WIP Wednesday – Knitting 2016

 

When the new year begins I like to start a fresh to-do list for my knitting and crochet projects. I usually start out overly ambitious with a list longer than my arm. Some years I only get done up to my elbow, but that’s ok. I’m a gal that likes a plan, but don’t mind changing/altering/deleting the plan for a different plan when the need arises.

The first project I am working on is a pair of socks. The pattern is out of a book one of my son’s got me for Christmas, Socktopus by Alice Yu. It is called Om Shanti. I used 2 size 2 Addi circulars, making both at the same time until I got to the leg (these are toe up). Now I’ve divided them because the pattern calls for moving the stitches from needle to needle to jog the pattern. The yarn is some fabulous hand dyed Merino Superwash Wool in a beautifil colorway called Arizona Turquoise. I think they are working up really nicely and hope to finish them this week.

 

So far I’ve been asked to make an adorable  Viking Hat for a friend’s new baby. I’m using this pattern: Viking Set – Viking Hat, Diaper Cover and Club by JTcreations check it out on Ravelry.

One of the gals at work asked me to make her a pair of socks. I’m going to use my favorite “plain” sock pattern that uses sport or DK wt yarn because she wants them to wear around the house when it is cold. You can find it here: Moda Dea LM0131, Knitted Socks. I’ve picked up some really soft washable yarn at Hobby Lobby that is part acrylic, part alpaca. I plan to start them when I finish my Christmas socks.

For the NICU unit this Easter, I plan to make these adorable Lamb Hats, the pattern was designed by Sarah Zimmerman. I won’t make the flaps or ties because they might get in the way since these babies have a lot going one.

© Repeat Crafter Me

I’m going to teach a Lunch & Learn class at work for anyone that wants to learn how to knit. Because we want the participants to make progress quickly, I searched for a pattern for a simple garter stitch scarf. Luckily I remembered Susie at our knitting night working on a cowl on huge needles. She is a new knitter and has whipped up 11 of them since November! She shared the pattern, which is just 10 stitches on size 50 (yes, you read it right) needles using super-bulky yarn. You work with 2 strands of yarn and it zips up super quick. I made a sample in a couple of hours today. As cold as it is here today, I could use this fluffy warm cowl to keep my face and neck warm. 🙂

Other misc projects I will get rolling on will be NICU hats for Christmas and either Thanksgiving or Halloween. Most likely they will be crocheted because they work up faster.

There will be a few Christmas gifts and I’d like to make a few more of the sock patterns that are in Socktopus. I certainly have a wide variety of yarns in my stash that I can use.

And of course my annual WIP. Seriously, I only have to do the one cuff ribbing and the neck ribbing on my brown sweater. I seriously am going to finish it. I have one sock to make to complete the plain black pair I started last February AND the afghans that I have had part of the squares completed for over a hear. As a matter of fact, I used part of the yarn for another project.

What do you plan to make this year?

 

 

WIP Wednesday

After participating in NabloPoMo (a post every day in November) most of you have heard that I am working on NICU hats.

The hospital I give them to usually has around 25 babies in the unit. I want to get them done early so I can get them to the nurses in plenty of time before the holidays.

I decided on snowmen hats. They are working up really fast cute, but I am not happy with the faces. The pattern calls for them to be set at a jaunty angle, but I am just not loving the way they look.

I think they look a little deconstructed.

I am going to sew the faces on straight to see if I like them better. Meanwhile, I used the pattern from day #1 of the NICU challenge it is the Waffle Stitch Strip Beanie pattern by Bonnie Potter at Sunset Crochet.

Here is the pic:

These are the hats that I have finished so far this December, a few have the carrot noses sewn on waiting for eyes and mouths to be added.

WIP Wednesday

Here it is Wednesday again. I’ve completed 3 of the 4 items for my friend, and hope to finish the last one tonight when I get off of the computer.

The big WIP completed this week was not by me but for me. My friend Leslie completed the beautiful lace shawl she was making for me.

Here is the link: singlestitchknit.com/2015/11/16/percy-shawl-challenge-done

Leslie does fabulous lace work, you have to go to her site (above) to see all the details. I grabbed one of her pictures of my shawl to pique your interest.

The dinosaur hat fit my son’t godson perfectly, so I was very pleased. I am going to make Santa hats and snowmen for the NICU babies and plan to make Cooper one also since I know his size now.

I am going to make 2 ear warmers for one of the gals at work next. I hope to start the first one tonight.

Then I have 2 more Christmas gifts to complete in the next couple of weeks. Busy but fun times; the holidays are my favorite time of the year. But I could do without the snow 🙂

WIP Wednesday

Greetings!

This has been a busy week, but it looks like I don’t have much in the way of knitting and crocheting done. I’m completed 1/2 of the 4 Christmas presents I’ve been working on, so that is good. I can’t post pictures of those until after the New Year.

The other project I completed this week is the dinosaur hat for my son’s godson. He hasn’t modeled it yet but i am super excited to see him in it.

I am going to start working on another Christmas present this week, so no pictures of that either.

Tonight is our knitting group, so I’ll have updates and info on any tips that may help you.

Last, but not least, I found a great new blog about sheep and yarn: Wovember.com (http://wovember.com/2015/11/10/many-hands-collaborating-in-wool/). There are great posts and pictures and links to farms to purchase yarn straight from the shepherds. I’ll be sure and post the pictures of the yarn I ordered as soon as it arrives. 🙂

WIP Wednesday – Chuggin’ Along

Here is it Wednesday again. I don’t know about all of you, but daylight savings time is kicking my butt. I was ok the first day, but by Monday I was ready for a nap when I got home from work. I decided that was not a good plan but I sure hope I adjust quick.

The pumpkin hats were delivered safe and sound. Hopefully they will all be useful and enjoyed. I need to start planning for Christmas hats for the NICU. The bear hats are always popular, so I might do a mix of them and Santa or elf hats. I also saw a cute pattern for a snowman, which may be in the lineup also. I probably won’t start them until after Thanksgiving, so I have tons of time to decide.

I started on the dinosaur hat for my son’s godson, but the gauge on the pattern is off. The toddler size fit my head. So I frogged the whole hat and searched Ravelry for a new pattern. I found one that is not a dinosaur, but can easily be made into one. I’ve used part of the 2 patterns had have and am almost ready to get the spikes done.

I’m working on ear warmers, and loving the pattern. Jessika Cates is spot on with her pattern. It works up  beautifully. The only thing I changed on this second one is I am doing a provisional cast on (you can see how it is done here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7OwOpC6CY ) so that I can do a three needle bind off instead of seaming the ends. Here is the pic of my WIP and the link to the pattern. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/braided-cabled-ear-warmer

My projects are calling – until next week, happy knitting 🙂

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. 🙂