It's Finished!!

My first sweater is finally done! It didn't take long to knit, but I'm not a fan of sewing things together. So, it sat in it's ripped bag beneath the coffee table in the family room until I couldn't stand to see it anymore. It's a little snug, despite the fact that I had the proper gauge specified in the pattern. I probably should have made the larger size. It's only February, and I've actually accomplished one of my New Year's resolutions!

Learning to knit socks was another resolution. So, I took a sock class at a local yarn store and I'm on my way! I'm using Panda Cotton Sock yarn in the color Nasturtiums, and the Simple Sock pattern from Cat Bordhi's book Socks Soar on 2 Circular Needles. Yes, I'm only using one needle, the teacher at the yarn store does it a little differently. I'm getting used to the small needle size and hope that the sock joint points don't look obvious.

This is the Pullover Bib and Baby washcloth from the January issue of Creative Knitting. I love the idea of the hole to slip on and off the baby. I've started to design a one in crochet, but have to re-work the hole part. One row of slip stitches don't seem to leave a large enough opening.

My First Sweater!!

Woo Hoo! I'm actually keeping one of my carry-over New Year's resolutions! I started to knit my first sweater! It's the Kelly Sweater from The Daily Knitter. So far, I'm a little larger than the stated gauge, but since I'm doing the small/medium size, whose finished measurements will only give about 2" of ease, this gauge will give me some extra room. It's working up fairly quickly, and I'm happy there's only two pieces to knit. I really hate to hand sew pieces together. I still haven't finished sewing up the baby kimono I made last year!

This is the Houndstooth-Check scarf from Mary Jane Hall's new book Crochet that Fits. This is an easy pattern with color changes every row. I used the same stitch pattern for one of my Special Olympics Scarves. The color changes are nice practice, and I've been carrying the unused color along, crocheting over it, for a few rows at a time. I had a little trouble initially with puckering from holding the unused color too tightly, so I only do it for a few rows at a time. The black skein had several knots in it, so I had to cut it to get the yarn untangled. I'm using Berroco Comfort in Black and a light purple color to match the trim on a jacket I have. I really love using this yarn. It's an acrylic, but it's not stiff or scratchy like the acrylics I'm used to using. It's nice and soft, and would be great not only as a scarf, but as a sweater or in a home dec project.

Another nice acrylic is Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice. It's soft, and it works up quickly, but I've noticed more splitting than with some other acrylics I've used. Here's the Mandala Square by Chris Simon done in the color Beige. My attention was averted during the football games on Saturday and I messed up in a couple of places. I frogged it and finished it yesterday. This square is featured in a Crochet-a-Long (CAL) on Ravelry.

Ravelry is like Facebook or MySpace for knitters and crocheters. They have free patterns, forums and places to keep track of your yarn, books and patterns. I'm enjoying the different groups and could stay on there for hours looking at patterns and yarns, etc. If you're a knitter or crocheter, you should go over and sign up. There's a waiting list, but it moves very quickly.

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 full of great projects and yummy yarns! My resolutions for 2008 were to knit and crochet sweaters; knit and crochet socks; learn cable knitting; learn Continental Style knitting; start designing; and enter the CGOA design contest.

My resolutions for 2009 include: knit and crochet sweaters; knit and crochet socks; learn Continental knitting; keep designing and either publish a design on this blog and/or submit a design for publication. Obviously, I didn't accomplish many of my resolutions in 2008, lol! Things kept coming up! I didn't even start knitting a sweater or socks. My skills need more work so my tension will even out. I did purchase a DVD on Continental Knitting, but haven't looked at it yet. There's a local yarn store that offers a class, so I plan to sign up for it. I did learn how to knit cables. I have also started to design in crochet, but I've limited myself to scarves thus far.

I also want to use more of my stash up this year. I have a lot of yarn and am running out of places to put it all. Right now one closet in a spare bedroom is full, and I have several skeins and containers in my bedroom on the floor and under the bed. Maybe I should get a hook or something to put over the door so I can hang some storage from the back of the door? Something to think about....

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah!!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and you're enjoying the festivities of Hanukah!
I had a nice day, but it would've been a lot nicer if I hadn't woken up with a migraine. The botox is helping. With all the triggers I've had the past couple of days, this one would've put me to bed for the day. Thankfully, I was able to sit up and enjoy the festivities.

Santa brought the 2009 Crochet Pattern a Day calendar. I also received a gift card to Barnes and Noble and a subscription renewal to Crochet Today! I'm a very lucky girl to have a brother who's that generous. Browsing through the bookstore takes a lot out of me, so I'll have to either go on a non-appointment day, or shop on-line.

I finished the first Special Olympics scarf. I just have to even out the fringe. I haven't fringed something in so long, I nearly forgot how to do it! I started a second one this afternoon before I put dinner in the oven. I'm doing this one lengthwise, so hopefully it shouldn't take so long. I want to get them in the mail before the end of the year.

Constant Tension Isn't Always A Bad Thing

In fact, it's a good thing when applied to one's adventures in knitting. I had been doing a lot of crocheting to get small things done, like burp cloths/spit rag with matching baby bibs;
a tacky Christmas Toilet Paper Cozy( the cylinder shape is my design, the star decoration is from Elizabeth Hamm's Crochet A Trunk Full O Fun website)and a set of coasters and a baby blanket I still haven't finished for a craft show at a local church this past November. That's one reason I haven't been able to post since Halloween. The second reason is that the migraines have been returning full force since the Botox wore off. I had another treatment the week before Thanksgiving, and it's starting to work. The intensity of the migraines has lessened, although the nausea, light, motion and noise intolerance hasn't let up.
Tension and stress can be migraine triggers, but knitting is supposed to be a fun hobby you do to relieve stress. So, what does that mean for stress provoked by getting one's knitting tension correct?


