WIP Wednesday Pumpkin Patch

It has been busy couple of weeks. I finished the last two baby blankets while on a weekend trip to see my FIL. It was a great way to make the 18 hours in the car fly by. I love the colors Donita picked. They turned out great. I love the easy shell pattern. It is free and you can find it here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shells-baby-afghan.

 

I also finished 25 pumpkin hats for the NICU unit. I used http://byjennidesigns.blogspot.com/2015/09/newbornpumpkinhat.html by Jenni Designs. They worked up really quick and turned out cute.

I have a new project OTN, but it was just started on break today. I do like the way it is working up, so hopefully next week it will be close to completion if not done.

I have a few Christmas projects I need to work on, but those won’t be blogged about until after the holidays.

There is a bit of sewing that needs to be completed before Christmas also. The hubby made an adorable bunk bed for my cousin’s little girl for Christmas. I have the fabric for the mattresses, pillows and blankets in her favorite color (purple). As soon as the weather gets a bit chillier I’ll get moving on the doll bedding as well as the flannel shirt I make for my FIL each year. In the meantime, here is a pic of the doll bed. I downloaded the pattern from Ana White Designs. (http://ana-white.com/2011/08/doll-bunk-beds-american-girl-doll-and-18-doll).

 

Lastly the Touchdown scarf has been frogged. It was turning out just fine, but I realized it just wasn’t my style. And the yarn was wonderful and not exactly cheap. So it has been frogged and will be used on a project that someone will actually use. Sometimes I just need to accept that a good pattern that is working up as it is supposed to just might not be the right project for me.

 

 

 

WIP Wednesday Finally !!

I’m baaack! It has been way too many Wednesdays to count, but there is no time like the present to get back to WIP Wednesdays.

We took a wonderfully relaxing vacation to the Florida Keys a few weeks ago. We swam, kayaked – yup, even I can do it! – had fabulously fresh sea food and did a bit of sightseeing. This was the view off of our balcony.

I did a bit of knitting, but actually decided that project was not for me. So I took it off the needles to save the yarn for a project I like more.

After I got home I finished the blanket third blanket for a friend at work. The picture shows a big variation of color that is much more subtle in person. I couldn’t get the same dye lot, so I alternated the 2 dye lots of the same color to make a striped pattern. If course I forgot to take a pic in natural light, so the glare of the lightbulbs made it look oddly colored.

I’ve started on the lavender blanket she needs next.

The Scoreboard KAL is coming along well. The only problem is my scarf is going to be more orange than navy since the Bears are not having their best year.

Instead of working on my projects last Sunday, we visited a couple of Alpaca farms. It was Alpaca Days, a yearly “open house” at local alpaca farms, if you key “alpaca days” in google, you might find a local farm you can visit next fall. The alpacas were friendly and cute and of course I got some wonderful hand-spun alpaca yarn and can’t wait to use it for a winter hat. I may not have time to start it until after Christmas, but time will tell. My hubby liked the alpacas why more than looking at the yarn 🙂

My favorite was Waldron Grove Alpaca Farm

http://www.susanwaldronart.com/specialevents/specialevents.html

Everyone there was really nice, They were informative & told us interesting facts about the Alpacas and fiber. If you are in the Chicago area, they are having a Christmas Open House in late November. They have beautiful hand knits for sale, works of art and natural fiber yarns in plenty of time to make a last minute gift.

Hopefully this week I’ll catch up the week and a half I’m behind on the Bears scarf and make good progress on the lavender baby blanket. Time will tell. Hope you all have a great week doing something you love to do 🙂

WIP Wednesday – To Swatch or Not Swatch, That is the Question

I honestly don’t know of any knitter that says they love to do a swatch to check his or her gauge. Personally, I prefer to jump right in, but know I cannot if I am making a garment or accessory that must fit properly. Scarves, afghans, dishcloths and anything else that you make that can be an inch or more bigger or smaller than the pattern reads most of the time end up being ok. But try and put on a sweater after weeks (or months) of knitting and realize it is too big or small due to gauge..this doesn’t end well.

First of all, check the pattern for the correct weight/type of yarn. It stands to reason worsted weight will knit up larger than fingering or sock yarn. Next, use the size needle the pattern calls for – unless you are an experienced knitter than knows you knit tighter/looser, But if you are, you already know all of this anyway!

