Finished Project Friday - Feb. 25

Hello Knitters,

I've only got one finished project this week because I've been spending most of my time on the Granny Stripe Blanket. 


Mom's Rainbow Socks

Sorry the picture isn't the greatest, but we got home from the city today later than I was expecting and the sun had already gone down by the time I got to take this.  I think the most "ideal" place to take a photo of them would be on a nice bed of green grass in the sunshine....but that won't be possible here for another few months.  Maybe I can get some better shots tomorrow to add to my Ravelry page.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!!  Aren't you so happy it's Friday?   I know I am!!

Happy Knitting and Hooking!

WIP Wednesday - Feb 23

Hello Knitters,

First off I have to say a big THANK YOU! to all of you who have left such kind, encouraging, uplifting and just all around great comments on the blog lately.  You are all totally awesome!!  I've been unable to reply to comments with my regular laptop for some reason lately.  I actually can't even view my blog with it :(  But I wish I could so that I could reply to each one of you!  But do know that I read each comment and so enjoy them!!  I'm going to do a little more searching around and see if I can fix the problem.  In the meantime, I can from time to time comment back and see the blog from my Netbook, but it's a bit slower on the dial-up connection so I don't use it very often.  It's more of my traveling laptop really.  But I just wanted to let you all know that I do appreciate all the your kind words!!

I did want to answer Stephanie's question from yesterday about if I liked the Felici yarn though: Yes, Stephanie, I really, really like it!!  Both the fingering and sport weights are great.  They're super soft - so great to knit with and even better on your feet!  They (so far) wash great too, although I've only handwashed mine, but the label says it's machine washable and I've heard others have had great success with it.  What I like best is how I can do a plain vanilla sock and not get bored at all - watching the colours change is very fun!  lol  Small things amuse me :)  I'd highly recommend it though.  The fingering weight is a little thinner than their Stroll yarn and it's a more tightly spun yarn which I like because it means less splitting.  The sport weight is a bit thinner than other sport weights I've used and it's not as tightly spun as the fingering weight version, but it is super soft and makes great little baby items as well as quicker socks!  But this is all just my two cents worth :) lol 
Now, on to my little list of WIPs!!  This week I'm just trying to stick to the three projects and not get sidelined trying to finish up the other WIPs that keep being found all over the house.....  So far, I've done pretty good.  My list this week includes:

1. Granny Stripes Blanket - Since this is the biggest of all my projects, I think I need to devote a good chunk of my time to it to get it finished off before the wedding!  I can think of nothing worse than trying to finish this up on the plane!  They'd probably make me buy it it's own seat!  lol  It's coming along really well though and I'm really enjoying it, so that's great.  I find it incredibly relaxing to work on!

2. Galapagos Shawl - This got a good bit of time spent on it over the weekend and is getting pretty close to completion.  The colours are fantastic and the yarn is super soft to knit with.  I'm currently on the "knotted open-work" section right now.  The pattern is called Summer Flies.  I thought it was a very pretty and easy one, plus the butterflies kind of just drew me in....

3. Ishbel - Oh poor Ishbel!  She has been neglected over the last while.  I really need to seriously sit down and work on her since I'm planning on wearing her at the wedding.  That means I have about a month to finish her, but with the Pancake House opening soon, I will be super busy baking so that won't leave much time for knitting - meaning she has to get done within the very near future.  She might end up being my weekend knitting project.

That's it for my current WIPs.  My other ones are just sitting somewhat patiently by waiting for their turn.  In the meantime, I'm just going to keep plugging away on these and hopefully they will be featured on a Finished Project Friday post soon. 

Happy Knitting!!

Crochet Corner

Hello Knitters,

I'd like to share a picture of what I hope to turn into my own personal little crochet corner.  Doesn't it look like the most glorious place to hook away the afternoon in the sunshine?  I'm hoping to do just that over the next while as I work on the Granny Stripes Blanket.  There it is on the chair - if you can see it through the shadows.  I started it last night since I made myself do some more WIPs finishing over the weekend, so it's not very far along yet.  It's very soothing and relaxing and I'm so looking forward to watching it grow :)

Well that's all I've got for today.  I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that your week is off to a good start.  Mine is going great :)  Tomorrow I'm going to a do some bread baking in the morning and then probably spend the rest of the day working on the Granny Stripes.  Oh the joys of lazy pre-spring days!

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!! 

P.S. Knit Picks released their new colours of Felici, and Felici Sport if you're interested :)  They also launched a new yarn line called Aloft that's a kid mohair/silk blend - very pretty as well!  I'm super duper excited about these and can hardly wait to order, however, I'm holding myself back for a few days to see if any of the other "spring yarns" get some new colours too!! 

