I know I said I'd have the peapod next, but I don't like how the
first and second attempts worked out, so I got bored and started
making more Little Dudes and other stuff instead.  I'll go back and
revisit the peapod another day.

Here's what's new:

Lots more Little Dudes, growing in complexity as I sit around
thinking up new challenges:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#littledudes

Rainbow caterpillar:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#caterpillar


Coming soon...more Little Dudes because they're very addictive!  It's
very pleasing to start and finish a toy in the same day.  I'm not
saying what characters are coming next, but I'll tease this much:
they're the stuff of legend and literature!


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

I've posted the following new finished objects in my knitting gallery:

A dolphin from World of Knitted Toys:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#dolphin

An abstract black and white toy made as I experimented with the
stranding/Fair Isle technique:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#abstractbwtoy

The lace dress of DOOM that took for-bloody-ever to finish:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#yellowdress


And I've moved most of the Little Dudes dolls to their own page since
there were so many of them (and more to come!):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html

There you will find my latest dolls inspired by Star Trek TNG
characters.  I've done Picard, Worf, and Dr. Crusher already.  Geordi
is in pieces on my craft table.  I also plan to make Star Wars
characters and other pop culture icons.  Stay tuned for more.

I've received a lot of email requesting photos/patterns for the Trek
dolls and other works-in-progress I've mentioned.  I hope folks
aren't disappointed, because these are simple, low-detail dolls made
for kicks more than for beauty.

I'll be posting the basic pattern for the Little Dudes soon, as well
as how to vary it for the Trek dolls and others.  In fact, I've
separated out several more knitting pages so I can soon add more
patterns based on the stuff in my gallery, book reviews, links, and a
tutorial on making rings.

So people can stop emailing me to ask for patterns, because they're
coming as fast as I can do them with my limited computer time. :)



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

There's a bunch of new stuff in my knitting gallery, plus I've
separated out the free patterns to a new page.  I've also improved
some of the patterns, added information on what yarn(s) I used, and
added new patterns.  All free!

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns.html


And there are more Little Dudes as well (including more from Star
Trek, several from Futurama, and the start of the Star Wars ones),
plus a big fat free tutorial/pattern on how to make the basic ones
and ones with dresses:

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html

I'll post specifics on some of the special Dudes another time.



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

I've posted the pattern and instructions for the Rainbow Caterpillar
knitted toy:

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns.html#caterpillar




-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

I've posted a bunch of new stuff to my knitting pages.  Please note
that I probably won't be posting any more patterns in time for
holiday knitting, other than the corn one listed below.  I've
received dozens of requests with people begging me to put up the
specific pattern they want for their knitted gifts, but there's just
no way that I have time to comply with them all, sorry.  The corn got
up because someone very polite asked me for it a couple of months ago
before anyone else asked for a different one.


New free pattern, for the corn toy:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns.html#corn


New stuff in the main gallery:

Letter D has been added to the alphabet section:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet

Two new bibs have been added:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#bibs

Toddler Bee Dress:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#beedress

They Might Be Giants - John Puppet
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#johnpuppet

Frank The Baby Goat from LiveJournal
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#frank

Cloths:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cloths



New Little Dudes:

Five X-Men added to the Superheroes/X-Men section (Rogue, Jean
Grey/Phoenix, Storm, Gambit, and Wolverine):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html#superheroes


Princess Leia added to the Star Wars section:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html#starwars


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
kimberlychapman group:

Some people have commented that they'd prefer the
knitting patterns on separate pages instead of all
on one page.  I am considering doing this.  The
current pattern page would still exist as a list
of patterns so bookmarks/links would still work.

Would you prefer to have the knitting patterns on
individual pages, or all on one page (as they are
now)?

   o Individual pattern pages
   o All patterns on one page (current)


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlychapman/surveys?id=1851233

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Folks who use my free knitting patterns are asked to please come vote
in this quick little poll:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlychapman/surveys?id=1851233

Massive knitting updates on kimberlychapman.com!

