Yarn Crafter Mini Haul

Recently, I did a little bit of yarny online and in-store shopping! Yay!  Normally I don't do much online shopping because I enjoy the instant gratification of taking my new toys home right away.  But back when I was knitting my first hat a friend on instagram suggested I order some bamboo needles from amazon.  So I did :)

I purchased a set of 16 inch and 40 inch circular needles from amazon for less than $15 Huzzah!  Now I have no excuse not to try new and challenging projects. So far, I've started one new project with these needles and the tips were a little splintery, but that was fixed by buffing them with a nail file.

While I was waiting for the needles to come in, I decided to pick up some new sock yarn.  I purchased all three skeins from Joann's.  I can't make up my mind on which colorway I'm most excited about.  I just wish I could knit faster ^.^

WIP Wednesday: Almost Wasn't

Today's work in progress project doesn't have a name... It came about because I had one skein of Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool Blend yarn and I wanted to make something that would take up the whole thing. 

So I took to Ravelry and browsed what other people had made with one ball.  I came across a "Variation on a Basic Hat" by a user called Gmax4.  I started knitting the hat and quickly got frustrated by the stiffness and wonkiness of the cord and I kept saying, "I'm gonna rip this out..."  But as you can see I didn't.

The little lace pattern is from GmaX4's pattern, but the other mods are mine.  I did a 2x2 ribbing instead of 1x1 and my finished hat will have a total of 4 lace repeats instead of 3 as in the original hat.  I may even end up putting in more repeats because I want it to be slouchy enough to handle all my hair ^.^  Currently, I'm up to the point to add in the third lace repeat.

First lace repeat finished.

Second lace repeat and a bit of stockinette finished.

One thing I've really been aware of during working on this project is how much the type of needles affect the knitting.  I'm using some needles I picked up at Joann's for like $3 after my coupon.  Since I'm working the hat magic loop, I've been fighting the cable because it just wants to curl up on itself.   Then in the lace repeats I have to do k2tog (knit 2 together) and because the needle tips are so blunt, it is quite the struggle getting the needle behind two stitches at a time.  But I'm pressing through.  I'm assuming this hat will be finished within the coming week and I'll be able to add another item to my stack of hand-knits!

Finally I'm Finished: First Knits

I have been knitting a whole lot more over the past couple months and I'm happy to say it's been very enjoyable.  As a crocheter, trying knitting was like going to the dark side lol!  I think the hardest thing so far has been regulating my yarn tension.  When I started my stitches would be super tight and hard to work.  That was also making my hands feel very cramped most of the time.  So to remedy this, I went online for tips on learning how to hold the yarn looser, but still keep everything neat.  I'm still playing around with how I hold the yarn, but it's going well.

I wanted to share my first few knitted finished projects today.  All three of these pieces have been finished within the last 3-4 months.  I'm so proud of myself ^.^

First, we have my "I Thought I was a Ravenclaw Socks."  I showed the first sock of this pair in mid-March and finished the second sock at the end of March.  They were knit for the Harry Potter KAL but I didn't win anything.  le'sigh... better luck next time! [click -here- for the progress post!] Anyhow, these socks are so comfy and not at all as hot as I expected them to be.  I've worn them to work in my sneakers and they did very well.  They also survived their first machine washing ^.^ I count this as an awesome win!  I worked them cuff down and using a long circular needle for the magic loop method.  These socks took me about a month to complete.

The next thing I cast on my needles was the Seaforth Hat.  I mentioned this hat a couple posts back when I talked about my needle adjacent projects (projects that I want to start).  This hat was SUCH the learning experience!  I learned how to knit regularly on circular needles (not magic loop), I learned how to read a basic lace chart, I learned how to do yarn overs... even though I found out after finishing the hat that all my yarn overs were wrapped the wrong way, but whatevs!  This is a hat pattern that I will surely be making again.  I want to do it in a smoother yarn next time.  This hat was made with Impeccable worsted weight yarn from Michaels.  Next time I think I'll use simply soft or something like that.  This hat took me less than a week to complete.

