Almost forgot...

to post this little finish.  After finishing the stitching on "A Little Snow" I also stitched the bonus design included in the kit.

   Stitched with DMC on a scrap of amber linen as charted except I used the raspberry colored floss to stitch the little border at the bottom rather than the light pink.  I also gave my cardinal two tiny legs.

   As you can see, this little tag is tiny.  I always seem to forget how satisfying a little piece that only takes an hour (or less) to stitch can be.  

   I like to keep my floss stored on bobbins and like being able to 'kit' my colors together on a ring when I start a new project.  So I thought that this little piece would make a perfect floss tag.  Again, finishing things into something useful is so much better than leaving stitched pieces in a pile never to be seen again.  I used another one of the Twisted Stitcher's tutorials, this time for floss tags, and I am so glad I did.

  

An official finish

   I managed to actually do the finishing on my stitched "A Little Snow" piece.  I used the Twisted Stitcher's tutorial for creating a flat fold and although mine is certainly not perfect, I think it's pretty good for a first attempt.

Lizzie*Kate

A Little Snow

   Next time, I'll make sure to remove some of the bulk from the fabric at the corners before glueing everything together.

   I really loved this cute trim I found when out buying supplies.  I had to stop myself from buying it in every color!

   Wow, was this a lot of work to put together, but I think it is definitely worth the effort and much much better than letting stitched pieces languish in a pile indefinitely.

Excuse the dust

   I'm dusting off the blog after a hiatus that went on much longer than I expected. I guess that's what you can expect with the general chaos of the holidays on top of the general chaos of grad school.   Although I haven't been blogging much, that doesn't mean that I haven't been crafting. Knitting has taken over my (crafting) life which is no surprise. What has been surprising that I haven't been able to squeak in any time for other crafty endeavors. But let's change that.

   This weekend I stitched this little piece that I knew I had to have when I saw it pop up on the Lizzie*Kate blog recently. I used the recommended DMC colors and stitched 2 over 2 per the chart. Except for my freeform tree on the right (which means I miscounted and couldn't be bothered to fix it) I stitched as charted.

Lizzie*Kate 

A Little Snow

DMC as charted

    I think I want to try my hand at finishing this piece as a flat fold.  I've never done anything but frame a finished stitched piece (and poorly at that), but I'm looking to branch out.  This weekend I'll venture out to the craft store and pick up some supplies to get finishing!  I'm going to try the Twisted Stitcher's flat fold tutorial that can be found here.  I'll report back hopefully with a success!

Summer Vacation

   It's been quite a while since I've had anything to report on, but I have a very good excuse.  I spent the first two weeks of August in Europe and have finally gotten back into the swing of things back here in Nebraska... just in time to start another crazy semester in which I'll be teaching again... on top of all of my other time commitments.

   My first week, in Norway, was all about working.  But I did find some time to enjoy some of the gorgeous scenery.  Here's just a taste.

  Again, this week was supposed to be about working, but it was really hard to concentrate when I really just wanted to be outside the whole time.  I also met these guys, who wandered the island and hung out on the beaches like it's no big deal.

   Once the work was over, my visit took me south to Oslo and also to Sweden, where castles and palaces are all over the place.  So unlike plain old Nebraska... sigh.

   Not to give too much away, but Norway is amazing, pretty much anywhere you go and Old Stockholm is probably my favorite city ever.  If you get the chance to see either of these places... take it!

   As for crafty things, I did manage to finish something!  These are a pair of Cadence Socks knit in gorgeous Tosh Sock in Ink.   

   I'm really picky about sock patterns (and lace patterns for that matter).  I generally have two requirements.  First, they need to be enjoyable to knit (a fun lace pattern adds to this).  Second, they need to have a reasonable stitch count and a no-fuss heel construction (also adding to requirement #1).  

   This pattern is a winner in every way.  The lace repeats are simple enough to be easily memorized, while the pattern changes it up enough to stay interesting.  The heel and stitch count makes for a well fitting sock without any weird proportion problems like some patterns.  I made no changes to the pattern and got a great fitting pair of socks.  I'm sure I will use this pattern over and over again.

