Flower Garden

Here are some flowers I've crocheted to adorn some of the kerchiefs I've knitted. I also want to make them into brooches and chokers. The largest one is about 4" in diameter. I've been using a combination of different wools and cottons. I'm just trying to use up a lot of what is in my stash. So far, it's been very fun to experiment with different crochet hooks and yarn varieties to see what I can come up with.

So Pretty!

Have a gander at this darling skirt. I bought one of these several weeks ago from Posie, the charming boutique where the Holiday Handmade Bazaar took place. The one I bought was black over pink. I'm waiting for just the right occasion to wear it! Posie also has lots of other new items for sale, including lots of pretty handbags. Take a look!

Blockin' Around the Clock

I stayed up until 1 a.m. this morning so I could get the front of the sweater finished and blocked along with the back. Originally, I had finished the front around 10:30 p.m. when I realized that I knit it up identical to the back and completed spaced the neck shaping! So I had to rip out about 15 or so rows and then finish each shoulder separately. Luckily, it didn't take me too much time to catch up. I guess I just wasn't paying attention!

Lazy Blogger

I finished the back of the ribbed sweater a couple of nights ago, but haven't had time to pin and block it. I hope to get to that tonight. I'm about halfway through the front. I can't believe how fast this project is whizzing by. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. I made some banana bread last night for this work meeting on Friday and I totally fried it. I checked it one minute and the toothpick came out with batter all over it and when it was taken out 10 minutes later the outsides were dark brown. That's what I get for watching The Bachelorette, I guess. What can I say? Meredith is a hometown gal!

Not Much News

I'm still working on the front of the ribbed sweater. I did finish the mottled section and am now using all olive green. I'm almost to the armholes. This weekend, I concentrated more on prepping my bedroom for painting, so I had less time for knitting than usual.

Long Story Short

Alas! The Peruvian Collection yarn did not make gauge for the jacket. So instead of returning it to Elann, I decided to find another more suitable project. I picked up my trusty old issue of Rebecca (I hope the new one comes soon!) and found this mottled ribbed turtleneck. I started in on it last night and it's knitting up fast on the number 11 Addis. I think the colors look good together.

Gauging the Situation

I got my yarn from Elann yesterday! The colors are fabulous, but I'm a little worried that it won't make gauge for Anticipation. It doesn't really look like worsted weight yarn, but I'll swatch it at lunchtime to see what happens. Maybe it will work. In the meantime, I'm still knitting bucket hats (and kerchiefs). After I blocked the first one, it turned out to be too big for my head, so I gave it to B and started in on another one for myself. I'm using the leftover chartreuse yarn I used for the legwarmers.

While I'm Waiting

I finished a prototype kerchief last week, but it still needs to be blocked to get it to lay flat. I used some Rowan Handknit DK Cotton from my stash. I think it turned out pretty good. I didn't use any pattern. I just cast on a couple of stitches and kept increasing a stitch at every end on all rightside rows. Then I crocheted a tie on. While waiting for my yarn from Elann, I decided to knit up another Bucket-O-Chic hat with more yarn from my stash. This time I used some Brown Sheep Nature Spun in orange. It's turning out quite nicely! Some of the other buckets I knit in the past had some problems with rolling brims, but with the revised pattern, the garter stitch brim is perfect. I think I'll have to make a few more!

What Did I Say?

Okay, so I went to Elann and filled up my shopping cart with some worsted weight yarn. They are both Peruvian Collection. The olive color is Sierra and the brown is Highland Wool. How could I resist when it only came to about $57!

Summer Bazaar

A friend who's planning a summer bazaar at her house invited me to participate. There are only about five or six of us so far who have crafty things to sell. And I'm not making scarves! I decided I would knit up some cotton kerchiefs in both adult and child sizes. I can make them striped or solid-colored and also adorn them with brooches or other accessories.

PS Thanks for all the suggestions concerning yarn substitutes for Big Wool. It looks like double-stranding worsted weight yarn is my best bet. I don't know when I'll actually be able to start this project now!

On Hold

I've decided to put Anticipation on hold for the time being until I can find a yarn I like. I was going to just go ahead with the Big Wool since it would cost the same as the Volare, but I don't really like any of the available colors. So, I'm going to the LYS to check out other bulky, chunky yarns. I also am thinking about trying to sketch out some design ideas and trying to make those materialize into something. We'll see what happens!

Not Yet

So I was going to order the yarn for Anticipation on Friday, but haven't yet. I know that the Volare is not anywhere near the same gauge as the Big Wool and I would have to knit the project with a double-strand. That means ordering twice as much yarn as originally planned. So I'm trying to decide if I want to shell out the bucks for that. Hmmm...