Third knit item is another pair of socks.  This time, I knit the socks toe up magic loop.  I really enjoyed going toe up because that meant I knew exactly when to start the heel and then I could knit as long as I wanted for the leg without the pressure of maybe running out of yarn.  At first, these were to be socks for myself, but once I finished the heel I realized the foot was a bit baggy.  Turned out they fit Lamar perfectly. -___-  And that's how he got his first pair of hand-knit socks. *shrug*  He likes them and said they are so comfy that he forgot he was wearing them ^.^  The new thing I learned with this project was how to do wrap and turn short rows and how to knit two at a time socks.  I decided to do them two at a time because I felt like they were taking forever once I got up to the leg.  I don't think I really care for two at a time... people were saying it makes things go faster, but I'm still on the fence.  These socks took me about a month and a week to complete.

My last knit project is... yep... another pair of socks! Lol!  I wanted to try my hand at worsted weight socks so I cast on a pair to give to my friend Tiff for her birthday.  I think I really like worsted weight socks! They were so fast!  Only... I doubt I'd be able to wear them in shoes... These socks were knit one at a time, cuff down on magic loop.  I used some yarn from my stash and actually finished most of the ball.  I love using out my stash!  This project forced me to learn how to correct a sizing problem.  The first sock I knit turned out to be about 1.5 inches too short, so I had to undo the toe and continue knitting on the foot to make the sock the correct measurement.  Then I had to reknit the toe.  It was a little nerve wracking pulling out the stitches, but I was able to get everything back on the needles properly and continue working.  These socks took me about a week and a half to complete.

There you have it!  My first few knitted projects!!  I feel like each one of these projects has made me learn new techniques.  Whenever I came across a problem, I went straight to youtube to search "how to..." and that was really helpful.  The next knit project that I want to cast on will most likely be the Ventura Shawl that I mentioned in the needle adjacent projects post.  I tried it after finishing the Seaforth, but I couldn't get it right.  That's when I found out I had been making the yarn overs wrong.  Next time I think I'll get it! 

I hope you liked seeing my newly created pieces :)  Are you learning any new skills or learning new things within your hobbies? 

The Evy Lovey Doll and Blanket Set

A couple months ago, a friend of mine asked if I could crochet a lovey doll for her daughter's first birthday. A lovey is a small security blanket with a doll or stuffed animal head and arms.  It's a very cute idea and of course I took the challenge!  We did some brainstorming on colors and design and soon the lovey was underway.  The colors she chose were pink, purple, and a dash of teal.  We went with a star-shaped "dress" for the lovey and a flat chevron pattern for the matching blanket.  So after hours of drawing designs, researching how to shape a doll head, inserting individual hairs, and crocheting back and forth on the blanket... I can now present to you the finished set!!!! Woo hooo!!! (Please forgive the super harsh light, I took these outside in the afternoon the day before delivering the set to the birthday girl.)

Seeing my friend's daughter looking at the doll and then at her mom like "is this for me" was the cutest thing ever lol! Later on I got a text that she's been trying to put shoes on her and is really loving her lovey.  That, for me, was the best part of this whole experience ^.^

Hook and Needle Adjacent Dreamin

I've had a profile on Ravelry for a few years now.  I never use to be very active on the site though.  Recently, since discovering a love for shawls, I've found myself on there more often drooling over patterns.  Within my time on Ravelry, I've amassed quite the library ^.^

Currently I have two projects going, one crochet and the other knit.  And lemme tell you, I'm itching to start something new!!  So I'm going to plan my next couple projects because actually starting something right now is probably a bit obsessive. lol!  I've chosen 2 crochet patterns and 2 knitting ones.  So here we go!

