Progress Update

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Plugging along on Stashbustin’ #6!

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My Zig Zag Blanket is coming along nicely. The baby for this one isn’t due until June so I’m on a good pace. I’d say I am about half done? I’ve used two skeins and have 2-3 more to go. I’ve had a lot of time to work on this blanket for a very sad reason.

My grandmother passed last week and the hubs and I hopped into the car and spent the weekend with the family at the funeral. Grandma had been very sick for a very long time. She was 90 years old and had battled five different types of cancer. She was an amazing special lady and I’m glad she is pain free and at peace.

She was a crafter herself! I can remember working on everything from blankets to paper projects. We would bake, play dress up, and spend a lot of time in the sand box outside. She will be greatly missed but not forgotten!

On to happier news! I have a couple new WIPs to show this week, progress on my second chevron blanket, and hopefully a finished test balaclava!

Happy Knitting!

Stashbustin’ #8

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Last week one of my favorite coworkers came to me and asked if I could make a balaclava like hat/mask. He is our maintenance guy and spends a LOT of time outside. He has one that has seen better days and cant find what he wants in stores. So I said sure! He truly appreciates the amount of time and effort that god into a hand knit item. And who doesn’t like knitting for those kind of people!?!

So I did some pattern research on Ravelry. His current hat has seen better days but is a pretty basic tube neck with stocking style hat with a ribbed brim and small visor above the eye opening. I finally settled on Trav’s Balaclava by Jackie Kelley. This had the basic building blocks that I needed. I figure I can alter the pattern to what I need. I had one skein of Bernat Denimstyle in my stash that had no particular project in mind. It’s the right weight but not enough yardage. So I just chose to not knit the neck section as long as called for to make sure I didn’t run out of yarn before the end.

I really just wanted to test knit this project and have a working prototype to show my coworker. I want his input before I knit the final product. So far so good!

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I’ve completed the (shortened) neck, face hole, and started on the hat section. I need to find a good piece of stiff plastic to use to fill/shape the brim I have in mind. I hope to complete this week and report back to you with his input! My Rav page/link is here.

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Holy Cowl!

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To justify my falling off the yarn wagon this week, I decided to whip a quick FO using the new yarn! I chose on Holy Cowl! by Hilary Hunt!

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I used some of my Natures Choice Organic Cotton in chocolate. The yarn is held double so you need two skeins. I moved down to size 11 needles and CO 74 sts instead of 62 to account for sizing with smaller needles. Rav notes here.

I tried using the 13s the pattern recommended, I just had trouble with the k3tog. I probably should have loosened my tension and stuck with 13s, but I’m the master of my own knitting and I can do what I like!

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The pattern makes a nice open lace like design. I royally got off pattern in the middle somehow and didn’t notice until I was almost done. Again I am the master of my own knitting and decided that I had not in fact made a mistake….just improvised a new design detail! The yarn is so dark you really can’t tell without REALLY looking hard anyway.

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Big needles and bulky yarn made this fly by! The cotton is deliciously soft and definitely my favorite. I have some berry/red in my stash that is definitely going to knit up into one of these for my dear friend in Portland who is having a rough go and needs a little hand knit cheer!

Happy Knitting!

Falling Off The Wagon

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I had a moment of weakness….a fairly large one. Despite having quite the large stash at home and my 2013 destashing objective…..I bought yarn, quite a lot of it…

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I was at Micheals in Sunday for their big sale (first mistake) and I found the Lion Brand Organic Cotton on CLEARANCE! With my coupons it was just $5 a skein when it retails for $9 most places. I gave in (second mistake) and bought what they had left.

I really really like this cotton! It’s soft and strong and oh so luscious!! I added 21 skeins to my stash. But I’m going to go with The Yarn Harlot’s point of view on this one and say a sale is too good to pass up. I got great cotton at a great price, win win! I’ll just have to knit that much harder through my stash.

No sense in crying over spilt milk so onward I knit! Have you ever gone overboard on yarn?

A Whole Lot of Scarves

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I spent the major part of the weekend photographing and updating my Etsy shop. My shop ebbs and flows with my life. I hadn’t really listed a lot lately as I have been Christmas and gift knitting for the past couple of months. As part of my 2013 destashing project I dug through my FO stash for things to list to earn a little cash. I found a treasure trove of ruffle scarves from my fall craft fairs. Here are a few of the images I captured.

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Above are just a few of what I had in stock. I listed every single last one of them on my Etsy shop! As a sign of appreciation to my blog followers I am offering a special coupon in my shop. Use the code “sparkle1” for 15% off any order in my Etsy shop until Feb 15th! Tell your friends and spread the word, I need to destash!

Who doesn’t need a scarf to add a little sparkle to their lives (and support a knitter who needs to feed her yarn habit)!?

Happy Knitting!

Conductive Thread: An Experiment

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I had a coworker ask me for some gloves she could use with her phone. She spends a great deal of time outside and is addicted to Words With Friends. I had been wanting to try the conductive thread I saw featured in Knit Picks a few issues ago, so in my last yarn order from Knit Picks I added 10 yards of conductive thread. I also picked up some knit gloves from Joann’s dollar bins.

After some trial and error I managed to find a way to sew/weave in the conductive thread in between the ribbed stitch texture of the glove fingers. I was easy to sew the left hand but as I’m right handed the right glove was tricky. I only did the forefinger and the thumb.

