Hi everyone! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was great! Justin judged at The Battle of Maine karate tournament this weekend, which meant I got to see tons of cute little kids doing somersaults and get lots of knitting done. Here’s a recap of my weekend:
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week everyone, and happy knitting!
Hi everyone! It’s amazing how quickly life becomes so busy once the new year hits! There have been some very exciting developments at work, which combined with a few big grants to write and lots of math homework have left me with little time to blog the last month.
The weather has been pretty crazy here, this was the view from my window yesterday! The exciting thing about the snow was that school was canceled (woo-hoo!) and my work was closed! (Unfortunately I didn’t know that part until the afternoon so I was still working away on that grant I mentioned earlier) But, once I read that work was closed I got right to knitting.
Lots of snow in Downtown Hampton!
The lovely Jennifer of Knitwise, Purlwise recently designed the super awesome Colorblock Shawl and is offering it for free on Ravelry! Sweet, right? To celebrate the publishing of her first pattern she’s hosting a knit-a-long on her blog and through the Instagram-along-ers group on Ravelry. Needless to say I fell in love with the pattern right away, especially since it’s such a great stash-buster! Taking advantage of yesterday’s snow day (and the power going out which gave me a few uninterrupted hours of knitting) here is my progress so far.
My colorblock shawl
Happy Wednesday, and be sure to check out Jennifer’s blog for other colorblock shawls, of if you’re on Instagram check out #colorblockkal for other updates. And as always, click on the WIP Wednesday logo at the top to check out other projects on Tami’s Amis!
Hello everyone! And a very Happy Valentines Day to all of you! I never have been one to really get into the Valentines Day spirit, but I think the older I get I really enjoy the idea of celebrating those around me. Valentines day to me isn’t all about having a man love me and buying a card, it’s a chance to step back and say to friends and family just how special they are to me. Not to mention I love all of the kitschy decorations I get to put everywhere around the house and office.
So my socks have really been coming along the last few weeks. That is until Blizzard Nemo (since when do we name blizzards and winter storms? I still don’t think I can get used to that) left me house-bound for a few days and I for some reason felt motivated to make progress on my Fiddlehead Mittens instead of working on the socks. I’ve so far finished the left sock for both me and Justin, and gotten started on the right sock for Justin. He’s not too happy that I was distracted from finishing his socks (but when the mood strikes, you just have to knit what’s calling to you, am I right?), but this weekend will be my chance to get the second one done. Here’s the progress so far.
Sock progress so far
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. I know these sheep are 
Happy Valentines Day!
Hi Everyone! Sorry for missing WIP Wednesday AND FO Friday last week… things got a little hectic and my week got away from me really quickly! Especially with the blizzard that hit us over the weekend in New England, which gave me lots of good time to knit We ended up getting about 2 feet of new snow in about 24 hours, and all of the snow made me feel like I was a kid in Michigan again. Growing up near Lake Michigan we used to get tons of lake effect snow all the time. Here’s a little glimpse at my weekend.
The ‘calm’ before the storm
That’s my poor car buried under all of that snow.
Needless to say, all of that snow gave me a great chance to get some knitting done. If you remember my Fiddlehead Mittens from the last WIP Wednesday, you’ll know that I only had one completed. Not the case any more! I was able to get the entire second mitten finished and even get started on the lining. I know it’s hard to tell in the picture, but all of this alpaca is so amazingly soft! I have a feeling these mittens will feel like I’m wearing a cloud!
As part of one of my favorite facebook groups full of knitters and crocheters, I’ve recently joined a ‘littles’ swap. 12 people all across the US and UK have signed up to make knit or crochet motifs no larger than 1.5 inches to send to each other. Mine have started coming in and they are so cool! I’m thinking about putting them in a pretty bowl on my desk at work so I have something pretty when I need to fidget. I finally have gotten around to making mine in hopes of getting them in the mail on Friday — I’ve decided to go with a theme of upcoming holidays making shamrocks from Sarahndipities, and easter eggs from Fiber Flux. If you’re looking for cute little crochet projects be sure to check out both blogs, I’m thinking I’m going to make extra for me and make bunting, since anyone who knows me knows I’m a big fan of country kitch decor. Here’s what I’ve got so far on my littles, 5 down, 17 to go!
My collection of littles so far
Thanks for checking by to see what’s on my needles & hook this week. Be sure to click on the WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along links the top to see what others are knitting and crocheting this week. Happy Knitting!