1. All Shawl by Doris Chan

Click Photo for Pattern Page (Photo by Doris Chan)

This is a super simple crochet shawl pattern.  I really like that the pattern is very flexible, you can make it as long or short as you like and gauge doesn't really matter.  It looks like a quick project to make and probably won't take much more than a week.

2. Sonny's Socks by Sonny321

Click Photo for Pattern Page (Photo by fmlcrochet)

I am very interested to see how crochet socks wear and feel.  I think if I like the texture I'll definitely have many more handmade socks ^.^  I like the shell stitching on these and they look comfy.  We'll soon see!

3.   Ventura Wrap by Rebecca Hill

Click Photo for Pattern Page (Photo by MissBecca)

To continue with my love affair with shawls :)  I'm going to try knitting this one.  It will be my first knit shawl.  Allegedly, it's an easy pattern.  I'll be the judge lol!  But hey, I have youtube and a local yarn store if I get helplessly stuck.  I'm excited about this pattern.

4. Seaforth Hat by Karie Westermann

Click Photo for Pattern Page (Photo by David Fraser)

I think this is going to be the most ambitious of all my hook/needle adjacent projects.  I'm actually quite nervous to attempt this, but just like the Ventura Wrap, I have youtube and knitters nearby to help me if needed.  I really want to make this hat because, 1- it's really pretty and 2- I'm getting a little tired of wearing my same old crochet hats to work.  I want to switch it up.  Or maybe that means I need to design a new crochet hat... that's a possibility!

So there you have it!  Four projects that I will hopefully be starting within the near future ^.^  My Ravelry pattern library is bursting with projects that are inspiring me and I'm so glad that I found that site! 

Adventures in Dyeland pt. 1

One thing that I've been getting more interested in lately is hand-dyed yarn.  So many of the podcasts I watch have connected Etsy shops where they sell yarn, project bags, and other yarn crafting whatnots.  The colors of the yarn and all the different looks are absolutely jaw dropping!  And so, like the good DIY gal I am, I bought some white sock yarn, wound it into a hank on my niddy noddy, and tried my hand at dying it.

::What You Need - Yarn, Vinegar, Food Color, (not pictured) Pot, Stove-top, Water::

This wasn't my first go at hand-dying. I did some back when I lived in Alabama. That yarn actually got crocheted up into a pretty striped tam.  Anyway, I used food coloring and Easter egg dye pellets this time.

::Soaking Yarn::

::Dye Bath - Hot Water, Vinegar, Food Coloring::

I set the yarn to soak in water and white vinegar for a while before going into the dye pot on the stove.  The dye bath I made was a bunch of yellow food coloring.  When it got up to a simmer, I put in the yarn.  I chopped up some Easter egg pellets to sprinkle around for a 'speckled' effect, but I let the water simmer too much and ended up with a more tonal overall color.

::In the Dye Bath::

I turned off the heat and let the yarn marinate in the pot for about an hour to soak up as much dye as possible.  Then it was wash time! I rinsed/ washed the yarn with a bit of dish soap until the water ran clear and set it out in the sun to dry.

::Rinsing Yarn::

::Exhausted Dye Bath::

I will confess the color isn't exactly what I saw in my head.  It came out much more orange because of the pellets.  I have a couple more skeins of white yarn to play with and I'm hoping those will be better.  I also want to try dying yarn with plants.  I think that will be a really cool adventure.

::Finished Yarn::

Have you tried hand-dying anything, yarn or otherwise? I've been known to dye clothing when I get tired of them lol :). Other than my gold color, what other colors should I try?

Finally I'm Finished: The Clover Lace Tank

May I introduce to you, the Clover Lace Tank!  This was a labor of love, lemme tell you!  I think that this tank called for the smallest crochet hook I've used thus far... It's worked up with a 3.25mm hook.  Whaaat?!?!  I've always been one to stick to bigger hooks, well 5.50 and above, for my projects.  I found the smaller hooks to be quite fiddly in my hand and the tiny stitches didn't grow fast enough for me.  So when I came to the 'crochet a top' list item on my 30Before30 list I knew it was the perfect time to make that plunge.

