Headwind

A friend of mine, Rachel, the lovely lady behind Arbor Twist yarns and designs, was featuring a new hat pattern and needed test knitters.

The hat comes in Beanie or Slouchie, and she was in desperate need of Beanie testers, so I signed up in a heart beat, and was able to use some deep-stash yarn from way back in 2013 when I went to Tennessee.

I'm very happy with it, and it's warm, comfy, and beautiful - what more can a girl ask? I love the pattern - it's so simple to follow but beautiful - and I love the result!


Ravelry Project Page

Stained Glass Blanket - Second Pyramid!

Another pyramid was made for my stained glass blanket! The whole is really coming together, and I couldn't be happier!

Kitty Cozy

My kitty cat sits under the bed atop this zip-top sheet container.

A few days ago, when I pulled it out to switch out the summer sheets, I discovered that the poor kitty had thrown up on it. It took a while to clean it properly and let it air dry, so while I was waiting, I whipped up a quick cover.

Essentially, I just used a King sized flat sheet we've never used, and folded it triple so it was one long piece. Then, I folded that in half the other way, and seamed the sides.

I was able to put it on the sheet container with the fold in the back and the open edges up front, and the kitty loves his soft, and easily washable, new bed.

Disco Dance Socks

These are another pair of Christmas socks for the hubs - since we celebrate Christmas twice, once with each family, I love to have something for him to open at both celebrations!

I used a discontinued crazy neon self-"striping" yarn, which I love, and it's using Susan B. Anderson's Smooth Operator Socks pattern, which uses an afterthought heel. I used a contrasting heel, toe, and cuff, from the remnants of some yarn I used for another pair of his socks (upcoming).

He actually hasn't seen these yet (although he's seen the yarn). I tried one on him, but made him close his eyes. I hope they're a good surprise!

Ravelry Project Page

Stained Glass Blanket - First Pyramid!

I finally decided to bite the bullet and jump on the cozy memories blanket train.

For those of you that don't know, the "cozy memories" blanket is a fad that is sweeping the knitting world, and the term is a catch-all for mitered-square scrap blankets.

In my case, I decided to make my squares about three inches, and use fingering weight yarn. I also decided to add a little black border between the squares to off-set them, and set them on the bias. I've decided to call this my "Stained Glass" blanket, and I'll be updating you every fifteen squares or so!

Soon, I plan to come out with a tutorial for the process that I'm using, but I'm planning to get through all the steps before I start releasing it.

So far, I have used scraps from:

• Firefly Weave Socks
• Eisregen
• Pickle Harbor Socks
• Waimakiriri Socks
• Birthday Moss Socks
• Accidental Socks
• Rose and Thorn Socks
• Gallifrey Sunset Shawl
• Inara Wrap
• Sweet Nuttins Socks
• Marin Hat
• Razzleberryfest

Ravelry Project Page

Home-made Sponge!

Around the same time that I made the facial pads, I made this sponge.

It uses the same yarn, but it's just a triple layer.

It was a quick crochet, but honestly, I haven't found it to be particularly effective. It just gets really water logged.










Has anyone else had that problem? How did you fix it?

Ravelry Project

More Facial Pads

I wanted a few quick-finish projects, and in an effort to do so AND use up stash, I pulled out some deep stash (almost a decade ago) and whipped up these two cotton facial pads.

I use them for removing my makeup, and I have to say, so far, they're far more soft and comfortable than the ones I made before.

I have definitely become a fan of using cotton for things like this. I'd never used it before, really, and I always thought it felt crispy in my fingers, but (especially after washing) it's so soft once it's worked up.


Ravelry Project: Without Border

Ravelry Project: With Border

Stitch Markers into Progress Keepers!

I recently started attempting to keep track more carefully of what I knit every two weeks. I love doing this because it helps me in January. You see, in January, I sit down with Ravelry, and with sewing patterns, and I analyze how much time I have during the year, and decide exactly what everyone is getting for Christmas. The ability to know more accurately how much I knit per week, on average, is extremely helpful.

 Well, in order to keep track, I needed progress-keepers. But I only had one. That wasn't going to cut it. So one day, while I was stopping at Michael's to kill time before an appointment, I wandered into the bead section.

I ended up walking out with a purchase of some bronze gator clips and rings, some bronze ringed beads, and some silver gator clips. I attached the bronze clips and rings to one (or three) of the bronze beads (and a few I had on hand), and the silver gator clips to some old stitch markers that I had, but rarely used, because I prefer the non-dangly kind.

Wha-la! 15 progress keepers!

Portland Plaid Socks

These socks were a quick knit near the middle of June - Portland Plaid socks. The yarn was thicker and sturdy, and I thought they made the perfect summer socks.

These were a free de-stash yarn as well!

I made them in time for my trip back east, and even got to wear them at the Portland Airport Carpet!