That’s right folks, it’s time for my weekly knit-a-long update! You can just call me Miss Socks-A-Lot since that seems to be all that’s on my brain lately. Sure I’ve got a whole slew of projects laying around the apartment on needles, but the cold weather has made me want enough hand-made socks to have cozy toes every day of the week. As you saw in last week’s post, I decided to make socks for Justin as I take part in the knit-a-long being hosted by Sarah at Crafts from the Cwtch. As of Saturday night I’d turned the heel on the first sock.
… and we have a heel!
When I woke up on Sunday I decided to start a pair of socks for me, in order to help avoid the dreaded second-sock syndrome (or at least that’s what I’m telling myself to keep from feeling guilty ) Last week when I was at one of my favorite yarn shops, The Yarn Seller, where I was lucky enough to find a crazy zauberball to finish Friday’s featured shawl, I decided to pick up a pair of Addi Turbo knitting needles. As I mentioned last week, trying to knit toe-up on the double pointed needles was more than a pain, so I thought this was my perfect opportunity to try out some needles I’ve always wanted and give the magic loop technique a try.
For those who have only dreamed of the addi turbos like myself, let me tell you, these were magical! Other than my hand getting a little sore (I’ve pretty much knit only on bamboo needles for at least the last 5 years) these were incredible! I’m not sure if it was the needles or magic loop or some combination of the two, but these are the fastest socks I’ve ever made! I cast on in the morning and before bed had turned the heel! I still kind of can’t believe it. But here it is folks, my first magic loop sock.
The funky toe (increases only on one side)
The yarn goes so well with my purple leggings!
Happy Knitting!
Happy Friday, everyone! I can’t believe it’s finally Friday, and February 1 at that. Between some personal issues like my car being in the shop for 3 weeks and Justin and I both getting sick, we both are ready to turn the calendar and see what February has to offer.
I’m taking College Algebra at the local community college this semester to help brush up on my math skills as I prepare to take the GRE this spring. My undergrad GPA isn’t as high as I’d like, it’s a 2.98, so I need a killer GRE score to get into my grad schools of choice and have any prayer at financial aid. Let’s hope all this studying is going to be worth it, the 2+ hours of math homework and studying a night are getting tiring, and we’re only 2 weeks into the semester.
But to help keep me sane between my crazy job and class I knit. Big surprise, I know. So let me introduce you to a new series for the blog, in the tune of ‘WIP Wednesdays‘ I’ll be posting ‘FO Fridays’ (which is Finished Object Fridays, for those of you knew to knitter-speak). This is my chance to show off projects that I actually manage to finish and either wear or gift.
This week’s project is a favorite for many reasons. If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know I was able to travel to Germany this spring through the Rotary Group Study Exchange Program. That in and of itself was an amazing experience. Being the yarn nerd I am, rather than buying souvenirs in each city, I bought yarn that I would take home and use to make projects for me. In Norderney I picked up a ball of a very vivid and bright sock yarn, Schopple Woole’s Crazy Zauberball in Indisch Rosa, which is a funky pink/purple/red combo of self striping yarn. While I had initially intended that yarn for socks, through the wonder that is the Instagram knitting and crochet community I joined a knit-a-long in January dedicated to the 22.5 Shawl by Martina Behm. I knew right away this yarn needed to be a shawl so it wasn’t hidden under pants and in shoes. And the designer of this shawl is German, so I felt it was a perfect match. Here is my 22.5 Shawl, which I’ve affectionately nick-named my Norderney Shawl.
The beginnings of my Norderney Shawl
Making progress!
My finished shawl!
Thanks for stopping by to check out my work. Be sure to click on the FO Friday photo at the top of the page to check out Tami and the others participating in FO Friday.
Happy Knitting!
Two posts in the same week (let alone consecutive days)… I can’t believe it! One of my crafty goals for 2013 was to be better about documenting my craft-ventures on my blog. So be ready for lots of ‘WIP Wednesday’ and ‘FO Friday’ posts.
For those of you who aren’t too familiar with knitter-speak, WIP is ‘Work-In-Progress’ and ‘FO is Finished Object’. So no, I’m not actually breaking out a whip on Wednesdays and I didn’t mean to type UFO Fridays (though some in the crafty-universe call their wip’s UFO’s, aka unfinished objects. For the sake of the blog I go with WIP since last i checked there isn’t a day that starts with ‘U.’ Confusing, I know. You’ll get the hang of it, I promise.)
Recently Danielle from A Stashed Addict posted on her facebook asking how many wips people have laying around. That got me thinking, just how many projects do I have on needles and hooks laying around the house. After some digging I’ve discovered 2 crochet projects and 4 knitting projects on needles and hooks around the house (I think there may be 2-3 more in the storage unit too!). So over the upcoming weeks I’ll be highlighting my work in the ‘WIP Wednesday’ feature.