Enter the Wide Strap Tank pattern by Maz Kwok.  The construction was very simple.  I used Red Heart Shimmer yarn in the Shamrock colorway from my stash.  I also used a Boye ergonomic crochet hook with a rubberized handle.  That made using the tiny hook way easier on my hand and wrist.  If you're a crocheter and haven't used any of those ergonomic hooks, you should get a Joann's coupon and buy one! 

The only thing that eventually got to me was going round and round with the shells on the bottom.  My goodness it got boring!  At one point I was actually falling asleep while crocheting!  I think I had gotten a couple rounds into the shells when I decided to stop and work on the Frankenshirt.  Taking that break was just what I needed, because after Frankenshirt was done, I powered through the rest of this top.

I made a few modifications to the pattern, nothing to change the structure, but more aesthetic changes.  Primarily, the pattern calls for relief stitches to create horizontal ribs over the upper bust part.  I didn't want them, so instead I just worked regular double crochet stitches.  I like that the change made the overall look of the top less fussy which is more in line with my style.  I also replaced the foundation chain with a foundation double crochet row.  That made the join of the back section more seamless.

I've worn the tank out once so far.  It wears well and it's very comfortable. If I make this top again I'd definitely narrow out the straps a bit.  Their maybe half an inch too wide for me.  I may also go up a hook size to see if I can get a more loose drape to the fabric.

Start Date: Feb 15, 2016
Finish Date: Mar 7, 2016

Finally I'm Finished: The Frankenshirt

In the midst of furiously crocheting away on my wide strap tank top, I decided to start a different top in hopes of finishing it before my birthday.

I used the Textures Crochet Top pattern from AllFreeCrochet.com.  The yarn, Red Heart Boutique Magical in Top Hat along with some other black and grey skeins, came from deep in my stash.  The pattern was quite easy to follow and it did work up quickly.  I finished it the Friday after my birthday, but I'm totally counting it as my 30x30 top!  I can see myself making another of these tops in the future... although I'll use a solid sensible color next time.

This top is called the Frankenshirt because when I finished the front panel in that Top Hat yarn, the first thing I thought was it looked crazy and a bit like a monster...  the yarn was made up of roughly 5 or 6 wildly different types of fibers.  Honestly, I doubted it would get much wear at all.  But for some reason when I finished the whole shirt, I wore it and it didn't look terrible.  One of my friends said I looked like something off a runway.  But we all know some runway looks are... how do you say... gar-baaage lol.

The Frankenshirt was fun to make and I'm glad I got to use that yarn because it was just taking up space in my stash.

WIP Wednesday... on Thursday: Ravenclaw Socks!

Over the last couple months, I've gotten very much into watching knitting podcasts on youtube.  (I keep hoping that I'll stumble upon a crochet one soon, but it really might be up to me...)  Anywho, one of the podcasts that I've been enjoying quite a lot is Inside Number 23 hosted by Katie (click -here- for her Ravelry).  I like her vintage/handmade style, she's funny and she seems like she'd be fun to talk to or hang out with.  Towards the end of last month, she announced her first knit-a-long which would be Harry Potter themed (#23HarryPotterKAL)  Now, I'm not the biggest HP head, but I did enjoy reading the books when I was younger until my mom made me stop lest I try to become a wizard... lol!  So I decided to join in on her KAL.  And not only did I join a KAL, I decided to knit socks.  I chose to knit socks because I figured it would be a great challenge especially since the only thing I ever knitted was a very short scarf with super bulky yarn.  Bring on the teeny tiny needles!!! 

I cast the first sock on exactly 2 weeks ago and I finished the toe last night ^.^ I will also confess that I totally slept in the one sock because I was so proud of myself! So yeah, check out my progress pics!