My thoughts on the finished project….very mixed. The thread worked great. The problem lies in getting enough yarn sewn in and on the surface where it can come into contact with the screen. This may be more of a statement on my sewing ability than feasibility of the project. Technically the gloves worked, you just had to press fairly had and get a lot of the conductive thread in contact with the screen. I think this thread would be better served to actually knit into a pair of gloves rather than sewn.

Next time I think I will try the pre-made conductive disks….maybe. My coworker was happy enough to test them out for me. But she found the same concerns as I did. Not a project win, but a fairly good attempt/start!

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Has anyone had any experiments with this thread?

Progress Update

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No FOs yet, so I thought I’d share some progress on my current WIPs.

First up, Stashbusting project #2!

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I’ve only managed to complete the border edge and three pattern repeats on my Waffle Blanket. I like this project but it’s not really holding my attention. Don’t get me wrong it’s a cool project, it’s just that I like my other projects better right now. I’m not a monogamous knitter so it doesn’t really bother me. I pick it up every now and then otherwise it’s safe and sound in a project bag.

Next up, Stashbastin’ #6!

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I LOVE THIS PROJECT! It’s just so pretty and the cotton is so soft and yummy to feel under my fingers. I just started my third stripe on my Zig Zag Blanket. I plan on alternating the cream and brown back and forth until the end. I altered the pattern to make it a bit longer than the original design. I like my baby blankets to big enough to wrap around a kid and not just lay over them. The second row is a purl row and slows me down a bit, I really don’t mind purling but I’m slow at it. But the first row is so fast and easy. I have already committed it to memory. This project is my go-to couch knitting while the husband and I watch TV and movies.

Finally, Stashbustin’ #7!

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I’m on my third stripe of my second Chevron Blanket. I decided to add grey into the color mix. I altered the pattern and added extra stitches (original by the Purl Bee) to be a bit wider. I liked the original, I just wanted it to be wider and more of lap blanket. However, in doing this it’s throwing the yarn yardage off more than I thought and attempted to calculate. After the first two stripes it was clear I was not going to have enough blue and gold to finish. I had enough gray in my stash to augment is blanket and get to the necessary length with the added width. And I think the grey is going to add a lot of color interest!

This blanket is all garter stitch with easy increases and decreases so it’s crazy fast with the bulky yarn. This project lives on my nightstand next to my bed. I work a few rows every night before I go to sleep. It’s a great way to unwind after a long day.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Stay tuned for more knitting progress and new projects this week!

Happy Kniting 🙂

 

Stashbustin’ #7

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MORE WITH THE DESTASHING!

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I have a few skeins of royal blue and yellow Loops and Thread Charisma. These happen to be my high school colors and they have been burning a hole in my stash. I really liked the pattern of the Chevron Baby Blanket by the Purl Bee, just not the colors I chose the first go around or finished size. Time for another swing!

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This project has no specific person or event in mind. Just wanted to turn this soft yarn into a comfy blanket. I cast on 156 stitches to extend the pattern. These colors have soothing psychological effect on me after growing up surrounded by them (my dad has coached in the school district for 30+ years and our house is full of blue and gold!) Makes for peaceful knitting…

Follow my Ravelry progress here.

Happy Knitting!

Stashbustin’ #6

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Since the completion of my Chevron Baby Blanket I started a new blanket. My friends Ernest and Catherine are due in June and I want something special for them. They don’t know what they are having yet, but will find out in a few weeks. I couldn’t wait to start so I picked unisex colors.

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I selected the Zig Zag Baby Blanket by knitculture.com. I had some skeins of Bernat Cottontots Solids in Sweet Cream and Chocolate. I cast on a few more stitches than the pattern called just to make sure I got a respectable sized blanket.

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Two pattern repeat that creates a zig zag pattern. I can’t wait to see how this one turns out. Follow my Ravelry progress here.

Happy Knitting!

Eating Better (or at least trying to)

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Between my full time job and the husband working full time AND going back to school, we aren’t home much at night. But our waistlines shouldn’t suffer. So I have a plan!

Cook ahead Sundays! I spend a few hours in the kitchen on Sunday and fill the fridge for the week. This week we have Baked Beef N Macaroni and Spicy Salsa Chicken.

First the beef! I browned 2 lbs of lean ground beef with one large white onion. Drained and put in large bowl. Cook 1/2 of large box of macaroni noodles to al dente and drain. Add to beef. I then mixed in an extra large container of spaghetti sauce and 1 cup mozzerella. Stir to combine and pour into 9×13 pan. I then topped with 2 more cups of shredded mozzerella. Threw in the oven at 350 to bake for 15 minutes (or until cheese is baked and the whole thing bubbles)!

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Now the Spicy Salsa Chicken! I steamed 1 1/2 cups white rice with 3 cups water. After the rice was done and tender I transferred to a large mixing bowl. I added one can of green beans, one can of sliced carrots, large can of chicken breast pieces, and finally 2-3 cups of homemade salsa. Stir to combine and pour into 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted)!

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This way we have home cooked meals to pack into our lunches AND ready to heat meals when we finally get home. Nice big pans of yumminess that keep us out of the drive thru lanes. Our favorite this week was definitely the salsa chicken! (I mixed in a little sliced fresh avocado to mine and it was to die for!)

It’s takes some time and I dirty a lot of dishes, but it’s totally worth it. Here’s hoping to win the battle of the bulge!