So far this year....

  We are on our way with 2015 and I thought I would talk about my first finished objects of the new year. Spoiler alert - there is NO knitting!

  My biggest Finished object this year would be the 6 scarves I double crocheted for the Pine Ridge Reservation. It was fun to work with the bright colors and crochet just goes so much faster than knitting for me. I started these in December and had hoped to get them finished and in the mail by Christmas, but it was just too hectic and I didn't get enough time to get them done, so they went out in the mail yesterday.

  I didn't put much detail into my Ravelry page about these scarves, (they are all double crochet and I mostly winged it) but if you are dying to know what yarn I used for one of them or want more information, feel free to pop over HERE and have a look.

  The other finished object I have to share is a scarf I made for myself. We went to Michaels Craft Store on New Years Day and I spotted fleece yarn in a cheetah pattern and I had to have it! And yes - that means the first day of 2015 I purchased yarn! No yarn diet for me!

  The scarf is Double crochet with a size L (8.0 mm) Hook. I used two skeins of the Premier Yarns Cuddle Fleece in the Cheetah colorway. (You can see my Ravelry project page HERE.)

 

  It wasn't too bad to work with, but the end product was a bit stiff. I am hoping a run through the washer and  dryer will help soften it up a bit. I wore it to work the day after I finished it as we had a -35ºF wind chill and I wanted to be warm! It worked - but turning my head with this around my neck while driving to work was a bit of a challenge. 

  Part of the joy of Ravelry is that I can keep track of all my statistics. I tag my projects as I go, and so far for 2015 I have used  1,259 yards of yarn. Neat! 

  And that is all I have so far. My hope is to finish some socks that I started in the fall of 2014, and do some WIP (works in progress) busting over the winter, but we shall see. The need for scarves and mittens For the Children of Pine Ridge is great, so I will probably be working toward that rather than focusing on WIPs. 

Happy knitting everyone and Stay Warm!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strain)

HELLO!

So I have been having a whirlwind of changes happen in my life over the last couple of months! You can always tell when life is overwhelming me, as my Blog becomes neglected! So here is the quick and dirty version of what has happened over the last few months.

I don't think I have mentioned much about this in my Blog, but I was laid off from my job this summer. I won't go into a ton of detail, but I had been in my last company for over 12 years, and it was quite a surprise. They gave us about two months notice at the job and then I was out of work about two months before I started my new job. So that was all very stressful on about 14 levels. My new job is fabulous and I am REALLY happy there, but it's a huge change for me. I went from retail to a hardcore business environment. Change to how I dress (no more jeans!), and my commute (half the distance!) and my parking (what do you mean I have to PAY to park?!?!), and I could go on and on here. But now here I am, in my new job, in a company that I REALLY love, with wonderful wonderful people. Very happy on that front and so pleased to be finishing out 2014 in a job that I  love and with potential for me to grow in.

I also decided to take a break from school. I was actually in classes up until a couple weeks ago, and I finally decided I was just to overwhelmed and I wanted to take a break, focus on getting up to speed in my new job, and then reevaluate what I want to do with my education. So I withdrew from my HTML class a couple of weeks back, and am just focusing on my job at this time. It is strange to not be focused on my studies! I had been in some form of school for the last 2 years - so it's just like hearing the silence after a storm. Strange!

So! In terms of crafty stuff, I have been getting some knitting done. Most of what I have completed since I last wrote has been for Pine Ridge. I found a group on Ravelry called "For the Children of Pine Ridge" and I have been working on hats, scarves and mittens for a school on the reservation.

Here is what I sent over the last month or so:

My First box included 7 knit hats and 4 crocheted scarves.I am not overly skilled at the crochet yet, so this was a good way to practice and do some good as well. The hats I made using 3 different patterns I found on Ravelry.

1. Erich's A&F Knockoff Hat by Eboni A. Johnson

These knit quick on size 15 needles and the yarn was Lion Brand Hometown USA that I had floating around. My notes on these can be found HERE if you want more detail. They were fast and fun - and this pattern is a staple for me. Works on almost everyone and it's fast and easy.

