Blogging? People still read blogs?

It's a shock, I know! A lot of blogs I have read in the past are now defunct. I can understand, as life surely gets in the way. I look at my blog as a journal of my knitting projects with some other stuff thrown in. I wanted to keep them separate at some point, but over the years I feel like I know people just from reading their blogs. I guess it's voyeuristic, but if you put it out there, I guess it's fair game!

 A lot of bloggers I know have gone the route of Ravelry or Facebook. And that's ok! I like looking at photos on Rav and reading the updates on FB. But there is something a bit more personal about a blog, maybe more of a backstory. And I like stories!

I want to show some of my projects I've completed. It's been so long since I did any updating, I forgot a lot of the details. As I update my Ravelry page, I can't put in needle or yarn. And I know that helps some people, it's something I need to be more diligent about, I guess.

I belong to the dozen groups on Ravelry: dozen shawls, dozen neckwarmers, and dozen hats. It was my goal to knit a shawl a month, a neckwarmer (cowl), and a hat. I've been pretty busy, just not taking photos or updating.

I made the Jacques Costeau hat for the dozenhats group.

I think the yarn is Lorna's Laced Shephard Worsted Weight in the color Zombie BBQ. I had to get it just for the name! Love the colors, and since it's a beanie/watchman hat, I think it would look good on a boy or a girl.

A crocheted slouchy for my daughter. I needed a quick FO fix, so I turn to crochet when that happens. It also helps to stave off castonitis. 

I ran out of yarn for the body, so I used a solid for the brim. I made the brim quite a bit wider than the pattern called for (4 rows of sc). I really like the wider brim and the slouchy-ness of this hat. It's mostly cotton, so I don't know how warm it'll be in the winter. Maybe it'll have to be a transition season hat?

this Cowl is called Gray Loop and it's been in my queue for a loooong time. I saw this pink yarn and when it was the choice for April in dozen neckwarmers group, I knew it was time! I love the yarn, the color, and the pattern. Long infinity cowls are becoming my favorite. Unlike a scarf, you can't lose a cowl, and if it's too warm, unloop it and let it hang!

I made the hitchhiker cowl as part of instagram Kal. I love instagram. In fact, I use instagram more than I use my digital camera. My phone on my ipod takes pretty good pics, and the filters are way cool. I went stash diving for the yarn, some orange fun sock yarn! I might have to make this again in a different color, maybe a variegated.

the first real lace cowl I have made is the Rosewood One Skein. Since it was knit in March, I can't remember the yarn or needle. It was a fun knit though and I like how the edge rolls. I like the shaping, too.

And I did a test knit for an online friend. The shawl has a cable spine, so cool. Though I don't like my shawls so open and airy, this one was nice and pretty easy to knit. I used a lace yarn (Alpaca Cloud by knitpicks) and size 6 needles. I had to block this one, and blocking does make such a difference!

The last pic is a close up of the cable detail. I really really like the cable!

 I have a few more photos that I will show you, but I'll save it till next time! In the meantime, I need to start preparing for our new adventures in homeschooling. I will have 5 students this year!  Going to be busy and fun!

Until next time!

March March March

I hate coming up with titles of posts. If I wait until the end, I forget.

It's been awhile, but I have been knitting. I like to take more than one photo and post it. So my FO's seem to build up and I seem very productive :)

I am still working on my Simple Lines shawl from January. I really need to just finish it. It's just the edging and I can be done with it. I made a Molly hat, but I ran out of yarn near the end. I went to my LYS to see if they had the same yarn and sadly they did not. The owner advised me to frog the whole hat and restart on smaller needles. She said it'd be worth it, and I totally agree, since I am a loose knitter and usually go down a needle size anyway. Except on this hat. I have it where I can see it everyday, and soon I will finish it. Hopefully in a marathon knitting session.

I am working on the Jeweled Cowl, and so far I really like how it's turning out. The yarn is a pastel pink and purple, not really my colors, but they are knitting up nicely. The cowl is beaded, another first for me. I must say adding beads is a fiddly time consuming process, fortunately it's only 14 beads every other row. There are 200 stitches around, though, so it does take some time. I am trying to be monogamous to this project so it doesn't become a UFO. I hate those (like Simple Lines!)

