K'needles update 13

Last week I ended up giving up on the shrug I mentioned in update 12. It was too rough on my wrists and the yarn just wasn't working right with it and the needle size. The yarn has almost no elasticity so it made a very rigid material. So I undid the work. The yarn was still in good shape so I decided to make a scarf. 

I perhaps made the scarf too wide so I ended up with a short scarf but it is warm and soft, and has excellent drape. 

I then started yet another scarf. Same yarn, different color, and similar ribbing, but narrower. I experimented on the bottom and tried to create a little ruffle. It didn't work as well as I had hoped but it'll still be cute. 

The past few days I've been working on more scrubbies. My mom had a big craft sale this weekend and her inventory is running low. I rather enjoy making them because of how quick and simple they are to make. It was just a matter of figuring out what system worked best for me. 

What are you working on this week? Don't forget to always be challenging yourself!

K'needles update 12

I took a long break from posting! Kept procrastinating. 

Firstly, I finished the blanket. It turned out really cute. 

Secondly, I've been knitting dishcloths and scrubbies for summer sales. We actually got down low on dishcloth inventory. Sadly, we haven't really been successful with the scrubbies but they are so great I'm sure they'll catch on soon. FYI - For the scrubbies I switched to the English method because it's nice not having to hold the yarn like one does in continental. It really rubs against the skin otherwise. 

I started a new shrug using this pattern: http://torirotsstitches.blogspot.com/2009/12/star-stitch-soulwarmer.html?m=1, but the star stitch is so rough on my wrists and hands! Really wears them out.

I got a bad farmer's tan line the weekend before a wedding. It didn't go away and my dress is sleeveless. So the day before the wedding I started a shrug that would match my dress out of comfy worsted cotton; and rushed the next day to complete it on the way to the wedding but I didn't finish in time. I did finish knitting it the day after but I'm saving the sewing up for later. It uses the same pattern I made for my grandma but I modified it for a short-sleeved version. 

K'needles update 11

This week I finished the hat from last week. I used the lace diamond chain panel. The yarn is warm and the ribbing covers the ears so it is suitable for winter even with the lace pattern. 

I started and finished another hat as well. 

It's a basic rib hat with a small section of trinity stitch.

The blanket has been coming along. Much bigger than initially planned. Also ran into a problem. I thought I had more pink pound of love but didn't bothering checking. Turns out I don't. So, instead of buying more I'm making do with what I have. So the blanket will now be a lovely two-tone of pink and cream. 

K'needles update 10

When going through my room looking for a book, I discovered an unfinished scarflette and a whole bunch of knitting projects that just need the ends sewn in. I don't particularly enjoy that step so I'm not surprised I clumped them together like that, but it is surprising I hid them in a box. I put them in my nice green container and placed them in the living room where they could openly nag me.

It's been a couple of weeks and I haven't touched them yet. Ha plan malfunction.

However, I did pick up the scarflette today so I could take a break from the pound of love blanket.  

K'needles update 9

I've been lazy at posting. Still not wanting to turn on the laptop. However, I did download the blogger app for my iPhone; I'm glad they finally made one. Saves some steps when it comes to photos because I take them on my iPhone anyway--and now I don't have to email, download, then upload. 

I'm still trying to use up all the yarn I have lying around. Every nook and cranny is crammed full with collections of yarn. My room is reminiscent of tribbles on the Enterprise. Easiest way to do that is blankets!

I had some pink worsted weight yarn so I knitted up a simple square blanket with stripes.

I like the color combos. Dark to draw the eye and light to give the eye a break. I really hope it can be a continual source of smiles for a little girl. 

I also had some orange yarn so I crocheted a granny square blanket.

I ran out of yarn so it ended up being much smaller than I was hoping. However, it will still be a nice accent in a crib. And despite the large holes, it's still warm--my main complaint about any granny square blanket. 

This past weekend we had a scrapbooking day at my grandma's old house. I didn't have anything ready so I just knitted. I worked on the purple shawl. Perfect time to work on it because I could focus on the lace pattern with ease and manage to stay awake. Didn't get that far (so it's not pictured) but it's sweet progress!

Lastly, I started on another blanket.

This time I'm using up one of the many Pound of Love I have, pink yet again. I started out with a lace pattern that was going to be the whole thing...but I got tired of doing it, so it's now just a border and the middle is reverse stockinette. I made the blanket so wide that it will probably use two skeins. 

K’needles update 8

I have been extremely bad lately at posting. I have not wanted to touch my laptop because my laptop is equated with work and study right now. Ish. I also took a “long” break from knitting because my carpal tunnel was acting up. I started a new project last week and have been working on it ever since here and there (It is a little girl’s blanket. I’ll try and sell it, but really I’m hoping its future home is charity). I really should have eased more into knitting as my PT would have said…but I of course knitted for long stints and now my wrist is horribly tight, which then starts bothering the elbows, and there you have it.