2. Basic Hat / Radiant Hat by Lion Brand Yarn

 An easy pattern and free from Lion Brand. Used Hometown USA again and size 15 needles again. My notes on this hat can be found HERE if you want more detail.

3.The Vermonter by Abi Gregorio

Same yarn as the other hats, but we switched it up and went with size 11 needles on these babies and I opted to skip the pompom's. My more detailed notes can once again be found HERE if you need more info.

The next box I sent out had three scarves, a pair of mittens, and a bunch of stuff my mom contributed.

The scarves I made were crochet stash busting once again:

 And the mittens were made following one of my favorite patterns:

Warmest Mittens by Kris Percival.  

 

 

These were knit with Farmhouse Yarns Andy's Merino that I had had in my stash for years. If you want more details on how I made these, head HERE once again. (I always try and take good notes for my Ravelry Project pages!)

So that is what I have been getting done on the knitting front. I am going to work on getting blogging back into my life as I really missed it! Hope this finds any and all readers out there in good health. 

 

Happy crafting people!

A gift for a Neighbor

Here we are at December 22nd and I have done pretty close to nothing for Christmas this year. I have not a single decoration up. I have baked nothing. I have purchased nothing. BUT I have knit/crocheted a couple of things. 

One of those things is a scarf for the daughter of a neighbor. I actually worked on this at school while waiting for class to start for the most part. Crochet goes really fast so I had it done in no time. Since it was for a toddler, I made it with one skein of yarn - Bernat Pipsqueak in the color Neapolitan on a size K (6.5mm) hook.  I don't have many notes on this, but my Ravelry page for this project can be found here. I think this was double crochet? Uffda. Can't remember!

Then when I was at the store I found the perfect gift box to tuck it in. It's all set to take over to them as soon as I buy something for the adults to go with it. I suspect I will be out shopping with everyone else today!

Number 15 in Mulberry

Project Name: Number 15 in Mulberry
Pattern Name: This is pattern #15 from The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs by Linda P. Schapper
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Mulberry Merino 2 skeins = 198.0 yards (181.1m) in color 8783
Hook: 6.0 mm (J)
Size: 6" x 64"
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

More stash busting. More experimenting with stitches from my crochet stitch dictionary.

I had never worked with this yarn before, and although it's SUPER EVIL to rip out, I love how it worked up in this stitch. It's really soft and squishy.

The pattern was addictive to work. I found myself working on it all the time. You can go miles in no time. Very happy with the results!

Number 3 in Pomaire

Project Name:  Number 3 in Pomaire
Pattern Name: This is pattern #3 from The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs by Linda P. Schapper
Yarn: Araucania Pomaire Multy,1 skeins = 183.0 yards (167.3m) in colorway 4
Hook:  5.0 mm (H)
Size:  5.5" x 60"
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥
 
You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

This was a really fun crochet stitch and I had a hard time setting it down. It looks really nice and once you get going it's just go go go! Great stash buster of a single skein I had rolling around. I had never worked with this yarn before and I have to say I am a fan! I will use it again. I think a throw in this yarn in this pattern would be quite awesome. One of those nice summer throws for the couch when you just need a little warmth. I wore this all day at work and am still wearing it right now while I type this up. It's really soft and non scratchy - feels nice after months of wool against my skin.

Really enjoying learning new crochet stitches and busting stash!

Number 2 in Rosewood

Project Name: Number 2 in Rosewood
Pattern Name: This is pattern #2 from The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs by Linda P. Schapper
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in the color Rosewood, 1 skeins = 223.0 yards (203.9m)
Hook: 5.0 mm (H)
Size: 5 inches by 48 inches
Love: ♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

I finally have a finished project and thought this would be a good chance to get back into blogging! I took a bit of a break there while I finished studying for, taking and PASSING my A+ certification exams. Yup. I am now officially A+ certified! Yay me!

So I have been starting a ton of projects, and finally finished SOMETHING. I picked up this book...

and have been slowly teaching myself some new crochet stitches. I have to admit, as a knitter I find the language and the pattern writing of crochet books (patterns, etc...) a little baffling. So I started on pattern 2, which is really simple. You pretty much just cast on an even amount of stitches and then you single crochet twice in every other stitch. Easy peasy. I grabbed a ball of yarn out of my stash and went to town.