New free pattern:

Mushroom toy: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns.html#mushroom



New finished objects in the gallery:

Several new alphabet toys:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet

New sample cloths: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cloths

Berry Hat: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#berryhat

Panta: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#panta

Sugar'n'Cream Duck Toddler Overalls:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#duckiepants

Finger Puppets:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#fingerpuppets

Moo Baa La La La Finger Puppets:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#moobaalalala

Muppophone Muppet (first attempt):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#muppets



New additional pictures for previously posted finished objects:

New photo of baby playing with rainbow scarf:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#rainbowscarf

New third photo of baby wearing yellow lace dress:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#yellowdress

Four new photos of baby wearing toddler bee dress (including one
where she's feeding the They Might Be Giants Jon Puppet some
Cheerios): http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#beedress



New photos and description of my toddler-proofed funky yarn storage
system: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-yarnstorage.html



I'm about halfway through the free pattern instructions for Flopsy
Bear.  I'll have him up as soon as possible, but I'm not making any
promises because whenever I do that, I inevitably end up sick (ie I
told someone two weeks ago that it might be up soon and then I had a
three-day gastroenteritis that put this whole update off by two
weeks!).  It'll be up when I have time.


Members of my Yahoo announcement mailing list are invited to vote in
a poll letting me know if I should break up the pattern page into
individual pages per pattern, or leave them all one one page:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlychapman/surveys?id=1851233





-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

The following kimberlychapman poll is now closed.  Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Some people have commented that they'd prefer the
knitting patterns on separate pages instead of all
on one page.  I am considering doing this.  The
current pattern page would still exist as a list
of patterns so bookmarks/links would still work.

Would you prefer to have the knitting patterns on
individual pages, or all on one page (as they are
now)?

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Individual pattern pages, 36 votes, 80.00%
- All patterns on one page (current), 9 votes, 20.00%



For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlychapman

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Hello and greetings,

I've posted a tutorial on knitting rings using double-pointed needles.
  As part of it, I've also made an instructional video for the first
time.  Hopefully it helps some people and hopefully it doesn't break
my bandwidth!  To help with that, I'm asking that people who need the
video please download it to their own computers and watch it as often
as necessary that way, instead of repeatedly downloading it from my
site.  We'll see how the bandwidth goes...if I've still got plenty to
spare, I'll consider making more videos in the future.

The new stuff is here:

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-rings.html

The next time I get computer time (possibly this weekend), I'll finish
the Flopsy Bear pattern, which I held off when I realized that the
main technique in the rings is also used in the bear, and it'll be
easier to point people at the ring thing as part of the bear's pattern.

I'm also planning to separate out the patterns since the poll
overwhelmingly said that's how people would prefer to view them.

Enjoy. :)


-- Kimberly Chapman
http://kimberlychapman.com

I have posted pics of two vaguely recent cakes to my gallery:

My daughter's first birthday cake, a yellow duck:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#duck

A Barbie cake for a neighbour's daughter:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#barbie

I've also updated my main cake decorating page
(http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakedec.html) to fix broken
Wilton links at the company's request (they provided me with the
proper links so I figured since they did the work I ought to do the
update!) and I added a photo of my daughter licking some icing to the
top of the page just for fun.


In book news (I haven't had time to post this to my site yet but I
briefly mentioned it in my livejournal), my novel Sorrows of
Adoration, which was published in 2003 but went out of publication
when the publisher went out of business, will be published with a new
publisher in May 2008.  I will update the website with more
information as soon as I get it myself, including a link to the
publisher's release schedule and to a specific page for it there when
they post one.