Anyway I’ll have to update you on two crochet projects I did a couple of weeks ago. I have all this yarn someone donated to me after her mother could no longer knit. She had quite the stash. Lots of odds and ends and very old. Most of it is unique yarn that I’ve never seen before so it’s been difficult to figure out what projects they suit. I crocheted a circular thing (a light rug to me, or a doily according to my mom) and a market bag (pattern). The rug/doily is largely made out of a linen-style yarn. The market bag is made out of a nylon-cotton blend yarn that’s perfect for a bag. It’s a strong yarn that doesn’t wear out as fast as other yarns.

Happy Knitting!

K’needles update 7

Happy Spring!

I sadly did not pass the exam for which I was studying. It was due to a large combination of reasons but I can retake it at the end of September. Many months to study and grow. It changes my plans for the future but not for the worst.

I’ve only done one noteworthy project since my last update. I’ve also experimented a little but just learned some lessons rather than ending up with a product. Otherwise, I have been knitting dishcloths and scrubbies. The dishcloths are very therapeutic for me because I get to just knit without much thinking. I simply love the act of knitting; it doesn’t matter what I’m working on, just as long as it isn’t too difficult. The scrubbies are crowd-pleasers. They work really well especially now that I’m knitting them instead of crochet. However, people aren’t willing to pay much for them and they are very brutal on my wrists and hands. Not worth the little profit that I make. I absolutely love the product but won’t be able to sustain making it—very sad.

The noteworthy project was one that popped up on my facebook newsfeed. A citrus slice dishcloth. It was pretty, involved multiple colors (which I’m currently teaching myself to do), and involved a method of construction I’ve never tried. It was a bit of a pain to make—so, not going to make a whole bunch of them, but I will probably make more in the future.

 

Soon I’ll be continuing work on the purple shawl and starting in on two new orders: socks and a lace beret. My sister-in-law doesn’t want me to knit for my niece right now so I have to cool it on that front. Meanwhile, I’m doing a lot of reading and catching up on shows. My DVR is overflowing—which means lots of knitting time :)

K’needles update 6

I’m gearing up for summer and wanted something easy and stress-relieving so I knitted nylon scrubbies and cotton dishcloths this week. I’m afraid this is what my production will look like for the next few weeks until my exams are finished. Once they’re finished I’m going to start knitting like crazy again! So excited.

The middle one is the first one I did before I decided how many rows I’m going to do. Now if I could just remember what that number was…

 

K’needles update 5

This week, I made a dishcloth (not pictured) and finally finished my Grandma’s shawl. She said it turned out good and thanked me for making it (My grandma is the type to tell things like they are so it can be rare to receive a compliment from her—so yay!). I’m sad to be done with that yarn; it was really fun and comforting to work with because of how soft and light it was. It was interesting to see how it turned out because of how simplistic the pattern is. It’s a rectangle and then you fold it and sew a little bit at the bottom. Very simple and it works well. I will probably make more in the future.

K’needles update 4

I wasn’t able to update last week because I didn’t have internet connection, but I also didn’t get much knitting done so there wasn’t much to update about anyhow. I had friends come up for a visit from Southern MN and IA. We had a blast. I tried to knit whenever I could, but it’s hard to do so when playing loads of card games.

Last week I got one knitted scrubbie done before they came up. I have to get plenty more done before the craft shows start up again.

I started the sleeved shawl for my Grandma. Here is a current picture of it. I’m using Caron Simply Soft Light in the color Riviera. I really love working with this yarn. Soft and light. It is slow-going and time-consuming though.

K’needles update 3

Not a lot of knitting got done this week. And it will be even less in the coming weeks. Officially working hard on studying for my comp exams in April.

Cute Baby Shrug – knitted up fast and easy. Will be perfect for spring.  http://library.ravelry.com/theshizknit/5680/confectionenglish.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJNNSUP6J3RN4WZYQ&Expires=1362285196&Signature=bkYng5lX2QZKDbePYCAGIUXoOcs%3D

Finished up the skein of cotton yarn. 9 dish clothes out of one skein.

This is the first I’ve made. It’s a jar opener. Very handy tool I wouldn’t want to be without.

K’needles update 2

This week I finished the pink lace scarf. It turned out well so I’m donating it to a women’s shelter/ministry. I hope it will lighten up someone’s day and won’t be itchy. The lace turned out pretty, but for quite a few inches I forgot what the pattern was and did k2tog for all decreases rather than switching back and forth between k2tog and ssk. I can barely notice though so I just let it be rather than tink. Not only would tinking have undone all that work, this yarn catches in itself and makes it very difficult to do so; it would have been a mess.

Right now I’m working on my 5th dishcloth this week. They knit up fast with little mental strain, which has been a perfect project. The only thing better would be straight-up stockinette. It’s tempting to cast on a sweater. 

