Honeycomb

It’s Monday and I’m updating! Weee!

So my project of choice (actually it’s the only one, currently) has been Portage by Melissa Schaschwary. I’m knitting it with Madelinetosh’s Tosh Dk in Chicory. Here’s a progress photo taken this morning;

I’m just past the sleeve divide. The honeycomb across the back looks awesome but it’s taking me soooo long to knit. I feel like I would normally be a lot further along than this. But I do love the way it’s coming out, so I can’t complain too much. I splurged with this cardigan and bought the Madelinetosh yarn for it, which ran me over $100, yikes! I bought the yarn and webs, and I’m going to complain just a tiny bit for a second .. the picture they had for the chicory colorway when I ordered this looked nothing like what I actually got. It looked like it had so much more brown in it, when it is actually has quite a bit more teal in it than grayish browns. But, I know it’s hand dyed and I knew the risk. I still like the color, just wish it was more brownish.

With that out-of-the-way however, this is my first time knitting with this yarn AND I LOVE IT! Holy bejeesus. No wonder people fork over the money for this yarn. It. Is. Heaven. It knits so beautifully. I love it so much. It could have come in the mail pink and I think I would have gotten over it just because of the way it knits up. Love it. Five out of five stars for this baby.

I just hope it fits nice when it’s done! Ha.

Okay, onto pattern making. As you guys know, if you’ve read my other posts, I already have two hat patterns sitting around that I have yet to publish. I’m going to post them up soon, I just need to set up a paypal account. One is going to be free. I already have another fingering weight sock yarn pattern floating around in my head, just need to find a lovely hand dyed yarn for it.

Also, I don’t know if any of you have seen the movie This is the End (which is awesome btw) but I NEED to make this sweater;

It’s so simple, but looks so cozy and awesome.

It will be done.

At some point.

About Me

I FINALLY wrote an about me page, and added links to other places you can find me on the interwebz. It’s in the tab up in the right hand corner .. or just click here. You know, if you’re lazy 😉

Hand Dyed Yarn

So I couldn’t wait until Monday to update again, and my kids are occupying themselves very nicely right now, so I thought I might as well update!

A few months ago my friend started getting into dyeing yarns and she loved it. She got her self all set up, experimented a bit and now has her own Etsy shop that’s been opened for a bit now. I’ve bought three skeins of yarn from her so far, and have loved them all.

The latest skein however peaked my interest more than the others.

The colors of all of the yarns are beautiful and they really glow. I really need to get better at taking pictures because mine don’t do the yarns justice.

Anyway, in the beginning I wasn’t all that interested in dyeing yarns. I mean, the colors were beautiful .. but you needed special dyes, and needed special pots and all that other jazz. Then I saw her latest skein, and she explained how she got the speckles on it and my curiosity was peaked. It sounded fun! I looked into it, and found out how to hand paint yarns using just regular food coloring and I’m seriously considering giving it a try. It truly does look fun.

Anyway, my friend’s name is Shanna, and along with dyeing yarns, she’s also been selling her own patterns which are amazing! I’ve already made two of them with no problems, and can’t wait to make more. Here’s one of them.

A link to her Etsy shop – Lambstrings

Also, for good measure, some of the pictures that SHE took of her yarns ..

Again!

So, it has been a long time since an update again! For that I apologize, and from now on I’m going to try to update every Monday. As long as I have something to update about!

Last post I talked about how I had knitted a few things and just hadn’t gotten around to blocking anything, because laziness. I’ve blocked the things!

First up is the Newborn Vertebrae that I knit for my friends unborn son (due in Nov.!).

I’m going to apologize for the pictures, I took them in the early morning and the lighting isn’t all that great. The colors are pretty true to whats shown though. I used Patons Kroy sock yarn for this, I had it lying around in my stash. It blocked soft, not the softest, but good!

On to the next completed project, which did not require blocking. I had previously made my daughter Lalylala’s FIBI the Fox, which she loved and it came out adorable. I decided my son needed a stuffed toy as well and made ROCO the Raccoon, also by Lalylala.

My son has named him Robert, and he is also well loved.

This next project I never mentioned on here. I knit Hermione’s Cable & Eyelet Hat with yarn one of my friends had dyed for me. I’m a huuuuuuge Harry Potter nerd. Started reading the books when I was 14, over half my life ago.

Anyway, on to the project. The shot of it isn’t that great, but it is what it is.

Pretty sure my friend (a fellow HP nerd) wants to steal it.

I still need to block my Lacey tee, which I might do today, I finished another baby sweater that I need to sew buttons onto. Here’s a picture I took while it was in progress ..

It is the Odette Hoodie made with Vanna’s Choice yarn in the colorway Brick. My mother had it lying around, so I stole it (not really, she knew =P). The friend having the baby isn’t a knitter, and I don’t want to make her anything that she can’t just throw right into the washer and dryer. So acrylics it is.

I have also finished knitting and have blocked a shawl, and am knitting a hat (will be a free pattern). I’m going to save them for next Monday, however, as I have quite a bit to write about them. They are both made from Lambstrings Hand Dyed Yarn, made by my bestie for the past ten years, and I love them (not just because I know the person doing the work haha).

Happy Knitting Everyone!

Too Long

I haven’t updated in over a month, I’m so sorry! I got a bit overwhelmed with health crap and lots of other minor things. I’m back though, and will try to update a bit more often.

