Indie Designer Gift-a-long 2017 - New Fav Designer

Guess what?  I can't pick just one :-D  Over the course of looking through all the designs available in the Indie Gift-a-long, I ended up favoriting 8 designers!  These are not necessarily my favorites to actually make, but they just have some amazing designs.  In no particular order, check out these knit and crochet designers...

Irina Tarasova has designs for THE MOST ADORABLE bunny and outfits!  This bunny is pretty cute, but the outfits really knock it out of the park.  I think my fav would be Set in Boho Style (pictured left).  The patterns appear to combine knitting and crochet so be sure you know both! 






This is one that I'm just admiring, I haven't made or purchased anything.  That being said, these are pricey patterns that appear to be very detailed according to the description.  I did see some comments from a buyer that it was not all they expected but there are also some very happy bunny's!

Elizabeth Felgate had a few knit designs that caught my eye... but this hat, Hick City, is one I've looked at again and again.  It's perfectly slouchy and lose which I like for my curly hair.  We must not overlook some other designs she has that are ingenious!  The Gaugeless Sweater, Gaugeless Lady Cardigan and Gaugeless Cardigan 2.  The name may give them away, but you can make any of these with any yarn and needle combination with no gauge calculation required.  I really like the stitch used for the shoulders and arms on the Gaugeless Sweater.  The Gaugeless Lady Cardigan has a bit of a shawl look from the back, with three increase eyelets sections running down it, while the Gaugeless Cardigan 2 has a more traditional cardi look.


 Up next, Nim Teasdale who caught my eye with her gorgeous lace shawls.  I'm not much for lace knitting these days but some day I'd love to make one!  I think the The Peacock's Tale is the one I'd go for and the gradient yarn used is the perfect effect.










Emily Ross is not really new to me, not that I actually knew that to start with...  she is the designer behind the Haruni Shawl, a free pattern that has over 10,000 projects!  She has a bunch of other knit lace shawl designs that are beautiful, as well as many Haruni inspired patterns.  While I really love all the shawls, my favorite is probably the Haruni Cowl for its easy wearability.

While little toys look easy to make and I'm always drawn to them... I know they're fiddly and usually don't end up making many.  That doesn't mean I can't admire the designs by cheezombie.  There are knit and crochet items which is nice, as I am more likely to try a crochet toy.  My favorite though, is a little knit sheep, the Sheepish Toy Pattern. 

Crochet peacock items?  Yes please!  Look no further than Christa Veenstra.  There is an amazing array of different things with different style peacock 'feathers' such as a stool cover or bookmark.  I'm hard pressed to find a favorite among these, but if I had to pick one I'd go with Peacock Feather Motif Art Nouveau mostly because I love the color scheme used on the pattern page. 

Kari-Helene Rane has some real fashionable designs, which would make sense as she is a fashion designer.  You get a real sense of her style looking through her designs.  She has a range of knit accessories and garments for adults and children.  While it would be a commitment at 1500-2200 yards of sport weight yarn, the Maddie Dress is simple yet effective.







Another designer that I didn't know I knew, because often times designs are popular by their name and the designer gets lost, Mary Annarella is the designer behind Shleeves and Stranger Things Cowl.  Those are great representations of the knit designs she tends to create, garments and colorwork.  While I do like those two items, I'm more drawn towards the Funicular.  This hat seems a great way to do some simple colorwork and short rows, just think of all the color combos!

Have you made anything from these designers?  Or maybe you just discovered them too?  Have you found some new favorite designers too?

Indie Designer Gift-a-long 2017 - Foot & Leg Things

When it comes to this category, I don't have much to contribute...  almost all of my socks are plain vanilla, no patterns for me!  I did manage to find four designs that were worth favoriting for my purposes.

My very favorite (and already on the needles!) are the Thrumbelina aran weight knit slippers.  These slippers also use roving, to make thrumbs.  I've never done this technique before but these slippers would be perfect for gifts.  There are plans to make FIVE pairs, but to be sure I understood the technique, I started the pair for myself.  These should be a quick knit, but making thrumbs is a little tricky.  I think they'd make a good PT exercise for those with wrist problems (yeh, like me).  So my plan is to make as many thrumbs as I can manage and then knit with those until I run out.  Back and forth should give my wrists a break from monotony. 