I haven’t touched my larger projects because I’ve been busy studying for my comp exams. It’s good to push those off to the side every now and then when life gets busy, but I always make sure I leave myself good notes so I can pick them up without having to remember anything (because often I don’t).

I will be starting a sleeved shawl for my grandma sometime this week. Special request when I visited her this weekend. Still trying to figure out a pattern/method and the yarn type and color. Exciting but also nerve-wracking. I want it to be perfect for her.

Beads purchased!

During my browsing on Ravelry, I kept seeing projects that incorporated beads. It was even on Knitting Daily. So I’ve been in the market for some cute craft beads. Looked at Michael’s and nothing caught my fancy, so I was disappointed and even more impatient to experiment with them.

Hobby Lobby just recently opened, so my friend and I headed over there to check it out. She had lived near one in Chicago and frequented there but I had never been in one before. (There was one in Mason City, however I never ventured there because it was difficult to get to and it was very small, like ‘small shop in a short strip on the side of a highway’ small). Anyway, we walked around the perimeter so I could get an idea of what they carried. They carry a few things I can’t find anywhere else so I filed those in the back of my head. :)

We ended up at the bead section and I managed to find this cute bag of plastic beads. They will go nicely onto worsted weight yarn. They were $4.99 and I used the handy 40% mobile coupon (I am grateful for my smart phone and am glad my brother talked me into getting one). Sadly, there isn’t any information about the beads. I would like to know if they would wash well, and other care information. I’m also a bit conflicted because they are made in China.

I still need to figure out a project to make with them. It’s hard to tell from the picture but they are turquoise, pearl, and brass—an all-time favorite combination of mine.

What do you think I should make with these?

K’needles update 1

As you will soon learn, I am not one to work on only one project at a time, especially when I have long projects in the works. I like mixing long, medium, and short. It keeps me sane. However, oftentimes a yarn from my stash will catch my attention so I’ll pick it up and work on it right away. It’s a thrilling thing to do.  However, it adds yet another project to my typically long list of on-needle projects.

Here are three projects I’m currently working on.

The purple is the top border of a shawl. This project will take a very long time to do. The lace pattern requires a lot of focus so I only work on it at most 30 minutes a day. It will be gorgeous and warm when it is done, which makes me impatient.

The pink is a lace scarf I’m experimenting on. Made up my very own lace pattern for it. It’s an acrylic yarn made to look like mohair. I got it from a bundle of estate sale yarn. It was one of those yarns that jumped out at me from my stash. If it turns out well, I’m going to donate it to something.

And the variegated is a dishcloth. I attended a conference this weekend and dishcloths are a great project to bring to work on during the sessions.

I’m also working on two pieced-together blankets. One is currently stalled because I lost the sheet that said how many stitches/rows there are per each block and I’m not very good at counting that in knitting yet. The other is stalled because the needles I use for it are being used for the scarf.

Also, if I hadn’t run out of sock yarn, I would be working on a sock as well. They are very fun and simple. 

Multi-Colored Disappointment

This week’s post starts with disappointment and a long story.
After successfully making socks, I wanted another stab at it. It went very smoothly the first time.

I shouldn’t have been afraid to do it all these years! However, the socks were made out of regular wool, which means much too itchy for sensitive skin. So off to Michael’s to buy a cotton, polyester or smart wool blend. There wasn’t much selection so I bought Loops & Threads “Luxury Sock” yarn. Even though it still has some wool in it, I like working with, and it doesn’t seem to bother me, so I will buy more of it.

I went on Ravelry and picked out a great sock pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lacy-spring-socks. Very cute. I perused the notes from others who made it, as one always should, and discovered it ran big for lots of people. So I checked my gauge and measured my leg and figured it would be just fine.
After I had gotten quite a ways down the length of the sock, I kept fretting and fretting, trying to reassure myself that it would fit. After awhile, I got venturesome, and, while in fear that I might lose stitches, I slid in my leg and tried it on. It didn’t fit. It fit around my leg perfectly but without tension--so, not good for a sock whose predator is gravity.

I had worked hard, though, getting to that point so I decided to just finish it. Maybe it would fit my mom’s leg. I have oddly thin calves and she has normal sized ones. I knitted along happily as I convinced myself about the socks' future happy home in my mom’s sock drawer. And she was excited about it too it seemed. I finished it up, she tried it on, and it was too big for her as well.
So now I have a completed sock that is pretty but no foot to wear it.

What does one do with this? I have a few projects I’ve made through the years that I chalk up to experimentation and I put them together in a bag in my closet. Usually those projects look like the island of misfit toys so I feel sad to put this beautiful sock in with them. Sometimes, I will  rip up a project and use the yarn to make a scraps project, but the sock yarn is so weak that it doesn’t really lend itself to that. So, to the island it must go.

Of course, instead of making it a pair, I decided to use the remaining yarn on something else: socks that would actually fit me. I’ll make my mom socks the next time around. I’ll have to pick up some navy blue yarn (her favorite color).