Productive little weekend

In an effort to prepare for the Sock Pentathlon coming up I didn't want to start any new projects, but needed something to do while on breaks from Bonnie's scarf. So I made lots of little things this weekend.

First I whipped up a little Baby Bunny Hat:

for my sister's upcoming baby. Of course, it'll be nearly a year before the baby can wear it, but I just couldn't resist!

Then I made some bath poofs:

which are super easy and fast. Not as nice in the shower as I was hoping, but still nice. I might modify the pattern slightly (mainly use a bigger hook) to make it poofier and better for making good soap lather.

Jim mentioned he needed a scarf to go with his not-super-warm-but-neat-looking coat so I took it as an opportunity to deplete some of the stash and whipped up a simple double-crochet stitch scarf:

Its not super long, but is thick & warm and does the trick. Jim is pleased :)

Finally, I decided I was tired of my current winter hat and needed a new one. This resulted in creation of the Urchin Beret:

I screwed up a bit in the beginning of the hat, having misunderstood the pattern. Luckily the yarn style and the stitch used made it pretty well masked so I just continued on making the rest of the hat the right way. Its a little lumpy and asymmetrical but still looks fine when worn and is nice & warm.

Tonight I'm going to go to Natural Stitches for the Ravelry knit-along, and Thursday going with KT to the Knit One knit-along. Lots of social knitting for me! woo!

Sock pentathlon starts Saturday--can't wait!! :D

and done!

I finished the heart socks! Yay!


(more photos here)

overall, I think they turned out well. The hearts get a little stretched out when worn, but they're so soft and comfortable I don't care. I will definitely be buying more of this yarn, but only for special projects. Its a little bit more than I like to spend. Thanks to Dean for getting these two skeins for me :)

Now I'm going to focus hard-core on the scarf I started for Bonnie back in December but have been putting off. Its really simple (just a stockinette stitch with a 2-color image on either end) but for some reason I just don't like doing it. I think its partly because its kind of boring just to knit, purl, knit, purl over & over again with no variety. Also, I made it double-wide so when its finished it will be folded in half and sewn together to keep the strings of the colors on the inside and its just wide enough that it makes it difficult for me to hold. I'd like to have it done by the end of the month. Here's hoping.

I've been invited to a special Ravelry group: The Sock Knitting Pentathlon. I'm very excited and flattered that I was asked to join. The basic idea: Every 2 months a new pattern will be posted. 2 weeks notice will be given to find appropriate yarn, needles, gauge, etc. Then the pattern is sent out and everyone goes nuts! Technically it is a race and the first one finished "wins" but it seems most people are treating this as a global knit-along and that suits me just fine. :) I'm excited to be trying these new patterns (all are intermediate to advanced) and to have a big group of people to talk to about it. The first sock begins on March 1! Can't wait!

Ball Winding & Neck Gators

Yesterday I got the Ball Winder! It was really straight forward and easy to use and look at the pretty ball of yarn it made for me!



I also whipped up a neck gator out of that Suss Lux yarn. I'm a little bummed that 2 skeins only had enough yarn for that and not a full scarf, but the gator is super soft & useful so its not all bad. The other downside is this yarn, while hella soft, isn't so good if you want to unravel and re-do. The thin strands of color get tangled easily and won't always come undone.



Now back to finishing my socks and that scarf for Bonnie I keep putting off!

Wheels keep on spinnin'

Things have been both busy and not. Sunday I went to the 4th annual Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet festival with KT. We had a really fun time--so much to see and touch! I fell in love with the angora bunnies (didn't take any home though). I also took a yarn dyeing class--it didn't turn out nearly as vibrant as expected, but it was a really good learning experience and I'd like to try again on my own. Did buy some yarn, but not much. A lot of it either wasn't that impressive or was way out of my price range.

On the craft front I finished 1 heart sock and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new Yarn Ball winder (a belated b-day/early v-day present from Chuck) so I can properly wind the yarn before starting. In the meantime I made the Wedding Capelet for Steph:

Front


Back

It would've been finished in 1 night if I hadn't ran out of the fur yarn for the trim! Super easy and fast. And the yarn is sooooo soft (main yarn used: Jo-Ann Sensations Angel Hair). I might have to get more so I can make one for myself! I still have to add the ribbon to the front for tying, but in general I can call this finished.

Now I'm using some of the yarn I got from the festival (Suss Yarn Lux in Cabernet) into either a scarf or a neck gator (I'll see how much what I have makes and how willing I am to buy more and decide based on that).

These socks are really becoming quite the pain. I'm not using a pattern, just kind of winging it based on the other socks I've knitted. Apparently I was a little too eager to get to the heel b/c its too short. ugh. So today I had to once again unwind a bit (luckily it was just the heel part) and start a bit over. At least they look cute so far :)

Winding & Heart Socks

I've decided to just update my new & current projects on this blog--it would take way too long to go back and talk about everything I've made.

Anyway, this weekend I finished one of the baby projects for one of my 3 friends currently pregnant. Not sure what I'll do for the 2nd, but luckily my sister's not due till August so I have time before making all of her baby-type stuff. (She's getting blue-type things regardless of the baby's sex. Blue is just a good color and I have a strong association with that as my sister's color).

I finally got to start on a pair of socks for me. My awesome friend Dean got me 2 skeins of this beautiful yarn (Peppermint Mocha, by Claudia Hand-Painted Yarns, purchased from The Loopy Ewe) that I've been dying to make into a pair of socks for me. I decided now was the time! I started my toe-up socks but didn't bother to wind the hank into a ball. BIG mistake. After getting all my increases finished the hank was starting to tangle. I had to suck it up, find the other end, and start the 4-hour task of unraveling the huge knot and my sock beginnings as well. Its worth it in the end, but ugh, now I will *always* pre-wind my yarn. That's the price paid for laziness. The sock has been re-started and I decided it would look cute to have little hearts going up the front. So far I've made it up to about 2.5 hearts and I think its time to pause for the short-row heel. Its hard to see the heart in the photo, but its there!

Hello!

After getting a membership on Ravelry.com I have decided to create a new 100% craft-oriented blog. I'll use this space to just talk about all the crafty things I do. Right now thats pretty much all knitting & crocheting, but as my wedding approaches I'll be doing more with origami and hopefully some silver jewelry making. I've never been good at keeping a diary/journal/blog but I'll do my best to keep this updated semi-regularly! :)

Here's to a new start!