Near The End With Day 23

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

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!

Gotta Catch Up

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!!

Halfway (Ish)

My blanket mojo is making it hard to work on other projects but my Mom really wants this shawl so I am making sure it gets some love as well.

This is In The Light and I have made it three times before so I am very comfortable with this pattern. Normally this would call for fading but I skipped this to use the yarn my Mom bought. I may be playing yarn chicken…so I am keeping track of my balls of yarn and where I am in the pattern. The edging starts at like 180 stiches and I am at 90 something.

I probably won’t be able to knit the full pattern but I should be able to knit to a stitch count that fits the multiple needed and still add the edging. This will just mean it will be a tid bit smaller, which won’t affect its warmth at all. I just need to keep knitting!!

Happy Knitting!!

Moody Blues

Progress is slow on these socks for the second go around of this yarn. But I have reached the moody/blue section of the fade.

I got a little irked as I found a dropped stich on one these back in the greens. I had knit SO FAR past it that I could not possibly ladder it back up. I slipped a stich marker on it and during a lunch hour I dropped down the row next to it to fix it. I combined that dropped stitch with a good stitch and then laddered back up. And on the next round I just increased one where I lost that stitch.

One stitch won’t affect the overall fit. Just a little mad that I didn’t notice. I will give myself grace that these live loose-ish in my purse and take a lot of abuse. They are faring well considering all that!

Happy Knitting!!

Dusting Off The Wheel

Finally getting back to my spinning wheel after months long hiatus. My last spin was some Spotted Circus and so I am going back to some of the 4 ounce fiber I had from a club.

This is some WoolFiend fiber in a 85/15 Polwarth and Silk blend. It’s name is called Lovin’ Feeling but I am calling it Frosty Roses as it looks like lovely red roses and it’s currently colder than a witches elbow.

    I split my braid in half and I am spinning half on on bobbin and I’ll take the second half and flip the other way and spin. Then take both halves and ply for a lovely barber pole. Again, I’m not a trained spinner. I just do what my fingers and body know how to do and I take the yarn as it comes.

    I was a little rusty at first, but the muscle memory came back quickly. I just need my blanket fever to subside so I have time for all my crafts!

    Happy Spinning!!

    That’s More Shawl Like

    After some dedicated knitting time, my shawl has progressed past thong phase and into baby shawl phase.

    As with my other In The Lights, I find myself splitting the strands or not getting both picked up. I mostly catch and fix these as I work the next row. But there are quite a few oopsies in this fabric. I am just thinking of them as character.

    This was my gung ho project until I started my granny stripe blanket and I want to work on nothing else but that blanket. So I made an internal deal to work at least four rows on this a day before I can pick up my blanket. We will see how long that lasts. I’m just glad my mojo is back!

    Happy Knitting

    A Crochet Cast On

    I have been sitting on a 2021 advent calendar from Queen City Yarn circa 2021. I tried and failed to make a shawl with it. It has been sitting in a closet ever since. I have been full of new year energy, new project ideas and an idea of granny stripes WILL NOT GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

    I have never made a granny square or granny stitch before. But I sat down in front of a warm fire and turned on YouTube and taught myself. I went down the Ravelry rabbit hole and found the Sock Scraps Granny Stripe Blanket from Leila McCullough (Rav link) to use as a pattern base.

    I mostly used the pattern for gauge and stitch count. I am not 100% following it’s granny stitch instructions as I found the YouTube videos more helpful and intuitive for my crochet skill level. I started with the full 100 gram skein and worked a couple of rows and now I’m adding the first day of advent.

    I will continue in this pattern of full skein skinny stripes in between each day’s color. Unsure how this will look in the end but it’s the only way I could contemplate using this full skein in this blanket in a meaningful way.

    Happy Crochet!

    It Always Looks Like A Thong

    Yes, I still have lights up in my house. I finally took down Christmas decor but the lights just hit right with my seasonal effectiveness disorder. So I am leaning in. And I am getting on to my WIP pile. First up is my Mom’s In The Light.

    This construction of shawl always looks like a thong at this stage. But I am moving along. I have made this pattern three times before so I’m pretty familiar. This version will not be faded and I might be playing yarn chicken. But this is what my Mom gave me to work with so I am going to figure it out.

    Right now I’m just cruising through the garter in a two row repeat. Perfect for TV and fireplace knitting. Happy Knitting!!

    Teeny Toe

    I have been focused on my 2023 Christmas Eve cast on socks, but my Advent Leftover Socks saw a little daylight this week thanks to an evening work meeting.

    I think I added two color stripes during the 2 hour meeting? I did have to do some typing and working depending on the topic. I am keeping my socks from tangling by using skein sleeve aka ball sacks. This really helps to keep things tidy when these just get tossed into my backpack.

    It’s been SUPER cold this month and I have been using lots of wool socks. I have found a flaw in my current sock mix. I have been wearing more skinny jeans and leggings and I don’t have nearly enough short wool socks to pair with them. My mid calf socks kinda ruin the vibe. So these socks will definitely be knit as shorties!

    Happy Knitting!!