The scarf worked up quickly, was portable and I like how the yarn worked up in this pattern. Bonus that this was a loan ball of yarn that was just hanging out in my stash for years and is now GONE. Yay!

I really like the idea of working all the odd balls of yarn out of my stash while learning some new crochet skills. Win win!

And the photo with Emma on the deck modeling the scarf was taken just minutes ago. We really have that much snow left. It's just disgusting. Winter will not go away.

Another Sheep(ish) Hooker

Project Name: Another Sheep(ish) Hooker
Pattern Name: n/a (Just Double Crochet)
Yarn: Caron Vickie Howell Sheep(ish) 2 skeins = 334.0 yards (305.4m) in Magenta(ish)
Hook: 10.0 (N) hook
Size: 72 inches x 5.5 inches
Love: ♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

More stash busting and lunchtime crocheting. I held two strands of this yarn together and chained 12 stitches, then worked double crochet until I ran out of yarn. The last one I made was really warm and I found myself wearing it all the time. (January in Minnesota = Lots of knitwear!) Very pleased with this. It worked up fast and even though it's a holey stitch the scarf is still very warm. Can't wait to wear this!

The Sheep(ish) Hooker

Project Name: Sheep(ish) Hooker
Pattern Name: N/A (An improvised Crochet Scarf)
Yarn: Caron Vickie Howell Sheep(ish), 2 skeins = 334.0 yards (305.4m)
Hook: 10.00mm (N)
Size:6.5" x 54"
Love: ♥♥♥♥♥ - Full of Love and had to keep it for myself!

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

I am in love with the Extended Single Crochet stitch and can't seem to stop using it in crochet projects. I chained 12 stitches and worked this scarf in (what else?) extended single crochet with two strands of yarn held together on a N (10.00 mm) hook. Fast, furry and fabulous! I thought it might be a charity scarf when I started it, my hesitation being the wool content. I try to donate machine washable and dryable items. When I finished I tried it on and did NOT want to take it off! It's super warm and just a snuggler of a scarf. LOVE IT!

You will notice my dog is doing a lot of modeling this week. I still look a bit like warmed over death so I am employing her talents for modeling my knitwear until I can get my self put back together. And since it is January and Minnesota - we have pretty much no daylight at this point. One day I will make a lightbox for taking knitwear photos, but until that day it's too much flash and a dog model! ;)

Where I force my brother to be matchy matchy

Project Name: Soldier, Brother, Packer Fan - The Scarf (Crochet)
Pattern Name: N/A
Yarn: Red Heart Team Spirit, 0.98 skeins = 239.1 yards (218.7m)
Hook: 5.5mm ( I )
Size: 6.5 inches x 50 inches
Love: ♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

After I made The Packer Hat I still had over a skein of this yarn left. Obvious solution was to hook up a scarf. I made a chain of 20 and then worked the entire thing in extended single crochet until the length was just about right for my brother. He loved the length of the last scarf and I wanted this to be about the same. I finished this in 2012, but we had the flu hit my hubby and then me, so it's been tough to take the time to take pictures. Today was my first full day of work in a week, and I feel less Zombie than I have in some time, so I thought I would snap a quick pic and get this posted.

Hope everyone else is avoiding the flu and feeling fit and fine!

Found You!

 

Hello all and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope 2013 is a wonderful year for one and all!

 

I was cleaning up my craft room (THAT'S a good way to kill an afternoon!) and came across a bag with this scarf about 1/3 done. I was knitting it to replace one I had made with the same yarn that unraveled on me. I wore the heck out of the old one. This one I decided I would donate. (I have so many scarves already!)

Project Name: Found you!
Pattern Name: n/a (I made it up)
Yarn: Bernat Boa in Cardinal (2 skeins) and most of a skein of Wool-Ease Worsted in Black.
Needle: 12
Size: perfect!
Love: ♥♥♥♥

You can find my Ravelry Project Notes HERE.

