Life is crazy, no doubt about it. But I have a ton of vlogs to watch, I have yarn in my lap and I’m surrounded by Christmas. Not a bad way wind down at the end of the day.
Remember to be kind to yourself too! Happy Knitting!!
My Bits and Bobs Blanket is now over half way done. My current “go to” evening is crochet on this blanket by the Christmas lights while I watch all the YouTube knitting vlogs. I have to make sure I stay caught up on The Corner of Craft, Chelsea Yarns and Stranded blogs. They are a sweet treat to cap off long days.
This blanket is working up nicely and I actually like how the colors look together. I am now at the point I need to work back through the color sequence: black, red, grey and then border the whole thing in tan. I want to get this done and washed so that I can mail it to my GG. She has already decided that she is not attending any Christmas gatherings so I want her to have a special treat under her tree.
Happy Crafting!!
My Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks are growing steadily. This has been my “lap” project during video meetings. Work is getting steadily more complicated as we race to year end and these socks have kept me sane during many a meeting.
I am past where I would put in the heel but I still have some leg to knit. I think I am going to add some increases and knit these with a pretty tall leg. I just can’t quit these speckled stripes. They are just too fun to watch develop!
Happy Knitting!!
Next up on my blanket train is a blanket lot of bulky acrylic in vaguely Christmas-ish colors.
The black skein is a partial skein so I think I will split it equally in half and put between the red and purple. But I’m feeling good about this lineup. I think this is just enough yarn to make a nice car sized lap blanket for my grandmother.
I do have white on one side and grey on the other but I think it will make it quirky blanket. I plan on using my trusty 10mm or US N hook and just working my self taught kind of weird half double crochet. It goes quickly and really busts through my stash! I seem to have all the blanket mojo right now, lol.
Happy Crafting!!
I have a finished DK Ripple Bralet that is both beautiful AND fits me this time.
Pattern: Ripple Bralet DK by Jessie Maed Designs (Ravelry Link)
Needles: US 2s and US 6s
Yarn: Chromatic Yarns Sturdy DK in Eldritch Blast
Mods: I made the straps shorter than I measured my body/shoulders
All in all I’m really pleased with this project. It fits well and the yarn feels soft and warm against my sensitive bits. The straps are perfect and don’t slip off my shoulders. The shorter length was definitely a good idea.
I am not sure I would knit a whole drawer of these but I’m happy to have this piece in my wardrobe for those extra chilly days or evenings. I could see this as a warm under layer under a slouchy t-shirt or dress.
Happy Knitting!!
I have crocheted my way through all the ancient Knit Picks Biggo yarn I have in my stash while working on my Peace Blanket. I had cast on 90 stitches which might have been too many. I have a very long and skinny blanket now.
I am really enjoying the colors and working on this blanket. But now I am stalled because this piece isn’t really servicable as is. So I may (ooops) have made a Cyber Monday Knit picks order to get another couple of skeins to add to either side of each blue to expand the blanket.
But for now this project goes into hibernation until my Knit Picks box can meander its way from the east coast to my door. I think I may need to cast on another blanket to keep me tided over until my yarn arrives….
Happy Crocheting!
I jumped on the advent calendar this year again. This time I tried AGirlAndHerWool that I found on Etsy. I opted for 24 ten gram mini skeins and full skein for day 25.
I don’t always remember to open every day between the chaos of school, working remote and trying to do “holiday related” fun things for my kiddos. But below is an example of the first five days that I have opened.
I am really digging the colors and tones of this calendar. They aren’t a fade or a rainbow but rather colors that all kind of coordinate and blend. I don’t have a plan for these for a specific project. Beings as they are 10 gram minis, they might just go eventually into my sock yarn memory blanket as they are perfect size.
But for right now they are doing the perfect job of bolstering my flagging Christmas spirit. What are you doing to pick yourself up in this strange holiday season?
About a day after American Thanksgiving I found myself staring at the fridge full of leftovers. And for whatever reason I felt a surge of creativity. Maybe it was the small gathering and zoom meeting hangover? So I pulled all the bits and bobs of Thanksgiving and started creating.
I decided on a “pot pie” like construction. I used the extra crust leftover from the 2-pack I got for pumpkin pie. I filled the pie pan and then in a separate bowl I mixed green bean casserole, a dollop of mashed potatoes, a little bit of turkey gravy and a healthy dose of diced smoked turkey.
I baked that for about 20 minutes and then pulled it out of the oven to crumble the last little bit of stuffing we had and cooked for another 15 or 20 minutes. It came out gorgeous looking!
Oh my lawwwwdddd….. and it was delicious too. It was creamy and hearty and tasted like the parts of your thanksgiving plate where your different foods touch. I threw in some leftover hot rolls with jelly and had the best dinner ever. And best yet? I literally finished off three whole containers of leftovers instead of letting them sit and get thrown out!
I am considering keeping more pie crusts on hand throughout the year. I feel like there is a whole world of untapped potential for leftovers cooked in this manner. I could do quiche with leftover roasted veg or even spicy taco pot pie with bean, meat and cheese. As long as my family indulges me…this might be staple “recipe” for us!
Happy Cooking!!
I am SOOO close to finishing this long languishing “sweater”. My DK Ripple Bralet is down to the one last strap.
Based on a lot of pattern notes and comments from others who have knit this bralet I have purposely knit the straps shorter than I would think they needed to be. The first strap is 12 inches where the measurement on my body is 14 inches.
I have the second strap on the needles and the first strap is on holders waiting for me graft it to the body. I really really hope to get this sweater finished this week. I have this urge to clear the needles before my Christmas Eve cast on!
Happy Knitting!!
My second Hurricane Hat is complete and I’m not sure who is more excited….myself or Jellybean. He immediately grabbed his Hurricane Hat and put it on so we could match. Still isn’t cold enough long enough for us to wear them so the fashion session didn’t last long. Oh well, lol.
Pattern: Hurricane Hat by Andrea Guldin (Ravelry link)
Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK (held double) in the Teal colorway
Needles: US 7s
Mods: I added 8 stitches to hat total and just fudged the number of stitches between each swirl and kind of made the crown decreases fit.
This hat ended up with a nice relaxed fit around the crown and a good slouch in the back. I did give this a good bath in my Tuft woolens bar so I could add some lanolin to this hat. The West Yorkshire Spinner Aire Valle DK is pretty “rustic” feeling. It did soften up with washing but still has some toothiness to it. But for SURE it will be a nice warm wooly hat for winter. I think this will go in our hat bin that sits by the front door ready for grab and go needs.
Happy Knitting!!
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
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