and
looks very Christmas-y.
Looks orange in the photo.

And here are the others that I will finish soon, along with the supplies and embellishments to use on them.

The tricky part is getting the hole drilled into the bottles. Kate has a drill bit just for such a task, and so does her neighbor, who joined in to help. And Kate had ordered strings of lights for us, with just 10 bulbs. Plus, they arrived the very day we were at Kate's! What are the odds of that?

What have you been doing this summer? I hope you have had time for fun with your family and friends. Good memories!  

Hiking with my stepdaughter (right) and step-daughter-in-law
and her daughter. We were at a local state park.

My free birthday sundae from
Culver's