Vacation Yarn!

This weekend the hubs & I went to Destin, Florida. I made sure to scout out some yarn stores before we went down. And thankfully there was time to visit the stores I found.

The first one & best one that I went to was called Unwind. From the moment you walked in there was a yummy yarn smell. She had twinkling Christmas lights & candles galore that lit up the store. It was so warm & cozy feeling in there. Wall to wall from almost ceiling to floor was covered in yarn. So much good, squishy stuff! I meandered around for quite a while. She even sold Lantern Moon needles there & they were soooo tempting! But these are the yarns I walked out of there with. If you ever get the chance to go to Destin, I highly recommend this yarn shop.


This is Jojoland's Ballad. Super pretty green plus it was only $4 a skein! So you can't beat $8 for a pair of socks!


This is Shibuiknits Socks. I thought this was such a feminine colorway that I just had to pick it up. There was also a lovely peacock teal color that was very tempting too. But this colorway won out.


This is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn. It was sooo soft that I just couldn't pass it up. I love this colorway - not exactly feminine but still pretty.

The second yarn store I went to was called Destin Yarn Shop. This shop was located in a weird little "strip mall" consisting of this store & a mattress store. That did not deter me one bit. I walked in & the atmosphere was a bit different. Lots of harsh florescent lights that just made it a bit too bright in there. Not only that, but not one person greeted me when I walked in the store. And there were several ladies sitting right at the entrance knitting! So I browsed around & found these two yarns. This store had more novelty yarn & tons of cotton yarn. I'm just more of a wool girl myself so there wasn't too much there that appealed to me.


This is Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine. Very soft yarn & a lot of yardage for a little price.



And this is Plymouth Yarns Sockin' Sox. Again, a lot of yardage for a little price.


So that's it. That's the end of my yarn adventures. I wish I had found more spectacular things but all in all I'm very happy with what I found. Now to cast on!

A Few Finished Projects....Finally

It's been a while since I've had something to contribute to this crazy site. Too many projects on my needles & not enough knitting time! But I finally got a few things accomplished today & off of my needles!

The first thing I finished were my Owling Fingerless Gloves. Super quick knit. These should be really warm come the cold weather. I can hardly wait to use them.

The second thing I finished is my Aquaphobia socks. So glad to have these finished. I made the mistake of using a yarn that I didn't have two skeins of which meant I had to find some from someone else. Huge mistake because the skein I bought is so drastically different in colors that it's silly. Oh well. I'm willing to give that up because these actually fit my feet. That's right folks! Out of all the socks I've made, these are the first ones that fit!

Chinook Shawl

This is a shawl that I am absolutely in love with. I love the pattern, and I love the colors! I bought this as a kit from KnitPicks in late Spring or early Summer of this year, and it has been sitting in a box ready to go ever since. I have gotten myself ready for this project in increments. In the Summer I made all the stitch markers I would need (or so I thought). Late Summer I knit the gauge swatch; mid-Autumn I re-made the stitch markers previously created due to the fact that jump rings with a bead on them don't keep their place when used with lace. I packed all my accoutrements and yarn into one of my knitting boxes and headed out the door. I got my stitches cast on, and got to the second row which consists of purling and placing markers only to find out that I had not made enough stitch markers and could not continue until I got back home to make more stitch markers. Total bummer.

After that minor set-back I have now knit through the first chart and arrived at the start of the second. I also arrived at my first problem with this pattern. The second chart is numbered incorrectly, which, thankfully, is a minor problem that is easily fixed. I am off and knitting again! So far, I highly recommend this pattern to anyone who wants to knit a shawl for the first time. The pattern only consists of knitting, purling, yo, k2tog, and p2tog. Those are pretty easy stitches. I think the hardest thing would be just keeping track of where you are in the pattern, which is a problem with all projects.

Emmaline's Toddler Jays

So.......................

The progress I have made on these socks can pretty much be viewed in my previous photo. I spent all of my knitting time Sunday (which wasn't very much) ripping back the heel of this sock, after having gotten a good two inches past the heel. I tried the sock on my little one the night before, and, much to my dismay, I could not get the sock past her heel. AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Over the past few days I have spent time adding another increase round and re-knitting the heel. I got half an inch or so past the heel and tried it on Emmaline again, this time it was WAY too big. So, rip again I did. At first I had decided to rip back to the original increase round then knit the heel in a needle size larger to see if that would add enough room. However, once I had ripped back to the original increase, I tried it on Emmie again and saw that I should probably have knitted a few more rounds before starting the heel. This time I knit two extra repeats and started the heel. We'll see how it fits from here....

Oh the agony, oh the frustration!

Emmaline's Sweet Baby Jane

Not much in progress, but I am getting there. I've done one round of decreases to help shape the skirt a bit more. Hopefully, it will turn out great, and I won't have to rip back!