I finished two cowls and need to block and photograph them. I also finished a hat. My daughter wore it before I could get pics, and now it's MIA. At least I have a good idea of where it is, it's just not here for me to get a photo of.

I have several projects lined up as well. Two shawls for March and a hat. I need to get knitting so I can add these projects to my project page on Ravelry. I would love to have more FOs than in my queue. Lofty goal I know, since I keep adding projects!

Next post will feature some photos of FO's.

Zombies and Dreads

I have some completed projects! Yay!!! I've been trying to get at least one a week, but so far, no go. That's ok, though. I can make several hats in a week, or a cowl, so I can catch up if I need to to complete my 52 project challenge.

Number 4 is my Zombie Mitts. They were for the Instagram KAL and the FGF group Literary KAL for Feb. Funny, how are zombies literary? Well, I was reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin (which is an excellent book!) and thought it would be awesome to make something for that book. No vampire mitts, so zombies was the closest I could come. It's ok. They turned out awesome and I love them!

I used Borocco Sox in this awesome colorway. Once I did the cables without a cable needle, they zoomed right along!

I guess they are fraternal twins! I really really love how they turned out!

And number 5 for 2013 would be my Dread Tamer Hat, a modified version of the Felicity hat pattern.

I did all the increases in the beginning, did a few decrease rows at the end, added an eyelet round, and tied it off with a crocheted chain. This works nicely to keep my hair off my face and back. It's also nice for going out in public. My hair is a "bit" crazy right now, and I need all the help I can get!

I can close it off if I want and keep all the hair inside. Haven't done that yet, but I might. I really need to make some headbands so I'm not wearing a hat all the time.

So far that's all I have accomplished. I'm working on a cowl right now and another scarf from 2010. I finally got my needles from my LYS so I can complete my Simple Lines shawl. It took a few days to complete my dreads, so I didn't get much done then. And I've been reading a lot, too.

Here is a before and after picture of my dreads. I really like them. I've had them for about a week, and they are crazy!

The ones in front are a very short and kind of stick up right now. I look like  Side-show Bob! LOL!
I'll be back  soon to show off some more FO's!

OOps, no title!

I haven't shown any of my FO's recently. I was into taking tons of pics, but kinda got away from that for some reason. I tend to do it in batches now, about once a month, updating Ravelry as well. It works, but it takes a long time.

One good thing is that I got my needle issue resolved. I went back to my LYS, the one I was complaining about in my last post, and all my wrongs were righted. There was a different person there, and she was so friendly and helpful. It helped that I was the only one in there...but I feel better, and I will visit again. They carry a lot of nice yarns and are very close to me!

I made my daughter a hat. She wanted one. I thought she needed one. So when we were at the LYS, I told her to pick the color she wanted. She loves a deep purple, so that's what she picked. I had to steer her away from a solid purple, though. How boring. So I kept showing her different yarns, more variegated, and we decided on this one. The hat itself was super easy and quick. It looks quite small, and I wondered if it would fit her. But it does, and nicely! It has tons of stretch.

The brim that you see here is what the outside of the skein looked like. After a bit of knitting....

The inside was more blue/green than purple. But it's ok. When she looks in the mirror it's purple! You can see my project page here. The pattern is here.

I started this shawl in New York when we went to visit over the Christmas holiday. Why I had to get more yarn and start a new project is beyond me. I brought enough stuff for our two week stay. I haven't seen this yarn anywhere else and I liked it. It is acrylic and feels like it, but it so similar to Noro it's scary! I shortened the shawl a bit just to get it over with since it got very boring by the end. I like the colors, but I don't really like blue and red together. It reminds me of Superman for some reason.

We were having a good time getting the pics for the projects! She's about five feet tall and broad shouldered. It can be worn as a scarf, but it would be large! I need to block it still, the edge rolls. Project Page.  Pattern here.

And if that wasn't crazy enough, I decided to cast on for another hat! I wanted to make the sock head hat, and this pattern is perfect for TV knitting. Around and around she goes...It took awhile because it got boring, but after a few movies, it was pretty much done! I used Serentiy Sock yarn. It's a bit big. I even cut down on the number of stitches. I'm going to make another in pink, casting on less so it's not so big.

