Charity crafting

I managed to actually clean out my craft room a little after it's been used for storage of whatever needs to be put away when company comes over. There's still quite a bit that needs to be done and the majority of stuff has just been moved to other rooms so the mess has spread out, but most of it is out of my craft room! In the cleaning process I found 2 blankets I had made for Project Linus when I first learned how to crochet. I also found a few premie hats I crocheted. I gave it all to my friend Erica who will drop it off for me at our local Project Linus volunteer.

These discoveries, along with my overwhelming amount of scrap yarns and fabrics, has inspired me to make more charity things. I found a baby quilt top that was pieced for a friend in wild colors, but then I saw she registered for all Classic Winnie the Pooh stuff anf wild colors just wouldn't go. So, I layered and tied it last night and will sew on the binding Thursday. I also found an extra panel I had made for a kittens in mittens quilt for my niece. I'm going to add some fabric on both sides and turn that into a baby quilt as well.

In terms of my other projects. I'm making a baby blanket for my cousin's baby. It's a very simple lace pattern that will have three stripes of color (green, white, and yellow). I'm using the Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn and the pattern is from one of the skeins. It's going pretty quick, but it is my first ever knitted blanket. It's quite a jump from working on size 11 and 13 to working on 7s. It seems like this blanket will take forever, but it will be adorable when it's done!! It's the main thing I'm working on now. I'm really enjoying it now that I have the pattern memorized and it's starting to get some length to it.

I'm still working on my running mittens and scarf. I've got the hat done and use it almost every day. It's just perfect, not too tight, not too loose, and just the right breathability.

After the hat and mittens is my socks, they're kinda boring, but they are a very portable easy project for now. I'm just working on the top part and haven't gotten to any shaping.

My niece's pullover has hit a wall. It's just too boring. I finished the back, but am kind of dreading starting the front. I'm sure my interest will be revived soon, but for now it's just sitting in it's pretty little bag waiting for me!

I finished my hat, scarf, and mitten set for everyday wear. It's just adorable. I'll post a picture soon, it's hard to get them away from the dog though. He likes to steal them and hide them under couch cushions or in the bed! I finally gave in and let him have a hat of his very own (one I made that was too big for me and too girly for my husband), but he still likes to go after my stuff. Luckily he doesn't chew or destroy my knit or quilted stuff, he just carries it around the house. He was born to be a crafter's dog!!

That's it for now, except for a little self reflection: I think I'm turning into a real knitter. When I first started quilting I would start a project and actually finish it. Then I started getting too interested in a million different projects and started every one I wanted to. Not that's happening with my knitting, too. I think it's time for a bigger craft room!!

Holiday Crafting

I somehow managed to finish my knitted gifts just in time for Christmas. I made a little bag for my sister. It was a kit from kyarns.com. The pink lady bag, using manos yarn, color: stellar. It's a felted bag that came out really good, except the little bulges on the sides which should have been smoother, but it looks good none the less.

For my other sister I made a hat and a pair of mittens. It was going to be just a hat, but then I saw the pattern for the matching mittens and decided hey why not! So I made them too, the hat turned out really nice. The mittens were ok, not my favorite. They have a seam that runs in a weird place that makes them a little uncomfortable. But they're cute enough that I made ones for myself. I'll have a picture once it's blocked. The ones for my sister are made of collinete prism yarn, color: moss. The ones for me are the same yarn, color: velvet leaf, a grass green color.
I think that's all I've actually accomplished. While I was home for the holidays, I helped my parents clean out their basement and came across quite a yarn stash. I'm keeping some of it to make a baby blanket for my cousin's baby (8 months to finish that one!) and the rest will be donated to the trust run by a woman in my knitting group. She will sell the yarn and use the money to buy food and supplies for the poodles she raises for assistance dogs. While I wish I had the space to store it all, it's going to a great cause!

Christmas presents

I have finished the two Christmas presents I had to knit. They came out just perfect, of course. I'll get pictures up after the holiday.

My niece's sweater is turning out to be a disaster. Even though I did a gauge swatch and was spot on, it's coming out HUGE! I'm really afraid I'll run out of yarn before I get close to finishing. It's Lion Brand polarspun yarn and there is no ripping out and starting over with that. I'll keep going and if I ever actually finish it, it can be an outer layer jacket type thing since it will probably fit her with her wearing every piece of clothing in her wardrobe! I think the thing will fit me when it's done, but it may be a little short, nothing like a hot pink belly shirt!!

That's it for me since I can't really update my Christmas present projects just yet.

Priorities:
1. Niece's pullover
2. Hat for myself (waiting for the yarn to get here)
3. Gloves for myself (waiting for the yarn to get here)
4. Figure out something to do with the 10 balls of mohair I just bought from my knitting group
5. Figure out something to do with yarn I got in New Zealand (probably a nice cabled scarf like one my friend is making, so I guess that #5 is really: learn to cable!)