JP's Socks

OK, so these are done enough for me to take a picture of them and set them aside 'til crunch time. These projects for JP have been such quick knits, but for some reason I am sick of them. I think I am just a bit burnt out on knitting gifts. I need to make something for myself...(I've got a shawl in the works! Whoo hoo!)

Emmaline's Button Toque

Here is a hat I made for my little girl Emmie! Now we can have matching hats.

This was made with Rowan Country in the color Birch on size 13 needles. I got this done in one day, an impromptu birthday gift. Now, I just need to get her to stand still long enough to snap a picture!

And More Socks, Too!

Here are a pair of socks I am knitting for Emmaline. I am knitting them on size 1 (2.25mm) DPN's and am using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in the color Desert Flower, color #100. The pattern is Toe Up Baby Jays, and it is based off the adult sock pattern Jaywalker.

These socks have been really fun to knit, and the pattern is really easy to memorize. This makes it a pretty quick knit; it doesn't hurt that they are socks for a toddler instead of an adult, either. I do, however, have a few gripes about the pattern, or I should say the way the pattern was written. Now, mind you, I am keeping in mind that this pattern is free, so I'm trying to not complain too much. On the other hand there are several things assumed and left out by the author which I feel should have been included. This person just assumed everyone making these socks would know how to do short rows, and there is a stitch left out in the increasing round. I am not sure exactly where that stitch should be placed, so I knit that row as k1f/b, k9, k1f/b, k1f/b, k9, k1f/b, then spread the next four kf/b evenly across the bottom of the sock. Plus, there were no links, recommendations, or instructions for the provisional cast-on. I used this method.

After writing the previous paragraph, it occurs to me that these were my only tiffs with this pattern, which may seem silly or petty. I don't care though, not having the short rows written out just ticked me off! I guess I got upset because this pattern would probably be really confusing to a new knitter. Thankfully, I had a few other sock patterns I could reference for correctly doing short row heels and toes (I still messed up the heel). So, that's my tirade. All that said, I still have enjoyed knitting these socks, and I will definitely be making more!

Socks, Socks & More Socks

Here are a few pairs of socks that I'm working on as time allows. One pair (red) is called the Hourglass socks. The second pair is called Aquaphobia.

Lori's Prayer Shawl

This is a prayer shawl I made for Lori, Katie's sister. She belongs to our little Bible Study group & I wanted to make something special for her. I hope she'll enjoy using this in her daily devotion time.

Ava's Twirly Skirt

So here it is finished. I'm not completely satisfied with it but that's mostly due to my knitting skills (or lack thereof). Hopefully she will still like it!

Allhiskids Half Linen Stitch Longies - Completed

Emmaline's Twirly Skirt

Here is the final photo of the skirt I made for Emmaline. I procrastinated on actually "finishing" this project for so long! There is just something so hard about finishing a project when I have done with all the knitting but still need to sew. Oh well, at least it is done!

I braided three of the trim colors together to form the tie at the waist. It satisfied my need for instant gratification more than knitting an i-cord would have. Then I sewed the waist band down over the tie. It really didn't take me long; I just didn't want to do it...

Elin's Mystery Alligator Scarf

Happy Birthday Elin!!!

This scarf was knit on size 7 needles using Araucania Azapa yarn in their lovely shade of green. It didn't have a name or color number, sorry. It took three skeins of yarn and 7 more pattern repeats than what the original pattern called for to make this scarf. I loved the yarn, hated the pattern. If you decide to knit this scarf, don't buy a yarn that costs as much, and don't buy a bulky yarn like I did....

Elin's Prayer Shawl

Longies W/ a Skirtie

Another Pair of Longies Completed

Self-Striping Mirror Socks

I've started on a pair of socks for myself. This will be the first pair of socks I will have ever made for myself, plus my first project reading from a chart. The pattern can be found here if you have a Ravelry account.

I'm using Premier Yarns Serenity Sock Weight yarn in color number 8-Saffron. I am using smaller size 1 DPN's instead of the size 0 called for.

So far I am pretty pleased with the way this is turning out. I was worried that the striping yarn would look messy with all the variations in the pattern. I think it would have been messy looking if this yarn were a self-patterning yarn, instead of self-striping. The chart is pretty easy and the instructions seem pretty clear so far. I also had to learn a new way of casting on for these socks. Which was nice, since it is always nice to learn something new! These socks called for a Turkish cast-on. I used this tutorial for my casting on, but used DPN's instead of two circulars. I got through the cast-on to increasing stitches and ended up dropping a few stitches. Which meant I had to start all over again, because I had irreparably dropped them. Oh well, it's always something!

Socks for JP

This is how far I've gotten on another pair of JP's socks. Still need to finish the second sock for the first pair.....eek!

Cabled Button Toque

Here's the Cabled Button Toque I finished over this past weekend. You can find the pattern here. It only took me a few hours collectively, though I started it on a Friday and didn't finish it til Saturday or Sunday. I used size 13 straight needles for the brim and size 13 DPN's for the rest of the hat. The yarn is Country by Rowan in the color Birch. Now I just need to find a fancy button to put on the brim! I think I am going to make a matching one for my little girl, too.

