Barbie Revealed...

Okay, so I was hoping to have more info before I posted this, but I don't - so there will be more info to follow!
The Rocky Mountain News, which is one of the two big newspapers in Denver, chose 10 designers/stores/hair stylists to dress Barbie in their version of spring fashion. There is some kind of voting/judging the dolls that happens online, so when I know I will pass the link along - plus there will be good professional photos of her. I did my doll with my hairstylist, Andre, who I love!! Andre went through 6 Barbies to get her hair to do this!! In my opinion it was worth it...
Making clothes for Barbie is much harder then it appears, in my opinion. Her little sweater is knit out of cotton that was about the weight of thread doubled up on size 1 needles (see the first pix of in process Barbie knitting). I had patterns to go by kinda - most of the online patterns that I saw used worsted or sport weight yarn on size 4-6 needles, but they didn't give me the look, so I had to wing it a bit. Her dress has a cotton bamboo knit underpinning with nylon laced through the top to keep it up. Then the tulle yarn and the tulle sheets were added to give it an ethereal look. Knitting needles helped to get the balloon on her skirt just right (knew those vintage plastic needles were great for something...) Jump rings were used for her earrings, and bangles. And of course there had to be a skull somewhere, so I used her bag to toughen up her outfit!! Unfortunatly, I don't get her back - that is back to the judging/voting thing that I don't understand... However, there are several other starts on clothes that I abandoned due to the time constraints (I had 5 days), and a fashion doll and two Barbies still undressed in cool clothes, so there may be some more fun Barbie fashions coming out of chez sunneshine - and maybe even a blog contest to win one...hmmm...
But until then, the link for Barbie voting will be posted here as soon as I get it. And silly as it is, I really want my Barbie to win!!

Happy Knitting!!

Its package day at sunneshine...

Two fun packages came today!!

I got the red cross knit kit for servicemens socks and the vintage red cross pattern from my Grandma. She was a volunteer for the Red Cross for years and received the Clara Barton award a couple years ago. These fun vintage kits are fundraisers to support emergency response funds. My grandmother taught me to knit, and is very proud of my knitting. Thanks Mubs!!
(My grandmother does not use a computer and will not go online, so I will have to print this out and send it to her...)

The other package is my PRGE package!! So much fun, thanks Spinalcat!! There is some great Tofu sock yarn, which I am really excited about (anyone else noticing a sock theme today?)
Some patterns to go with the yarn - always helpful! Some great little magnets that she made herself (not shown since they are already being used!) A mixed box of pecans from Austin, where she is - mr.sunneshine will now be grateful to Spinalcat, too! And a cute card with her reveal!
Thanks so much Amy aka Spinalcat aka Una!!
(Oh, and in her reveal card, she mentioned that she is going to be a test knitter for SWTC - how cool is that!!)

Happy Knitting!!

This is the catch up post...

So, last week I had this Barbie thing to do and lets just say that making clothes for Barbie is much harder then it appears - more on that in the next post... This post is the post that I should have posted towards the end of last week.

First, I would like to thank Fibre Junky for a wonderful package from the mini-lace swap. I got a set of Knitpicks options needles - which I have never used, but hear are really nice. A lace pattern for Elizabeth I scarf (its actually a three in one pattern!!), two skeins of Knitpicks alpaca cloud lace weight yarn, a sweet note and some tea. Thank You Carole!!

Then I was a very, very bad girl! A LYS here was closing and she had advertised up to 70% off on her yarns - it was a dollar amount of yarn determined the percentage that you received off at the register. Thankfully, I had been warned that she was not going to do that - so I brought the ad that had been printed and she was forced to give me 70% off instead of the 50% she was going to had I not had the ad. So all this porn is mine (or for swap partners). The sock yarn at the top is all Koigu, the olive green is cash iroha from Noro, there is Noro cotton/cashmere/nylon, mission falls 1824 cotton, Misty alpaca chunky, two sets of addis and some coil-less pins - to pin my socks together in the wash! Okay, now that I have fallen, its back on the stash busting wagon for me!!

Finally, there are the two baby hats that I made when running around last week. The pink one is for my banker who just had a beautiful little girl and the other will go to the store, where baby hat business is good!!

More soon!!

Barbie Dress Help...

I was just contacted by the fashion editor of the Rocky Mountain News about knitting a dress for a Barbie Doll that is current and hip. I need some Barbie knitting patterns - I can always modify, but I do need a start. Anyone out there who has any links, or knows where to send me to get one, I would even pay. Thanks for the help!!

Coffee Swap Questions

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground?
It doesn't really matter - ground is prolly easier, but we do own a grinder and are not afraid to use it!

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Fully -Loaded - we need all the caff. we can get!

3. Regular or flavored?
Regular!

4. How do you drink your coffee?
Black only - maybe with an ice cube on really hot days...

5. Favorite coffee ever?
I am not sure that there is a favorite ever - there is always a better roast, a better blend, we drink mostly gourmet small batch coffees - its always an adventure...

