An Evening of Crafting

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Some days you just have to LET IT GO. My pupper is resolved to destroy the nice dog bed we got him. It’s just happening now. So I grabbed a glass of wine and my spinning to wind down the evening.

Still working on the first half of Frosty Roses singles. I am a little out of the muscle memory sweet spot so these singles are not super consistent. But I’m just happy with the process. I have like two chairs that are comfortable but not easily accessible. So I am experimenting how I can augment other sitting surfaces for ergonomic spinning places. I’ll keep you posted….results are mixed thus far.

Happy Spinning!!

FO Friday: Queen City Advent Granny Stripe

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My Queen City Yarns Granny Stripe blanket is DONE!

Pattern: None really. I chained 245 stitches and followed a basic granny stripe recipe

Yarn: Queen City Yarns NoDa sock and some Amber Waves of Fiber Cashmere sock and some Knitting Fever Teenie Weenie Wool

Hook: G Hook (4MM)

This monster of a project consumed all of the 2,600 yards of yarn in the advent kit and another 200 yards from the skeins I picked to be able to eek out the full blanket. I strategically used the Amber Waves and Knitting Fever yarns to work the Christmas-y stripes in between each day. I doubt now that it’s finished you can tell which stripes are the alts!

The finished size is definitely a throw or lap blanket. I didn’t bother to measure but it fits me nicely in the recliner. The biggest joy? All that yarn is now out of my stash and into something I can enjoy. This won’t be my last crochet blanket but I do think I will go back to knitting and spinning for the next little bit.

Happy Crochet!

New Favorite Spot

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Aside from fiber and yarn…..I am fairly hard to buy for. But this year I had a light bulb idea for Christmas. I REALLY wanted a hammock to spend time in outside.

And my parents came through and found a modular hammock frame that fits on my deck. It’s still pretty cool around here but on a sunny day with a blanket….it’s pretty darn fine! I am working on my 2024 TBR with Radium Girls.

This book is fascination and also hard to read. But I think that is the point. I didn’t know a lot about this part of our history and it’s fascinating. It’s also 400 pages…which is daunting but I am not going to give up!

Happy Reading!!

Zoom Knit Night Spinning

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My life has been all about the crochet lately, but I had a KnitGirllls Zoom this past week and I felt like spinning.

I have four ounces of a Polwarth/silk blend on the wheel from a fiber club. It’s the color of very pretty roses. I’m happy to report that my puppy is no longer interested (knock on wood) in my wheel so it is easier to spin.

It’s also getting warmer so I envision lots more spinning on the patio with the kids. I am still on the first half of the fiber. I am going for a easy two ply that looks barber poled. This fiber is just going to do what it wants to do and I’m going to let it.

Happy Spinning!!

A Good Morning

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I’ve had this skein of KnitCircus Opulance in a prototype colorway that will make super cozy and soft socks thanks to the 10% cashmere content. It’s honestly been wound up into two equal balls for weeks but I didn’t have the gumption to start the socks.

But I had the opportunity to get this started on the perfect morning. Early morning appointment for one of the kiddos, no work and a hot coffee. I unpacked my purse on a clean table and had a glorious 30 minutes to myself.

I am casting on 60 stitches and following the same “recipe” as my Emotional Support Socks. I just don’t plan to make them as tall. Maybe ankle height? I need more of those in my rotation for ankle boot days.

Happy Knitting!!

Near The End With Day 23

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I should have made more progress this weekend but I almost done with Day 23 on this granny stripe crochet blanket. It’s fairly large but I’m still stubbornly considering this a travel project! (probably will need a good wash…)

I thought I was starting to deduce the color scheme of this Queen City Yarn advent calendar. It’s not exactly a fade or a rainbow…..but maybe a cousin of both?

Now…..let’s finish this!!! Happy Crochet!!

Sooooooo Close

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I really busted my butt this week on this granny stripe crochet blanket. I didn’t finish it for the Super Bowl a few weeks ago and so my mojo stalled. But I really want this finished snuggly blanket. So I worked diligently all week to get from Day 15 to Day 22. My hands hurt a wee bit…

This thing has been to 4 hour allergy testing appointments, work lunch meetings and everything in-between. I encountered many compliments along the way on this blanket. Makes a crafters soul grow three sizes…

There are three mini skeins left and then the contrast border. I want to make the finished end look like the beginning. Thank you mild OCD.

Happy Crochet!

Tubes For Jellybean

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Jellybean really hit my heartstrings this winter by asking to wear my handknit socks. Like full commitment….to school and everything. Even to the point I had to pull them off his feet to wash them. Now, he’s a kid so I don’t trust him with just any pair but I found a few that he could keep as his own and he was delighted.

Admittedly, my socks aren’t perfect for him. But his feet are still growing so it’s hard to invest too hard in his current size. I settled on finding some already cranked sock snakes on Etsy. These are 64 stitch tubes in hardwearing sock yarn. They are Jellybean approved colors and I just need to find contrast yarn for heels/toes/cuffs. This way we get to finished socks for him without hours and hours of knitting by me. Win win.

They are really long tubes so I should be able to get a few pair out of each tube. I tried to get Jellybean to tell me if he liked long/tall socks and how he wanted the finished pair to feel. He didn’t 100% understand what I was asking, so I will try again another day, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Gotta Catch Up

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My advent leftover socks got a little lopsided this past week. I got so caught up in the conversation I was having that the one on the right got much farther.

I think the red one is stripe 14 so that sock is halfway and the other is just shy. I still really enjoy this yarn and this knitting project lives in my work bag for meetings and doctor’s appointments.

I am making these over 68 stitches instead of 72 like my December advent socks. My other socks fit but have neutral ease instead of negative ease. I don’t feel time pressure with this project so I just let it ebb and flow.

Happy Knitting!!

Starting Day 15

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Thanks to some time off work and time in medical waiting rooms, I am now ready to start Day 15 on my Queen City Yarn Advent Blanket.

The addition of the Amber Waves cashmere yarn is working respectably. It’s not 100% the same but I have tried a couple of different methods and I think I know what I like now. And this blanket is so busy that it’s not really going to noticeable in the end anyway.

The nurses and doctors were really impressed with my wizardry and I think they checked on me extra just to see the blanket!

Happy Crochet!