Thursday, October 7, 2010

Too Busy to blog!

I’m knitting like crazy but can’t find the time to get on here and update! I didn’t want you to think I’d dropped off the face of the earth again. I finished the green top, it’s blocked too and I just need to model it and take pics. It’s not cold enough yet to wear it but I think it will be perfect this winter once I start wearing my long sleeved T’s. 

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The color looks completely different in these pictures compared to my last post! This is a dark ‘hunter green’ but above it looks more like sage!

Citron has taken a back seat I’m afraid, been too busy knitting fingerless mittens for a friend (3 pairs to be exact) AND I cast on for the TTL Mystery Sock KAL, which funnily enough is a sage green in color! I haven’t taken pictures of the yarn yet, or the cuff – can’t wait to get the second clue tomorrow. Just in time to take away with me this weekend.  I’m headed here . . . .

rockport Rockport, TX - spending the weekend away with our next door neighbors – no kids allowed!  I’ll be back soon.

Friday, September 17, 2010

WIP Wednesday

Ok, I know it’s Friday but I wanted to start doing a post each week (to fill in between FO’s) and show you what I have on the needles. I’m trying to be really good right now and not start/work on too many projects at once.

After my last post I finally decided on a pattern I found on Ravelry that was very similar to Boheme but it had cables on it. It’s the Cables and Garter Cardi found here on Ravelry. I love the cables on this but I didn’t feel like knitting cables, so I’m changing things up a little and making the bottom part a lace pattern. The pattern is from a free leaflet I got in Hobby Lobby. I’ll have to scan or take a picture of it to show you later.  Here’s how the top is looking so far.  And I’m just using ‘I Love This Wool’ from Hobby Lobby for it.

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Also on the needles is ‘Citron’.  I cast on for this at the end of August using the lovely lace yarn I ‘won’ from Amanda many months ago. 

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I’m trying to concentrate on the green top now, so Citron has been put aside. As soon as I finish the top I’ll pick this up and finish it before I cast on for anything else! Well, that’s not exactly true, I am thinking of joining in with the Kristen’s Mystery Sock KAL this year, and that starts on Oct 1st. No matter where I am with these two knits I WILL be casting on for those . . . . but first I gotta find some sock yarn! That means searching on Ravelry or online because my LYS has closed and I don’t want any ‘sock’ yarn from Hobby Lobby or Michaels. I want some ‘real nice, fancy’ sock yarn ;-)

If any of you have any in your stash that you’d be willing to sell, by all means let me know! Is anyone else joining in with the KAL?

Monday, September 6, 2010

Can I ask you something?

I have to say I’m rather ‘obsessed’ with Ravelry at the minute. I seem to go through phases where I just love to surf the patterns, check out my ‘friends activity’ page and blog posts just about urmm . . . . every hour or so!

Today I saw a friend had added the  ‘Boheme’ pattern knit by Retroversa to her favs. I haven’t really seen this pattern before but I loved the two little tops shown in the picture paired with a long white sleeve top and jeans. The size was only for 12mths!

A long sleeve white top and jeans is my staple wardrobe for the Fall and Winter months so I was wondering if there is a pattern out there that is very much like this one but in an adult size.

DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SUCH PATTERN? Can you recommend anything like this. Having just finished the Leaf T-shirt and loving how it was knit seamlessly I know a pattern similar to Boheme would be great knitting. I’d love any suggestions you might have, so please leave a comment, I’d so appreciate it.

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In the meant time, I have to decide whether to knit the other sock to match this one?!! The pattern is THIS ONE – Lace Cuff Anklets from the book ‘Favorite Socks’. The yarn is Patons Kroy Sock. The problem is . . . . it’s too big :-(  I only have myself to blame, I NEVER check gauge when I’m knitting socks, although most times I often think (after they’re knit) that I could probably have gone down a needle size as they are often ‘loose’ on my feet. After I’d started knitting with the yarn I realized the pattern actually suggested sport weight, so I thought for sure it wouldn’t turn out too big if I was actually using thinner yarn – wrong!  Is it possible to ‘shrink’ a sock? I thought I might be able to if the yarn was hand wash and I perhaps threw it in the washer or dryer, or both. But the yarn says it’s machine washable? What do I do now? What would you do?  Please don’t tell me to frog the sock and start over!

Added:+++++ I just saw Sue’s comment about the sizes of Boheme so I went back to search Ravelry for more info. I saw a forum post about Boheme AND Boheme Mama, so I clicked on that then found the link to the adult version :-)  You can find it HERE

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

“Come play with me”. . . .

