FO Friday: A Pair of Lacy Caps

Posted on May 24, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Last winter I gifted by my first Lacy Cap to a co-worker. The hat didn’t suit my head shape or my style but I couldn’t frog it. I found it a good home instead! And a couple of weeks ago the co-worker emailed me about getting a couple more hats. She lives with her sister who was constantly borrowing the hat. So for her sister’s birthday I whipped up a couple more hats over vacation, introducing:

Chloe’s Lacy Cap #1 in Berroco Comfort Dk in Menthe

And Chloe’s Lacy Cap #2 in Berroco Comfort DK in Primary Blue

I must say I was a little miffed with this project. I used the exact same pattern, with the exact same needles, and the exact same yarn in two different colorways. And the mint green hat turned out slightly bigger and more slouchy than the darker blue one. I hemmed and hawed over redoing the green one to make it more like the blue one. But in the end I decided that variety is the spice of life and I really didn’t want to re-do the hat. It could be that even though the yarn is the same weight that the batches were off. Or maybe I watching a tense TV show when making the blue one. Who knows? I highly doubt anyone but myself is going to notice the difference, lol

So these hats are gift wrapped and ready for delivery to their new owner. And I’m ready for weekend of relaxed knitting in front of the TV watching the Women’s Softball College World Series. It’s pretty much the only sport that the hubs and I will watch together. I hope everyone out there has a great weekend planned!

Happy Knitting!

Conceding the Battle, But Not The War

Posted on May 23, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #15 is kicking my rear end. I can’t tell you how many times I have started and then frogged!

It’s a very straight forward pattern worked from the center out. But I dislike using dpns, so I opted to try magic loop at first. Oh my golly was it hard to keep track of where you were! Two attempts at this and I went fishing for my dpns…and after some trial and error on picking up dpns after a long time I got this:

Pretty right? Only to realize that I was reading the pattern wrong! Grumble grumble grumble curse grumble grumble….

So I’m off to frog this again and start over. I will not let this blanket beat me!!

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!!!

WIP Wednesday: Snug

Posted on May 22, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #16 is almost complete!

I bound off the last edge last night as I was catching up on my DVR. I had to pull in a lamp this dark yarn really started to play with my eyes as I was trying to pick up and finish the crochet edge, lol. However, I love love love using the leftovers of my Berroco Vintage Chunky from my Mud Season. I haven’t found a yarn that Berroco makes that I haven’t liked yet. And it didn’t hurt that this project was chunky yarn on my big needles, lol.

I didn’t exactly follow the directions to a tee….not that they weren’t very well written! Hinke did a great job of spelling things out and including lots of links to tutorials. I just kinda took her directions as suggestions, lol. I used a knitted on cast on instead of the crochet on waste yarn. I also cast off in pattern instead of a sewn method. I also accounted for three buttons instead of two. And finally I crocheted all the way from the left bottom corner, around the hood, and down to the right bottom corner.

I still need to find the right buttons for this project. But I’m not in a rush. I think this little sweater is going to stay with me. It’s the partner to my Mud Season and hopefully I can bundle up a little one in this when the hubs and I decide to have kids. And then mommy and baby can match. That means the buttons have to be special. Next up for this sweater is a good bath and blocking!!

Happy Knitting!!!

A Special Package

Posted on May 20, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #6 or my Zig Zag Blanket is on it’s way to it’s new home!!

Some friends from college are less than 30 days to baby. I got a bit discombobulated with the new house and my last show so I didn’t get this in the mail as soon as I wanted. But I’m sneaking in under the wire. This blanket’s new owner is a fellow crafter and works mainly with crochet. So I know she will truly appreciate all the hard work that went into this blanket! I can’t wait to see what she thinks of it, and I can’t wait to meet their baby girl when she gets here!!

And I meanwhile am headed back to the big kid job this morning. I had a great week off and got almost all of my to-do list done. I need to grab a strong cup of Joe and hit the road or I am going to be late. It’s going to be a long day adjusting back to the daily grind…

Happy Monday!

Vacation Update #2

Posted on May 18, 2013 by atangledyarn84

It’s Saturday morning and I have two days left….sigh. Sad to see it go so fast. But at least I made good progress on my list!