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

I normally don't post patterns so quickly after creating them, but I
thought I'd be kind and post the free pattern for my daughter's new
Pumpkin Bag tonight so speedy knitters can make their own for Halloween:

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-pumpkinbag.html



New Gallery additions:

Banana with Removable Peel
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#banana


Small Articulated Bear With Hat:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#jg-bear


Vana's Blanket (an adult-sized version of my basketweave baby blanket)
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#vanablanket

Note that the Baby Blanket pattern page now includes this variation:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-babyblanket.html


Cookie Monster
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cookiemonster


Big Bird
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#bigbird


Pumpkin Bag
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#pumpkinbag




New Little Dudes...the Wiggles, Captain Feathersword, and Dorothy the
Dinosaur (still working on Wags and Henry):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html#wiggles



Enjoy. :)




-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

Tons of new cake pictures plus some tips for making elaborate cakes
while caring for a toddler full-time:


Peo's 2007 Birthday Cake:
<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#bday2007>http://kimber\
lychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#bday2007
(This link goes straight to a page with all of the pics in full size
instead of having to click thumbnails:
<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2007-oct06-birthdaycakephotos.html>http\
://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2007-oct06-birthdaycakephotos.html)


Teenie Weenie Halloweenie Party cake including close ups of all the
mice in their costumes:
<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#halloween2007>http://k\
imberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#halloween2007
(This link goes straight to a page with all of the pics in full size
instead of having to click thumbnails:
<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2007-oct30-ftf-halloweencake.html>http:\
//kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2007-oct30-ftf-halloweencake.html)




-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

The free Caterpillar pattern now has a crochet version, thanks to a
donation from MelyssaF from Ravelry:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-caterpillar.html#crochetcaterpil\
lar


New stuff in the knitting gallery:

Several new letters:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet
New G cloth: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cloths
New Dalek from Doctor Who:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#dalek
New Tooth Pixie: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#toothpixie


New Little Dude:

Wags the Dog, in Wiggles:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html#wiggles



And I finally posted more ceramics:

Advanced Class projects: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/ceramics.html

Ceramic Klein Bottles:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/ceramics.html#ceramickleinbottles



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

In response to constant requests, I have finally posted the banana pattern:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-banana.html

I've also finally finished typing out the long pattern for Baby Frank
the Goat from Livejournal:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-frankgoat.html

And I've immediately posted the pattern for one of my FOs, a Cookie
Monster Hat that's attracting attention to my daughter all over town:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-cookiemonsterhat.html



The two FOs are the in the gallery:

Binary Scary (pattern from Knitty):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#binaryscarf

Cookie Monster Hat (pattern above):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cookiemonsterhat




-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

New free toy pattern for a Goldfish, made to be similar to a
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish cracker.

Pattern: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-pfgoldfish.html

FO: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#pfgoldfish

The pattern is already up at Ravelry as well.



Other FOs in the gallery:


New W in the alphabet:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet

New articulated bears:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#jg-bears

Valentine Heart:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#valentineheart

Market Bag:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#marketbag1

Cupcake (although I'm less than happy with it and am working on a new
version that will have a free pattern in the future):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cupcake1

-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://www.livejournal.com/~kimberlychapman/

I've created a new free pattern for a fancy, detailed cupcake:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-fancycupcake.html

Here are more pictures in the gallery:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#fancycupcake

The pattern is up on Ravelry so it can be added to queues.


And two other FOs:

3D Pi, at the bottom of the Alphabet section:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet

Rainbow Dinosaur:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#rainbowdinosaur



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
kimberlychapman group:

How much would you be willing to pay for a PDF pattern booklet of
three-dimensional letters (the ones here:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#alphabet )?

This booklet would be over 50 pages and include all 26 letters plus bonus Pi
symbol, full-colour photos for each letter plus instructional photos, options
for different skill levels, and thorough how-to descriptions of all parts of the
process.

Note that PDF means a downloadable file that you could view with Adobe Acrobat;
if you wanted a paper copy you'd have to make your own printout.  This means
there would be no shipping charge.

Answering this poll does not mean you are committing to anything.  I just want
to know how to price the pattern.  Poll will be closed when the pattern is ready
for sale, so vote early to have your say.



   o less than US$10
   o US$10
   o US$11
   o US$12
   o US$13
   o US$14
   o US$15
   o US$16
   o US$17
   o US$18
   o US$19
   o US$20
   o over US$20 but less than US$25
   o over US$25


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlychapman/surveys?id=2023072

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

The much-requested patterns for the 3D Knitted Alphabet toys are now
available!  Thank you to those who responded in the poll about
pricing, especially those who voted that they'd pay in the high teens
or above; they will be happy to learn I've priced it much lower than
that at only US$12.  That's 27 patterns plus a full description of
the system with full-colour instructional photos, so the cost is only
44 cents per pattern.

