Test Block

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I have been feeling the itch of the Bibliophile 2 and to see where I am at after much knitting

I put the sweater body stitches on my stitch cord and the sleeve stitches were already on waste yarn so into the bath it went! I wanted to see how much this Berroco Vintage DK would grow under the full weight of the sweater.

I borrowed my parents patio table that happens to be rust free metal and well ventilated. This worked until the tornado warning and thunderstorm rolled in. Thankfully I got most of th sweater dry in the 100 degree heat and pulled it in before the rain. I am going to let this finish drying and then do a try on to see where I am at.

Happy Knitting!!

Socks At A Conference

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My conference in Chicago had me in ballrooms for eight solid hours over two days. And this place was FREEZING. I was actively shivering for the first four hour session. I honestly knit on my 2018 Advent Socks just to keep my fingers from falling off.

I would knit a stripe on one sock and then switch to knit on the same stripe on the second sock. I think I confused the lady at my table but I had the irresistible urge to keep them “even”, lol. I am on color 14 of the 24, so just over the halfway point.

As with some previous advent socks, I think I will do the 2×2 ribbed cuff in the last four colors of the self striping skein. So I need to keep count when I hit color 20. I bet I mess that up on at least one of the socks.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Second Sharing Creativity Cowl

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My second Sharing Creativity Cowl is done and I did some really good blocking on this version. I was really going for the drape factor.

All the pattern and size details are found here in my Ravelry project page. I did not lose yarn chicken and I added I think four extra rows to the main body of the cowl. I could have maybe done two more? But I didn’t want to run out of yarn mid i-cord bind off. I did AGGRESIVELY block this cowl out for the drape factor. I didn’t do that with my first version and I wanted to see the contrast. I can see the benefits of both and they both have limitations.

Jellybean helped me take photos when I looked nice and dressed up for work. But I like how the jewel tones of this cowl looked with the blue maxi dress. This could be some outfit inspo for this coming winter!

Happy Knitting!!

Chicago Adventures

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I took a very quick turnaround trip to Chicago for a professional conference. It didn’t turn out to be the most relaxing of a trip due to some work stress. So, what is a girl to do? Yes, find a yarn store!!

I managed to walk to Yarnify on Chicago’s South Side and peruse a LOVELY store. I forgot to take any pictures of the inside or outside because I was in a mood over work issues. But I did manage to spend some money in the store.

I always try to support local dyers or dyers I don’t see very often. On the left I grabbed some Leading Men Fiber Arts yarn. I grabbed some vivid mini skeins for my scrap/mini skein blankets. And then I got a skein of the Dramaturg base in the “fortune teller” colorway. Next up on the top is some RMR in the Rocio base. New to me dyer and it’s not on Ravelry but I couldn’t resist the speckles.

Next up on the right is some Baah Yarns Savannah in “Lincoln Park After Dark” colorway. This is a cashmere blend and I plan to pet this skein QUITE a lot. And then I finished up with the top corner of some Stone Barn Farms gradient cake called “Eye Of The Storm” colorway.

I really need to take one of these hot afternoons and get all my summer yarn purchases put away and organized into my bins….

Happy Stashing!!

Fruits Of The Garden

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Happy 4th of July to all who choose to celebrate! The heat is starting to crank up the garden progress. We are already ahead of last year….or so I hope.

PB’s strawberries (that I was very skeptical of) are actually producing fruit. And she stated they were DELICIOUS. If these plants survive the summer I may actually try to over-winter them with some straw.

The main garden has produced a single (and beautiful) large jalapeno. I plan to dice this up for taco night this coming week. Not all my family members like jalapeno but maybe they will try a tiny bite that doesn’t have seeds.

Now I am off to shoot some fireworks with Jellybean and my Dad because we are ALL children when it comes to the 4th. Also, hopping for a really good and properly cooked s’mores

Happy 4th!!

Sharing Creativity In The Round

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It’s hot as BLAZES here in the Midwest and here I am knitting a super bulky cowl….

The second Sharing Creativity Cowl is now joined in the round. Because I did use a little bit of the end of the first skein from the first project, I do plan to add at least a couple of rows to the height of this cowl. I think it will improve the fit of the finished accessory but also maximize the use of yarn.

Will I end up playing yarn chicken, maybe? But it will feel good to finish this yarn and mark complete in my stash. Will I buy Caracol again….maybe, for the right project. To keep in my stash….probably not.

Happy Knitting!!

Easy Saturday Mornings

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This past Saturday Jellybean had an 8 am baseball game. While I was grateful for the cooler temps it was less than ideal to get up early on my day off. The things I do for being a mom. So I grabbed some energy and my 2018 Advent Socks and watched our team win and my son be MVP of the game.

I recently upgraded to a rocking camp chair and it makes all the difference in the world. I feel more comfortable for knitting ergonomics and I can rock out the anxiety of the close plays and my kid’s at bats.

I think I added at least two stripes per sock during this game. I need to count to determine how far I am into the 24 stripes I am for these socks. Socks make such an easy thing to travel with and drop quickly when a foul ball comes at me or PB.

Happy Baseball Knitting!!

Bibliophile 2 Body

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My Bibliophile 2 made it all the way through vacation!

I am still cruising down the main body of the sweater. The pattern states I need 15 inches from the underarm and I’m at roughly 10 (ish) depending on how and where I measure. So lots of round and round left. I do think I will pull out all the sleeve stitch markers as they make a lot of noise and aren’t necessary anymore.

It’s shaping up to be a nice sweater and I think I just got a pair of Stitch Fix pants that will make a lovely fall or winter outfit with this finished sweater. So that is my motivation to finish!

Happy Knitting!!

Finished A Second Green Hat

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The Second Green Hat is done washed and formed on my mannequin head. Not as pretty finished pictures as my first one at the Glaciers but still nice.

Pattern: My own 88 stitch basic beanie “recipe” with folded stockinette brim

Needles: US 8s

Yarn: Potion Yarns Foxy Sock and Potions Yarns Phantasma Lace in Lady Absinthe

Each of these hats used used up a combined 231 yards of the yarn that were held double. I easily got two adult sized hats out of 50 grams of mohair and 100 grams of sock yarn. I may make my 2026 Pigskin Party plan to crank out more of these projects with yarns doubled.

I could use a few more fuzzy hats but I could also maybe make some cowls or other accessories that are cozy and fun? I need to do some searching on the Ravelry site to get some inspo.

Happy Knitting!!

Baseball Knitting

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We had to hit the ground running after our Alaskan vacation as Jellybean signed up for baseball this summer. His first game was two days after we landed.

To break up my streak of sweater and hat knitting, I grabbed by second Sharing Creativity Cowl to work on for the first baseball game. I had to come right from work and sit in the sun in my office clothes. Alas, such is mom life. The weather could have been worse for June in the Midwest but I was still warm….

I managed to get a good chunk of the way through the increases but I am not quite ready to join in the round. A few more back and forth rows should get me and then I need to dig up a big stitch marker to join. Here’s to seeing how much baseball knitting I get up to this summer!

Happy Summer!!