Your pattern will tell you how many stitches and rows per inch you need to get the proper gauge so your finished garment will fit. The mystery KAL I am making now has a gauge of “8 sts and 13 rows = 2” in stockinette stitch. So the swatch I knit has to be at least a few, if not more, stitches and rows than 8 stitches, 13 rows. Personally, I like to make a nice little square of stockinette so that I can measure smack dab in the middle to make sure the stitches aren’t pulled or rolling along the sides as stockinette will do.

So I cast on 20 stitches with size 9 needles and worsted wt yarn that the pattern called for. I knit until I had a perfect square. Sometimes I don’t but this time I figured I’d make 2 of the little purple squares, sew them together and stuff them for a perfect doll sized pillow for my cousin’s little girl. She loves purple. 🙂

Using a contrasting yarn, I make a running stitch up 13 rows (gauge from the pattern), then use 3 more bits of contrasting yarn to run along 8 stitches at the top and bottom of the 13 row mark, then another along the end of the 8 stitches to make a box in the middle that should measure 2 inches. If it does, all is well. If not – back to the swatching board. Lucky for me this one was right on target

If the gauge is too small, I need to use a larger needle, too big I need to use a smaller needle because I don’t want to use a different weight yarn. There are tons of websites that explain gauge much better than I do, just google “knitting gauge” and you’ll get instructions, video and one of them will help you learn how to swatch like a pro. I like this one: http://sheepandstitch.com/what-is-knitting-gauge/

Now that I’ve preached the importance of swatching, I’ll catch you up on works in progress. Donita’s next baby blanket is barely begun, but it won’t take long to complete.

I will be starting the Mystery KAL from Melody’s Makings on Ravelry since my swatch is done. 🙂 And since I am leaving for a few days of vacation I am either going to make the second black sock, which is boring but will be used this winter more than the fancier socks in crazy colors that I would rather knit. Practicality may or may not win out, I’ll let you know when I get back.

WIP Wednesday 2×2

Why 2×2 you ask? Is it a piece of wood I am referring to? Or perhaps one of those breakfasts they offer at our local dinner – 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 pieces of toast & 2 sausage links? *Sidebar* it should be a 2x2x2x2, but who am I to correct the menu for them & it works.

Anyway, the 2×2 I am referring to is 2 weeks and 2 days late for WIP Wednesday. Life has gotten in the way of blogging these last few weeks, so I figured better late than never.

I’ll keep this short and sweet.

1. Scarf for my cousin is complete. I have enough yarn to make a smaller version for my tiniest cousin (first cousin once removed, but let’s not quibble – remember the 2×2 above). I may take that on vacation with me, it would be a great project for the ride to Florida.

1. The lavender baby blanket is complete. I took it to work this morning and neglected to take a picture first. In my own defense, I didn’t finish it until almost 10 last night and forgot this morning when I left at 6:00.
2. I had to miss the Knitting Group last week, so nothing to report there. I did get the pink bear hat done for the NICU nurse’s baby as well as another two – one complete and one ready to sew together when I go to the next Knitting Group.
3. I am joining a KAL that Wool & Co ( http://www.woolandcompany.com/ ) has on their website for the football season. It looks fun. Check out the details by pasting the link above in your browser or right click on it and choose “go to”.
4. Since I got the 2 projects done that I promised myself I’d do before starting anything else, I am going to start those socks that I have been dying to start since buying the fabulous yarn at the Chicago Yarn Crawl a few weekends ago. Just as soon as I catch up on book reviews 🙂 I’ve finished 2 great books in the last 2 weeks, but haven’t had a chance to review them yet. This weekend for sure.
5. Last but not least I am making more bear hats. No surprises there, they are my go-to quick take to work projects for break time.

The only pic of the last few projects is apparently the one of the scarf. I dunno why I didn’t snap a few of the others. Because we all know that a whole bunch of words and no pictures make for a boring blog, I’ve included one of my favorites from the knitting calendar that Leslie gave me for Christmas last year. 🙂

WIP Wednesday – Pluggin’ Along

This has been a busy week in my world. I started the baby blanket I’m making for a friend at work and have made great progress on the scarf I’ve been working on. Check ’em out

I love the orchid baby blanket, it has been a long time since I’ve used this color and it is a nice change from blue or pink.

