Monthly Archives: January 2021

FO Friday: Baby Yoda

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I have a finished Baby Yoda! And the hubby loves it. I am really pleased with the whole project. The eyes could be a little bit bigger but they were all I had without going to the store and my husband didn’t seem to notice/care.

Pattern: Baby Yoda by Kim Konen (Rav link)

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios and Knit Picks Swish Worsted

Needles: US 8s

One of my husband’s online gaming friends already asked if I could knit another one and he would pay me. I replied that “knitting is like sex, if I like you then its free. If not, then you can’t pay me enough”. That got a pretty good hearty internet laugh. But in all honestly I told them that I have enough on my plate and I don’t have the bandwidth to work extra projects at the moment. Felt good to be honest! Life is to short for obligation knitting.

Happy Knitting!!

Two Eyes Short Of A Yoda

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Baby Yoda now has arms and hands! This whole toy is knit flat seamed up which makes it easy to knit and fiddly to assemble. The arms turned out pretty good but I am considering starching the ears to make them more “yoda-like”.

Next up….I need to dig through my odds and bits to figure out two eyes and a nose. Then this can be wrapped up and gifted!

Happy Knitting!!

Now For Yoda’s Sweater

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I managed dig around in my stash and come up with some Baby Yoda sweater yarn. I ended up using some Knit Picks Swish in squirrel heather held double to make a “bulky” yarn. The color isn’t quite as cream as the pattern and its not a true bulky yarn but I think its suitable enough.

I still need to fiddle with placement and get the coat to roll and overlap nicely. Baby Yoda has a really cozy oversized sweater look. I think I will use ends to tack the sweater to the body….just in case PB or Jellybean get any ideas of undressing him.

Next up….I need to work out the arms….

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Baby Yoda

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My husband didn’t have much under the Christmas tree this year as he tends to buy the things he wants when he wants them instead of saving any for gift ideas. So I got a wild hair to make him a little baby Yoda for his gaming desk as a winter surprise.

I am using the free Baby Yoda pattern by Kim Konen. (Rav link) I managed to knock out the body and head in one sitting. My fabric is a little loose and I can see the polyfil inside. I probably should have swatched and then gone down a needle size. But I’m plowing ahead…its a toy and for a grown adult. It’s good enough, lol

I am using Malabrigo Rios green scraps from my Weekender Sweater. I still need to dig in my stash to find suitable Yoda sweater yarn. It’s been tricky to work on this because I want it to be a surprise so I have to work on this after the kids go to bed but before my husband comes to bed.

Happy Knitting!!

Gratuitous Car Line Knitting

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Back to school started last week. Heading into semester #2 of Kindergarten means more car line knitting. I have started the second sock of my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. The first sock is done and tucked in the bag. I will try to grab a photo of that soon. I tried it on and the fit is okay to good. It’s got negative ease, especially in the leg. We will see what blocking does to this yarn.

The toe is always a little fiddly as I cast them on using DPNs. And then when I get to the foot section I switch to a nine inch circular to go round and round and round. I have been getting so much car knitting in lately I feel like Honda should sponsor my time, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Pardon Me, Sir Hat

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I couldn’t leave this project alone. I think I knit this over three nights? But I’m just getting around to taking good photos of it. I present to you my My Pardon Me, Sir Hat!

Pattern: A “vanilla” knit beanie knit with 90 stitches (Rav link)

Yarn: KnitCircus Ringmaster in the Pardon Me, Sir colorwa

Needles: US8s

I couldn’t bear not to use every inch of this beautiful gradient. Thus I ended up with a super long and super slouch hat. But I don’t mind because the brim folds up nicely.

The 90 stitches make a nice loose hat on me and a decently firm hat on my husband’s larger head. But the fabric is a nice medium density that keeps out the wind. I am definitely keeping this one for me and it pairs beautifully with my navy blue coat.

Feels really good to have my first FO of 2021. And even better that this gorgeous yarn didn’t languish in my stash very long either. Win win!

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For A Sandy Cuff

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I powered through some knitting this week and finished the heel turn, the leg and calf increases for my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. Added a little gratuitous Christmas decoration that I haven’t had the energy to take down yet.

I flew by the seat of my pants on this one. I just knit up the leg and eyeballed installing the calf increases. I added four or six extra stitches over top half the leg. Maybe not the most scientific and will undoubtedly be super hard to recreate on the second sock. But that is future Rachelle’s problem

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks

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Welcome to my happy place…..self striping yarn! My Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks well into production of sock number two.

As with sock number one, I plan to knit sock number two all the way to the cuff as a tube. I’ll install both afterthought heels at the very end. I may regret this choice when I’m on “heel island”, lol.

I am little excited to get these into my sock drawer. I feel that between the patterning and knit fabric feel will mean this will be some favorite go-to socks. I have a full sock drawer now so it’s nice to be able to have lots of choices so I don’t put too much wear on any one pair of socks.

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For The Heel

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I blinked over the weekend and realized I had knit 6 rows past where the heel on my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. I slipped a progress keeper in where I need to tink back to.

I am really enjoying this yarn and project. The cashmere content in the yarn just feels so decadent. And I never seem to tire of vanilla knitting in the round. Up next is to count my stitches and start working the heel turn.

For my toe up socks I used the Wendy Knits pattern for toe up gusset heel socks. Her instructions are clear and happen to match the stitch count I use for my feet. Works every time and the fit is good.

Happy Knitting!!

2020….How Did I Do?

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Being an accountant I like spreadsheets and tracking things. And that includes my knitting! I use Ravelry to store my projects and tag them with identifiers but at the end of the day I still keep my Yarn In versus Yarn out spreadsheet in Excel. I have the best of intentions/goal each year to knit down more yarn than I bring in. How did I do in 2020?

  1. I completed 27 projects this year:
    1. five pairs of socks
    2. six blankets
    3. eight accessories
    4. four toys
    5. four sweaters
  2. I brought in:
    1. 92.2 skeins of yarn
    2. 4,269 grams of yarn
    3. 17,871.60 yards of yarn (16,374.50 meters of yarn)
  3. I knit or crocheted up:
    1. 69.18 skeins of yarn
    2. 15,592.50 yards of yarn (14,320.14 meters of yarn)

This means I did not end hitting my goal. I got really close? I ended up with a net in of roughly 2,300 yarns or 2,050 meters of yarn in to my stash. But all in all I created a lot of beautiful items in an otherwise crazy year. And some of that stash “out” was some super old yarn that needed using up.

I am pretty happy with the yarn I chose to bring in this year. I found myself buying more sweater quantities as I am currently drawn to garment knitting more and more. Probably the a contributing factor to the more in than out as well, lol.

Now….let’s see what I can do in 2021! Happy Knitting!!