   Summer is quickly coming to a close.  Classes start up again next week so I will be spending some time this week planning my fall projects.  They might be ambitious. But hopefully not too ambitious. :)

quiet

   It has been awfully quiet around the blog for a while, but that does not mean that no crafting has been happening.  Around this time last year, I was in a knitting funk, but not this year.  I have many plans and many of them are right on schedule.  I surprise myself sometimes with how much knitting I can do when I have my mind in the right place rather than scattered about.  Since work has settled down a bit (very busy, but only working during "normal" business hours for the last few weeks), I have time to knit on a regular schedule and plenty of daylight hours to get things knit up... fantastic things.

   Like my Apirka Socks.  I CO on May 2nd and finished weaving in the last end on July 7th.  This was a big project, but I'm happy to say that I was able to finish it in a reasonable amount of time - in between many other projects of course.

   These socks were a relatively easy knit, but there was a bit of uncertainty (which always seems to slow me down) about how successful they would be.  There was no way that I would be able to get the same gauge as specified by the pattern, not that the pattern as written would have fit anyway...  So I improvised.  I knit a swatch and used a total of 5 different needle sizes to get them to fit properly.  I also had to re-chart the toe and heel so the foot of the socks would fit.  In the end, however, I love the finished pair and I'm pretty sure I've finally mastered Kitchener stitch.  Cuff-down socks are still not my favorite method, but being able to successfully graft stitches opens up quite a few doors to new-to-me sock designers.  

   Speaking of socks, I discovered a new yarn shop in my town and felt I had to bulk up my yarn stash a bit.  So I brought a few lovelies home with me.  Including this amazingly pink skein of Mal sock

and also two pretty skeins of Mal lace.

   I still have not explored shawl knitting in any real depth, but I expect this new addition to my stash will solve that.  

Now I'll go back to plotting another big project for the fall.

 

WIP Wednesday

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   Today I don't have any finishes to show you, so I guess it's time to introduce a couple of new WIPs.

   The first up is Windswept.  I anxiously waited for a couple of months before the pattern was released in late May.  Then I bought it immediately.

Source.

   I'm using another Mirasol yarn (these are seriously addicting to me), T'ika in this royal blue color.  The yarn is 100% cotton, so I'm hoping for this to be an easy to wear pullover for cool nights this fall.

   My next WIP is Gemini, which I'm knitting in another 100% cotton yarn that I ordered last week, Estelle South Pacific.  

Source.

   This one was CO simply because it finally got hot and humid here in Nebraska, making any knitting with wool (other than for socks) unbearable.  Nothing prompts summer knitting like summer. :)  

   I'm taking a bit of risk with my size choice for this top since I'm in between sizes and am not sure that I am able to get the full 4" of negative ease the pattern calls for.  I got gauge with a larger needle than the pattern calls for, but if I knit the closest size, I would only get about 2" of negative ease.  Not enough.  My easy solution is to go down a needle size and knit my closest size to eek out a bit more negative ease.  Hopefully this works out or well enough at least.  If not... well, we'll re-vist this possibility later. 

 

Hue Shift Part II

   Earlier in the year, I finished up one quadrant of my Hue Shift afghan,

and over the weekend, I finished up my second quadrant.  I planned on knitting one square per day, but got sidetracked once or twice and had to catch up.  Each square takes about 40 minutes to finish, assuming I don't get distracted.

   I have a love/hate relationship with garter stitch.  I love how squishy the finished fabric is, but I really hate knitting in garter (I love me some purling!).  It seems to be harder on my hands since I have to "open up" each stitch in order to knit, whereas for purling, I can just slip the needle in and wrap the stitch with very little effort.  It might just be my knitting style...

   Anyway, these two sections finish up all of the solid color squares.  Hopefully the color changes for the next two sections will be interesting enough to get them finished soon... and by soon I mean on this side of Christmas.

one skein

   I'm not really a fan of small knitting projects.  I prefer things that are a bit more complex.  Or large.  Something I can actually wear.  Mostly this means sweaters with a good number of sock projects thrown in.  I don't usually do things that take only a day or two to finish or make baby items.  My most basic project is a vanilla sock.  So I don't really have a lot of use for a single skein of yarn (unless it's sock yarn).