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
Any good coffee will do - there is not a brand or a bean that we favor - we are foodies and drink our coffee the same way - like the good stuff, always willing to experiment.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Most anything chocolatey...

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
nope - willing to try anything...

9. Yarn/fiber you love?
Anything natural - organic is a bonus - local or small yield is also great - natural or organic colors are my favorite - darker greens, blues and reds, purple, neutrals, taupes, blacks, greys and tans

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
bright colors - which I actually like to look at, but would never use or wear - anything synthetic - I don't wear anything that is not natural, is bright or is furry/fuzzy/hairy

11. What's on your needles?
I am almost done with the Hush dress, have started an aran shawl, an aran scarf, a lace scarf and a baby hat that I knit when I am running errands (there is always a hat on my needles to pass the time while running errands).

12. Favorite colors?
Neutrals - tans, blacks, browns, greys, or dark variations on greens, reds, and blues.

13. Allergies?
I am allergic to wheat - but I do eat it in moderation - and anything that I don't eat, my husband gladly devours

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
I will like anything that you send!! I do these swaps for fun, to expand my horizions and see what other wonderful creative people do with their yarn art. I had such a good experience last time, I am really looking forward to this swap!! Plus, can you really go wrong with anything that involves coffee and coffee lovers... I think not...

Memememe...

This came from Heidiho and it’s just a little quiz showing what you may or may not have done throughout your life. An X marks each affirmative statement. It’s a nice distraction from all the horrible (media) news right now.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins x
3. Climbed a mountain x
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone X
8. Said “I love you” and meant it X
9. Hugged a tree X
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris X
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea x
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise X
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game X
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables X
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars X
20. Changed a baby’s diaper X
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower X
23. Gotten drunk on champagne X
24. Given more than you can afford to charity X
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope X
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment X
27. Had a food fight X
28. Bet on a winning horse x
29. Asked out a stranger x
30. Had a snowball fight X
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can X
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse X
34. Ridden a roller coaster X
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking X
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment X
39. Had two hard drives for your computer X
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced X
42. Had an amazing friend X
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country X
44. Watched wild whales X
45. Stolen a sign X
46. Backpacked in Europe x
47. Taken a road-trip X
48. Gone rock climbing x
49. Midnight walk on the beach X
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love X
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them x
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow X
56. Alphabetized your CDs X
57. Pretended to be a superhero x
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day X
60. Posed nude in front of strangers X
61. Gone scuba diving x
62. Kissed in the rain X
63. Played in the mud X
64. Played in the rain X
65. Gone to a drive-in theater X
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business x
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken X
69. Toured ancient sites X
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight x
72. Gotten married X
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party X
76. Gone without food for 5 days x
77. Made cookies from scratch X
78. Won first prize in a costume contest X
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice X
80. Gotten a tattoo x
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert x
83. Got flowers for no reason X
84. Performed on stage X
85. Been to Las Vegas X
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark X
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand X
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house X
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship X
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children X
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country x
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking X
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart X
111. Ridden a bike X
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol X
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild X
118. Ridden a horse X
119. Had surgery X
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours X
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi X
128. Had your picture in the newspaper X
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about x
130. Gone back to school x
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes X
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey X
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read X
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating X
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language X
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream x
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care x
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you X
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair X
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident X
150. Saved someone’s life

I tag nobody in particular, but let me know if you choose to answer so I can read your results!

Bad Yarn Purchasing Experience...

So as most of you know, I have not purchased yarn for three whole months. And while I am all dramatic about it, I can honestly say, that it really hasn't been that much of a stretch. There were a few things that I wanted for specific projects, so April 16th was my "purchasing day" before jumping back on the no purchasing wagon. I was so excited, I knew that I wanted some more lace weight yarn - hence the black - enough there for a shawl and a scarf, and the Great Adirondak (sp?) was too beautiful to pass up.

I had ordered this Hanne Falkenberg Ballerina Kit from my LYS - I used to shop there alot, but obviously have gone cold turkey. I mentioned that the one thing I really wanted on my free day was this kit - so the owner affered to order it for me. Owning my own store, I am always a shop local, shop independent kinda girl. So I asked her to order my kit. Let me give you a little back story on this LYS - the woman who owns it is nice enough, but quite pushy. I never let it bother me, and since this store was one block from work, it got a lot of business from me. Several times, I have mentioned to the owner that the lack of pricing on any of the yarns made me uncomfortable - also, she does not give receipts that itemize your purchase. When I did shop for yarn quite a bit, so I knew what pricing was on yarn, and her prices did always seem to be about what I found elsewhere, maybe a little high, but then she would give me a "deal" and it would all work out. That is until this HF kit, I was charged easily $35 more then I should have been. I know what it costs online, and what the other kits in her store are selling for and she jacked up my price!! I asked about it, and she said it was the right price - and since it was special ordered for me, I felt obligated. I wonder if the $35 that she made is worth all my future business - because that is what it is going to cost her!!

