Skill + 1 Up - 2KCBWDAY2

"Day Two Prompt Skill + 1UP: Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year."

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March of 2010 found me casting on for the most daunting project ever, my first adult sized garment (find hood posts here and here and here) . My sister asked if I would make her a sweater, I suggested a really neat hooded vest from Spud and Chloe. She saw it and fell in love. The yarn drooling commenced and we picked out yarn that was affordable and in a color she liked.

Fearfully I cast on. I didn't know how it would turn out. Would it be too big, lopsided, uneven, ugly? Would she wear it once I finished it?

It wasn't too big, lopsided, or ugly, in fact it took 2nd place at the county fair! She wore it for a month straight and even though I haven't seen her wear it in a long time, I know she still loves it. I learned how to make a hood, pick up a large amount of stitches, make sleeves, pom-poms, embroider so many X's I thought I'd die, it was quite the experience. Ever since tackling this big project and finishing it faster than I could have imagined I knew that I could achieve anything! Since this project I've been taking on more challenging things. Like toys, writing my own patterns, and free hand embroidery with out fear.

April 2010

Sept 2010

The pictures above are the same pattern (more or less) knit five months apart, the first turtle was knit before the hoodie and the second turtle knit after. It is amazing what five months can do!

In the next year I am knitting my sister awesome gauntlets where I will learn and master many new stitches. Last year I wouldn't have dreamed of casting on for such a project, this year I am confident I can achieve my goals faster than I can imagine. Also, in the coming year, I would like to maybe make something with cables (I'm thinking a sweater or a vest for my son) and two-at-a-time socks, which seems more practical to me.

I am excited to see where my knitting will take me. When my aunt taught me to knit that fateful day in October I didn't know that I'd be here still knitting three years later. I didn't think that I'd want to knit so much that I'd  beg a surgeon to repair my wrist (from a previous break) so that I could "at least" knit. I'm amazed that the gigantic pairs of mittens I made ( 3 pairs ) or the hats that didn't look right ( 2 that I can remember) or the too short scarfs or too long ones or the one that had so many different gauges of yarn that it never looked right didn't deter me. I kept casting on, I kept knitting, and project by project I improved.

I am so very thankful for that aunt... I think it's time I knit her a thank you gift.

Embellish the Story - 2KCBWDAY8

Wild Card Prompt: "Blog about an embellishment, be it a zipper, amigurumi eyes or applique patch which you are either saving to use or have in the past used to decorate a project with. "

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"Nice"

In the waning hours before bed a woman holds up a baby sweater that she had just finished. She proudly turns it to show her husband her face waiting for the coming praise. "Honey, what do you think?" she asks holding her breath.

Turning from the TV he gives it a quick once over and then affirms with a nod, "Looks nice."

Nice, she thinks. I want more than nice. Nice means, you did it, you made it, you put just the right amount of effort to complete a project. I want more than nice, she muses. I want "Wow" or "Great" or "Fantastic" or "You Did That?"

The knitter frowns as she looks at her handy work and wonders where she went wrong. Did she block it right? Are her stitches neat and uniform? Are there any oddities? Yes, yes, and no but something in the back of her mind is nagging at her. She puts it down in front of her and thinks.

Her knitting is a blank canvas, inches and inches of clean stockinette stitch longing and begging for attention. Then it comes to her. She needs some embellishment. The knitter, now fueled with knowing the solution chooses some bright pink yarn, threads it through a needle, and gets to work. In a few moments she has added a flower, a heart, a little something to take her creation away from nice. 

"Honey," she says to her husband as she displays the sweater for him, "what do you think now?"

His eyes light up just a little like he's seeing the tiny sweater for the first time, "I like that, it looks nice."

This time the knitter does not fret over "nice". He said he "liked it" and she could see in his eyes that he meant it. Happily she sets her work down and picks up her needles, it's time to start a new project.

finished 

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That was a scene from Friday night at my house as I finished a sweater for a baby shower. It seems that often when a project is "finished" it's not really "complete" until that last little bit is added.

