Little House QAL - Block 3 - Little House on the Prairie

You might have noticed that I skipped Block 2 on this one - I'm still trying to decide on fabrics!

In the mean time, here's Block 3 of the Little Houe QAL!

Firefly Weave Socks

My brother also got socks for Christmas. Are you sensing a theme here?

The difference, of course, is that Ben specifically requested socks, and he specifically requested this yarn, Serenity Firefly Class in Bounce and Stomp from Nerd Girl Yarns. I held off on finishing the socks until I arrived for Christmas to make sure they fit. This was my first time using the fish lips heel, and although I ended up double-forking the heel to compensate for the pull across the patterned top, it actually worked out very well! I also decided to pattern the front only, instead of all the way around once I reached the cuff, and I made the cuff significantly shorter than the fish lips heel would have called for.

Pattern Notes:

Cast on 20 with Jenny's Magic Cast On.

Knit 1 row.

row 2: m1r, knit to end, m1l on each needle

row 3: knit

repeat 2&3 until 64 stitches total

11.5 pattern repeats (12 long rows)

fish lips heel, double forked (1/3 back = five dk stitches on each side)

continue up leg, pattern only on front, until 19.5 repeats (20 long rows)

15 rows of 2x2 ribs

bind off with yo bind off

Ravelry Project

Little House QAL - Fabric Change

Original Fabrics

A few weeks ago, I posted about starting the Little House QAL, and I left you with a picture of the fabrics I had ordered.













Well, I absolutely detest the base color on the right - according to the website, it was a deep brown, but it's certainly black in person. So, I ordered a replacement color - a brown with green speckles. It'll be a different effect, for sure, but I'm optimistic.

However, because I ordered this new fabric, I wasn't able to complete block 2 in time, since the fabric hadn't arrived yet. Instead, I leave you with this fabric update.

Dad's "Slippers"

I already told you about the slippers I made my mom for Christmas, but now I get to tell you about the ones I tried to make my Dad! You can see that the cables in these are inverse from the ones on my Mom's. Well, they also fit much more like socks, which is good, because he's much more of a sock person anyway, and he likes short socks (but not that short). I pulled out the cast on and the ribbing at the top, and then worked in the opposite direction in a 1x1 ribbing for about 15 rows to make them a little taller and fit better. He loves them, too! I'd say so far this Christmas was a success! 

PS: These pictures are all from before I changed the ribbing.

Ravelry Project

Little House QAL - Block 1 - Little House in the Big Woods

I've finished Block 1 of my Little House Quilt-Along. This block was posted on the class, and I'm not sure how much I can post about it, since it is a paid class, but I will say I'm excited to see what happens next! 

We made two types of this block, and different amounts of each type (again, I'm avoiding saying too much!).

Stay tuned for next week!

Mom's Slippers

We are now officially into Christmas gifts. Be forewarned. This will last until the summer, and you will understand why I had so much trouble posting this year.

My mom always has cold feet. Always. And so this year, I knit her a pair of slippers from my stash, going almost entirely Cold Sheep, and I LOVE them!

I was able to gift them on this Christmas, and thankfully, Mom loves them as much as I do!

I altered the pattern to be knit in the round, and so I worked 16 rows after the cable round before shortening it at the heel (on the medium size). I knit another full row (ie half knit half purl) afterwards. Then, I bound off. I was aiming for somewhere between a medium and a large size.

And guess what? She absolutely loved them! I added soles when I tried them on her feet at Christmas, and she couldn't get enough!

She said her ankles always get cold, so she'll keep the cuffs up.

I'm so glad to see her enjoying them!

Ravelry Project

Little House QAL

Last year, I updated you as I participated in the Sophie's Universe Crochet-a-Long, put on by Dedri's blog over at Look At What I Made. I loved it. This year, I'm participating in something similar - A Quilt Along, put on by Ebony Love at LoveBug Studios. This will be the biggest quilt I've ever made, by an order of magnitude, and I still haven't the faintest idea how I'm going to quilt it.

I'm participating along with a few friends from home, and I'm very excited to see how all of ours turn out!

Here are the fabrics I'll be using. I'm not sure how I feel about the one in the front - it's supposed to be dark brown, but it's definitely black - so I might be switching it out. Either way, the first post is today, and I'm excited to get started!

Updates:

• Block 1 - January 17
• Fabric Change - January 24
• Block 3 - January 31
• Block 2 - February 7
• Block 4 - February 14
• Block 5 - February 21
• Block 6 - February 28
• Block 7 - April 3

Kindling Bells Socks

Using some yarn that I purchased in my initial Cold Sheep failure, I whipped up some ankle socks as the temperatures dropped in October. These are nice enough to be worn under dress shoes, and warmer than those thin liners. I used the Knit Picks Fancy Feet book, focusing on the bell pattern, and I absolutely love the fit! The heel was a lifesaver, and I'll definitely be implementing it on other ankle socks.
Ravelry Project