And my find of the week is a local yarn shop with in *GASP* walking distance of our house! I picked up a beautiful hank of tonal red yarn that I am going use to make a pair of socks. I got a really cute pattern that they were giving out at the LYS for the Yarn Crawl. If I can figure out a plan, I hope to visit more shops on Saturday since the Yarn Crawl will still be going on . I know I don’t need any more yarn. But I do have a VISA gift card that I’ve been saving since Christmas that is meant to be used on some kind of fabulous fiber.

That is my story and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

This week I hope to finish the scarf and get the blanket 1/2 done. A NICU hat needs to be completed before next Thursday as that is the next meeting of our knitting group. If it accomplish those 3 goals, I am going to cast on the socks.

Nothing like having lots of WIP to keep me busy. 🙂

WIP Wednesday: Christmas in July

This week has been hotter than hot with a smattering of thunderstorms to keep us on our toes. I am so thankful to have air conditioning in the house, car and work. So I really don’t have any excuses not to knit. Especially when working on a small project.

The scarf I am making for Christmas is coming along really well. It is a simple feather & fan pattern, so I don’t have to think about what I am doing except on the lace row. That makes it perfect for knitting on break at work as well as in the evenings while watching the Cubs on TV.

Until the blocking is done, it is hard to see the lace, so I pulled it out on the needles to help a bit. The rows of yarn that look white are the UV color change fiber that will turn purple in the sunlight. So it will be a fun scarf to wear, sometimes pink, purple and white, sometimes pink and purple. The variegated yarn also has a bit of glitter so there is a lot going on. That is why I wanted a simple pattern.

Other than the scarf, I haven’t started or finished anything this week. I got the yarn for a baby blanket for a friend of mine as well as some Bernat Pipsqueak to make more NICU hats. The nurse that takes them in said right now they have 25 babies in the unit. I need to knit faster!!

Until next week, keep cool and knit on. 🙂

WIP Wednesday – Time to Tidy Up

This week I finished the yellow and blue blanket, and tucked it into a Ziploc bag to keep it clean and dog hairless until someone needs a blanket for a baby boy.

My possum shawl is coming along. Starting last week I went on summer hours at work, so instead of an hour for lunch, I only have a 1/2 hour. That is fine with me because I get off earlier. But that cuts my work knitting time in 1/2, so I’ve been doing 2 rows a day. It will be done soon, but probably not this week. No pics, it really hasn’t changed much since last week.

Now on to the big project related to yarn this week. I clean out my ridiculously messy yarn/sewing closet. For the last six months, instead of putting the yarn away that I’ve ordered, I have just been chucking the boxes in the closet. It was making me crazy, but apparently not crazy enough to tidy up.

You can see it was out of control. I fully expected to open the door one day and have a yarn monster attack me with a shiny set of addi turbos. Since it was a rainy weekend, I decided it was time to find the floor in there again. I pulled everything out of it except the file cabinets and went to work. The cabinets have sewing and knitting patterns in them as well as my knitting magazines. Mea hung around until I loaded up the bed the rest of the way with bins of yarn.

After emptying all of the yarn bins, I organized them by fiber or type such as baby yarn and cotton. The special yarns I’ve ordered I keep in Ziploc bags hung by pants hangers, sometimes with the project pattern with it as well. That way they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Now  I can see what I have and there is room for both dogs to follow me in to look for yarn for my next project. They think they should go wherever I go, so both were exceedingly happy that the floor was no longer cluttered with yarn. I am banning myself from yarn shops unless there is a specific color or type of yarn that I absolutely have to get that isn’t available in my stash.

The only job I have left is organizing the separate patterns I have downloaded or pulled from magazines. I purchased some plastic expandable folders and am sorting them by type. As soon as I am finished they will go into the files with the magazines. I also want to add all of my books and magazines to Ravelry, but that is a job that might not be done until fall.

As for this week’s projects, I am going to work in my shawl and maybe even finish it 🙂 and make a “no-sew” tutu for my cousin’s little girl.