Another fun and quick slipper pattern, Strange Jewels Slippers are knit up with super bulky weight yarn.  These also don't use much yardage and might be nice for handspun.

The deep roots leg warmers are knit up with worsted weight yarn.  Utilizing just knits and purls, you can create these cozy leg warmers or boot cuffs.  I love the idea of making them long enough for leg warmers but still wearing them under boots and folding the cuff down.

A more traditional boot cuff, in my mind, should have a little lace.  The Old English Lace Boot Cuffs are perfect.  They are knit up with fingering weight weight yarn, but boot cuffs in any yarn weight can be a quick knit!

Have you found some neat Foot & Leg Things?  Share, share share!  And if you're making any, be sure to pop onto the Foot & Leg Things thread and tell about it.

Indie Designer Gift-a-long 2017 - Scarves!

Another potential gift I've got on my mind is a scarf.  It could also be a shawl, but for today we'll focus on scarves.  Something easy to wear and of course, the quicker I can finish it, the better!

So lets start with some of the quicker possibilities and focus on worsted weight scarves.  The Samara Scarf is a crochet pattern that actually utilizes a skein of worsted weight as well as a skein of fingering weight yarn.  Worked up on the bias alternating the skeins gives the body of the scarf a cool affect with a fun stitch pattern on the edges for added interest.  Another scarf that has one stitch pattern for the body and a different on the edges is the Cloud Covered Scarf.  This one is mostly lace with garter stitch on the edges and looks so warm and cozy in the pattern page photos!  Not exactly a scarf, the Impari Shawlette would still be a quick knit.  I especially like the feature of 2 different ties that can be incorporated on the shawlette making it super wearable!

There was one mid-weight yarn design that I found may fit the bill.  The sport weight Duara has a similar theme of using two different stitch patterns.  This one begins with a short bit of rib, followed by a flower motif, back to a bit of rib, flower motif and finally the short rib section.  The styling in the feature photo is just marvelous!

And as crazy as a fingering weight scarf may seem when we're in a time crunch, I found plenty of options in this category as well.  The crochet scarf Prelude uses under 200yds so it's still fairly quick.  It's mostly a fairly simple stitch with short row borders that result in a softly curved edge.  The Phoenix Feather scarf is a gorgeous scarf that is worked up in two halves and seamed together.  I have to keep checking because the lace is so unique, this is definitely a knit pattern!  A reversible scarf with a mix of different stitch patterns, Interlacing Scarf is knit on the bias.  Another design that caught my eye because of the styling in the photos, I really love the tied look of the 5th image!  While you could theoretically add fringe to any scarf, the Crooked River Scarf makes my list because the fringe, among other things.  The way the dropped stitches are worked in a rib like manner make for a cozy scarf that isn't too hot.  For a delicate looking scarf, check out the Frideswide.  This would work beautifully with a monotone indie dyed yarn and it features a reversible cable edging and ruffle!

There are a few scarves that I think deserve 'honorable mention'.  They don't exactly fit the bill for my recipient, but might be a good selfish knitting item or it's just so interesting I have to share...

The Clincher was originally a knit design, but since has been released for crochet as well!  This might be an ordinary fingering weight triangle shawlette, except for the added feature along the one edge (icord I believe?) that makes wearing the shawlette that much easier.  It's so hard to explain, so go on and click the link to see it!  The Art Deco Beaded Scarf looks like a fairly simple knit scarf but the addition of beads make it so classy!  This DK weight scarf is gorgeous and reversible.   I'm a sucker for crocheted flowers and this scarf just calls my name!  The Floral Whisper Scarf could easily be a cowl and should finish quickly with worsted weight yarn.  Always on the lookout for patterns good for bulky handspun, the Brioche Stitch Infinity Scarf looks like a simple knit with beautiful results!  Did I mention loving crochet flowers?  Well, not exactly flowers but still right up my alley, the Myrtle Crochet Scarf is made up of circular motifs and could be a great way to use up fingering weight scraps!  Another uniquely shaped scarf, the Spring Runoff Scarf utilizes short rows to give it the shawl like sections that add up to a stunning scarf knit fairly quick with sport weight yarn.

What do you think?  Any scarves here that would work for your gifts?  If you end up making one, be sure to join the a-long for Cowls, Scarves and Other Neck Things.

