I love when my husband drives!
Happy Saturday and Stay Safe!!
Knitting On The Road
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FO Friday: More Tutus!
Seriously I can’t stop making these tutus….they are like Pringles, you can’t have just one!! At this rate I’m going to run out of friends with little girls and be the crazy lady giving them away on the corner!!!
(This is my fav mostly because I’m in love with this baby and she’s not even 3 months old yet!)
Another awesome one in tan and gold!
How about punk princess in dark pink and black?
This is destined for a wee KState fan!
These are perfect instant gratification projects that keep me sane while I work on my larger Stashbustin’ projects. The pattern author even quipped that I have made more than she has….I may have a problem, lol!
Oh well, the hubs and I are off to the homeland for a friends wedding. Hope to snag some awesome photos to share next week š TGIF!
Summer is Here!!
Spending last weekend in my hometown meant a trip to the family garden! Growing up my Grandparents grew a HUGE garden every year. My Grandparents raised four teenage boys in the 60s and 70s and took up gardening to protect their grocery bill! We had beans, potatoes, corn, onions, asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, gooseberries, tomatoes, peppers, cherries, apples, and more I have probably forgotten. I never knew what frozen or store bought canned goods were until I went to college, lol.
Look at all the green goodness! Thanks to a mild spring and lots of rain the garden is in excellent shape. I couldn’t help snap a few pictures as I wandered the property. It was a beautiful day full of blue skies and sunshine. It was a perfect way to relax and meditate.
My Grandfather has passed and my Grandma is 80, so this garden is largely tended by my father and my uncle. I try to pitch in when I am home because that’s only fair if I share in the bounty. My plans for summer garden goodies are as follows:
- Make and can homemade tomato sauce to store for the year. I use tomato sauce in so many recipes it would be nice to have healthy homemade in stock in my pantry.
- Make and can Jalapeno jam/jelly for Christmas and housewarming gifts
- Make and restock my homemade cherry/berry jam stock. I only have two jars left!!
On my visit I dug some new potatoes for an old family tradition of New Potatoes and Peas. I also snagged some sweet spring onions!
I plan to clean up a couple of these and dice into some stir fry tonight for dinner!
Happy Thursday!!
2013 De-Stashing Update
Instead of showing pictures of my marginal progress on my Ombre Billow Blanket (Stashbustinā #15) or my Spiral Staircase Shawl (Stashbustinā #20), I thought Iād give an update on my de-stashing efforts!
Late in 2012 as we prepared to start house hunting, I started packing up my yarn stash. I realized how easy it was for me to fall prey to the sirenās call of new yarn. My stash had grown CONSIDERABLY since the last time we moved. While my stash is pretty modest in comparison to some others, it bothered me to see all that gorgeous yarn is just sitting idle for the right project! So I vowed to āde-stashā in 2013. Itās now the middle of June and the year is half gone and here are my statsā¦
I have:
- Completed 37 FOs (I donāt count all my FOs in my de-stashing count they were special orders or consignment pieces)
- 4 current WIPs
- Knit approximately 11,455 yards or 6.53 miles
- Eliminated 107 skeins of yarn from my stash
This means Iām knitting a little over a mile a month! Not too shabby considering I have FTJ (full time job), a husband, gym workouts, and theatre volunteer hours. Where I have faltered a little bit is in not adding yarn back to my stash. I have had to order yarn to fulfill custom orders and may or may not have ordered extra ājust in caseā. I have also fallen victim to yarn promotions and a splurge here and there.
I have added:
- 8,892 yards of yarn
- Or 5.05 miles of yarn
- Or 74 additional skeins
Okay, maybe that more than a couple of splurges. But it was all a really good deal I swearā¦.and Iām still in the black by using more than Iām putting back in! The accountant in me is really excited to be in the black. Not to mention that all my yarn spreadsheets are up to date. Iām a GIANT nerd with mild organizational OCD if you havenāt already noticed lol.
Does anyone else organize their knitting on spreadsheets? Or am I crazy?
A Little Organization for My Tuesday
I’m the first to admit….I’m a little OCD when it comes to organization. After too long messiness and clutter make me unhappy and grumpy. Ā The husband calls me a neat freak. I prefer to think of it as overly organized. And my knitting is no exception. I keep all my projects in bags and yarn holders. I even used clear storage bins in my new craft room! I keep my important patterns in a three ring binder…
If I like a pattern and can possible foresee using it again. It gets a spot in my binder. I especially find that my notes and markings from the first (or second) go around are helpful weeks, months, or years down the road. I try to erase the check marks but leave the suggestions and changes. I also like to put the in self sealing pouches to laminate them. That way I can use a dry erase marker for the next time I use it. When I’m done I can wipe it clean.
Joining the binder this week (from left to right) Mud Season, Knit Tutu, Snug, and Shalom Cardigan! I’m such a dork I even have tabs in my binder for clothing, washcloths, baby items, and about four other things. It makes finding all junk all that much easier.
Ahhhh, it feels good to be organized! Happy Tuesday!!!
Stashbustin’ #15 Update: OmbrĆ© Billow Blanket
Stashbustin’ #15 update!!! My Ombre Billow Blanket is definitely coming along….
I’m on my second color change. I have completed Natural and Willow. Now I’m on to Cornmeal. This blanket just keeps growing and growing. I’ve had to add an extension cable to my Denise Interchangeables to accommodate all the stitches. This blanket has been living on my bedside table and has been my bedtime meditation knitting. The pattern is memorized now and just keeps going round and round and round.