This was a really simple scarf. I cast on 12 stitches with the Boa and the Wool-Ease held together. Then knit every row until I ran out of the 2 skeins of Boa. I had Wool-Ease left over. Easy as pie!

BROaden

 

I recently finished a quick crochet scarf. I was working on it the night before my Birthday, and my brother called me to wish me a Happy B-day. The rest of the time I was working on it I thought of him, so it was only natural that I mail it off to him as a surprise hug from his little sister. 

(FYI - That is my cat in the lower corner of the photo by my hand. Can't take a picture without a critter getting into it one way or another!)

YARN: Lion Brand Hometown USA Tweeds - 2 Skeins.

HOOK: 10.00mm Size N hook

PATTERN: Improvised. I chained 13 and then did Extended Single Crochet until I used up both skeins. 

SIZE: 7" x 44"

LOVE: ♥♥♥♥ Pretty High. This is like wearing a teddy bear around your neck! 

Check out my snazzy new boots in the background. Love wearing boots! Especially when the snow isn't flying yet. I am pretty sure they are more about cute than warmth or keeping the feet dry. Had to have them though!

Crochet Charity Scarf the Second (2012)

I finished my second crochet charity scarf to send off to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. This one used 163 yards of worsted weight acrylic (Bernat Mosaic) and I again did the Extended Single Crochet Stitch. I chained 13 stitches and then worked the extended single crochet until I ran out of yarn.

I carried this in my work bag and just worked on it at my lunch. Very easy and it used up the yarn left over from the scarf I made my co-worker for her birthday. Very win win!

I would like to branch out and practice more kinds of stitches with charity scarves. What a great way to practice, stash bust and do a good deed all in one shot!

Hooking is hard

On my vacation I very quickly whipped out a scarf in my bizarre crochet I do. This is hooked in Bernat Mosaic and I had no idea it was thick and thin yarn when I bought it. The end result is a kind of odd scarf. I made this with the intent of giving it to my co-worker for her Birthday. I still intent to do that - but I am a little unsure feeling about it since it goes thick and thin in the width. Hmmmm. Not sure what to think. Is it "artistic" or just plain weird? Does asking that question answer it for me?

Last night I re-cast on for my KAL shawl and made a little progress. I am pretty happy with how it's going and had the brain cells to quit when I caught myself trying to add random YO's to the pattern.

It is SUPER gorgeous today and I have been inside almost all day doing workout and cleaning. I MUST GO OUTSIDE! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Charity knitting and hooking

This past winter I mailed off a box of hats and scarves I knit over the year to a charity in Wisconsin/Illinois (USA) area and I was pretty happy about doing it. I liked knitting up a bunch of items to go to people who needed them.

So now that I am getting hook happy I thought it might be good to practice my hooking and find another Charity than can use my handmade goods. I was really happy when I came across the little blip in Your Knitting Life Magazine (page 11) about the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation. The web site for the Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation have a large list of knit/crochet/sew items they need and would really appreciate.

To that end I whipped out a quick scarf this morning when I couldn't sleep. (Just think how many scarves I could make with the amount of Insomnia I have!)

As usual I have no idea what stitch this is. It's the same one I am making my Fugly Blanket out of so it was easy to do. I used a massive crochet hook (11.50mm P) and used up two skeins of Hometown USA yarn. And yes - it's the same yarn as Emma's blanket. I bought extra thinking I would need it for my shawl. (insert snorts of laughter here.)

This scarf ended up being 68" x 5" before the fringe was added. (I miss putting fringe on a scarf! I never do it for my personal stuff anymore! It was fun!)

I really need to learn to speak and read crochet. I am just being lazy! I look at this and think Is that double crochet? That is DC right? Huh. When I google Double Crochet it looks a little like this, although it sounds like there is Double crochet through the front loop, double crochet through the back loop and double crochet through both loops - so are those all double crochet? How do you know what to do? And then I run screaming back to my knitting needles.

SO anyway, aside from my neurotic inner dialogs about the nature of crochet, I am pretty happy to have a Charity scarf knit up and am looking forward to making more!

Things are getting done!