   When I dyed up two skeins of yarn using two very different dye baths, I wasn't exactly thinking critically about what I wanted each single skein to be.  So this little project isn't one I'm particularly thrilled with (I can't muster up a whole lot of enthusiasm about this one), but it's done.  I no longer have this guilt-inducing single skein of yarn living in my stash and taking up space.

   I do however, like the little pops of the original blue that show up in the slip stitch pattern.  But meh... maybe these mittens will be gifted or passed along to someone else.

drink the kool-aid

   I recently dipped my toes into the world of dyeing... and had no idea how fun it would be.  I choose what is probably the easiest method ever, which involves: Kool-aid + Crockpot.  Here's what happened.

  I ordered this Wool Clasica half price in one of my elann.com yarn binges.  The color was not exactly what I expected based on the website photo and the colorway name (cirrus), so I was underwhelmed.  In my photo it looks like an icy grey, but in reality the yarn had a bit of a green tinge to it that made it look sort of "off" I guess.  So, I went to the grocery store and bought about a million packs of Kool-aid (and also awkwardly bumped into a former student in the line behind me... while buying a million packs of Kool-aid.  But that's another story). 

   The process is actually really simple.  Cook the yarn in water for a while until it's good and hot.  Mix up your KA colors.  Then dump them in the pot.

   Like so.   

Let the pot cook and pull out the yarn after the water turns clear.  Let it cool a bit, rinse, then hang to dry.    

   Here's my first skein.  It's a mix of greens and teal blue.    

   I also dyed this second skein using black cherry and grape KA.  

Not bad for my first try at dyeing.  Now I can't wait to get my hands on some bare sock yarn.

 

slowly growing or slow going?

  After buying a kit for the Aprika socks from the Cyber Monday sale at Knit picks, I finally worked up the nerve to cast on during May.  I'd hesitated because the reviews for the pattern were hot and cold... but mostly cold.  

   I knit my socks toe-up and have never completed a pair of stranded socks, so this project is a first for me in many ways.  The cuff and first couple of charts around the top of the sock seemed to drag on forever.

   But then I finally got to the good stuff.  My stitch count went way down after finishing the calf shaping and the main chart pattern is pretty addicting.

   Since the photo above, I've knit a few rounds of the foot chart.  But this pattern is starting to slow down for me.  I think it's mostly because I'm not thrilled about the afterthought heel method because I can no longer try the sock on as I go! /knitter problems  There's less of a safety net when you can't be sure of the fit on something so I think that I'm subconsciously trying to delay an inevitable fit-fail-frogging by hiding these at the bottom of my WIP pile.  I may knit to a good stopping point on the foot the knit the heels so I can go about my trying on every few inches like I do with a toe-up sock.  

Uma

   My favorite sweaters are Chic Knits designs.  They are my favorite both to knit and to wear.

This is Uma.

(cow-spotted kitty included for scale)

Just another knit for myself.  

Pattern: Uma, Chic Knits

Yarn: Mirasol Sawya

Colorway: Black

   The yarn I used for this one is interesting.  It's a cotton, alpaca, and silk blend that is velvety soft - it actually feels like velvet when knit up.  It didn't knit like a cotton, but isn't super hot like alpaca usually feels to me.  I think I'll have to pick up some more of this.

it has been too long...

So here's a finish for you!

Pattern: Fancy Feet Anklets Kit, but I substituted a different lace pattern.

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Fingering

Colorway: Lilac

   It's been a busy summer for me so far, which isn't a bad thing, but sometimes it leaves me with not enough crafting time.  And unfortunately my writing obligations elsewhere have left me a bit out of sorts when it comes to blogging.  But limited crafting/blogging time does not mean that there is no crafting time to be had.  I have lots to show you!

   Besides finishing that quick pair of anklets in the photo above, I've recently dug out some old WIPs and cast on a few more.  Right now I think I'm feeling spread a bit too thin when it comes to projects, which means it's time for me to get some things off the needles.  But where to start?  