Ravelry Project Link

Tuscarora

This was a linen tank that I rushed to finish before I left for Cape Cod at the beginning of the summer, and would you know I left it at a transit point? My parents were able to ship it back to me, but it never even made it to Cape Cod. Ugh.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this top. It's Linen, and it sticks to anything I wear underneath in unflattering ways. It kinda just looks like I'm wearing a bag.

Maybe it'll grow on me? I did knit it from some free, de-stashed Linen that I dyed.

Ravelry Project Page

Yarn Dye Extravaganza!

Image 1

Wanting a distraction from traditional knitting between rounds, I decided to take some old yarn I had, but knew I would never use, and dye it up!

Image 2

I honestly can't tell you what dyes I used, since it was essentially me throwing things in a pot and seeing what came out, but I can show you what came out!

Image 3

First, I dyed some white linen yarn (image 3).

Image 4

When it first came out of the pot, it looked very red (image 1), so I put it back in for a bit, but it didn't make a difference. However, after the dye dried, it was more of a peachy color (image 4).

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Next, I dyed four batches of some wool and cotton blend I had gotten from a kickstarter. These were pink (image 5), purple (image 6), blue (image 7) and green (image 8).

Image 8

They turned out much warmer in tone, and more deeply saturated (images 2 and 10). I especially like the green and blue.

And yes, all of these are in Ravelry:
Linen Page
Pink Page
Purple Page
Blue Page
Green Page

Image 10

Altering dress

Between rounds of Sock Madness, I attended a formal weekend event. In preparation, I purchased a formal dress from the Thrift Store - only $11! Unfortunately, while it fit nearly perfectly, the shoulders needed to be taken in, as they often do on my clothes.

Well, a night's work later, they were fixed. I had to rip open the seams of the shoulders, creatively hem the mesh, cut out the satin and re-seam the top of the shoulders, and then hand wip stitch back up around the outside.

It was generally more complicated than I thought it would be, but I was pleased with the result, and I was able to wear it without pins or bulky folds that weekend!

Oktoberfest Socken

This beautiful pair of socks was one that I had tried to complete before my Christmas trip. Since the weather ended up being uncharacteristically warm (hence to the ATV sledding) while we were there, it wasn't a big deal that they weren't finished. However, as soon as we got home, I worked to get them off the needles as quickly as I could.

These are my Oktoberfest Socken, made with a free Ravelry pattern, and they are my first cabled socks. Even though they are a little big, I'm very happy with the results. I absolutely love the yarn, and since I got it for free at a yarn swap, I'm considering this a steal!

50 Points for Gryffindor!

Not my work, click to view pattern

One of the Knitting Podcasts that I follow, Inside Number 23, really likes Harry Potter. A lot. I, also, am a Harry Potter fan, and so when I heard of her "50 Points for Gryffindor" challenge, I knew I had to participate.
Here's how it works:
For every projects you finish, you earn a certain amount of points. For every skein of yarn you buy, you lose points.
Katie's scheme is a little more stringent than mine, and the details are slightly off, but I'm participating with my own number scheme. Here, I'll list my point scheme, and keep track of my points. I started this on January 1st, and I'll be updating throughout the year. My goal is to hit 50 Points for Gryffindor by the year's end!
Since this only includes 2016, the projects listed will not be posted until the Christmas projects are completed. I have given myself extra point for project types I particularly want to focus on, including sweaters.Points:

• socks +4

• mittens/gloves +3

• shawl +5 (+8 if > 150g; +10 if > 200g; +15 if > 300g)

• sweater +5 per 100g used (minimum of +15)

• small project +1

Bonus Points (per project):

• Pre-2016 stash yarn +1

• New Techniques +1

• For Someone Else +1

Purchasing Yarn:

• ~100-115g hank -5

• ~50g hank -2

Running Tally for the Year:

0          Start

5          Oktoberfest Socken (+5)

-10       Threshold Yarn (-15)

-7         Huntington Beach Square (+3)

-5         Rubber-Band Basket (+2)

-3         Bathroom Brush Liner (+2)

2          Reyna Shawl (+5)

-8         Emiliana Yarn (-10)

-43       Plum Frost Yarn (-35)

-58       Inara Yarn (-15)

-68       Sontag Yarn (-10)

-73       Orange Dragonfly Sock Yarn (-5)

-67       October Mitts (+6)

-72       Black Cascade Socks Yarn (-5)

-61       Emiliana (+11)

-55       SM1: Slip Stripe Spiral (+6)

-49       SM2: Rose and Thorn (+6)

-59       Dad's Mitten Yarn (-10)

-69       Ben's Diamond Sock Yarn (-10)

-71       Vegas Yarn (-2)

-65       SM3: Waimakariri (+6)

-70       Tell Tale Oncoming Storm (-5)

-75       Tell Tale Oyster (-5)