Indie Designer Gift-a-long 2017 - Hats!

While this event is in it's 5th year, this is my first year participating as a designer.  The Indie Gift-a-long is a great way to prepare for the holidays!  You'll find all the info you need on the Ravelry board and there are a bunch of other threads you'll want to check out also depending on how you want to participate.  I'll let you explore the Ravelry group to get all the details so I can share with you some of my favorite finds!

I was able to browse the participating designers thread a little early and ended up with over 400 favorite designs!  There's likely not enough time for all those so I need to narrow down who I can gift knit/crochet for.  Then I organize that list based on who I want to gift most and then I'll start making and see how many I can get to!

One of my must makes is a hat for DH.  He saw a brioche hat I made myself and was impressed.  So I decided I must find a good brioche hat that is masculine and not too fancy.  My pick is Autumn Vibes!  I've followed Knit Graffiti, mostly on Instagram, for a bit now and I love many of her brioche patterns.  Last weekend I was at a LYS and was able to find some beautiful and soft merino yarn perfect for this hat.  One color is a little bright and the other is dark, so I think they'll make a perfect contrast for brioche.

A little further down the list I have at least 3 more hats I could gift.  One would be a sister hat.  I struggle with picking out something that I think she'll like versus showing her some options to be sure I've got her style right...  So far I'm leaning towards hats that are slouchy and maybe with lace, she lives in a warmer climate so cozy hats aren't really useful.

Sweet Clementine is a sport weight, crochet hat.  I really like the stitch on this hat, which I believe is a bobble or popcorn type stitch.  It's also just the right amount of slouch with a nice ribbed brim.  Speaking of crochet, sport weight hats, the La Villa Lace Brim Slouch Hat is another good contender.  This one has a different stitch on the brim that is a little like lace ribbing.  The body of the hat is not really lace or openwork at all but it has nice slouch.  I also found two knit hats that look good but a bit more complex.  The Lacy Screech Owls Hat might not be very slouchy, but the lace is innovative... it looks like owls!  While I really like this one, I need to remember I have time constraints... fingering weight and lace might not work.  The DK hat, BUX might be more appropriate... while there is some lace the heavier weight yarn will make it a little faster.  I also really like how the crown decreases form a star.

My other two possible hat recipients I imagine wanting somewhat plain and manly hats.  Preferably with a foldable brim so that it is more likely to fit.  The worsted weight Syndicate is a good pick, there are several sizes to choose from and you can't go wrong with a ribbed hat.  Also made with worsted weight, the Pangani Hat starts with ribbing, but the body has a bit more detail between the rib.  This one also has a few size options but with less built in length, I'd have to modify to get a folding brim.  With a subtle difference to the 1x1 rib, the crush worsted weight hat is also a possibility.  This one is a one-size design but with slouch that could be folded up.  I think my best bet is going to be the Mount Rainier Hat.  Also a worsted weight design, it is mostly a ribbed pattern but it transititions into knit at the crown decreases in the most interesting way!  And... I just realized all my picks are knit.  There are many more knit designs in the GAL but don't worry there are plenty of crochet designs I'll be sharing also!

There is a chance I'll be making a holiday hat per one of my children's request.  I found a few options to chose from in the GAL.  How about sheep santas?  Fleece Navidad has you covered!  It's a worsted weight hat made with stranded colorwork.  This might be a little time consuming, and I'm more likely to appreciate the sheep, so that'll probably be for me.  Another worsted holiday hat with a twist, Akua's Christmas Tree Pattern is a crochet tree hat!  So cute and think of all the fun things one could add to go over the top...  For a more traditional santa hat I found two options.  Mrs. Claus Pointy Hat is written in multiple sizes for worsted weight yarn.  While the name might make my son dismiss the hat, I think this is a good contender for all kids.  Just in case, there is also the Festive Mood which has directions for DK and worsted weight along with many sizes.  This one features a brioche brim and directions for the 'Jolly Elf' or 'beanie' style hat.