WIP Wednesday – Finishing Up

This week I pulled out the blue and yellow baby blanket to finish. I decided it needed to be done before the weather gets warm since it is almost crib size and pretty warm when I am working on it. I only have one yellow row and four blue rows left, then the border. I might get it finished tonight during the hockey game (GO HAWKS!).

My shawl is coming along great. I’ve started the last section of lace, but of course each row takes quite a while to knit since every other row increases by four stitches. By the time I took the pictures tonight the sun was going down, so the first one of just the top few rows show more of the true colors than the other, but I like the look of the lace in the second pic so I added it. I am excited to finish it because it will be perfect to take with me to the movies and restaurants this summer when the AC is turned down to meat locker temperatures.

The last thing I did this week was repair a sweater for a woman I work with. It was kind of tricky.I couldn’t crochet it because only a small section of stitches unraveled when a piece of the yarn broke. By using a sharp needle, I was able to “crochet” with it by basically doing a chain stitch where the single crochet needed to go, and weaving the thread through the open stitched at the bottom of the shells. The hardest part was weaving the ends as the yarn is fragile and didn’t want to go easily into the backs of the stitches so they would not be seen. I think it turned out pretty good. Hopefully Barb will agree and she’ll be able to wear her sweater again.

You can see the edging off in this picture.

This is the same edge after the repair.

I am thinking about my next project, since I might finish the shawl this week and will finish the baby blanket. The blanket will go in my stash closet to wait for the next baby boy to be born.

Which brings me to my MIP (Mess In Progress) that I call my stash closet. I absolutely need to clean that mess up. Somehow it got way out of control and it is making me crazy. If it rains this weekend, I just might tackle it. If you don’t hear from me next Wednesday, send in the Mounties or at least a St. Bernard with a flask of a nice red wine to rescue me.

WIP Wednesday – In the Pink!

This week’s projects just might tickle someone pink. The pink baby blanket is finished and hopefully keeping little Shannon warm these cold spring nights.

I really love the pattern, You can find it here: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/cp4.html It is called Shell’s Baby Afghan by Beverly A. Qualheim. It is especially cute in pink. Maybe that is because I have three sons so there wasn’t any pink in our laundry basket. 🙂

The color in this picture is more true than the first picture.

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After finishing the afghan, I made a couple of pink polar bear hats for the NICU unit at Central DuPage Hospital. I think they turned out really cute. This is a pattern that I’ve used before, it works up quickly and is really cute.

The only adjustment I made was on the second hat I didn’t knit the entire suggested length of 14 inches, because I didn’t want it to be as large as the pattern calls for. Here is the pattern link, and I highly suggest using the Bernat pipsqueak yarn that is as soft as a cloud and works up beautifully, http://www.yarnspirations.com/li-l-polar-bear-hat.html

Since it is late, I suspect I will take some white Bernat yarn to work tomorrow to work on another baby hat. This weekend I may start a new project. I am itching to make a lace shawl for cool summer nights, but just can’t find a pattern that is what I want. I could finish the second sock – but that can probably wait until our summer trip to see our son and daughter-in-law. The drive is about 10 hours, so it is a good time to work on socks.

I have the sweater started last year calling to be finished, but still am not happy with the sleeves the pattern calls for, and have torn them out twice already. It won’t take long to finish once I sit down and get busy figuring it out, but don’t know if this weekend will allow the time.

I guess the WIP next week will be a surprise for all of us – me included! 🙂

WIP Wednesday – Yup, on time this week :)

Happy Wednesday everyone.

My only needlework this week has been the pink blanket, started last week to replace the blue and yellow blanket after the baby was a girl instead of a boy as planned. I’m about 2/3 of the way finished, hopefully it will be done by the weekend.

Then I’ll be working on the NICU hats for the Spring NICU challenge. They work up fast, so I hope to do several next week unless my plans are disrupted, which happens more often than not.

I’m getting an itch to start a shawl for myself out of one of the great fingering or lace yarns in my stash. I’ve been looking at a patterns, but nothing is really catching my eye. I don’t want on that is very complicated since I usually knit and talk to my friends at break and lunch.

Do any of you have a favorite shawl pattern you would suggest I use? Let me know!