Picture Day!

I finally got a chance to sit down and upload some pictures of finished objects. Here they are!

Raspberry Nutkin Socks - of course it's now to hot to wear socks, so these will have to wait until fall to be worn.

Angry Birds - Here is one of the pigs I made and one of the cardinals. I actually now have a bluebird made but I haven't taken a picture of it yet.

 

The kids really love the Angry Birds animals!

I've been spending most of my time working on the beaded scarf (formerly dreaded). I'm in the home stretch for it. Once it's done it will need to be blocked. Here's a work in progress picture of it:

I'm actually getting excited about it being finished. Once it's done I will be focusing on the dress for my daughter. I need to finish that before she gets too big to wear it. That's all for now!



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. :)

Mixed Up Socks

I finished these socks about a week ago. When I originally knit the first sock I loved how it turned out but I had problems with the pattern. I'm thinking that the error was on my part, but I can't be sure. Instead of knitting the second sock with the same pattern, I chose a second pattern from Cookie A's book Sock Innovation. I loved how the second sock turned out and I plan on making a matched pair of socks using that pattern.

Here's are the socks, Wainda on the left and Angee on the right:

I doubt anyone will realize that they are two different patterns unless they are staring at my feet. :)

I'm hard at work on some new projects. I've been busy working on my new Nutkin socks in a cool reddish-purpley color. I've turned the heel on the first sock, so as soon as I finish it I'll get a picture up. I've also been working on the Garden Plot Dress for my little girl. She chose the same colors as in the picture. I've only done a few rows on it so far but it's coming out nicely. I got some nifty bobbins to help me keep all my yarn straight for this one. I'm also working on a beaded scarf. I like how it looks but knitting it is so tedious! It's one of those 'why did I start this project?' projects. It will get done...one day. :)

Staggered Squares Blanket - Done!

I finished the Staggered Squares Blanket last night and I love how it turned out. The yarn is so soft and squishy and the pattern gives it enough texture that little fingers will enjoy touching it. The 16 row pattern was very easy to remember after a few repeats - I got to the point where I didn't have to look at my pattern anymore. It lays flat and has nice straight edges, all without any blocking - my favorite kind of pattern! It will be delivered to the mommy-to-be on Monday. I hope she likes it.

Here are some pictures of the finished blanket:
First, the whole blanket:

 And a close up of the pattern:

Now that the blanket is done I can finish up my mismatched socks tonight. Just have the toe decreases and grafting to do on the second sock. I love finishing up projects because it means I can start new ones. :)

Goodbye, Nutkin Socks...

Alas, I have worn out another pair of handknitted socks. Yes, I do this quite a bit because I wear my socks a lot and seem to be hard on them. This pair was in the Nutkin pattern and was made with Ellen's Half-Pint Farm yarn in Purple Mountain Majesty. Here's what they looked like. I finished them up 2 years ago, so I'm glad they lasted as long as they did. I know next to nothing when it comes to darning, so they will join the other socks I've worn out in the Big Sock Drawer in the Sky. As soon as I finish the baby afghan I'm making (it should be done tonight!) and the other pair of socks I'm making, I'm going to start on a new pair of Nutkins. I already have my yarn picked out - and it's stash yarn. I'm trying to be good and knit from my stash. :)

Saturday Morning Hoodie - Finished!

I finally got the buttons sewn on to my Saturday Morning Hoodie. I decided not to do the button loops at this point. My stitches are loose enough that I can slide the buttons through the ribbing stitches to fasten the sweater. I may end up adding the button loops but at this point I like it how it is. I've worn it a few times now and no one's run screaming from me, so I guess it looks okay. :)

I did take a picture of it, although it's a horrible picture. I need to find a good model to show it off for me.

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!