I usually add a little embroidery because I have not planned to add anything and I'm pressed for time. Some times, when I'm thinking clearly before casting on, I will add some intaria or fairisle to a project to "jazz up" the plainness of stockinette stitch. 

One of my favorite things to add on is a little butterfly I found on Spud and Chloe. I have put it on hats and doll clothes even though the intended project is a little ring.

 Doll pattern can be found here, doll dress pattern can be found here, sweater (with hearts) can be found on Raverly, turtles found here, hat is here, the flower on top of the turtle is here, 

and the other sweater (with trees and buttons) here. 

Embroidery is my own

Socks, Super Bowl, and Soaking Up New Knowledge

During my sprint to get the hat done I got a little lost and frustrated, and had begun to hate knitting. I was having some major issues with the yarn I was using and the gauge I kept achieving. After a needle change, two and a half rip outs, and some fast decreases I finally ironed out the kinks. However, an inch into the pattern my mind turned to mush and I found my self dreading the black and red yarn.

I decided that I needed a little break. I put the hat down and picked up some size 4 needles, the rest of the yarn I found at Marden's for $.99, and knit my boy up a pair of socks for Valentines Day. They knit up super fast. It was nice to settle into something mindless and enjoyable for a few hours. I hope that they will fit him through to next winter, they have quite a bit of stretch to them so I am optimistic.

Super Bowl Sunday, with one sock finished and hours of couch time ahead of me, I picked up the hat and commenced to knitting. I was very happy that I was surrounded by family because they were able to watch "Stomper" so that I could buckle down and just knit.

I was able to knit and knit and knit and by the time half time rolled around I had gone as far as I could without my DPN's on the wonderfully despicable hat. I happily set the hat back in my knitting bag and picked up needles and yarn to start (and nearly finish) the second sock, all before the end of the game!

My next project leaping on to my needles is a commissioned project from one of my brothers friends. He wrote to me on Facebook: "Do you think you could knit me up this hat?" To which I responded: "You mean like the one Jayne wore on Firefly, sure, I can do that for you."

I jumped headfirst into Raverly and typed in "Jayne's Hat" hoping that someone had come before me and had written the pattern. To my surprised (and really why should I be surprised?) there were 44 matches for my request! After sifting though several different versions I came upon this one from Keiyla. Lo and Behold it even has a new cast on (Twisted German) for me to try; I am so very excited!

If all goes according to plan and "Stomper" cooperates with me I get to cast on for the hat tomorrow. Also tomorrow I hope to snap a few more pictures of the completed Plaid Flannel Hunters Hat and send it off to the people who wished to give it a test for me.

Mindless Knitting

Yesterday after finishing the mittens I decided I needed to do something mindless. My son needed a hat so I said to myself "Self, knit your son a hat."

I used size 8 needles and DK/Sport Weight/size 3 yarn and CO 72 stitches. I stopped at 6 inches because I was bored and worked the decreases. I used the decreases from this pattern by shizknit because it is an 8 stitch repeat   (The decreases are in increments of 8 stitches *k2, p2, k2, p2tog*) with a 2x2 rib, my other favorite decrease for a ribbed hat is Spud and Chloe's and it is a 6 stitch repeat
 (The decreases are worked in increments of 6 stitches *k2,
p1,
k1,
p2tog*) with a 2x1 rib.

In encourage you to grab your favorite size needles, some soft squishy yarn, set up a gauge swatch and cast on!

Baby Knits

I'm having a boy!
Well, sort of.
My husband and I are adopting a baby boy in the next few weeks. For the whole story visit my other blog.

Turtles

I made these turtles for Easter for my Sunday School kids.

Camp Hoodie

Finally bought the yarn in the right colors to start my sisters Camp Hoodie from Spud & Chloe. I wish that I could be using their yarn since their colors are so vibrant and wonderful, but I had to settle on Lion Brand Vanna's Choice. This under taking is going to take awhile. It starts out by casting on 186 stitches the most I've ever had on my needles before. I am excited for the challenge.