Anyway, once the show was over, the urge to knit kicked in. I found some Homespun mill ends in my stash and decided to do a quick scarf. Yeah, right. I had high hopes since another scarf I knit with Homespun came out well.


Okay, fairly well. It looks better in person than in the photo since it's folded a little. On the new scarf, I could tell when I put it down and picked it up again. I'm sure you can too. I frogged it twice, which is why I called it the "Third Time's a Charm" scarf on my Ravelry page. At first, I considered taking a basic learn to knit class, since my technique involves balancing one needle on my leg or abdomen while throwing the yarn with my right hand. Not exactly orthodox as you can imagine. I also thought about taking a Continental Knitting class. I've wanted to learn this technique since it supposedly puts less stress on one's shoulders and arms. After I've been knitting for a while, I get sore in my neck and shoulder area. But, I don't drive at night unless there's an emergency, and I never know how I'm going to feel on a given day, I'm reluctant to sign up for a class, even if there's one in the afternoon. I'm blessed to live in an area with four local yarn stores, and I've had wonderful experiences in all of them. So, there are a variety of classes to choose from. I'm afraid to plunk money down for a class and not be able to go because of a migraine or a vertigo attack.

So, I turned to the Internet for help. I went to a few sites and found several ways to hold yarn to get correct tension. This one seemed like it'd work for me. I decided to try something simple for my next project, just to see how I'd do with the technique. I made the Waffle Stitch spa cloth from the latest issue of Creative Knitting magazine.

This done with a ball of Lily Sugar n' Cream I had in my stash. Not too bad for a first time. My edges aren't totally even, but they're better than before. I started the soap bag from the same pattern.


I've only done the first couple of rows, and I've put it down to work on a Special Olympic scarf. When I get back to it, we'll see if my tension changes the edging and you can tell where I left off!

Two Posts in One Month...

it must be a record, lol! I've been keeping busy. I finished a hat and scarf of my own design. It's done in Bernat Camoflage in the color Renegade. It's a simple half double crochet pattern that of course, dopey me didn't write down as I did it. I'll have to do another one to see what I did so I can post it.


As I said in my last post, I've been doing some little items in crochet, since I'm a very slow knitter. I started this baby bib in Lily Sugar n' Cream, and then realized it wouldn't look right. So I turned sideways to get more length. I'm not sure if I left enough room for the neck, but I think the ties are adjustable enough there should be good coverage. I also crocheted a burp cloth/wash cloth to go with it. I need more practice designing baby bibs, though. I plan do have several done within the next couple of weeks.

This scarf is done in Lion Brand Homespun, in the color Colonial. I've been on a roll of half double crochet lately, and this is done lengthwise.


This is a dishcloth done in a single crochet ribbed stitch. I figure the nooks and crannies may make a better dust cloth. I'll have to make it longer and a bit wider to be a dust mop cover.

I love vintage pattern books. It's so much fun to see what fashion trends were and how things have changed, or not. Many designs, raglan sweaters, some baby items, haven't changed much. I've found many at church or charitable garage or book sales and in a used book store that's not too far from my house. I started a baby sweater from one of the books I bought, and I'll post photos of both the sweater and the booklet. I've also started to knit an afghan from a Coats and Clark learn to knit book. Photos will be forthcoming.

I Have a Lot of Yarn...

and I didn't know how much until I started to photograph it all. I used to keep an inventory in a notebook, but never updated it as I moved skeins around, sold some on Ebay or used some in a project. Since I'm a member of Ravelry, I thought I'd use their "stash" section to make it easier than thumbing through a notebook with several crossed out areas where I actually did update, that are difficult to read. I also would buy yarn if I came across clearance yarn in a store, like the Bernat Berella "4" I got in Michaels for $0.99 a skein, or a great deal like Lion Brand Baby Soft for $0.99 a skein that you see above that was in Ollie's Bargain Outlet. I also bought more since I never seem to have enough of the yarn I need for a particular project. Usually I have some yarn I can use, but since I bought it a few years ago, or even a few months ago, the dye lot I bought are no longer available. For example, when I did my cousin's blanket, I had some Baby Soft in my stash, but it wasn't enough. I had to buy enough skeins in the same dye lot to complete the project.

For this sweater, I had five skeins of Red Heart Soft Baby in my stash that I wanted to use for a baby layette. This pattern is designed by Gayle Bunn and is from the Coats & Clark book "Beautiful Babies". I wanted to make a blanket to go with it, but I didn't realize that the skeins from different dye lots. Thankfully, I had enough of one dye lot to complete the sweater and hat, but not enough for a blanket also. The hat worked up quickly. I loved the fact the sweater was done in one piece with the sleeves attached, since I hate sewing items together. Heck, I still haven't seamed up the baby kimono I did earlier this year from that same book. I had a little difficulty with the sweater edging. I left off the buttons, because I just don't like buttons on a baby sweater. I'm too paranoid that the baby will somehow get the buttons off and swallow them.

I also buy yarn in anticipation of a new project. I bought several skeins of Lion Brand Jiffy Thick and Quick for a sweater I saw in an old issue of Knit It magazine and it's been sitting in the closet for a while. I'll get to it, eventually, but other projects rear their heads and get in the way. This has happened before, and there is some yarn that I don't remember what project I wanted to make with it.

I've been doing a lot of little, quick projects, like baby bibs, potholders, and the like that I'll share in the coming days. I have a craft show coming up in November and I want to get an Etsy store open in time for some Christmas shopping.