WIP Wednesday - Casting on all the things

There are several new WIP's this week as crazy me decided not to finish anything before I cast on a few new projects. 

My desk is crazy. I've been doing most of my knitting here and I move from project to project. Let's see if I can identify the chaos. The green yarn is for a shawl I am test-knitting. Don't know why I said yes as it needs to be finished by December 4th. I started it with a different yarn but didn't like how it looked so I am starting over with the green yarn. The light blue across the top is my Beacon Hill cardigan becoming yarn cakes again. I bit the bullet and started frogging it. It's taken almost all of my patience to unweave the ends. The black blob at the bottom is a super bulky cardigan I cast on for myself for some unknown reason. This yarn had been a bulky sweater that I never wore. I'm hoping I'll like it more as a cardigan. Who knows. And the teal on the right is my older son's Christmas sweater. Another Side Squiggles to match the one I knit Floyd this summer.

Here's a closer look at the Side Squiggles sweater. The pocket is hanging down in the picture above.

And here it is up. I have about 10 more rows before I join the pocket to the sweater. 

A slightly closer look at the super bulky cardigan, Camille. The model on the cover of the magazine seems to like it.

And some sad WIP's that are still hanging around, is this second sock that sits near me everyday, ignored.

And the boomerang shawl that got forgotten while I worked on the Mystery KAL shawl.

Speaking of the Mystery KAL shawl. It and the Bradway shawl are dry and waiting for their pretty pictures to be taken to share on Friday.

What have you been working on this week? Have you had a case of startitis this week, too?

Blocking Day!

Well, last week seemed like a good week to take off from blogging and just craft. Today I'm back with a couple finished knits that are finally being blocked. Both were finished last week but I didn't get them blocked until today. Hopefully they'll be dry and have some nicer pictures of them taken to share on Friday.

Here are the two shawls that have been patiently waiting. Top is the MKAL shawl designed by Jen of Knitting Like Crazy. The bottom shawl is Bradway, designed by Shannon of Very Shannon. Bradway is a Christmas present, while I might keep the MKAL shawl for myself. Still waiting to hear what Jen will call this shawl design so for now it is the MKAL shawl.

The MKAL shawl needed a lot of blocking wires and pins to take shape. Should be lovely once it's dry. Apologies for the lighting in the blocking photos. Our bedroom doesn't have the best lighting when things are on the floor.

Bradway shawl much easier to block. No pins or wires. Just straightened it out and am hoping it dries quickly. It is worsted weight yarn and really sucked up the water during it's bath. A nice, warm shawl for winter.

What have you been up to the past week?

WIP Wednesday - 2 Shawls and a Novel

Only a couple knits to share this week as I have mainly been working on two shawls. The last clue of  Jen's Mystery KAL was released yesterday. But Clue 3 and I didn't really get along last week, which caused me to frog some of the shawl and rework clue 2. 

Last Wednesday, I shared a picture of the shawl with leaf tips at the end of clue 2. Clue 3 involved picking up stitches on the wrong side of the shawl and making an "undershawl" beneath the leaves, so the leaves would be left loose. I tried a couple times and even after starting with the correct number of stitches, by the end of the first row of the first chart worked in Clue 3, my stitches were off. It got frustrating. I will pick up 300+ stitches only so many times before I give up and find another way. So I undid all 25 leaf tips. Lucky for me I had only wove in the ends of 5 of them so the first 20 were easy. The last five, I had to unpick the ends which caused the rows below them to begin to unravel, and well... I had to frog the shawl to the middle blue line you see above, between the two green sections. I reknit Clue 2, doing option 2 which didn't have leaf tips, but instead worked lace between the leaves. Originally, everyone was suppose to cast-off after clue 2 and pick up stitches for Clue 3, but I changed that. I added in some garter rows after clue 2 (the blue and green rows on top of the leaf  row), then did the last chart of Clue 3, which is the blue section on the needles. (sorry to any non-knitters who are totally confused right now).

A closer look at the leaves and garter rows.

Now I am onto the final clue. It's a bunch of garter rows before doing an I-cord bind off, which I've never done before. I admit, I kind of like my alterations compared to the original pattern so I'm not too upset that my shawl is different. There are over 500 stitches on the needles right now so it's hard to tell what it really looks like. Or how big it will be. Hope to have it off the needles by this weekend.

And last week, I got an email from my sister-in-law saying a shawl I had knit her got accidentally shrunk in the wash and asked if I could knit her a new one. I had the above yarn in my stash, which is the same brand as the old shawl, and cast on a Bradway shawl. Working with worsted weight yarn knits up so quickly. Loving the texture.

I made myself a wrist rest this weekend so I can write more at my desk instead of the couch.

