Monthly Archives: May 2019

Cast On: PB’s Birthday Blanket

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I had a TON of yarn leftover from PB’s birthday monster. Like almost 1.8 full skeins. I drastically overbought for her monster toy. But as to not waste any soft baby friendly yarn I decided Baldwin needed a coordinating blanket. PB has an affinity for soft things so I’m hoping she will cuddle under a soft blanket.

I chained 100 stitches and then started working my version of a half double crochet back across. I managed one full row back before PB woke up the first time last night. I have ZERO illusions this will be done by her actual birthday on Friday. But she’s 1….what’s she going to know if I take another month to finish this one??

Happy Crafting!!

Overshot The Heel

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The socks for my dad have kind of been on the back burner lately. I was working on them awhile back and I was talking and knitting at a BBQ and I overshot the heel placement. I was hoping to put in waste yarn for a Susan B Anderson style afterthought heel. But alas it was not to be. I’m going to have to cut in a KirbyWirby style afterthought heel by cutting live stitches. I’ve totally done both before. I was just hoping for the version that is less likely for me to drop stitches.

So with that little oopsie…this project has kind of fallen to the bottom of my WIP pile. It’s not the end of the world but it has kind of killed my mojo a little bit. Has that ever happened to you?

More Work Knitting

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I had some MAJOR organizing and note taking to catch up on after making it through audit season. I love my job but this year has been really challenging due to the fact we had a change of management DURING audit season. Not to mention we have three open positions and a lot people are working double duties.

I try to look at the bright side….my Gonna Need Vanilla Socks are making decent progress on my lunch breaks. Sock number one is already done. And I’m past halfway through the foot on sock number two.

And I love when I can mash up my love of organization and love of knitting. Not to mention knitting has taken the edge off some really stressful days lately!

Happy Knitting!!

An Almost Finished Baldwin

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My Baldwin the Bathroom Monster is all done (with the knitting part that is)!

I finished with two weeks to spare on PB’s birthday! Now Baldwin still needs a mouth and a bellybutton. I might also possibly add a crochet flower tail because the husband thinks that will make it extra cute. The only thing stopping from being done is that I am out of white felt in my craft stash for the Rebecca Danger style mouth. Now this is easy to fix with a trip to Joanns or Micheals soI hope to have this all tucked in time for PB’s party.

Stay tuned for finished finished finished projects photos! Happy Knitting!!

 

Wonky Monster

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I bit the bullet and finally worked my first magic loop project. I have been working on PB’s birthday monster, Baldwin the Bathroom Monster. The body is done and all I need is arms. But aside from the mis-matched feet I discussed last time….Baldwin is also a little wonky….

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This piece biased like crazy and twists sideways. I lost control of my magic loop at some point and just guessed about how to get my cord placement back in order. And the best I could tell it was fine. But I obviously moved where my decreases were and caused some biasing. Whoops.

But again I’m really getting closer and closer to PB’s birthday and I have decided that I like my monster with character! This Baldwin is super soft and just squishy enough for PB to chew on. So all I need to do is knit arms and I’M DONE!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Baldwin The Bathroom Monster

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I knit Jellybean a toy for his second birthday. And I got the crazy idea back over a month ago that PB needed a monster for her first birthday. So we went shopping and she helped me pick yarn. Well I finally got around to starting the silly monster. I had a silly mental block around the fact I would need to magic loop this toy. While I understood the mechanics I have never really use that technique. I finally put my big kid pants and just started.

I worked both feet and got the project started in the round. It was kinda fiddly and my cord on my interchangeable needles isn’t exactly ideally flexible but I’m making it work and figuring it out.

I did make a not so nice observation. My monster feet are two different sizes. One is noticeably smaller than the other because I must have forgot some rows somewhere. It’s less than three weeks until PB’s birthday party and I have decided I don’t care and all the cool monsters have mis-matched feet. I’m the boss of my knitting!!

Ps. This is living in my Bags by Awesome Grannie project bag and it’s making me soooo happy!

Happy Knitting!!

HO Friday: Gonna Need Sunglasses Socks

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The good news is that audit season is over. The bad new is that my web-ex meetings have increased again. I decided to make my Gonna Need Sunglasses Socks my conference call knitting this week to see what I could accomplish. Turns out I could finish the leg of sock number one!

I very clearly saw that as I was working up the leg that I was closing in on finishing my second repeat of the color sequence. So I made the arbitrary decision to finish the ribbing in the second neon yellow section. Then my sock would be exactly two full color repeats.

I worked a 68 stitch sock and for my leg I add 8 stitches evenly up the leg to account for my volleyball player calves. This is still A LOT of negative ease and I might could so with 10 or 12 stitches and still have a comfortable socks. But when it comes to to this type of knitting stuff I subscribe to the horseshoes and hand grenades method…..close enough.

Now the one thing I’m questioning is the heel. Normally the heel turn decreases land at the bottom of my heel. But I knit the foot just a hair too long while on Easter travels so this time they land at the back of the ball of my foot. It doesn’t bother me so much to fix it. I am sure I will knit the second sock to match and just watch and see how well this heel wears versus my other ones. I mean, this is regia, so it normally wears like iron so this all could be for not. Time will tell!!

Happy Knitting!

Prepping My Mother’s Day Cast On

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For the past couple of years I have joined the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast bandwagon and set aside time for myself to cast on a selfish project for myself on Mothers Day. In the past I have made the Old Man of Storr in 2016,  Nangou in 2017, and Antarktis in 2018.

This year I have always known what yarn I wanted to cast on for my Mothers Day project but I have been waffling on the pattern. I know I want to use my Hedgehog Fibers Merino DK yarn in Ink and Salty Tales. But I have been wishful knitting this yarn and nothing sang to me. But now I know what I want to do!

I’m going to knit the Kindness KAL 2019 shawl pattern by Jaala Spiro of KnitCircus yarns. I have more yarn than I need but I’m just going to either extend the pattern or knit the leftovers into a matching accessory.

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Is it Mothers Day yet?? In the meantime Jellybean and I need to get to caking up my yarns…..Happy Knitting!!

Easter Appropriations

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I have stated before but my mother is a very talented seamstress. And for the last 5-6 years she has been collecting jeans to make scrap projects and bags. For Easter she handmade two bucket style bags for PB and Jellybean. The exteriors are jean leftovers and the inside is quilting cotton. Jellybean got superhero fabric and PB got some really cool pink and grey circles. And of course Grandma filled the buckets with treats.

Unfolded they really turned out pretty tall! And the pocket on the outside is completely function-able. The jean makes a nice bag that stands up on its own. But my heart was really taken by the cute pop of contrast the quilting cotton provides.

Being as that PB is 11 months and pretty much has no use for bags…I kind of appropriated her bucket. My Westport Blanket really needed a project bag. And this size is perfect for the six skeins of yarn this blanket is going to use! It stands up nicely on its own and is great to knit from.

Now I just need to find time and energy to keep this blanket chugging along! Spring has finally sprung here in Kansas and everyone is begging to be outside in this house. We need to enjoy the nice weather before the bugs and heat set in!

Happy Knitting!!