Since the GAL runs until the end of the year (just remember that the discount on purchases only runs until 11/28) there could be time for selfish knitting also!  In that vein I've picked out some of my general favorite hats to share with you also.  The Nina Z is an aran weight hat that utilizes BOTH knit and crochet!  Said best by the designer "A simple crochet mesh transforms this basic hat into modern and stylish accessory." I definitely want one of these!  The Mendia Hat is one I've looked at for a while now.  The twisted ribbing detail gives it a little something special while it's still a fairly simple DK knit hat.  Fleur De Love is another DK knit hat that features colorwork in the daisy stitch, I can envision this with many shades of purple!  The sport weight hat, Hick City look so cozy with a good amount of slouch (or beanie optional!) and slipped stitches for use with at least two colors.  If you've got the time, the fingering weight Persian Windows Hat would be fun with some left over yarns.  The striping is so interesting with the special knit stitches used.  The Caffe Latte worsted weight hat can convert to a cowl and still makes a super cute hat!  I can't resist a cute brioche hat and with it's art deco and flapper style it's a must make for me.  The Maddness hat will knit up quick with bulky yarn in two nicely contrasting colors.  For a simple, slouchy crochet hat, look no further than the Bistro Beanie.  I think this would be perfect for a variegated, indie dyed DK weight yarn to really show off the colors.  For a little variation, I wanted to include the Oxford Headband.  Crocheted in worsted weight yarn, this would be perfect for those messy bun days.  

What will you be crafting for the GAL?  Any of the hats here strike your fancy?  Be sure to share on the Hat & Other Head Things thread so you can be in the running for PRIZES!

DenKnits 4.2 FINISHING

This month we talk about FINISHING!  I'll show you some of my recent finished objects; my favorite bind off; weaving in ends; soaking and blocking your finished items; adding buttons; and what do YOU do with all the finished things?

You can find me on Ravelry and Instagram as denmoma; join the group on Ravelry and Facebook, just search DenKnits; or subscribe to the YouTube channel.  My Etsy store is at etsy.com/shop/DenKnits

Changing in a good direction DenKnits 2.1

Welcome to the 10th video and the first of the new year!  I decided this milestone was a good opportunity to make some changes... hopefully in a good direction!

One of those changes is... Show notes!  But as before, if you have any questions feel free to reach out to me - denmoma on Ravelry or email me.

Darn Good Yarn tote bag giveaway - Join the Ravelry group and share a fun or random fact about you as a knitter in the GIVEWAY!!! DGY Tote thread

Darn Good Yarn designing - Past, current and future

Finished objects - Darn Good Yarn llama hats; Hippie Penguin shawl; Darn Good Yarn shawl; Baby towel set; Darn Good Yarn button cowl; Sockhead hat out of Cyborg's Craftroom as a KAL with Stashless

Works in progress - Two at a time, toe up vanilla socks with Fibernymph Dyeworks inversibles

Future knitting plans - Another Instagram KAL with Stashless - Zuzu's Petals in Desert Vista Dyeworks Arizona Sunset gradient and an Entrelac scarf out of?

Acquisitions - Remember, these were all part of my Christmas gifts to myself!  Desert Vista Dyeworks Color Accents Lavender Self Striping (Monster cowl), Great Lakes Hand Dyed Worsted Weight in Wine and Boneyard (Lucy hat), Lanitiumexmachina Destinations Mumbai glitter sock, DBNY Sweater lot Karaoke by SWTC, Darn Good Yarn - Recycled Plastic Tarp ribbon, Recycled Sari Silk ribbon yarn and 5 oddballs

Acquisitions/Review - Two new bags, Tangerine Designs & That Semifero Grrl; Girl Cave Bags from KitM and a makeup bag

I am wearing my Brickless in Miss Babs Yowza and the background is my Living Room Afghan in Knit Picks Brava Worsted

Productive knitting weekend

Starting this past Friday I found myself with more free time on my hands than expected and was happy to fill that time with knitting related things.  I'd slowly worked through knitting several baby items over the past couple of months and was able to finish the sleeves on a baby girl top and then rinse/block the whole lot. (No pics on those yet as I am cautious about ruining the surprises)

While those were drying I started up a project with some souvenir yarn from boucle in Fargo ND.  I bought the one skein thinking it could be a hat, cowl or possibly socks.  Once I was ready to work with it, I felt like a hat... unfortunately the yarn did not.  I tried two different simple styles and neither was working on my head, so I easily converted it to a cowl.  I've worn it a couple days now and think it is a nice addition to my collection.  The seed stitch and the yarn combined to look like pixels to me so I called it the Pixelated Sunset.