1. ~~Visit my best friend who also just bought a new house and is expecting her first baby later this year~~. Had an amazing day with my bestie and her house is GORGEOUS. P.S. she loved the blanket.

2. ~~Visit my college friends who had a baby 2 months ago and whom I have not yet visited (I’m a terrible friend)~~ Baby S was adorable and I got to feed him his nighttime bottle 🙂

3. Start Stashbustin #15 and work at least two color stripes. This project is started but barely. I want to enjoy this one so I’m taking my time.

4. Finish my Snug baby sweater (Stashbustin’ #16). I have about 12 inches of work done but I got a couple of commission peices this week that had to take priority.

5. ~~Finish my Mud Season #2 sweater (Stashbustin’ #17)~~ Done and posted here!

6. ~~Walk 2 miles a day with the puppies~~. We walked a little over a mile every other day. I’m calling this one a win.

7. ~~Get back to my regular Mon/Wed/Sat classes at the Gym….I really miss my fitness ladies.~~ I managed Monday, Wednesday, AND Saturday, woot!

8. ~~Start the set up of my craft room….my very own craft room!!!~~ Done see blog post here!

I’m a bit OCD and like lists. They keep me focused and organized. Not to mention help me get a TON done. Do you prefer lists or to fly by the seat of your pants?

FO Friday: My New Craft Space!!!

Posted on May 17, 2013 by atangledyarn84

One big item is crossed off my vacation t0-do list, setting up my craft room! I spent most of Wednesday getting everything unpacked and situated. I’ll apologize for the photos. I took them with my DSLR but there is no natural light in this particular room and Photoshop can only do so much.

Here are the before shots:

About half of those boxes are my craft supplies and the other half is just boxes that got dumped in the room as we set up the rest of the house. I’m happy to say that most of the house is now set. We are still waiting on a new bed to be delivered and my parents to bring the upstairs living furniture that we are “inheriting”.

But I digress….now the after photos. And I’m really proud of how it turned out!!!

First up is my yarn stash, all my reading books, and finished scrapbooks. I picked up some clear storage bins at Big Lots and thanks to my all 2013 destashing efforts all my yarn fits in the bins on the right. I can see what I have now and no more under the bed storage. I prefer to organize my yarn by fiber type rather than weight/category.

This is my fabric storage, sewing machine, craft books, and other craft bits. I hope to find a chair so this will become my regular blogging spot. I mostly likely will sew upstairs on my dining room table but will store everything down here.

Behind the door is where I put my old notebooks and my WIP scrapbooks and other assorted bits. I don’t want to store too much here as the furnace is on the other side of the peg board and puts out occasional dust.

And finally our second guest bed and my new “couch” in the craft room. We are getting a new master bed and moving our old master bed to the guest room. So this bed had to go somewhere. It will be a nice place to stretch out and knit and when we have extra company we can pull it out for guests.

I can’ t wait to get to crafting in my new space!! TGIF!!!

Mud Season #2

Posted on May 16, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Sometimes you just find a pattern that speaks to you, is fun to knit, and flatters your figure. In my recent knitting, this has been Mud Season. I had the yarn in my stash so I started a second one this week as a vacation project and Stashbustin’ #17. My friends think I’m crazy for knitting sweaters in summer when the temps are hitting the 80s and 90s. But I like to knit what speaks to me no matter the season, lol.

I’ve got my second Mud Season off the needles, washed, blocked, and photographed!

Being wiser and smarter the second time around, I made a few deviations from the pattern instructions:

– I used a crochet cast on method in the beginning and when I cast on the additional stitches before joining in the round. In my first attempt I used a knitted cast on method. With the dark yarn it was hard on my first sweater to find the stitches when I went to pick up and knit the neckline and therefore the neckline was tighter. The crochet cast on was a neater line and made picking up stitches much easier. You can also see that the neck is more open than on my first Mud Season.

– I paused knitting the body just after I divided for the arms and had knit about 10 rows down. I wanted to maximize the yarn at the bottom of the sweater without having to worry about running out and not being able to make the neckline or the sleeves. It actually worked pretty well and I liked not having to go back do those at the end.

