WIP Wednesday

What a way to get back into blogging!  I have plenty of finished items to show you from this past year, but I'll start with a work-in-progress Wednesday.


My main project that I've been working on is Garden House Baby Blanket.  I chose colors a little different than the pattern.  I picked 3 greys and a pink (although my dad claims it is purple not pink) of Berroco Vintage DK.

The colors are Smoke (2106), Cracked Pepper (2107), Charcoal (2189), and Elderberry (2159) from left to right.

Since I need to plan everything, I played with color placement in Paint and I settled for using the pink in the middle and using Smoke at the end as well as the beginning.  The pattern originally called for a 5th color.  By using Smoke at the end and the beginning I use each color equally.

I have finished two of the strips so far and I'm working on the 3rd during Dave's radiation treatments.

I'm loving it and it is turning out larger than I thought.  So it was originally intended to be a gift to my niece, but I might keep it and maker her something else.  My sister loves it and really wants it for her baby, but if she pesters she definitely will not get it (hint hint Missy).

So there's my first WIP Wednesday in over a year!  What are you working on?

Sam :-)

WIP Wednesday

Currently I have 3 projects that I'm working on consistently.

My Dad's Blanket has been on the needles for quite some time.  Recently I made a lot of progress.  I've even put myself on a schedule.  I have one quadrant finished (yes quadrant).

I needed to block it because my gauge has changed in the past 2 years.  I've apparently become a much looser knitter as I've gained experience.

I have just over two squares done on the next quadrant.

The next project I have been working on is called Royal Jazz.  It is the pattern Shawl That Jazz.  I'm using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted in color Royal.

The yarn is just amazing.  It is so pretty!!  I'll be using two skeins for this pattern.  I wound one of them while I was in Maryland for Maryland Sheep & Wool (where I purchased the yarn).

The ball was as big as my head!!  This pattern is very easy.  In fact it is my TV knitting.  It is just garter back and forth.  I know the finished product will be totally worth it!

The color is most true in the yarn picture.  The colors are very bold and bright.  I love them.  In the last picture you can see my third project peeking in at the top of the photo.

It is my first sweater!!!  I'm calling it my English Garden Hoodie and the pattern is Everything Nice Hoodie.  I've had this yarn in my stash for a while. 

The yarn is Araucania Tocanao Multy in color English Garden (426).  I think this yarn is now discontinued.

This is a bottom up sweater.  I've almost got to the point where I can join the pocket fronts with the rest of the sweater.

I'm really excited about this sweater.  I really think this is something I would wear a lot.

I've linked up with Tami's Amis.

What are you working on?

Sam :-)

You Gotta Keep Your Head Up....

Ooooooh, and you can let your hair down, ehh!!   Andy Grammer anyone?  I've been watching the movie Pitch Perfect a TON lately.  I just got HBO (it ended up making my cable bill cheaper?! not sure, but I'll take it!) and Pitch Perfect is only on there until FRIDAY!!  I have to get all of my acca-scuse me's in NOW, STAT!

I haven't updated here in months again....I will get into a groove again with this.  I keep telling myself that.  I last posted here in February.  Again, a lot has happened since then good and bad.  One of the bad was that my grandmother passed away a couple of weeks after my last post, February 20th to be exact.  Her and I did not have a perfect relationship.  She was who I crafted with, she sewed my whole life, but I taught her how to crochet.  There was a period of time a couple of years ago where I was with her every Saturday morning.  There were things that we most definitely did not agree on, its family drama and I won't go into it, but I managed to have a relationship with her anyway.  I somehow compartmentalized and savored what we did have in common.  So now that she is gone there are so many conflicting emotions.

Right away my family gave me her yarn.  I helped sort it with what I wanted to keep and what should go to Project Linus (she worked with them).  It is a lot.  I bought a bunch of it for her.  It is mainly Stylecraft.  I know eventually I want to make a blanket out of some of it.  I actually have a half made blanket that she started that I want to finish.

I'm not going to do it just yet, but I will finish it some day.  She loved seeing everything I made and I encouraged her to try new patterns and techniques.

I changed my hair big time the day my Gram passed.  My mom was telling me all of the errands she had to run and getting her hair cut was one.  I managed to fit in an appointment.

I went from:



To this new style:

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my curls, but it was nice to do something different for a little while.  I had people walk right past me and not recognize me.  It was actually kind of cool.

Craft-wise, in February I decided I was going to make a baby blanket for Rayna.  She's the daughter of Lauren, my best friend growing up.  I'm not close to Lauren right now, but there was never anyone as deserving for something handmade and pretty.  She's had to deal with so much with Rayna.  Rayna's had all sorts of eating issues and allergies.  I just wanted Lauren to know I was thinking of her.

These were the colors I started with:

I really wanted to try something different and when I saw this pattern, Harlequin by Ingrid Jansen, I knew it was the one.

I had to add more colors to get the number of diamonds I needed.

It ended up being a lot bigger than I anticipated.  Somehow my math was way off.  I didn't take into account the joins and the spacing needed.  It ended up being 35" x 44" and I have made my previous baby blankets around 28" x 33".  It's fine, it is a Mommy and Me blanket!

I love how this blanket turned out.  Lauren likes it, so I was super pumped.  My ravelry page for it is here.

I actually wrote this post 2 weeks ago!  I forgot to post it.  So, maybe I'll get out a WIP post later today or tomorrow!!

Sam <3

FO Friday - Color Affection, Linen Stitch, & Baby Items

I had this written on Wednesday!!!  I forgot to post it because I took Friday off from work and I didn't touch the computer!  So here it is, better late than never!

