Well Heeled...

my first sock has a heel now, that is. I went to the yarn store and we went over how to turn the heel. Too bad we forgot to make the heel flap first, lol! The instructor/shop owner felt so bad, and I felt bad too because I had the feeling something was a little off, but didn't really know what. It was a bad brain fog day, plus I was having some migraine prodrome at the time, so I just figured it was my stupid brain tricks again. We all had a good laugh about it. I really like this yarn store. Every time I walk in there I'm greeted right away and people ask if they can help me. It's a little small, but there's such an aura of warmth and friendliness, and many beautiful finished items on display, as well as really nice yarn, so the store doesn't seem small.
So now I have to pick up the stitches for the gusset.

March is Passing Quickly

March has not turned into the crochet-happy month I expected it to. I haven't gotten to crochet as many things as I had planned. Yes, I did get the Houndstooth-Check scarf finished. It figures that the weather got warm and I haven't been able to wear it yet, lol! I have not started a crochet sweater yet. I want to make one that I could wear in warmer or in-between weather. Although at the speed I'm going, it might be Fall before I get a sweater done.

I've focused on quick stitch efforts. Here is another baby bib I did in two different stitch patterns just to see how it turned out. It looks a little lopsided at the top, and I think I'll revisit it and put a pocket on the lower part where the stitch patterns change. I had planned to do a bib with a slit in the center so it could just be pulled over the baby's head, but I didn't think the opening was wide enough. I'm going to give it another shot, though. I think doing a chain a little earlier in the row will leave a wide enough gap.

I did the March Squares for the CAL group. Winter Dream from the Dishcloth Diaries, and the March Square by Julie Bolduc,

worked up very quickly. In both cases I used leftover yarn from my stash. They were both done in Vanna's Choice yarn from Lion Brand. I thought about working on the baby blanket in Berroco Comfort DK, but it's still a thought.

I've also had the knitting bug more than usual. I finally got 6 inches on the sock the pattern calls for before the heel gets started. After I'd worked on it a while, I noticed that I messed up. Some of the stitches don't line up like they should, and I think I tightened up a little. I have no plan to frog it at this point. I still get very nervous about dropping stitches and would be afraid I'd end up starting over. I have to call the yarn store to go in to learn how to do the heel. I'm going to be wearing these socks under jeans, so nobody would see the tops, anyway.

Happy National Crochet Month

March is National Crochet Month!! Time to pull out those hooks and get some projects started...or finished. I finally finished the Houndstooth-Check Scarf from the Crochet That Fits book. I may have changed hook size inadvertently. I set the project down when I got the urge to knit. I've been working on my sock, but wanted to take a break. Working with the small circular needle has my hand a little wonky. I've also had the flu, and with the start of spring training (YEAH!! GO CUBS, METS & TWINS), I want a project I can work on in front of the t.v. This scarf is pretty easy to do, so I vowed to finish it this weekend. I still have to finish working in the edges.

I still have a crochet baby blanket I put down a while ago that I need to finish. But, there's a granny square crochet-a-long (CAL) group on Ravelry that I participate in-I skipped February because I wasn't that crazy about the squares, but the March squares are quite nice. There's also the Easy Classic Top from Lion Brand, or to start in with the Learn To Crochet a Sweater book that I have on the shelf. Decisions, decisions.

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.