Update on WIPs

Finished Projects - pictures soon!
The Nutkin Socks - they turned out slightly loose but I like them. The yarn was a bit rough at first (Fibranatura Yummy in raspberry) but as I worked with it I noticed it softening up some. I think washing them will help soften them up more.

Angry Birds - I've also been doing a bit of crocheting lately. I made not one but two pigs and one cardinal from the Angry Birds collection. I'm not a big fan of crocheting although I will do it when there's not a knit pattern for something I want to make. I probably could have converted the pattern to knitting but I was in a hurry to get the green pigs done for the kids' Easter baskets. They loved that the Easter Bunny brought them 'Happy' and 'Bob', their green pigs. Now I'm working on a second cardinal. I have to make two of everything otherwise my 2 year old and my 6 year old will fight over them and that's never good. :) It will be fun to see what they name their cardinals.

WIPs:
Garden Plot Dress - I've made some progress on the dress for the 2 year old. It's slow going with the bobbins but it's simple enough that I haven't messed the lace up too badly...yet. Lace isn't one of my strong points, so it takes more of my concentration than usual.

The Dreaded Beaded Scarf: - I've also managed to finish 4 full repeats of the beaded scarf I'm working on. The first repeat was tricky but now I've gotten the hang of it and it's not so dreaded anymore. It's one of those 'long term' projects. :)

More Socks! - Since I finished the Nutkins I cast on not one but two pairs of socks. Since I made a single Angee sock (Cookie A) before and liked it so much, I cast on a pair of them using some beautiful yarn that I lost the ball band for. I have no clue what kind of yarn it is but it's knitting up nicely. I've also cast on a pair of Artichoke socks in some cool yarn from Liberty Yarns.

As I listed out all my projects I realize I've been a bit of a short-attention span knitter lately. It's fun but it sure makes it hard to complete anything. I just love using all the pretty yarn I have. :)

Learn to Knit Socks KAL

Have you ever looked at someone's beautiful handmade socks and wanted to make a pair of your own but thought it was too hard? Think that no more! Wendy at Knitters Brewing Co. is starting a Learn to Knit Socks KAL tomorrow - but don't worry, it's not too late to join! Just go here and tell Wendy 'you're in'. Then tomorrow download the pattern and get started. And what's really cool about Knitter's Brewing Company KALs is that you can win prizes for participating! Use your own yarn and you get entered to win a skein of KBC yarn; use KBC yarn (there's a kit you can order with a cool stitch marker in it) and you can win a skein of yarn and a project bag. You can find details for how to enter the prize drawing on both Ravelry and the Knitter's Brewing Co. website.

Wendy is a sweetie who always includes a personalized note in your order as well as a discount coupon for your next order. And her yarn is really nice! She and Kelie (who designed the Learn to Knit Socks pattern) do a podcast. So far they've done 5 episodes and I've enjoyed listening to them.You can find their podcast on iTunes and also directly on their blog, Yarn on Tap. I hope you check them out!

Project Updates

I've been busy lately and haven't had much time to sit down and update my projects. Life is crazy with a 6 year old and a 2 year old! So, without further ado...

Saturday Morning Hoodie - I pretty much finished this. I just need to make the button loops and sew the buttons on when they arrive in a few days. I ordered some cool ones from Knit Picks that should be here in a few days. I like how the sweater turned out, although I probably would go up a size if I was making this again.

Staggered Squares Blanket -This is coming along nicely. I haven't found any more knots in the yarn (and yes, I probably just jinxed myself again). The yarn did pool strangely at first but now it seems to be more random but there's not much I can do about that. The pattern is very easy to remember and the blanket is coming out nicely. I think the mommy I'm giving it to will really like it.

I've got a few more projects going on now that the sweater is just about finished. I'm working on a beaded scarf. It's tedious to work on it - beads, purling through the back loop, bleh. I did order myself some nice sharp needles to help with the purling through the back loop. We'll see how much they help. Maybe one day I'll fnish it. I'm going to try to work on it 30 minutes a week so I can get it done one day. :)

I'm also working on a pair of mis-matched socks. I made the first sock with yarn that is beautiful shades of teal, aqua, and blue. I like how the sock turned out, but it was a total pain to knit - either there was something wrong with the Cookie A pattern or I did something wrong (that's most likely what it was) but I had to do some creative knitting to get the pattern to work out right. I decided that one sock in that pattern was enough. I'm making the mate with the same yarn, just using a different Cookie A pattern - Angee. Hopefully this second sock will go better than the first!

Well, I think that's all for today. Tomorrow - you want to learn to knit socks from the toe up? Come back tomorrow and find out who can teach you!