Up this week is my current favorite WIP, my Fiddlehead Mittens. With some inspiration through the class at my favorite lys (that’s knitter-speak for local yarn shop) Knitwit Yarn Shop in Portland, ME, I decided to jump into more detailed color work and give these mittens a go.
I’m using Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Couscous for the main color, Malabrigo Rios in Aguas for the coordinating color, and Suibui Knits Baby Alpaca DK in Suit for the lining. With the alpaca and merino wools these bad boys feel like a cloud, they’re so soft!
At time of publication I’ve got one shell totally done, and the second one just barely started. I think these should be done in the next few weeks, just in time for those late-winter New England cold snaps.
Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Knitting!
My how the time certainly does fly. It’s hard to imagine that we’re almost finished with January, 2013 already! I feel like I blinked last summer and woke up 6 months later.
Since my announcement back in October that I wanted to have this blog take a turn for the crafty, I’ve been doing lots of knitting. And then I knit some more.
Through the smart-phone social networking wonder that is Instagram I have come across the most wonderful group of folks who love to knit, crochet, and spin even more than I do! Hard to imagine, I know. I’ve been so inspired by all the wonderful projects and colors, it was just what I needed to get my behind in gear! {now I just need to make my blog schedule and stick to it!} As part of this community I’ve been able to join a few Knit-A-Long projects, or KAL’s as they’re called in the knitting world.
The most recent is hosted by Sarah, the clever mind behind Crafts from the Cwtch. This project is called the “Next Step Sock” knit a long (or #NSSkal for all of you instagram junkies like myself), the idea being that everyone has either knitted, or wants to knit socks. Rather than everyone knitting the same pattern, as is the usual format for a KAL, everyone is knitting socks that challenge their current level. Some people are making their first ever socks in basic pattern to learn new techniques like gussets and turning heels, some people are making the most beautifully intricate color-work socks, and everything in between.
Because I’m taking 7 credits this semester and working full time (I’m crazy, I know), I decided to do a basic sock with a twist. I’ve made several pair of socks before, all in the standard top-down construction with little to no flair, besides the awesome color changes that happen in variegated sock yarn, so Socks on a Plane was the perfect pattern for me. It uses a toe-up construction and has a simple cable up the side. Just enough to learn something new and yet not be overwhelming. Justin has been working in one of the schools as a paraprofessional, so these are going to be his ‘congrats on the new gig’ socks. Here’s my progress so far: (sorry the cable is hard to see, I’m still trying to figure out how best to photograph dark yarn)
For those of you out there interested in joining in on the fun, do it! You’ll be glad you did (and if you live somewhere cold your toes will thank you)! You can join our Ravelry group for lots of tips and pointers, and if you’re on Instagram be sure to tag your photos #NSSkal.
Happy Knitting!
Wow, it’s really incredible just how fast time can fly by. Living on the beach was awesome this summer, lots of time in the sun and sand forgetting all about technology. The after school program I run started a few weeks ago and wow, what a year it’s going to be. In 4 program sessions we’ve seen 276 different students! Last school year it took us 5 months to see that many kids! Lots of exciting things happening there and our website/blog will be live soon for you to learn about what exactly it is I do when I’m not knitting. Now that it’s no longer beach weather I’ve been spending my weekends getting crafty, learning new skills like fair isle knitting and getting started on Christmas gifts for the family. Here’s a peek at what I’ve been working on… enjoy!
Hi everyone. I’m back stateside and finally getting caught up on life after my 6 week adventure in Deutschland. For a while I thought about shutting down the page, but I realized that I do have a lot of fun writing from time to time (it’s nice to write for pleasure instead of all grants all the time!) and my blog is a good way for me to share what I love with those who may not be on my facebook or twitter. So as many of you know, I LOVE to craft. I learned how to sew when I little and have been knitting and crocheting TONS the last few years. So I’m thinking this blog might be a good way for me to keep up with my writing for fun while sharing my crafty adventures. What do you think?
So to kick things off, I’m going to be working on a Granny Christmas tree skirt. That’s right, I’m crocheting a tree skirt in August! My fellow crafters would agree that it’s never too early to start on holiday projects! It’s a pretty awesome pattern from that looks easy enough for my intermediate crochet skills. Not to mention that I’m hooked on granny squares, and it’s just simply beautiful! Anyone out there want to craft along with me? I’m planning on picking up my yarn tonight, so be on the look out for picture soon!
Here’s a new favorite song of mine that I discovered on my trip to Germany, happy almost weekend!