-80       Thunderhead (-5)

-85       Wine Tasting (-5)

-90       Pond (-5)

-92       Sweet Potato (-2)

-94       Wonderland (-2)

-98       Razzleberry (-4)

-102     Cork (-4)

-104     Lantana (-2)

-97       Moss Rib Socks (+7)

-99       Brava Red (-2)

-104     Self-Striping Neon (-5)

-109     Red and Black sock yarn (-5)

-102     Caterpillar (+7)

-112     Plum Frost Yarn x2 (-10)

-107     SM4: Sweet Nuttins' (+5)

-102     SM5: Eisregen (+5)

-85       Tuscarora (+17)

-90       Tell Tale Bulkhead (-5)

-85       Heather's Mitts (+5)

-84       Wine Tasting Square (+1)

-79       Portland Plaid Socks (+5)

-64       Inara (+15)

-69       Cape Cod Yarn (-5)

-76       Green Sock Yarn (-7)

-81       Portland Yarn (-5)

-91       Cream Silken Lace (-10)

-116     Campside Yarn (-25)

-107     Gallifrey Sunset (+9)

-105     Serenity Square (+2)

-103     Plum Frost Swatch (+2)

-101     White Russian Square (+2)

-99       Pickle Juice Square (+2)

-97       Black Squirrel Square (+2)

-96       Old Money Square (+1)

-94       Red Hots Square (+2)

-92       Poppy Field Square (+2)

-90       Blue Violet Square (+2)

-100     Plum Frost Yarn x3 (-10)

-99       Lothlorien Square (+1)

-97       Sponge (+2)

-95       Scrubbie (+2)

-93       Scrubbie with SC (+2)

-92       Gingersnap Square (+1)

-90       Fleur de Couleur Square (+2)

-88       Camo Sqaure (+2)

-87       Razzleberry Square (+1)

-85       Auburn Square (+2)

-83       Deep Brown Square (+2)

-81       Ultra Violet Catastrophe Square (+2)

-79       Springtime Square (+2)

-78       Thunderhead Square (+1)

-77       Checkers Square (+1)

-87       Sontag Yarn 2 (-10)

-80       Farmer Saffron (+7)

-74       Disco Dance Socks (+6)

-72       Pacific Crest Square (+2)

-71       Disco Dance Square (+1)

-70       Oncoming Storm Square (+1)

-69       Cork Square (+1)

-67       Pink Sugar Square (+2)

-66       Sin City Purple Square (+1)

-65       Decay Square (+1)

-64       Vegas (Eva 7) Square (+1)

-63       Ranco Red (Eva 3) Square (+1)

-62       Enchanted Square (+1)

-45       Sontag (+17)

-44       Emiliana Square (+1)

-42       Portland Plaid Square (+2)

-41       Crelando (Eva 5) Square (+1)

-40       TYFKA Frozen Dancing Mermaid (Eva 2) Square (+1)

-54       12 Days Palette Yarn (-14)

-53       Drops (Eva 4) Square (+2)

-47       Camo Hat (+6)

-46       Jade (Susan) Square (+1)

-45       Debra's Pansy (Susan) Square (+1)

-42       Partridge in a Pear Tree (+3)

-44       Alice Starmore Samples (-2)

-49       Gingerbread House (-5)

-44       Quist Whit (+5)

-41       Three French Hens (+3)

Sunshine Dress

This was another beauty that I made back in the summer of 2013 in preparation for a professional life. You see, I was trying to work in layers, and to use only a certain palette of colors, so that everything would go with everything else. That's a huge bonus in Rochester!

Well, I also discovered that with my strange body shape, most "professional" silhouettes looked terrible on me! So, I began making my own, in the colors I wanted, and the styles I wanted.

In fact, if you look back, most of what I make fits this profile.

Anyway, on to my sunshine dress! Using another pattern, I was able to make this from broadcloth, a thick one, and I just love the way it hangs!

Oh! And it has pockets!

Miss Frizzle Skirt

As a kid, I always loved the show "Magic Schoolbus," and later, as an adult going in to teaching, I wanted to emulate her creativity and spunk.

Before I began student teaching, a few years back during my original dry spell, in 2013, I sewed a few garments for myself to wear in the upcoming school year. Since these fit the criteria of a post (completed after I started the blog, and something I made), I'll post them now. If I'm not mistaken, these are the last flash-back posts I'll do.

So, low and behold, I present to you my Miss Frizzle skirt!

I used a McCalls pattern, and it took be about two days to get it done. I love this skirt! It fits so wonderfully and is comfortable. The only downside is that there's no pockets!

The wind was acting up quite a bit during this photoshoot, so forgive the nature of the pictures!

In real life, the skirt is actually very seam-lined. There are pleats built into it and ironed out every time I wash it, which I suppose is optional, and it's made with basic cotton fabric.