1. The yarn I'm using is Patons Kroy - Cadet colors.  It's shades of navy with grey and I chose it because when I went to Universal for my birthday, I was sorted into Ravenclaw :)  This Patons Kroy colorway is perfect for Ravenclaw socks.
2. I did 2x2 ribbing, and that little half inch of rib took me like 2 hours to work!  Figuring out how to hold the yarn and knit was quite fiddly because I'm so use to crochet.
3. I got bored of the ribbing so I just went on to the leg after that half inch, lol.  In the future, I will def make my cuff considerably longer so it will actually fit to my leg.
4. More progress down the leg. I have learned that I knit continental and in the back loop which should be creating twisted stitches but for some reason doesn't.  I tried to follow a tutorial on youtube for continental knitting, but then my stitches started twisting... so I went back to what I was originally doing and it seems to work right.
5.  I TURNED A FLIPPING HEEL!!!!  This was the part of sock making that had me shaking in my boots! But I did it and I was so excited I wanted to do a victory dance around the room lol!
6. Working the gusset decreases.  This is the part where my funky knitting really made things hard.  I regularly knit into the back loop, but when you decrease you can't do it that way, so the decreases are a bit harder for me to do but I got it.  Also, I need to practice picking up stitches because I couldn't figure out how to do it with the needles, so I got my crochet hook out and used it.  Gotta make it work :)
7. Gusset done!  Progressing down the foot.  Round and round she goes!
8.  I did a wedge toe (??) I think that's what it's called.  It was def a good amount of practice on my decreases.  I decreased down to 12 stitches and when I finished stitching the sock closed, I realized I could've stopped decreasing at like 20... oh well, more practice.
9.  My first finished sock!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm excited to cast the next one on and wear them everywhere!  lol! 

Here's more shots of the finished sock.  The kitchener stitch for closing the toe was quite fiddly also.  But I think it being after midnight, poor lighting, and a dark section of the yarn contributed to the fiddly-ness.  As you can see, Miss Tootie approves of my work too ^.^

So yeah... I made a sock... that is just so cool!  I'm glad that Katie started the KAL and provided the idea for make these.  In all honesty though, all the way through this sock I wanted to frog it out and crochet instead.  I'm very proud of myself for sticking in there with the knitting.  Especially when my fingers got crampy and the stitches got frustrating.  Hopefully the next sock goes smoother.

WIP Wednesday: Cozies and a Cowl

I am currently languishing beneath these two crochet projects... I want them to be finished soo badly, but they're such slow going!  The first is a large order of Beauty & the Beast themed cup cozies.  I have five or so left to make and then on to sewing on the contrasting details.  They are really cute and all, but man oh man are they quite boring to crochet!  lol!

The pattern is very simple.  Just 12 rounds of single crochet with 30 stitches per round.  I decided to work in joined rounds instead of a spiral because sometimes I slip into auto pilot and would totally lose count while spiraling.  Originally, I was going to crochet a chain with the darker yellow and attach it around the cozy body, but I didn't like how it looked.  So after a bit of brainstorming, I decided to switch to two strands.  I think it looks much better.  Wish me speedy fingers as I need to get these finished this week!

The second project that is loooooming overhead is a hooded cowl with ears.  I started working on this a few weeks ago and got all the way through the cowl part and into the hood... only to realize that it was going to be too small.  So I had to frog the whole thing out and start over again.  Something about frogging and restarting a project really takes the wind outta your sails -___-  Anywho,  this is how far I've gotten in the reboot.

 
I'm working from an inspiration photo my friend sent me (-via Ravelry-).  I originally wanted to make the piece out of a super bulky yarn, but I couldn't find any in the right color.  So I'm holding 2 strands of red heart worsted together.  Even though the yarn is very thick, it still is slow going.  I just wish these projects would go faster so I can start on other things!