I finished quite a bit during my accidental hiatus from blogging.  I showed you a while back that I purchased yarn for a color affection.

I love these colors.  They are Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce in colors Grape Juice Purple, Bright Green, and Peacock Blue.

This shawl grew faster than I thought.  This was my first shawl. 

My finished pictures were taken with my phone while Dave was in the hospital, so they aren't very good.  I haven't gotten around to taking better pictures.  The picture directly above, where I'm working on the border, shows the colors the best.

I did a nice wide border, just what I wanted to do.  I really think it shows off the blue perfectly!  I love the colors, I really think they work perfectly together.

Once I finished my color affection, I was in the mood to finish more!  So I picked up my Linen Stitch Scarf (seen here and here), which I hadn't worked on in FOREVER.  I plowed through and finished it!

Can you believe that this scarf came from this yarn?

My finished pictures weren't in the best light, so you can't see the subtle pinks and the bright blue as much as you can in real life.  The yarn used was Artyarns Ultramerino in color 195 (Red-Purple) and Claudia Hand Painted Yarn Fingering in colors John B. (Pink-Brown) and Hawaii (Blue-Green-White).

After I finished my Linen Stitch Scarf, I started working on two baby bibs.  These bibs actually were not for my sister.  They were for a soccer teammate who was having twins (she just had them a couple of days ago).

I like the monkey one better because it has a neater cast on edge.  It uses short rows to create the curve, while the ducky one uses a method where you keep casting on more stitches.  I couldn't stop it from looking loose.  I think I'll end up making more of these for my sister.

As soon as I found out my sister was having a boy, I cast on a little blue sweater.

I loved working on it!  It went by so quick!

I made the newborn size because I was worried I'd run out of yarn (I didn't).  My mom and my sister were worried that it was too small.  So I did the only logical thing, I put it on my 13lb dog.

It fit Toby with plenty of ease and my mom and sister got a kick out of it!

The pattern was Thom with a "TH" and the yarn was Knit Picks Swish Worsted.  I used 1.55 skeins. 

With the left over yarn I made a newborn hat:

Again my mom and sister think it is going to be too small, but we'll just have to wait and see!

After I completed the sweater, but before I started Owen's Little Square Blanket I finished a knit blanket for Owen.  He's going to be so spoiled.  I started this blanket when I found out my sister was pregnant.  I did it in Navy yarn I had on hand, thinking that it is a neutral essentially and could be for a boy or girl.

I haven't blocked it yet.  The second picture shows the color of the yarn better.  The pattern is Pine Forest Baby Blanket and I used Berroco Vintage in color 5188.  This yarn is very soft and squishy and it is great that it is machine washable!!

So those are all of the items that I have finished since about March.  I've linked up with Tami's Amis.

Sam :-)

WIP Wednesday and an Update

Holy smokes!  Its been a month since I posted!!  My life has been pretty hectic.

This guy has completely come out of his shell and is absolutely adorable:

Toby does the head tilt when you whistle at him.

He likes to scatter his toys all across the floor and grab towels as well.

He has been added to my wall at work.

His carrot is his favorite toy.

He loves to just chill outside.  He'll just sit there and look around.

He loves to visit his brother George at my parents house.

He was neutered last week and this was the only position he felt comfortable on day one.  The cone head was driving us all nuts because he couldn't play or eat or do anything with it on.  If it took it off he tried to lick his stitches.  My parents neighbor had a suggestion and the vet said it was perfect.

We put him in a baby's onesy.  He fits in about a 3-6 mo size.  We put it on him backwards so that the front is on his back.  That way it snaps right around his tail.  He can run around and play, eat and drink, and no licking of the stitches!!!  It works so well and he doesn't mind having it on.  The stitch comes out on Sunday and then he won't have to wear it.

Toby has now taken over my wall at work.

Toby spent the weekend with my parents because I was on a trip.  My dad kept teasing my that I wasn't getting my dog back because Toby was snuggling with him.

 Too many dog pictures?  Get on with the WIP pictures? Will do.

So what have I been working on this past month.

First up, Drops Blankets:

I have 4 more squares done.  That's it, just 4 more.  Here's the other 10 I showed you before:

Next project is my Little Square Baby Girl Blanket:

 That's right, one more square.

So you are probably wondering, what have you been working on?

Next project is my Linen Stitch Scarf:

One row of this scarf takes me about an hour.  I've been working on this a lot, but it is slow going.

Next project that I've been working on, but not as much as my Linen Stitch is my Diamond Sock:

I don't work on this too often because I have to concentrate to not mess up the pattern.  I had to set it down one day when Dave started to talk to me.

Nest and final project is my Infinity Scarf.  I have been spending a lot of time on this one:

I am in the middle of my 3rd skein of yarn and I am going to use 5.

Now back on August 2nd, I showed you a blanket I started for my dad.

I've been having second thoughts about the pattern.  I didn't like how loose it looked and felt.  I even went down two hook sizes and the very tall stitches, the trebles, just seemed like a toe could push through.  That is a requirement from my dad by the way, no holes that toes could push through.  So, I started an Oblong Wooleater.

Check out the pattern pages and help me out Wavy Blanky and Oblong Wool Eater, which would you choose?

Since I'm working on so many projects I've just linked up the names of the projects with my ravelry pages if you want to know any details.

I've linked up with Tami's Amis, Small Things, and Frontier Dreams.

Sorry this was so long.  I felt like I had to catch you up on everything......okay maybe I was just gusing about my puppy with a ton a pictures.

Sam :-)