Finished Project Friday - Feb. 18

Trekking Socks

Hello Knitters,

I've got a short list of finished projects for you all today.  I finished both the Trekking socks and the Monkeys.  I  know it doesn't seem like very much, but let me tell you, it was a lot of knitting!!  I've been working on them almost exclusively since Monday, and got the Trekking Socks done last night and the second Monkey sock finished this afternoon.  I guess I forgot how much work goes into a pair of socks. 


Tea Party Monkeys

I'm very, very, very happy with how both turned out and I can't wait to wear them :)  After making my Sunday Swing socks back in January, I've developed an even stronger like of wearing hand knit socks.  That's a good thing since I seem to have quite a few more pairs either in progress or waiting to be cast on!! 

I hope you all have a lovely long weekend and that you get time to relax and enjoy some knitting.  My plan is to stay off the Internet for the weekend and work on finishing up more of my WIPs, so I probably won't be back until Monday or Tuesday.  And hopefully I'll have a whole lot to show for it! 

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday - Feb. 16

Hi Knitters,

This week I've been working on the Trekking Socks.  I have one done, and this is my progress so far on the second one.  I was hoping to have them both finished by now, but I think I over-estimated how long it would take me to knit them.  Sometimes I think I can knit faster than I really can....

 
This is the beginning of what is to be a Granny Stripe Blanket.  I'm making it for a sweet couple who's wedding I'm going to at the beginning of April out in San Diego.  I just purchased the yarn today and I plan on starting it some time tomorrow.  It will be my first full-sized afghan!  I spent last night drooling over all the gorgeous ones on Ravelry, and if this one turns out well, I want to make one for myself in lots of bright colours.  I can't think of a better spring crochet project than something colourful and sunny!

Since both projects are on the bigger side, I've decided to just keep my current WIPs at two instead of three, that way I can focus on them and get them done quicker.  And I have less chance of getting overwhelmed. 

I hope everyone is having a great week.  We are enjoying warm and sunny weather here right now (43 F here today!).  I'm trying to take in every bit of it while it lasts since they're calling for cooler temps again for the weekend.  It sure felt like spring out there today though, so it does give one hope! 

Happy Knitting!!

More Finished Projects

Hello Knitters,

Sorry for the absence around here over the weekend, and for missing Finished Project Friday.  What happened, was that when Friday rolled around I realized that I had no finished projects to blog about, and this really bothered me.  So, I ended up frantically knitting away on some WIPs to try and get them done in time to post about.  However, by the time I got the first one done, the sun had set and it was too dark to take any good pictures.  I decided to keep working on finishing up projects and wait until the next morning to take pictures and post about them.  In the meantime, I cut myself off from Ravelry as well as the computer in general to help me focus.  I ended up finding out that by not being on Ravelry or online at all, I got a ton more done than I normally do.  This was a huge thing and gave me the idea of not coming online at all over the whole weekend; which I stuck to and thus is the reason I was not around to post.  I think I'm going to find a way to work this "limiting my online time" thing into my whole week so that I can get more of these WIPs done.  I'm not 100% sure how I will do this yet, but it's a plan in the making.  In the meantime, here are some of the projects I got done over the weekend.

The first one up above is the Rainbow Marley.  I started this a very, very long time ago, but had not sewed on the little toppers - I can't explain why.  I feel so much better about it now, and I really think it came out cute!

Next is the Bunny Tail hat.  This was the second hat I knit when learning how to knit in the round, but once I got to where you add the ears, I wasn't too sure how to do them so I just put it aside.  It's also been a few years for this one, but it's so good to have it done now that Easter is coming :-)

I started this little Ruffle Sun Hat a long time ago, but left it with only a few rows left to do.  I'm so glad to have it complete now.  I forgot I even had it going until I found it on Friday night.  (I have a feeling there is going to be a lot more of that over the next little bit as a go through all my bags and bins....)

This Button-Tab Hat was supposed to be a quick last-minute Christmas gift - last Christmas (and I'm not referring to the one that just is past).  Now that it's done, I gifted it to my Mom as her Valentine's gift.  She needed a new hat to wear while walking the dog, so this worked out perfectly.  

I can honestly say I don't remember when I started this vest, but it's been a long time.  I did the 6-12 month size, but the length looks a little short to me.  Oh well, I'm sure it will fit some little guy! 

This is the last wig I needed to make for Mom's pig.  It's an Afro.  She decided that she didn't want the Mohawk, so that worked out great for me.  I'm so happy to have this one done now, it had been hanging over my head since the summer. 

I posted about this blanket back in the fall, and now it's finally finished!!  It was probably my most favourite project that I worked on this past weekend.  I'd use this pattern again and again - it was very easy and has such cute results. 

Well, that's it!!  I'm hoping to keep at it and get more projects finished this week.  I'm giving myself a bit of a break from Ishbel and the Be Mine socks and am working on more WIPs right now until I get a few more finished.  Then I can relax and enjoy knitting the other two without so many unfinished projects hanging around :-)

Have a great week everyone.