– I have a long torso and wide hips. I’m of Scandinavian decent and these are the gifts of my ancestors. My first Mud Season was a bit short for me and tight across my hips. I wanted to change up the increases at the bottom of the sweater to make it more flattering. When I got to the increases I worked the following:

Increase round
Knit 5 rounds
Increase round
Knit 5 rounds
Increase round
Knit 6 stockinette rounds
Increase round
Knit 6 stockinette rounds
Increase round
Knit 6 stockinette rounds
Increase round
Knit 6 stockinette rounds
Increase round
Knit 1 stockinette round
Work ribbon as instructed in pattern.

I love this pattern and will probably stay in my rotation as a “go-to” sweater and gift knitting. It’s just the right mix of fun and easy that I can watch TV or a movie or even carry on a conversation. Not to mention it’s a very quick knit!

Happy Knitting!!!

Odds n Ends

Posted on May 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

While organizing my craft room yesterday I came across A LOT of yarn odds and ends. And a thought popped into my brain. Something neat I had seen on Pinterest and in other blogs. Why not snip the bits and peices and put in a cage outside for nesting birdies?

I grabbed a grilling/hamburger cage from the discount store…

And my bag of leftovers…

Fill cage with yarn and close!

I hung the contraption outside in our apple tree and viola!

Now I just have to wait and see if the little birdies take the bait…stay tuned…

Picture Day!!!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Some of my most recent FOs got a good bath this past weekend and the husband helped me take some photos of them in the beautiful May sunshine.

First up, my Stylish Square Blanket or Stashbustin’ #13

This blanket was delivered to it’s new home yesterday. This golden treasure now belongs to my bestie from high school and her baby due later this year. I went to see her new home and couldn’t go empty handed. And what better to take to a new mom-to-be than a snuggly baby blanket?! She loved it of course and I can’t wait to meet my newest neice or nephew!

Next up my chocolate Mud Season or Stashbustin’ #14

I gave this sweater a spin on Monday as I ran errands. I threw a tank on underneath and it was perfect as the temp only made it to the mid 70s. I got a few compliments on it and I can’t wait to wear it again. But as the temps are getting into the 80s and 90s….I may have to wait until fall.

Happy Wednesday to all! I’m off to continue my battle of organizing my craft room. Wish me luck, lol

Vacation Update

Posted on May 14, 2013 by atangledyarn84

On I’m on day four of vacation and thought I’d share an update of my “to-do” list:

1. Visit my best friend who also just bought a new house and is expecting her first baby later this year. Headed to see them tonight!

2. Visit my college friends who had a baby 2 months ago and whom I have not yet visited (I’m a terrible friend) Headed to spend today with her as soon as I get done blogging!! I’m super pumped but I have an hour and half drive in front of me….

3. Start Stashbustin #15 and work at least two color stripes. Not started yet.

4. Finish my Snug baby sweater (Stashbustin’ #16). Project is cast on but I only have 2 inches of completed work.

5. ~~Finish my Mud Season #2 sweater (Stashbustin’ #17)~~ Project is already off the needles, washed, and blocking as we speak!! So excited. This Mud Season turned out way better than the first. I should have photos by the end of the week 🙂

6. Walk 2 miles a day with the puppies. I figured out pretty quickly that the pups are not ready for 2 miles a day. So far now we are alternating walking 1 to 1/2 miles on even days and going to the local park for free play on the odd days. I’ll whip the pups into shape in no time! I have an app on my iPhone that is really helping me keep track of my workouts.

7. ~~Get back to my regular Mon/Wed/Sat classes at the Gym….I really miss my fitness ladies.~~ I did half a class on Saturday and the whole class on Monday. Don’t quite have my stamina back but it feels nice to be working out again.

8. Start the set up of my craft room….my very own craft room!!! (I don’t have all the necessary storage devices as we are bit tight in our budget and can’t afford them yet. But I need to do some cleaning and sorting before I get to putting away anyway) This is a big project and I’m still formulating a plan. To show you what I’m dealing with…I’ll show you photos of the “before”. Not all the boxes pictured are craft stuff. This room kinda became the dumping ground as we setup the rest of the house.

I have my work cut out for me. But that’s a project for Wednesday or Thursday. I’m off to spend the day with my best friend from high school.

Happy Tuesday.

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

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