This experience has shown me that when I commit to projects like these I need to try my best to knock them out immediately.  Since they're been in progress so long I'm really losing my steam behind them, but I have to finish.  I need to get re-motivated.

I know that after I finish these pieces, I'm taking a nice break from crocheting anything for other people.  I've been doing more daydreaming and project planning for things I want to make myself.  I just need to get these done in order to start those new things.

Finally I'm Finished: Calli's Christmas Afghan

I decided, towards the end of the October, to start a stash-busting afghan themed for the holidays.  It's made from a variety of my red and green colored yarns with a beige strand carried through.  I organized the colors from light to dark then dark to light.  At one point in the midst of the red section, I was cleaning my yarn stash and found another ball of yarn that matched.  So I wishy-washed back and forth about frogging back to that color to add the new ball in.  Finally I decided to do it since I was suppose to be stash-busting anyway.  That was quite a gut-wrenching frogging session.  Lots of weeping and gnashing of teeth in real life and on instagram lol. 

Anywho, I worked on it throughout November and finished it a couple days into December.  To be exact (thanks to instagram for helping me narrow this down ^.^) I started "Calli's Christmas Afghan" on October 29th and finished it on December 3rd.  I used up a good chunk of my red and green yarn and about 2 whole 1lb skeins of beige yarn (one stashed one purchased).  O.o That's quite a lot of yarn.  And as expected with all that yarn, the afghan is nicely heavy and warm. 

The finished afghan measures 4.5 feet by 5 feet.  Which is the perfect size to fit over the top of our queen size bed.  It's just enough extra warmth since the nights are getting a bit colder here, and Lamar has totally been hogging it more often these days, lol!  The pattern was super simple.  It's one row of v-stitch (double crochet, chain 1, double crochet in the same space) and then one row with clusters (3 double crochets) in each chain one space.  I love super simple patterns like this because I can go into autopilot very easily. 

I don't often crochet large pieces like this for myself, so finishing this afghan was kind of an early Christmas gift.  I love carrying it around the house with me and we recently took it to Alabama with us.  It is a great sleeping-in-the-car blanket too!  We've snuggled in it outside stargazing and inside watching movies.  I'd say in the couple months it's been finished, it's definitely been worth the hours of work to make it. ^.^  So here is a photo of C.C.A. in its natural habitat on our bed.

What do you think?

W.I.P. Wednesday: Bellatrix Baby Blanket

Hellooo there ^.^

I have started yet another baby blanket.  One of Lamar's friends is expecting a little girl in July and he asked me to make a blanket for her.  Of course I obliged :)  I love it whenever I'm asked to make something and I have just about all the necessary colors in my stash.  Or maybe my stash is too big... nah!

This is the color scheme. Monochromatic purple :)

After doodling a bunch of different pattern ideas, I decided to just use the same striped pattern from the gender neutral blanket I recently finished.

I'm loving how the colors are working together.

I've named the pattern Bellatrix and it is the first confirmed product that will be listed in my etsy shop. ^.^ huzzah!  I hope to be finished with it by next week.  Then it's back to the drawing board for new designs and ideas!

Finally I'm Finished! The Striped Baby Blanket

Hi there! Happy Friday!!!

At the beginning of the month, I wrote about starting (and REstarting) a gender neutral baby blanket.  I'm glad to say that the color changes where just want the design needed!  I love how the stripes came out. I used the Biscuits & Jam random stripe generator and then repeated the pattern a couple times.  I like that it looks random but organized... if that can be a thing?

Now it will be washed and dried to soften it up.  I think I'm also going to press the corners with an iron to get them just right.  Then it will be boxed, wrapped and sent to our expecting friends.  I really hope they love the blanket.  I'm always super nervous whenever I gift a handmade gift.  Anywho, I love it ^.^ and now I just need to give it a name...

This is my favorite part of the whole blanket. The reverse single crochet edging.  I love the neat edge it creates.  Don't be surprised if I start putting this on everything! lol!

 Have a great day!