Happy Knitting!!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

WIP Wednesday - Feb. 9

Hello Knitters,

I don't have any pictures to share this week.  My three WIPs I'm currently working on are:

1. Ishbel
2. Be Mine Socks
3. Nordic Snowflake Hat

I want to keep the snowflake hat a surprise, so I didn't take any pictures of it yet, but it is close to being done.  All that's left is the tassels and braids and then lining it with fleece.  I hope to have it done before the weekend though, so there should be pictures soon.

I've been spending most of my time working on my Ishbel since I want it done before the beginning of March.  I'm hoping to get it done well before then, but I thought I'd give myself a longer timeline just in case.  This means that the Be Mine socks have been pushed to the sidelines.  I had originally wanted to have them done in time for Valentine's Day, but at the rate they're going, I think it would be better to aim for the end of the month.  After all, the whole month February is love and hearts right? 

Well, that's all for today, sorry it was so short and uneventful .  I hope everyone is having a lovely week and that you are making good progress on your projects :)

Happy Knitting!!

Charity Booties

Hello Knitters,

As promised, here's a picture of the booties I made for the Central Ohio Binky Patrol.  I used the Saartje's Bootees pattern from Ravelry and found it very quick and fun.  I think the best part is picking out the buttons though!  You can find out more information on my booties on my Ravelry page if you're interested.

Have a great Monday everyone!!

Knitting Together

Hello Knitters,

I have to apologize for not getting the pictures of the booties today.  I was thinking about it this morning, but then I was cleaning and forgot and when I remembered again, it was too dark to take any pictures without the flash coming on.  However, it's been a dreary day here so I don't know if I could have gotten a good picture anyways.  I will have to save them for Monday's post. 

In other knitting news, my sister came down today and is spending the night so we can do a knit-along together (and visit too of course)!!  We both have wanted to knit the Inca Snowflake from Itty-Bitty Hats for a while now, so I ordered us some Knit Picks Chroma in worsted weight and it arrived this past week.  She's knitting with Lollipop (which is so fun and is my favourite) and I'm knitting with Roller Skate (also very pretty, but more muted than hers).  I think that hers looks like a tropical inspired hat and mine is a Nordic one :)  Since the yarn is so soft we're not sure if we'll do the fleece lining, but I'd like to try it just to learn how.  It's really fun knitting these together and I'm excited to see what they look like when they're done.  Right now we're both mesmerized with watching the colours gradually change! 

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend, and have a great Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow if you're a football fan!  We're not football people here, but I'd never pass up a good chance to sit and knit :)

Happy Knitting!!

Finished Project Friday - Feb. 4

Pink Cotton Stria Stripes

Hello Knitters,

Well, it's Friday already!!  This week has just flown by.  I've got some more finished objects to share with you this week.  But first I wanted to let you know that I made a little change to the name for my Friday posts.  I'm going to call it "Finished Project Friday" because I think of each one of my knits as a project and not really an object ;)  Plus, I thought it sounded cuter!  Now on with the show!!


Lazy-Daisy Baby Jacket



Itty-Bitty Swap Green Apple Hat



Ashley's Confused Moose



Dotty Chicken

 I have a couple more finished projects, however, I didn't get them done until the sun set here, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow to take photos and post about them.  So I guess that's it for today's post! 

Have a great weekend everyone :)

WIP Wednesday - Feb. 2

Hello Knitters,

This week I thought I'd share three of my WIPs that I'm currently working on.  The first one is my Pink Cotton Stria Stripes Hat, which you can see in the picture above.  I cast on for this during the Winter X-Games over the weekend.  I first learned how to knit in the round three years ago while watching the games by knitting an Itty-Bitty hat (you can check out the finished hat here if you're interested), so it's become sort of a tradition for me to knit one while watching.  I just need to finish off the top of the hat, which I hope to get done before Friday.

My second project is my second Monkey sock.  There's not too much say about it really.  I've only got the cuff done and have just begun the pattern on the leg.  I'm going to work away at it when I can find the time and hopefully I'll have a finished pair soon.

I knit these same Be Mine socks before about a year ago for the Ravelympics.  However, before I even got to wear them, they had an unfortunate incident with the lint shaver.... I never really said much about it because it was pretty upsetting to say the least.  Especially after how hard I struggled to knit them two-at-a-time.  This time I chose to do them on DPNs because I find that much easier and faster.  I'm only done the leg of the first one, but it's coming along really well.  It's a fun pattern and I really wanted to have a pair of Valentine's socks :)

Well, that's it for today!!  I hope you are all having a great week, and that those of you hit by the snow storm are keeping warm and well!

Happy Groundhog day :)