This yarn is just SOOOO soft I can’t stop petting it. I can’t wait to see how it finishes up. The ombre is proving not to disappoint. But I admit I’ll be a little sad when it’s done because it’s a dream to work with. I love the thick/thin texture.
Happy Monday and Happy Knitting!!!
A Bed For Chloe
Hello from the boondocks of Kansas! I got to have my morning coffee from the deck of my parents house and watch all five dogs run around my parents yard chasing each other. I hope they wore each other out, lol!
Now on to some knitting news. Remember this Stashbusting #19 blanket? And all the problems I had with it hereĀ and here? And then the solution I talked about here?
Well I got brave and I measured (twice to be sure) and then got out the scissors and snipped it apart in the center. I wanted to rip back a few rows on either side and re-knit a new border on each side. Thus creating two new appropriately sized blankets out of one large wonky one. Well I soon discovered that it was going to be impossible to pick up and re-knit the edges. The yarn was falling apart and I cold not discern the individual stitches in the midst of the chenille. Not to mention that the way I snipped was not the same direction as the way I needed to work. So on to another back up plan!
I grabbed some bulky weight yarn in really close color match and secured the loose stitches I had created with my cutting. I paired the two squares wrong side to wrong side and seamed around the outside with a whip stitch using the matching yarn. And you can see my results below. A double thick blanket/pad thingy.
Chloe claimed it almost immediately. So I took this as a sign as this blanket was always meant for her, lol. Goes well with her coat don’t you think?
And then she proceeded to rub her scent all over it as to say “this is mine and you can’t have it back”!
It now lives in her kennel and she (and I) couldn’t be happier that this project is over. Good riddance I say! Well I need to get my butt in gear and get the dogs walked, shop for groceries, and get ready to cook dinner for my grandma and cousins!
Happy Saturday from the boonies!
FO Friday: Knit Tutu
I was so excited to be a part of Smashlee Stitches test knit of her newest pattern, Knit Tutu!! And now I can finally share the adorableness of this pattern. Seriously, I can’t stop making these!
The pattern is easy and very straightforward. It also has great instructions for those who aren’t used to working with ruffle yarn. The pattern is sized from newborn to 1-2 years. All you need is a little bit of worsted weight yarn, 1-2 balls of ruffle yarn (depending on your size), and a length of ribbon or I-cord for a belt. I can make one of these from start to finish during a single movie or a couple of episodes of my favorite TV show.
I got Baby B to model one more my first tutus!
She especially like the ribbon belt feature. It was yummy!
If you are interested in this pattern you can find it on Etsy or find it on Ravelry. This is great pattern for newborn pics and would make a quick easy baby shower gift!! It will definitely be a staple in my gift knitting!
TGIF!! I hope you all have a great and relaxing Father’s Day weekend. I’m off to visit my hometown and dog sit for my parent’s three pooches. Even though I’m approaching 30…it still creeps me out to be in my parents house alone sometimes. I think I’m going to take Dex and Chloe to protect me, lol.
See you on the other side!!
FO: Shalom Cardigan
Here she is! Stashbustin’ #18 aka Shalom Caridgan finished and thanks to the husband photographed!!
This is an awesome pattern! Just as an aside this is only written for a small/medium size or 32″ bust. My chest is a bit bigger than that so I followed the author’s suggestions and tweaked the pattern for my needs.
- I used a 10 1/2 US or 6.5 mm needle.
- I used a 7 stitch garter border by simply adding two stitches to beginning and end of each row. This added just enough to make the sweater close comfortably across the top my 37 1/2 inch bust.
- I worked a three stitch button opening to accommodate my larger button.
- I worked an extra decrease section (row 83 followed by rows 48 & 49 alternating for 7 rows) at the bottom after row 105
- I knit 7 rows garter bottom border in order to match the length of the collar instead of the 9 rows in the pattern.
I did dork up the garter border a bit. See my 911 post here and my fix here. But all in all I’m very happy. This will look great over a tank (as pictured) or thrown over a long sleeve tee in the fall/winter. Not sure I would re-knit this particular pattern but it’s a great addition to my wardrobe.
WIP Wednesday: Stashbustin’ #20
I’ve been itching to make my first ever shawl. I had no less than 10 in my Ravelry queue…
Florelie by Katheryn C
Ridged Trianglar Shawl by Leslie Weber
Mara by Madelinetosh
Citron by Hillary Smith Callis
ZuZu’s Petals by Carina Spencer
Heartwarmer by Bley Hack
Lace Shawl by Sharon Miller
Cottonista Triangle Shawl by Franziska Collins
Great Divide Shawl by Michele Brown
Spiral Staircase Shawl by LizAnn Petch
And the winner was…….Spiral Staircase Shawl for my Stashbustin’ #20 project. I was attracted the hitchhiker look of the teeth and the simple garter body. I think baby steps were in order on my first shawl, lol. I made it through the first few teeth over the past weekend!
I’m using some leftover Berroco Vintage DK in deep red that I had from my Stockinette Shrug. I’m working on size 5 US metal circular needles. This has made for great TV knitting even if the needles are a bit slippery. I can’t decide if I’m going to stop at 15 teeth as the pattern is written or add a few extra. Just have to try it on when I get there!
What is your favorite shawl pattern?
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 