About a month ago I started the Figurehead Shawl by Alexis Winslow. The body was very easy to work but the border was a real challenge. That's a knit scallop edge! The design is really really clever - but I hated working on the border. Of course now that it is finished I am in love with it and thinking about other colors and yarns I would like to work this in. It's really cute!

I worked my version in Brown Sheep Prairie Silk yarn - Which is now discontinued. I really love Brown Sheep Yarns. I used just over 1 skein of each color - a lavender and a grey. REALLY love the results! I originally wasn't going to put a button on the project, but after I blocked this out I got more length I found that I could. The way I am wearing it in the picture below is with it buttoned under my chin and tucked under the bulk of the shawl. It was really windy when I took these pictures and the shawlette really kept my neck from feeling the wind!

I have been wearing headbands a lot lately and have been looking for simple headbands to knit. I found this pattern on Ravelry called "Cool Cotton Headband". I knit it up and it took 27 yards (15 grams) of cotton! A perfect use for those left over balls of yarn from knitting washcloths. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and I was able to knit it up in about an hour. (I think it took a little longer than that but I was surfing the net and drinking coffee....) It's still a little thicker than I would like for everyday wear - but I think it would be a perfect headband to throw in my make-up caddy for wearing at night when I wash my face. Would make a great instant gift or stocking stuffer too. I knit this with Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton. (I could make three of these out of one skein and still have a little left over yarn!)

And I finished my Sari to Drop-In Scarf knit out of Frabjous Fibers Millefiori yarn. (The recycled Sari yarn.) The pattern I used was Barb Bettegnies Drop-In Scarf pattern from Creative Knitting, Fall 2010: Accessorize with Style. I had made this scarf a couple years back in ribbon yarn and loved the pattern. It's really fast and easy and the results are quite pretty! This was another stash buster for me and I am very pleased with my results!

Not much progress on my vest this week. I have had a lot of insomnia and I won't work on that project when I am tired or lacking focus. I don't want to mess it up!

In other news - We are breaking records for our warmth here this weekend. It is just amazing out! Yesterday it was 67F  - our normal average high for this time of year is 37F! That's a huge difference! I saw kids biking outside the house in shorts and t-shirts! Amazing! I will be out in that garden before I know it!

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz - How delish a baktus is!

I HAVE FINISHED MY BAKTUS!

I worked on this on and very off and then on again. It took me 11 months to finish. Argh. Not that the pattern is a burden or anything - it's a very simple pattern and it's wonderful. This is actually my third time making this and I love each one. I wear them all the time. They are super simple and they show off a yarn wonderfully. Just love them! Here is a link to the first one I made and a link to the second one I made. So it looks like I have made this three times in the last year. It's just such a wonderful pattern and a great way to bust your stash as it will work on pretty much any gauge. I just love it. Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern if anyone is interested. This pattern is to me as Toast is to Knitting Nix. (Although I suspect she has made more Toast than I have made Baktus. She wips out amazing Toast on a regular basis!)

When Tom and I went to the alpaca fiber festival in November I spotted someone wearing a striped Baktus and Tom thought it was quite the thing - so I am tempted to make my next Baktus striped. I have no doubt there will be another baktus in my future. I don't knit socks you see, and yet I can't stop buying sock yarn! It's just so flipping awesome! So this is a great use of it.

I know it looks like I took my poor dog and kind of forced her onto this in a posed manner. Not true! Any fabric  - knit item. towel or blanket - that I throw on the deck she immediately comes over to and sits on. It's crazy. She was snuffling in my hair and walking all over this thing as I was taking pictures. I think she is all hunched because it's still kind of cold out. We have been in one of our few cold snaps this weekend and it's tough on Emma. She loves it outside but is pretty much bald in her girly regions. Huh. Maybe that's why she is always sitting on my knitting....

So at the widest part my Baktus measures 12" and the length comes in at 82". Almost Seven Feet long! I am 63 inches tall (5'3") so you can tell how long this is on me. BUT - Because its sock yarn it's really light and because its so long I can wrap it around my neck a bunch - so I think it will be a really "Go to" item.

Also - This is so girly Pink that it really looks awesome with my black leather jacket!