So I’ve finished the Lacy Tee and the Newborn Vertebrae that I was working on. Although neither are blocked yet ..

I’ve also knit up a hat pattern that went super quick and I love the end result. After I block it I’ll take a few pictures and add the link to the hat pattern on here. I used Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Stone Chat. It was my first time working with that yarn and I LOVED it. It’s so soft and lovely, and I really want to make a sweater out of it one day. The only thing I would be worried about is pilling, but it’s so soft I almost don’t care.

I crossed into the crocheting world for a while to make this cutie for my daughter.

Sam!

It’s a Lalylala creation, FIBI the Fox. My daughter has named him Sam, however.

Here’s a full body shot.

Instead of using fingering weight yarn like that pattern calls for, I used a worsted weight (Vanna’s Choice), and a size D hook to get the stitches really tight.

My daughter loves him, and I love him and am now making Roco the Raccoon for my son.

Until next time, which will hopefully be soon, happy knitting/crocheting!

Oh, the Horror

Please, don’t judge me on the horror that is this photo. My face was a mess, my hair was a mess and I just wanted a photo to show you guys that I finished the hat! Yay!

I’m going to write the pattern up soon, and my friend is going to test knit it for me. If all turns out good and she thinks the pattern is decent, I’m going to (try to) upload it to Ravelry.

Then, I guess I’ll have to try and take better pictures. Although, pretty much the same way. I don’t want to be super serious about it .. because I’m never super serious.

I’ve also blocked a cardigan that I finished knitting a while ago. It was the first item I ever knit with yarn that wasn’t acrylic! I know, gaspshockhorror. My friend showed me the light, and now whenever I want to knit something, I don’t even look at my acrylic stash.

Anyway, it came out really good and fits really nice. I love it. I just need to get some good pictures of it and I’ll have it up here.

And now I need to go. My three year old is right behind me making a huge mess.

Pattern Making

I’ve been spending the past few days working on my own hat design. I had originally thought I was going to do something different, something far more simple, but when I knit the test swatch it was calling for something else. I’m happy to say that it is done for the most part; I just need to block it and add a pom pom.

It must have a pom pom.

It’s actually turned out a lot better than I had anticipated, seeing as it’s my first time writing my own pattern. I’m very happy with it. I think I might try and get it up at Ravelry. I don’t know, it makes me nervous even thinking about it to be honest. Since that hat is pretty much finished, I’ve cast on and knit a couple of inches of the front of Lacey. Also, I recently found out one of my friends is going to be a mommy, and I had to cast on something for the baby. I decided on the Newborn Vertebrae, and I’m knitting it with a sock yarn I found in my stash that is kind of gender neutral. Maybe just a tad more on the masculine side.

Also, I’m sorry for not posting sooner, my hubby and I had bought the kids a swing set and to save money we decided to build it ourselves. It was easy, just very time consuming, so I haven’t been getting much knitting done. We have finished though, and the kids love it!

Next time I write I’ll try to have a nice picture of my finished hat. I need to dig out my good cameras and charge them .. and I need to stop resorting to my iPhone.

Swatches

So, last post I completely forgot to mention that the cardigan I was blocking is dry and fits decently! It’s just a tad big in the shoulder area and I think it’s because it stretched a bit too much when I blocked it. I think the next time I use knitpicks swish, I’m going to block it using the spray method and not the soak method like I did this time. Or maybe I’ll just be more careful while laying it out. It was my first time blocking a sweater, I was bound to do something wrong.

I really love the cardigan though! The design is awesome, and the knitpicks swish is super soft. I can’t wait to wear it! Just need to sew on the buttons. I picked these ones that my mom had lying around, so free for me! Yay!

So I’ve finished the back of Lacey and, like I said I was going to do, I’ve put it aside and grabbed the yarn for the hat I’m going to attempt to design.

It’s so stupid soft. I love it. Also, usually I’m not a bright colors type of person, but for the design I had in mind .. it just had to be yellow. And Tweed. Only one problem though ..

After I knit this handy little test swatch .. the yarn and color didn’t feel right for what I wanted to knit. Bah! So, I’m going to design something different that came to me whilst knitting this. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to pull it off. I’m going to try though, and I’ll update you guys as I go.

Halfway

So I’m still working on the back of Lacey, and have made it up past the sleeves and am binding off for the neckline. I noticed, however, that after I placed the right side sleeve sts onto a stitch holder and have worked the bind off sts, that I have twelve sts more on the one sleeve side than I do the other. I keep track of everything, so I know I didn’t do more increases than I should have. I think I’m just going to bind off the extra twelve so that my two sides are even and just make sure the front lines up when I get to it.

Here’s a picture after I finished binding off and worked the rest of the row.

After I finish off the rest of the back, which will hopefully be soon, I’m going to make up a hat pattern I’ve had in my head. It’s going to be stupid simple, with just an eyelet design on the front. I’ve had it drawn in my notebook for about two months now (along with lots of other designs) and now seems like as good a time as any to start trying to design things. I’m starting small with the hat .. maybe next will be a sweater? Who knows.

Serenity

I love sitting by my back sliding door to knit. All of the sunlight that pours through it is just so warm and calming. As uncomfortable as the floor is, it’s one of my favorite places in our house to knit. I guess I could drag a pillow over with me to sit on, but by the time I think of it I’m already sitting and knitting.