Sweater update

Baby Sophisticate sweater. First sleeve complete. I know it will have the big collar but right now it looks small. 

My big project should be hemming two new pairs of pants I got for work. 

Not so craft related: we have been watching agents of shield. (Sometimes I get some knitting done). Also house hunting at our budget (including a studio space) is hard. We heard it was rough out there, but just recently experienced losing a house we thought we would like. Hoping there is something better out there. 

Springtime knitting

Here are some current photos of two projects I am working on. Knitted socks for me.

              Please excuse the basement apartment lighting... I'm sure I have said before, this is my lunch time knitting and keep-in-my-purse knitting. 

Baby sweater for a friend. Using the Baby Sophisticate pattern for worsted yarn. It is a really pretty navy (not so dark as the photo). It looks small but I realized the collar will add to the width around. I am doing a 12 month size, but I know my yarn is considered a light worsted.

Other news of sorts. We are trying to buy a house. We have to move soon from our current spot. And my husband has to move his small business. So we are trying to get a house to combine it all. We have one in mind but are not sure if we will get it. If we do It needs a ton of work, like redoing all the flooring and removing wallpaper etc. lots of painting, of course. I am excited and nervous at the same time!

Clothespins

A very quick project I made this afternoon. It is spring and currently sunny and 63 degrees. I decided to put some sheets and things out on the line. Last summer I managed to get some of my clothes pins mildewy by leaving them outside. Oops. So I bought some bamboo ones and kept the ones that were best from last year. I hope to keep good habits and always bring them inside. Here is the tutorial I used though I modified the size just by a few inches. And I basted the top over the hanger rather than making button holes. I know I will probably be washing it and so I sewed it in big stitches in a contrast color. tutorial

Clothes on the line. The sun has passed but I assume everything will dry fully over the next few hours. 

It is so satisfying doing a very quick project, especially for something I needed.

Just a note, my grandma gave me the clothes line "tree". And I believe she told me it was my great grandmas. In the summer I probably dry 3/4 of our clothes outside. My work clothes I usually dry in the dryer.

Craft Party

I had a few friends over to knit and chat today. It was so fun. Not everyone could make it and I also couldn't invite everyone I wanted to, due to our tiny apartment. Anyway, I often do crafty stuff by myself and it was fun to have the chance to get together and talk about knitting and various things. I hope to do a few more parties in the future.

Projects in the works still (pictures sometime, I promise!): Green and blue socks are nearing the toe. I think I will start decreasing in less than half an inch. I guess it would be good to finish the toe and cast on the second sock before my work week starts on Wednesday. 

Gray fingerless mitts. I am on the second one, past the thumb, working on the palm of the hand. Then I will do all the half-fingers at the same time for both gloves. I hope to have enough yarn to do two pairs for both my brother-in-laws. 

Just now cast on for a baby boy sweater. Baby Sophisticate (the worsted pattern). The color is navy and 12 mos. size. Though it is cascade 220 superwash which I have heard is a light-worsted, so it may end up smaller. So far the fabric seems okay. I pretty much never swatch. It's bad, I know, maybe if I make a sweater for myself I will. Something where I am investing a lot of money. 

Back to knitting!

Altering

Here is what used to be a dress. From Forever 21, a sort of short dress. (Not sure why i bought it, it is probably for teenagers to go dancing and meet boys)... when I bought it I altered it by adding (old T shirt) triangles on the sides to make it a little less hip-hugging. It also has a see-through pattern in the fabric (which I thought was cool), so I had to wear a slip. Anyway I think i wore it maybe three times and then realized it really was too short for my age/personality.

So. It has been sitting around for a few years, waiting to be given away. A few weeks ago I realized I could crop it to a tank top and solve two problems (I also never have enough shirts.) So here it is, with a little blue lace at the hem just to try to finish it in an interesting way. The only kind of weird thing is it has a zipper down the back. And I do of course have to wear a tank top underneath. Anyway, I was glad to resolve the problem and make something wearable! It only took altering it twice.
Part of my problem is seeing potential in things and then never fixing them or taking a year to do it. Right now I have a sweet home-made strawberry pattern dress that is sadly sewn a little crooked and makes me look bigger than I am. Perhaps I can make it into a skirt? I also have a blue and white floral polyester dress that I started changing the neckline on and need to finish. And a purple jersey dress I was going to try to turn into a top... and one of mike's button ups to hem.