So lesson learned, and I am not too excited to buy yarn again for a while. And thats all good, since I am back on the knitting from my stash wagon for another three months :) I only have five more repeats of feather and fan on my Hush dress!! The women in my knitting class want me to wear it next week, so I have to have it done by Friday at the latest... My stitch markers were picked up by Kpixie, so I am excited to see them on their site - should be posted sometime next week, yippee!! More knitting content soon, I promise...

I am so close...

I am so close on the hush dress, but so scared that I am going to mess up the feather and fan lace (and it is over the bust so it would be noticable if it wasn't right) that it is taking me forever!! Mr.sunneshine is going on an early mountain bike ride tomorrow morning, so that should give me three or four hours of peace and quiet in which to finish it!

Last night mr.sunneshine came home and announced that one of his co-worker's wifes water broke and then came the sheepish look followed by "We need a small pink baby hat, please, if you don't mind..." So I pulled through the stash and this organic patagonia cotton in dusty pink looked good. I hope they like it!

Finally, its a long story, but I have ended up with two gianormous skeins of lace weight acrylic yarn (in exchange for all the rest of my lions brand and eyelash yarn in my stash). I have a million lace weight shawls that I want to do These skeins may be for a knitting machine, since I have never seen hand knitting yarn in such large skeins. There has to be between 10 and 20 thousand yards per cone. I have always been a yarn snob and have never knit with acrylic, at least not in lace weight. Is there anything that I should know? - will it hand knit the same as merino, alpaca or cashmere? It certainly is soft... Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated!!

Still on bunnies...

So, there will be more pix from Easter, but we took most of them with the "good" camera, just to realize that mr.sunneshine had left the cord at his old job and we would have to call them and have them send it... So later this week...But here is one preview....

The other photos are related to an e-versation with O'Kitten. This was me back in the 70's at 5 or 6 with some good family friends and my brother (the one who looks nothing like me with the white hair) and me in the white dress, being bunnies. I had been the flower girl in my babysitters wedding - which explains why I am ratting around in the yard in my good 70's clothes (not really) - and I really have no idea how the bunny thing came up, other then it could have been close to Easter, who knows. Funny pix though - enjoy!

No knitting photos, yet. I finished the body of the Hush Dress yesterday. It was snowing and miserable here in Denver, so we rented some movies - nothing says Easter like Capote and the Life Aquatic... I will start the top lace on the dress tonight. Really hoping to have it done by the 15th.... And don't worry, when its done I will be throwin' photos of it everywhere so that you can't possibly miss it - or the frogging of the first one!!

Have a great week!!
Happy Knitting

Of hats and bunny ears...

I had the best day off - Thanks for all the well wishes!! It was a gorgeous day, and I got to knit outside - I re-injured my "knitting injury" and got to wear a cool bandaid and then spent some time in the kitchen making Steak au Poivre, with frites in a champagne reduction with herbs de provence and warm chevre surrounded by greens - a good bottle of K just rounded off the nice day. It has taken me so long to post, because now I am feeling really behind for taking the day off, but it will all get done eventually...

So I was way too tired to actually strain my brain on knitting branching out, so I decided that I would do the bunny hat that O'Kitten posted on her blog. I let mr.sunneshine pick the color since it is for the grandbaby. He chose light blue - great - about 1/3 of the way through the hat, it became painfully clear that there was not enough yarn to finish the hat, much less the ears. So I added the purple that i was going to do the insides of the ears with
made some small child a really cute stripe hat.
So then, pulling through the stash there were 6 large balls of Blue Sky Organic Cotton in wheat. This was an impulse sale purchase, that I got home and couldn't figure out what to do with... So I cast on the hat, same needles same number of stitches and as I am knitting the hat, it is becoming apparent that the hat will fit me, not the 18 month old that it is intended for... Since I secretly wanted one of these hats, I finish the hat and start again with 10 less stitches. Thankfully, Its a stockingette hat - it zips along - the third one, turns out fine. It took a little bit to get my head around the ears, but I followed the pattern

and it eventually made sense. And I got rid of some crappy fuzzy yarn from my stash that I bought at Michaels for $0.50 but can't quite seem to give away - don't know why... Maybe because it is so perfect for applications like this! The hats look so cute, I did put a stitch around the ears to help them not be so floppy, which worked pretty well with the little hat, but the big hat really needs wire to keep them up... Tonight I will wire the ears, so when wearing the hat over the weekend, I can get a picture... That cotton is really soft and honestly, you forget the ears are up there... Soon, I will post pictures with people (being bunnies) in the hats...

Happy Knitting!!