This yarn was the first yarn I bought when I was teaching myself to knit. Unfortnately, it has taken me two years to find a project worthy of this yarn. I fell in love with all the different colors, and how the gray changes shades as well. I loved how thick and fluffy and squishy this yarn was, plus that it was single ply. Thick, single ply yarn somehow makes me feel like I'm knitting rustic-style, like people used to knit hundreds of years ago. It strikes me as wild, and I love that!

JP's Hat

I finished another hat for JP. This one was made from Filatura Di Crosa Maxime Print, color number 5072, on size 2(3.00mm) DPN's. I used the same pattern as the one before.

I really enjoyed working with this yarn. Since it is a sport weight yarn project went a lot faster. I have also started a sock in the same yarn. I still haven't finished the pair of socks in the Trekking, so I'll need to get on that, too! Oh well, minor victories lead to majors!

Emmaline's Hoodie

I realized a few weeks ago that I never got a picture of my Emmaline wearing her hoodie, nor did I even take a picture of the hoodie after it had been completed. So here are some pictures of the hoodie "in action"!

Dishcloth for October's Birthday

I'm a part of a dishcloth exchange where each member is assigned a month (their birthday month). Then everyone else in the group sends them dishcloths for their birthday. This is the cloth for the October gal.

While I enjoyed knitting this because it was very easy, I'm not pleased with the way the tops came out. I think the pattern could have been written a little better.

Mommaof8's Longies - Finished

Sorry the pic is sideways. I can't figure out how to turn it.

Mommaof8's Longies

Ava's Legwarmers

I've started on my Christmas presents for my nieces with this project. This "pattern" is simply something I made up in my head. There is 2 inches of ribbing followed by 6 inches of stockinette and 2 more inches of ribbing. I cast on 20 stitches for a 7" ankle and increased 4 stitches when I had 2 inches of stockinette stitch, then another 4 stitches when I had 4 inches of stockinette in order to accomodate a 10" calf. I made these 10" long for a little growing room.

I knit the ribbing in size 10 DPNs and the stockinette in size 13 DPNs. The yarn is Jo-Ann's Sensations Angel Hair. I don't have the color number or name because my little girl got a hold of the label, and it has subsequently disappeared. Let's just call it purple!

This is how far I have gotten on the second.

JP's Hat and Socks

Here is the first sock. I finished it last night! I had some problems with the instructions for the sock, so I will make notes on the second one to see if I have the same problems.

Mommaof8's Longies

This is day two of Amanda's longies. I'm about to start on the gusset. Had to restart b/c we weren't sure if we had the right measurements. Once the gusset is complete, the rest should go very quickly.

JP's Hat

I've finished the hat for my friend Lisa's little boy. Now I've set to work on the matching socks. Here's how far I've gotten on the first one.

This is the same Zitron Trekking XXL in color 401. I'm using size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs.

Jarrell's Baby Hat

Here's my progress on a hat for my friend Lisa's baby. I am knitting this with Zitron Trekking color number 401 on the larger size 1 DPNs.

Emmaline's Sweet Baby Jane

I got the yarn for Emmaline's little jumper in the mail about a month ago. I can't believe it has been that long.

This is Woobu from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the color Tanzanite. The color isn't quite what I had expected given the photo on Blue Moon's website, but I am still pleased with it.

Let me just say these hanks are huge! Look at how big this one is in my hand!

Isn't that crazy? It took me a very long time to wind these hanks into semi-cakes with my nostepinde. But, at least I know I got my money's worth!

The yarn has a wonderful drape to it, and I can't wait to see how the finished project turns out.

I cast on last night and have altered the pattern a little to knit in the round (I hate seaming!). I cast on 156 stitches for the size 2. I am hoping to have it done for my little girl's birthday. We'll see how things progress.

Mitered Hanging Towels

I have finally finished the three Mitered Hanging Towels I set out to knit.

I loved this pattern and the yarn was really nice to work with. It shed a little, though, but I think it is pretty good quality for how cheap the yarn is.
My only problem is this:

I accidentally cut my tail yarn way too short. I couldn't believe it when I did. In all my years of crocheting and knitting (5 to be exact) I have NEVER done this. Oh well, I guess there must be a first for everything. I am still trying to decide if I will just use a crochet hook to pull the short tail through some stitches, or if I will rip back a row and bind off there. I'll probably just go with the crochet hook...sigh.

Twirly Skirt

This is the progress I've made on Ava's Twirly Skirt. I have about two inches left on this current color before I begin the last color change.

Ava's Raglan Cardigan

This is Ava's Raglan sweater for Christmas. I just need to find & sew a button on to the sweater & it will be complete! Super quick & easy knit.

Ava's Twirly Skirt

Project update - I've completed the first color section. Working on the second now. Already outgrowing the circular that this is on. Easy pattern so far. Just lots & lots & lots of stockinette stitch.