This page on my site has all of the information on how to order, plus
it now houses the individual letter photos (which are no longer
clogging up the gallery):

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-3dalphabet.html

It is sold through Ravelry but you DO NOT have to be a Ravelry member
to purchase it.  However, Ravelry members can access the pattern for
queuing and/or purchasing here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitted-alphabet---a-pattern-system-for-\
knitting-3d-block-capital-letters


And for the record, this doesn't mean I'll stop giving away free
patterns.  The bulk of my patterns will always be free, and in fact
I'll be posting another one in the next couple of weeks.  I thought
it might be nice to occasionally earn a bit of money to keep up my
knitting supplies so I can continue to give more away in the future. :)


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

Four new free patterns for tiny toys that fit inside 2.25" plastic Easter eggs:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-minieastereggtoys.html



Four new FOs in the gallery:

Where's My Cow Patch for the 2008 Pratchgan:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#wheresmycow

Orange Wig:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#orangewig

Easter Eggs:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#eastereggs

Mini Easter Egg Toys:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#minieastereggtoys



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

I've posted a new free pattern of a knitted toy boat:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-toyboat.html


And the following finished objects in the gallery:

Cherry pie: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#cherrypie

Strawberry: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#strawberry

Drummer Boy: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#drummerboy

Toy Boat 1 (the prototype):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#toyboat1

Toy Boat 2 (the one with the pattern):
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#toyboat2


Enjoy. :)



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
Alphabet Pattern now available at
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-3dalphabet.html
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-christmaslights.html

So new I haven't even added it or other recent FOs to my gallery
yet!  It's up on Ravelry so you can add it to your queue. :)



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

I finally have posted lots of pictures - including in-the-making shots and lots
of descriptions of how I made stuff - of both the Fraggle Rock cake from my
daughter's birthday last October and the Musical Mice cake from the Austin cake
show in February.

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#bday2008 - Fraggle Rock
Cake

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#musicalmice - Musical
Mice Cake

Enjoy. :)

I've posted two more sets of cake photos:

A second version of the Thanksgiving Turkey cake has been added to
the listing for the first:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#turkey

My Cupcake Wreckplica for the Cake Wrecks contest:
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html#cakewreckplica


I'm also working on a huge update to the knitting gallery which I
hope to have posted today or tomorrow.


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html

I won't list them all out, but it's everything from Elephant Girl
down: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-gallery.html#elephantgirl

I also changed the Quick Find at the top of the gallery page to
separate items into categories.

That's a year and a half of catching up all in one go!  I'll try not
to be so bad about it in the future, but no promises.

Now to go put those updates into Ravelry...


-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

I've updated my cake gallery with things I've done recently:

<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html>http://kimberlychapman\
.com/crafts/cakes/cakegallery.html

Most notably, I've posted about a gazillion large, detailed pics of
my show cake from the recent Austin Cake Show, which won first place:

<http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2010-feb-alienfilmfestival.html>http://\
kimberlychapman.com/crafts/cakes/2010-feb-alienfilmfestival.html

Enjoy.



-- Kimberly Chapman, kimberly@...
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://kimberlychapman.livejournal.com/

I know it's been a long time since I posted to this group, but I've got
an exciting big announcement: a new novel!

It has its own website here: http://findinggaia.com/

There's a coupon that's still good for a few days on there, so please
check it out and spread the word.

Also, since it's been awhile, those interested in my cake decorating
should know I have a separate food blog now as well:
http://www.eat-the-evidence.com/

I spend a lot of time on Google+ these days, so if you like more
frequent updates, find me there:
https://plus.google.com/108316670838828910396/posts

Thanks!


--
-- Kimberly Chapman
http://kimberlychapman.com
http://eat-the-evidence.com
http://findinggaia.com