And it's November, which means NaNoWriMo. I wasn't going to write a novel, since I had just finished writing one in August and have been trying to edit it. I looked through my notebook of novel ideas and nothing really jumped out at me. Then I looked at the ideas I had written down for the book series I had started with the novel "Lucy" written during Camp NaNoWriMo in 2012. And I started thinking I should have 2 books written and edited before trying to get the first published and so I made some notes about the second book and started writing yesterday morning. Wrote over 2,000 words while still in my pajamas. But, the novel is much darker than anything I have ever written before and I'm not sure I can keep that up for a month. It's kind of depressing to write. I'm thinking I might write the ending next so I know that my character has a happy ending, despite how crappy her life will be for most of the novel. We'll see. 

What have you been working on? Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? Or want to do it? It's not too late to start.

Friday Finishes - Cowls and a hat

Here are a few of my finishes from this month that I haven't shared yet. I've knit another 2 cowls. I think I now have enough to wear a different one each day of the week. Is that enough? I don't think so   either since I have several cowl patterns in my knitting queue. 

My Astrid cowl was adapted from the Astrid hat pattern I knit earlier this month. I used the same size needles as the hat and cast on 126 stitches. The ribbing is the same as the hat and I did 8 pattern repeats to get a height I liked. I then did 6 rows of ribbing so the ribbing at the bottom and top matched. 

After blocking, it still stands and keeps my neck and chin warm.

With the matching hat.

Side view. Now I have to wait for the weather to get cold enough to wear them. I like that they overlap in the back.

On September 30th, my friend and I went out to dinner to celebrate our September birthdays. We also exchanged presents and she gifted me this skein of yarn that she had bought on vacation this summer. I'm not sure what store she got this from. Sorry for the bad picture. When I got home after the dinner, I snapped a quick pic and then wound the yarn and cast on the pattern that the store owner included with the yarn. 

Of course it was for a cowl (knit within 36 hours of receiving the yarn). There wasn't quite enough yarn to complete the pattern but it's high enough. I even went down two needles sizes.

I think it was one pattern repeat short but you can't really tell. This is a post-blocking picture, so again I am happy with how much the cowl stands up. Helps keep me warm. 

Our three old, Floyd, is a little jealous of the Minecraft creeper hat I made his brother. So I said I would make him one. He asked for a rainbow hat with creepers. I adapted this pattern and gave it black creepers (even though they are green in the game) as that showed up the best. I changed the crown decrease since I wasn't going to add a pom-pom. And instead of making long ties that would be tied under his chin, I made shorter ties and added a snap. Creeper chart can be found here.

Happy boy wearing it to school this morning. It's a little big which means it should fit him all winter and maybe next year. 

Did you have any finishes this week?

WIP Wednesday - 2 Weeks Worth

     Last week was a little stressful and busy, and some things, like blogging, got ignored. My mother had surgery last week. She is doing well now and is back home. Good news is what they thought was cancer, isn't. Now she's learning how to live with part of her lung removed while doctors figure out exactly what the growth in her lung was. I've been very happy to have knitting and other crafts to help distract me while I sat at home waiting to hear news about my mom. It was really nice talking to her yesterday for about 30 minutes, laughing and catching up (i.e. complaining about the kids), knowing she was finally healing.

     Anyway, I took pictures to post for WIP Wednesday last week, but just didn't get them posted. Thought I'd include them in this week's post.

     By last Wednesday I had finished the first clue of the MKAL that Jen is doing. A nice, simple, straight forward clue.

     By this Wednesday I had the second clue complete. It's best seen in close ups as the leaves tend to curl up when I lay it out flat. There are 25 leaves, each knit individually so there are a lot of ends to weave in. I also started Clue 3 last night (not seen above) which is really neat.

     Floyd had turned the flash on, without my knowing, before I took this photo. Think it kind of helped see the pattern. This should look awesome after blocking.

      Last Wednesday, I was done the leg and heel and was working on the foot of a sock. I finished knitting the foot and started the toe decreases during the final debate last Wednesday. 

     Thursday, I finished the sock. I cast on the second sock this weekend. It's been going a little slower. I did my first Fish Lips Kiss heel with this sock and I'm wondering what took me so long. Love it. It's also my first time using 2.25mm needles and 72 stitches for a sock. 

     Last week I felt like crocheting so I got out the yarn to make more snowflakes. I now have 12 of 22 made. I think I need to decide what fabric these snowflakes will go on. That might help me get motivated to finish them up. And weave in all those ends.

     And this week, when I haven't been working on the MKAL shawl or the sock, I've been working on this shawl. It's kind of close to being done; you just knit until you run out of yarn or like the length. I think I'm going to make it a bit bigger. Sorry for the crappy location for the picture. It is rainy and overcast today and this was the only spot in the whole house with any decent light.

What have you been working on this week?

I have 4 finishes to share. I'll probably share a couple on Friday, but not all as some are gifts. I know I still need to take pictures of one so I hope it stops raining soon.

Friday Finishes - Yarn Edition

     I have several finishes from the past few weeks to share today. All but one are for me. And one of those might get frogged. Let's begin.