Am very pleased with my newest FO!

Yelcho Feather and Fan Scarf

I finished blocking out my Yelcho Feather and Fan scarf over the weekend and was very pleased with the end results. The yarn did bleed some dye out during the soak process for blocking, but I feel like the colors have remained fairly true to what I fell in love with at the yarn store. I found my wool long coat in the closet for picture taking.

When I did my rough measurement of the end product I came in at 68" x5" which is a pretty nice length. I thought it would be much shorter than that - so I am pretty happy. The scarf is really light and airy but I think it will still be warm. I will give it a test run this week. I love the variegation in this pattern. Seems on trend with the Zig Zag craze that is going on.

Here is a close up shot of the scarf. Obviously the blocking stretched the feather and fan into more of a Zig Zag, but I like it. Really enjoyed working with this yarn and loved the pattern as well.

One more WIP completed!

Frosted Pines

We are having a really warm winter this year. I am loving the lack of arctic temps and the lack of snow. This weekend we had fog overnight that froze to everything. When I let the dog out this weekend I was greeted with frosted Pine Trees in our back yard. It was so pretty! Later when it warmed a little and a breeze would go through the tree's it "snowed" off of the trees. It was kind of magic.

I snapped a shot of Emma just as she blinked. Go figure. She has been enjoying running around in the yard this winter with out freezing her paws off. We still have months of winter left so we might still get some serious snow and cold, but to have made it this far and still see grass in the back yard is pretty remarkable.

On the knitting front, I finished knitting, sewing in the ends, soaking and am now blocking my Yelcho Feather & Fan scarf. I did the trick with folding my scarf in half and using a rolled up towel to block it in a smaller space. I just know if I lay this on the floor in the basement with all those fun colored pins I would be rushing my cat to the vet with any number or terrible ailments. This seems less likely if I have this up on the table. I am doing a light blocking - only pinning on the ends and then the towel at the center is pulled up somewhat firmly.

I am anxious for it to be done done. I can't wait to wear it! The pattern was so easy and would be very adaptable to a shawl or blanket. Definitely a keeper! I think this will be used a lot to work down some of my single skeins in my stash. Hopefully I will have a picture of me modeling it in here very soon.

Get ye back January!

January is over and I rejoice! Although I have to say this was the warmest January I can remember. I am thankful every day for the warmer than normal winter. After last winter's 8 months of snow I thought I would go out of my flipping mind. So to have a very mild winter after that year? Yes please!

Emma and I are both looking forward to the spring and getting out and hiking trails and camping with my Hubby. Although I have to say we had some pretty awesome snow trails in the back yard last year with the feet and feet of snow we got. It was a blast watching Emma run the trails! She would actually build up speed and bank around the corners! Awesome to watch. 

I haven't posted much about my knitting lately, so I thought I would show my WIP's I am feverishly working on. Above is the Yelcho Feather and Fan scarf I am working on everyday at lunch. It's a great portable project. I am using Araucania Yelcho yarn to knit this. It's a pretty new yarn and there are only 6 projects using it on Ravelry at this point. I really like it! It's a thick and thin yarn with 60% Wool, 20% Mohair, 10% Nylon, and 10% Silk for it's make up. It's texturally interesting to work with and I love the colorway I chose.

My other big WIP is my Cedar and Spice and Everything Nice wrap. This is a free pattern on Ravelry (as is the Yelcho Feather & Fan scarf Pattern) and I am using a different yarn than the pattern calls for, so mine is coming out fairly dense and is eating more yarn than the pattern calls for. I am doing mine in Lion Brand Hometown USA in the color Spice and I really love how it's looking. I just hope when I am done it looks like a wrap and not a baby blanket!

I think it will be really warm to wear in the winters around the house. Maybe even when I go camping to wrap around me at nights by the fire. I have one more skein of yarn to add to this and I will call it good and bind off and think about buttons.

And I had to show my Izzi stalking my yarn while I took a picture. She is a wily one. I didn't even know she was there until I saw a little hand with claws extended reach out for my yarn. To be fair, I can't imagine many cats would be able to resist such temptation.