Charity quilt finished and bought

I finished the charity quilt on Tuesday and it was auctioned off on Wednesday for $50. I didn't take a picture of it completed, but here is one of it with pins and basting threads. It was finished off with a black binding and a rod pocket on the back. I hand quilted in the ditch aorund the major designs and then around the inside and outside edge of the black thin border. I wanted to do more, but ran out of time.
Next project: Devin's pullover. I worked on it a little bit last night and it's a lot of fun to do,but kinda hard becuase you can't see your stitches because of the texture of the yarn and I keep forgetting if I'm on a knit of a purl row! We'll see how it turns out!!

Still need to make myself a running hat but haven't gotten any yarn yet so that will have to wait.

Mittens done, quilt on it's way

The mittens are done! Only 2 small problems. 1) a little hole in the crease of the thumb which is easily fixed with a little yarn and a needle 2) a "seam" where I moved from one dp needle to the next, not sure how to fix that. I tried rotating my stitches around the needle as I went, but wound up with a stairstep looking seam. They have yet to be blocked, so maybe that will help.

I've finally made some progress on the charity wallhanging. I put 2 borders on, layered, and pinned it this weekend. It's halfway basted. I've got 2 quilting schemes in mind, 1 if I'm short on time and another to add to it if I've got extra time. The deadline is coming fast, I've got 2 weeks and 1 day. At this point I can at least get a picture of it to put on the auction website.

That's all my crafting that I've done lately, been real busy with school!

One mitten done

Ok, the first mitten is done! It came out OK, but not great. I'll get a picture up soon. The thumb has a little hole in the little crease and I can tell where I was swithing from one needle to another because the stitches aren't even. But, for my first attempt I think I did pretty good. They will do just fine as running mittens. And it fits pretty well. I probably could have made the hand part just a little bit longer because the ribbed cuff comes up a little bit onto my palm.

I'm just knitting along lately! I like that I'm getting so much done, but I really do have to do that charity quilt. But can't make it to the fabric store until the hubby comes back from him conference. It'll get done though, it SHOULD be quick.

Shawl

Ok, here's the long awaited shawl.


It's a beaut isn't it! The other 3 are the same pattern. One made of the same yarn, but in purples and reds. One is made of kidsilk yarn and that one was way to big, so it has to be folded in half and the pattern on the back is lost, but it's so soft and warm that it makes up for it. The last one is made of a green, black, and metallic gold yarn; definitely appropriate for a night of barhopping in the city.

Don't have any pictures of the mittens yet, I'll take one when the first one is finished. 5 more rows then I start decreasing for the top and then I have to figure out this whole thumb thing! Should be fun and hopefully not much longer.

Shawl is finished!

Finally. . . the shawl is done. I worked on it most of the night Friday and didn't go to bed unti it was done. It looks great. It's not as big as the other one I did with the same yarn, Imust be knitting tighter, but it's a good length. It's triangular and the points go right to the end of my fingers so it should be a perfect fit on my sister too since we're the same height. Pictures are coming. I leant my camera out this week and should be getting it back soon.

Wanted to make it to the Hancock's sale, but that didn't happen so I still don't have fabric to work on the charity quilt. I'll have to get a move on with that. But, with the hubby gone this week, I probably won't get to the store. I did make it to a knitting store and got everything I need for my running mittens. I'm making the warmest mittens from the knit knack kit. I've fnished the ribbed cuff on the first one. I'm really enjoying them. It's nice to do something new, I've been making shawls for months now and I really needed something different.

Also started the sweater for my niece, but all I did was cast on the stitches for the front piece and then I got the supplies for my mittens and was too excited to start those. My niece is turning 6 this winter so I am making it in size 7/8 so it will fit her next year (just in case). I don't want to do all this work and finish it at the end of winter and she'll only be able to wear it once. It will be big on her this year (if I finish) and it should fit nice next year, granted I sew my ends in right and it doesn't fall apart at the first washing!!

OK, that's it for my update. I'll be posting pictures of the shawl and my mittens in progress in the next few days.

5 more rows

I did another 5 rows last night on the green shawl. Only 15 more. I'm absolutely determined to finish it this weekend. I'm going to Hancock's for a big sale they're having and I hope to get a border fabric for the charity wallhanging. I'd like to finish organizing the sewing room, it's close, there's just not enough storage, maybe I'll get another bookcase. Also gonna do some fun fall stuff with the hubby so we'll see just how much crafting I can fit in. That's it, Monday I'll be sure to post my "finished with the shawl!" post

10 more rows

Well, I knitted my fingers off lastnight and finished another 10 rows of the green shawl for my sister!! I unfortunately can't make it to my usual knitting group tonight, but we're having dinner with our good friends, so it's acceptable. We'll probably be out late, but I'll try to knit a little bit when I get back. It's coming along though.
I'm adding another project to my priorities, a pair of mittens! It'll be a little tricky for me, but I think that I'm up for it! Since my first pair of mittens will probably look a little silly, I think that I'll make them to match my running hat (which is also on the list) and then I'll make another pair to actually wear to work.
Hopefully my next update will be that the shawl is in the mail to my sister, and hopefully I'll remember to take a picture of this one!!