I like how light this is. The brim is nice, you can fold it up for extra warmth. But this hat is not for COLD weather! It would help some, but not much. I like how lightweight it is, perfect for the chilly summer evening or changing seasons.

This is the side view. I might get started on the new one right away! I really like this hat! Project page.
Pattern blog. 

How about some fingerless mitts? I made a pair for the FGF group. They chose two for January. I made the Align mitts out of leftover KP Imagination in Castle Walls. Very quick and easy knit. I did have to go down a needle size since the size 3s produced a large fabric. I didn't have a 2, so wound up  using a 1. They area  bit tight for my adult hands, but fit my younger daughter nicely. And since this is a gray, I bet my son would benefit from them as well.  Project Page.

I also finished a WIP from 2010. It's a crocheted scarf. It has sat in exile for so long, and it worked up pretty quick. I don't know why I just didn't finish it!

Behold the Claudia Scarf! I used KP Palette in lipstick.  Here is my project page.

Well, that's about it for January. I have a few projects OTN that I'm working on right now. It shouldn't take too long, but with Ravlery and all, who knows? I love looking at all the projects and colors and yarns. It helps to keep me inspired.
I'm off to a good start, I think. I hope I can keep my mojo and get a lot done this year!

knitting knitting knitting

I'm still knitting! I wish I was more into taking photos and getting my stuff posted. It would help if I had more stuff to show! It's been an eventful 2013 so far. We have been transitioning from homeschooling to unschooling. It's been...interesting, to say the least. That, and reading a ton, has been keeping me busy.

I didn't set a lot of goals this year, or really, any clear cut and dried ones. I joined a few more groups on Ravelry to give me more of a focus, and that definitely helps for me! I may choose to keep up, I may just do the ones I like and go from there. I'm keeping it loose and fun!

I bought some yarn in New York when we went to visit for the holidays. Well, I went to Jo-anne's to get some size 1 needles so I could work on some colorwork mittens (that I have yet to start! LOL!) While I was there, I saw that they had some faux Noro type yarn. Who knew Red Heart made an acrylic version? I know Bernat and Lion Brand have their own line, so I guess it wasn't a far jump for Red Heart. Anyway, long story short, I got two balls to make the shawl on the ballband. I finished it up this month and started another shawl, very similar in style, but with sockweight yarn. It's getting tedious. You know, when you are knitting 300 stitches every row, increasing by 4 every other row....it gets old! I've been struggling trying to keep on with it, and I even decided to shorten it by a full pattern repeat. I will get to start the border in three more rows! So MAYBE this weekend I can finish it!

I'm also in the process of making a sockhead hat. It's just that: stockinette on size 4 needles in sock weight yarn. Round and round she goes...it's very nice for TV/movie watching. Well, the needles in there are Symfoinie interchangeables. And guess what? One broke! I bought these puppies in New York, so I called the LYS and she told me to find a store locally and they would replace the needle. I found a store nearby (almost on my doorstep that I didn't even know existed!) and immediately went there.

Well, let's say that I'm a bit disappointed by the customer service. It's a tiny shop with lots of yarn. Who goes into a yarn shop to just pick up needles and go? Of course I wanted to browse, but sadly, I felt rushed, and she did not offer to replace my broken needle. I know people have "off" days and there was someone in the shop who needed knitting help. While I can say that it's not my problem, I think the clerk (owner?) was too focused on the other lady to even want to worry about me.  I will go back soon, and see if I can replace my needle, and hopefully customer service will be much better. I like that there's a yarn store close by, even with weird hours!

I tried to make an earphone cord wrap cozy thing. You basically knit an icord around the headphone cord using sock yarn. I've tried this thing at least 4 times, casting on more for the cord, going back to 3 stitches. There are horrible ladders in the back that really bother me. And while icord is fairly quick, I don't want to waste my time if I don't like the finished product. I wish I could just accept the laddering, but it really bothers me.

My  next post will contain some FO photos! I have at least 2, maybe three things to show. Stay tuned...