Here's just a list of some of the things I'm currently trying to get done to give you some idea:

1. Apirka Socks: these stranded socks are halfway done and I've committed to finishing them by the end of July - hopefully with some time to spare.  They are an easy enough knit, but I'm most motivated to work on them only once or twice a week and never on consecutive days.
2. Hue Shift Afghan:  I started another 25 square section (my second of four) and have given myself a one square per day (or better) deadline.  Which means I should be done with this section by June 25th.  
3. Spiral Mittens: Last month I experimented with Kool-aide dyeing and CO these mittens to use up a single skein of grape scented yarn. :)
4. Cameo Shawl: I just got back from visiting family in California and needed something portable and simple to knit on the plane.  SO. MUCH. GARTER. STITCH.
5. Cassidy: I'm still working on Cassidy.  Before leaving for CA, I managed to finish and block both fronts.  Now I'm being mocked by the single sleeve that needs to be knit and blocked before I can begin the seaming.
6. Cadence Socks: I CO to use some gorgeous yarn and knit about 3" but I will likely frog and go up a needle size.

   There's so much to do!  Funny how involved I can be in my "hobby" when my "job" is just as intense. Work hard, play hard...

   One thing I have been sort-of good at is keeping my stash acquisitions in check for the most part.  But I fell hard at my favorite LYS in CA.

Lets just say that it could have been worse and in my defense, my sock stash was getting dangerously low.

one in every color

   I finished this cardigan before the end of April and pretty much haven't taken it off since then.  This is the perfect spring cardi to throw over everything.  The a-line shape is really flattering and the simple garter and stockinette stitch is not too busy, plus the cotton is cool and so soft.  I'm already planning to make another one of these in a wool or wool blend for the fall and maybe another cotton one in another color (or twelve).

Pattern: Miriam Cardi

Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport

Colorway: Haze Heather

   Sweaters like this are usually boring knits because they are so plain, but they really are the easiest to wear.  I've been making a lot more of my sweater knitting decisions and yarn choices based on what I will actually wear rather than just being an interesting knit.  But sometimes these kinds of sweaters and the time and effort put into knitting them is more valuable.  In fact, this sport weight piece took me about 20 days of knitting time (almost exclusively on this) to knit.  I used a little less than ten balls of yarn which cost me a grand total of about $14.25.  Way less than what a store bought sweater would run me and it's really a steal considering this is a handmade item.

In other words, I'm really glad I learned to knit. :)

WIP report

This last week I've been focusing on two main WIPs.

 The first is Uma, a top down cardigan that is full of interesting techniques.  The plan is to have this sweater done by the week of the 20th, which should be doable since I've already completed the only seaming (at the neckband) and have started to weave in some ends already).  

  Above is my progress as of Sunday morning, but yesterday I managed to knit a sleeve cap and add a couple of inches to the length.  Interestingly, I discovered yesterday that I have never knit a short-row sleeve cap before.  I'm very familiar with short rows and hiding wraps, but I've just never used the technique for a sleeve cap.  So that was interesting and looks great (trust me on that) so far.  I think I'll have to come up with some excuses to knit short-row sleeve caps more often.  

   My next WIP is from a Knit Picks kit, Apirka Socks.  These will definitely be a long term WIP so I don't get burned out on the stranding and end up burying these in the WIP basket.  I'm working these (sort of) two-at-a-time on two sets of needles.  Mostly so I don't have to remember the needle changes I'm making to get these to fit.  It's slow going knitting on both socks at once, but hopefully, this will help me avoid SSS.  

   In other news, I got the next Santa's Village chart in the mail over the weekend.  I'll be ordering some floss and hopefully, will find some time to squeeze in stitching time before the end of the month.

Santa's Stocking Store

   Over the weekend, I finished stitching Santa's Stocking Store.  This one went quick and I'm excited to stitch next month's reindeer!

Chart: CCN Santa's Village, Santa's Stocking Store

Fabric: Wichelt 32 count amber linen (2 over 2)

Floss: as charted

   As you can see, I did not stitch the striped border along the top of this chart.  I think the holly branch border is just too pretty to have to compete so closely with the red and white stripes.  So far I think I like it.

  Eventually I plan to stitch the striped border as a frame around the finished piece, but in the meantime... back to my knitting.