First, a picture of me wearing all the finished knits. 

     Here is the Astrid hat I mentioned on Wednesday (I'm making a cowl to match). I used leftover yarn from the cardigan I'm wearing - more information about that below. It's Cascade Venezia worsted in the Denim colourway.

Here's a picture of it flat. Great pattern. Easy to memorize. And stretchy.

     Crocheted cowl that I "designed" myself. I used the worsted skein of yarn I had bought from Turtlepurl Yarns earlier this year. It was the last one so I knew it was going to end up a hat or cowl. When I saw how wide the stripes were going to be I opted for this cowl. I used the same stitch pattern as the rainbow cat scarves but joined in the round after the first row. I crocheted until I ran out of yarn. I also love that the cowl still stands up after blocking.

      Stripey without being striped. Does that make sense? (Here is the same colourway, in sock weight, showing the stripes). I like that the colours dip into each other here. Pattern is simple; chain an even number of stitches. Make a single crochet in second chain from hook. Chain 1, skip next stitch, then single crochet in the next chain stitch, end with a single crochet. Chain 1 and turn. To join in the round I just chained one and then single crocheted in the chain 1 space at the other end, making sure not to twist. When I was finished, I used the yarn end to close up any space that remained. Second row you're making single crochet's in the Chain 1 spaces, and Chaining 1 over and skipping the single crochet's. Simple, if you know how to crochet, and great for watching TV. 

     This red scarf uses the same pattern as the cowl above. I guess when I find something I like, I use it over and over again.  This scarf will be donated. It is made out of two balls of Cascade Superwash 220, really red.

Wraps around a couple times with enough to tuck into a coat.

     And my last finish has been in all the other pictures, my Beacon Hill cardigan. Here it is with the original collar (the above pictures have a different collar). I followed the pattern and then decided the collar was big enough and didn't knit the last 20 rows. So, yeah, it was suppose to be even bigger. For me, it was just too big and too warm at the neck. My husband liked it and my daughter now admits she likes it better than what I have now, too. 

The back and sleeves are my favourite parts of this cardigan. There is a lot of collar there.

      I frogged  the collar and picked up the stitches 4 different times. I thought I was happy with this collar and reblocked the whole cardigan. But I'm still not happy. The buttons are too heavy (obviously that can change, and I am missing one at the bottom), and it forces me to have it done up all the time, or the button side hangs low. And I don't like how the collar sits at the back of my neck. I think I stretched it too much during blocking. I could block it again but... I'm not sure that is the answer.

      Back view with the latest collar. I've tried to wear it several times since I finished it and I never wear it more than a couple minutes. I feel like I'm constantly adjusting the collar so I take it off. I'm afraid this cardigan is doomed. I love the stitch pattern. And the yarn. But there's something about the cardigan that doesn't allow me to feel comfortable in it. I think I might have to frog it. I'm thinking a sweater to avoid buttons. Perhaps this Feathernest Raglan would be best? I must be crazy to even be thinking about frogging it and knitting a different sweater (and having to knit 2 more sleeves!) but I'm just not comfortable in it and don't want to wear it, as is.

Did you have any finishes this week? I'm almost done quilting the Cuzco Corners quilt, so I'm hoping to have that finished and ready to share next Friday.

WIP Wednesday

     It's time for another edition of WIP Wednesday. I have a few knit WIP's to share this week and a quilt WIP. I've been trying to focus on just a couple projects at a time to get more finished. It's working as I have several finishes to show you this Friday.  Let's get started.

     The Flower Garden shawl has been my main knitting focus. I would like to get this finished as soon as possible. I force myself to knit several rows before doing any selfish knitting (see WIP's below). I'm on my fourth pattern repeat. There's suppose to be one more but I might add an extra repeat (24 rows) since I have enough yarn. The yarn is dark green and almost impossible to take a picture of.

I've done a few more rows of the MKAL since yesterday. Still have lots more to go for this clue.

     And one of the finishes I'll share on Friday is an Astrid hat. I still had some yarn leftover from it and the Beacon Hill cardigan so I altered the hat pattern to make an Astrid cowl. I added extra stitches and will do at least 8 pattern repeats before doing the top border. This has become my take along project since I have the pattern memorized. 

      Last week was a crazy one. I spent 20 hours working on a fundraiser at my older son's school. So, I spent the weekend trying to get in some selfish time. Saturday afternoon I had a 4 hour nap (yeah, it was pretty great) and that evening, I sewed the Cuzco Corners quilt blocks together into a quilt top. The quilt is lap size, roughly 57 x 66.5 inches. Above it is laying on our full size bed.

Love the little pops of colour on the black background.

More pops of colour.

     Today I enjoyed the afternoon sunshine in the living room and basted it. Pins are at a weird angle as I plan to quilt this with diagonal lines. I placed the pins so they won't be in my way. Or at least that's the plan. We'll see what happens when I get the quilt under the needle.

What have you been working on this week?