Sock update

Last night I started on the heel of my sock and finished it  today and it turned out pretty well! Now I get to continue on the foot!

Red Cowl

This is a reworking of a previous red cowl. It was pilled and I'd gotten to the point where I didn't want to wear it. It had a few cables but was unevenly patterned. So I ripped it, got the yarn wet and let it dry. The yarn was worked double, it is thinner, maybe a sport weight? I had done this pattern for another cowl I made. Barbara I believe is the pattern. It is a fun slip pattern that is easy to learn. I didn't have quite enough yarn so I finished it with the reflective yarn I used for those mitts. It is stIll a little tighter than I like (it may mess up my hair), but I'm sure it will stretch over time. And pill more. The black yarn is bulkier and so it is a little uneven. Anyway here are some photos. Including me... Ha.

Knitting of the Past

Well, along with recent organizing of project documentation, I just updated a few projects on my Ravelry page. I have done so much knitting in my life and I have so few projects up there. I know I need to go through my digital camera and see what is on that. Also I'm sure I have at least a few photos I can scan someday of projects I made in high school.

Part of this whole blogging thing is getting photos to load from various things, ipad, phone, camera, etc. I spent a while today trying to figure it out.

anyway here's a photo for fun! I'm sure it is on my old blog. It's a knitted TV. I know, right. i think i made it in like 2007.

Catch up 2: The list so far..

Remember this list? See part 1 if you wish... Here's what I have finished lately!

In threes sweater. Made for a sweet baby yet to be born. I have friends in mind but we don't know the gender yet so I figured make it anyway and save it for another baby if they have a boy. I may make the baby sophisticate if they have a boy. I do like personal gifts so it feels a little weird to make a random sweater, but I think since I have some free time, I should just make what I can before our lives are so busy. I have done this pattern before, in this color. It is such an easy and satisfying pattern I want to make them in tons of colors. I use cascade 220 superwash.

Here it is getting washed.

Blinded by the light!!

Pretty bad photos, but here is a pair of reflective mitts I made for my mom. They walk a lot and she has made at least one sort of arm band that reflects. When I saw this yarn i thought of her and I had to buy it. They are made so she can wear them over other gloves and hopefully the cuff will stretch enough to pull over coat sleeves.  

These socks are not yet on the list because I am not done (though I am further than this photo) I am doing the classy slip up pattern. With an after thought heel. I am past the heel and I think soon I will stop and do the heel so I can have a better idea of how long the foot will need to be. It is my lunchtime knitting! I generally have at least 30 mins to knit which helps me de-stress and I can at least get a little bit done every day.

Photos of a pretty small rag rug. I started it years ago. It took forever because the fabric strips were too thick, it was pretty hard to knit and hurt my wrists if I did too much at a time. I think they were 1& 1/2 inches and I should have just done 1. Anyway. I finished it just so it could be done and gave it to a friend. It is so colorful and cushy. (They currently have it on the seat of an old chair) I love rag rugs as a way to finish up bits and pieces of fabric. They have so much history of the various projects the fabric was used in originally.  But they can be a lot of work. I started cutting 1 inch strips to crochet a rug. It is less heavy to crochet it, and I have a bigger crochet hook than I have knitting needles. 

No pictures yet of the cowl I made. More on that later!

Ps: maybe someday I will learn to link things better. Use google or Ravelry to see the original knitting projects if you wish.

Catch up?

hi readers.
Well. I magically got an iPad. Mike being in the right place at the right time. Yay. So maybe it will help me blog more often? I also started a list. Oh how I try to keep track of  my projects past present and future. But half the time maybe I don't take photos before I give them away. And I had a book I started working in trying to keep lists but then time would pass and I would change my ideas for the yarn or fabric or just decide it wasn't worth making. I had it organized by separate pages for sewing and knitting.

The yellow ones are finished. Anyway, there are several pages, but I had a hard time keeping up with it sometimes. A few weeks ago I started a new page in the book that may help me organize only the finished projects. (I can always do a seperate page for projects I'm planning on making.) It also helps me see If I have a photo and if I have blogged about them yet. And if I keep up with it it will show me my progress over the months.  Good!

 

So. Here's hoping it is helpful and sticks, and makes me take more photos. I'm sure these iPad photos won't be the best, but at least I may have more photos or even a visual record for me. I blog for myself most of all, but also like sharing stuff, if friends care to join me.