. . . said Penelope, just as I finished sewing on her arm and announced she was complete :-)  So I did! We went in to the garden and frolicked about – well she frolicked, I took pictures ;-)

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She was a super quick knit, yarn held double (acrylic stuff I had in stash). I wanted to knit her in pink but I didn’t have any yarn in that color so I just used what I had. Cream probably isn’t the best color to show off her mouth but overall I think she turned out pretty cute.

She was rather tired after her photo shoot so she went to rest on my bed, and as the morning sunlight fell in to the room, Penelope took a nap.

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Monsters!

Have you seen them? They are the cutest ‘monsters’ ever and they’re popping up all over blogland :-)  You can see them HERE, and HERE and even HERE and of course HERE! And every time I see one I want to knit one for me!

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Penelope is my favorite. . .  that’s her sitting above (picture linked to Rebecca’s Blog), I finally got around to ordering the pattern this week and I’ve made a start on her.

In the mean time while surfing Rebecca’s blog I noticed she had two free patterns – Monster Chunks and Bunny Nuggets! Both just as cute as (but smaller than) the monster clan.  I asked Kristen if she’d like a Monster (but really, the first one I knit is for me) but she said she would rather  have a Bunny Chunk! I informed her that it was either a Monster Chunk or a Bunny Nugget, but she insisted she liked a Bunny Nugget “you can put ears and a bunny tail on the Monster Chunk and he’d be a Bunny Chunk!

Hmmm, yes well, for now I’d like to just try the pattern as it is written . . .  so she settled on a Bunny Nugget,

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and here he is :-) 

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Her favorite color is orange but I didn’t have enough to double the yarn so I used a burnt orange with it too.  He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure! I went out today to buy the eyes and stuffing, so now he’s just waiting to greet Kristen when she gets home from school.

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And I am off to finish work on Penelope ;-)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I love me a fast knit!

Leaf T-shirt came off the needles last Saturday, it only took 10 days to knit :-)  It’s been a while since I knit a top down ‘seamless’ pattern but boy are they easy. I can’t imagine wanting to knit anything with seams in it now.

I played around with the camera this morning and got some modeled shots!

Knit with 6 skeins of Classic Elite Four Seasons Cotton, you can see full details at my Ravelry page.  I like how this turned out but I do wish it had some shaping to it.

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I like the ‘off the shoulder’ look but it can be worn on the shoulder too.  I wanted this top to be a bit longer than the ones I’ve previous made. I often find I’m pulling them down if they just sit below my waist, so this one is as long as most t-shirts I wear.

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During the winter I’ll probably layer this with a t-shirt and then later maybe along sleeve T when it gets really cold. . .  which I wish was right now instead of the 100 degrees we have forecast!

Friday, August 20, 2010

It’s been a while . . .

Wow, nearly half a year to be exact. . .  it’ s been over 5 months since I blogged in here!  I’ve been knitting, but just not blogging about it, and not knitting anything for me either.  A few months ago I decided to open up a little Etsy shop. Mainly for my friends who have often mentioned that I should sell the things I knit.  I started out just knitting dishcloth and facecloth sets which my friends loved and bought straight away, then a few hats, and then some cowls and mittens for Fall which I haven’t even listed yet because . . . well, it’s over 100 degrees every day here in TX, it just doesn’t seem the right time of year to list Fall stuff!

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When the weather cools down I’ll list the few things I’ve made and who knows it might bring in a little spending money for Christmas!

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In the mean time I decided I WOULD knit a little something for me. I’ve had this Classic Elite Four Seasons cotton in my stash for about a year, so I decided to knit the Leaf T-Shirt.  I started this just last Thursday, and I should be finished this weekend. I have to say I love the ease of knitting this in the round and from the top down. Just thinking about casting off and NOT having to sew up seams is exciting to me :-)  I’m already looking for something else to find to knit that is similar.

I fell in love with the adult version of Spring Garden Tee as soon as I saw it. It might have to be that next. . . . or (in the hopes that Fall will be here soon) I love THIS too!

One thing for sure, I MUST get my knitting organized. I have all kinds of smaller things still on the needles, things I cast on for that haven’t even made it to my Ravelry page!  School is back on Monday, it’s usually the time I want to start having a good clear out of everything, inc. my knitting basket. Wish me luck!

Denise