I had another skein of souvenir yarn, this one from ImagiKnit in San Francisco, that I'd been wanting to turn into something so that was next.  I'd actually had this skein for about 4 months and had been thinking about what it would be for that whole time.  As it usually happens, I couldn't find an existing pattern that was what I wanted so I set to make one up as I went.  The Cowl/Kerchief was born.

Having finally accomplished knitting things out of my most recent purchases, not to mention items just for me, I decided to work on a quick knit that will be part of a more complicated piece requested by DH.  For Christmas this year I made my boys Mohawk hats and was surprised that my husband kept trying to steal them.  I had enough left over yarn to make another one but hadn't gotten around to it yet.  In the meantime, he went skiing and saw people with what he describes as viking mohawk bearded hats.  So the fairly simple mohawk hat now needs a beard piece as well.  I quickly knit up the grey ribbed cap part but have set that aside while I search for bulky yarn in a white shade.

With time still on my hands I decided to browse my Ravelry favorites for something to work on next.  Since I'd just finished two cowls at hat was on my mind.  I finally found a project in the Meret hat by Woolly Wormhead, a free pattern by a designer I'd been meaning to knit.  I had some yarn that would work at the top of my stash and I cast on for the small size, mostly because I was worried about yardage.  After a day and a half and half way through the hat I realized two things.  There was plenty of yarn left and the hat was a little small.  I cast back on for the medium and am back to knitting.

Cowl Kerchief

I had a hank of Berroco Campus that I purchased as souvenir yarn at ImagiKnit in San Francisco a few months ago that I'd been trying to decide what it was meant to be.  I'd finally gotten some downtime from my 'real' job this weekend and set out to create what I'd come up with in my mind.

I love the shawls that can be worn as triangle kind of scarves but they don't usually stay in place or fit around my neck right.  I thought something like a cowl would be good to fix those aspects.

Since I just created as I knit, and only have the one example, I'm posting my directions as a free pattern here.

Berroco Campus is a 130 yard wool/acrylic/alpaca blend bulky yarn.  I used size 11 circulars as I have a tendency to be a tight knitter.



CO 54 stitches and join in the round, place a marker at the join
Knit one row, *purl one row, knit one row, purl one row, knit four rows, purl one row*, knit six rows, Repeat * to * one more time
Place a marker on stitch 27
Knit six rows, increasing on the first stitch, the stitches before and after the markered 27th stitch, and the second to last stitch
Purl one row, knit one row, purl one row, knit one row, BO stitches between markers and knit the rest of the row

The cowl portion is complete and the triangle part will be worked next

Purl one row
Work decrease row as follows K2tog, k to last two, slip one, knit one, psso
[Knit one row, knit one decrease row, purl one row, knit one decrease row, purl one row, knit one decrease row, purl one row *Purl 2tog, purl to last two, slip one, purl one, psso, purl one row*, Repeat * to *, knit one decrease row, purl one row, knit one decrease row] two times
Knit one row, knit one decrease row, *purl one row, knit one decrease rows*, repeat
BO last three stitches

Optional fringe: Cut 38 12 inch long pieces of yarn, use a crochet hook to add on at the purl rows as well as three evenly spaced in the 6 knit rows

I finished up the year knitting

Since my last post I've been very busy with work but have managed to keep knitting in my little spare time.  I just haven't had the time to post here and just barely get pics taken of my finished works :-/  So I'm here to recap the last quarter of my knitting year...

I learned how to spin with a drop spindle!  I really enjoyed it and can't wait to try it again... this time I'll be less ambitious (I tried a 2-ply with black embroidery floss)

 I made a fairly simple hat for the DH using two yarns held together... it's really warm but the soft yarn just didn't take away all the itchiness of the wool.

 I made myself a hat using my homespun wool!  I didn't have enough for a whole hat so I had to supplement with some other yarn.  It can get itchy as wool does, but I grin and bear it because it's so colorful!

 Don't mind that woman in a mustache and beard, it's just a creative knit hat!  This was a special order and sure to look better on the recipient than me, but I needed to have a shot for my records :-)

 I did some gift knitting this year... These are fingerless knits for the MIL.  I made her a second pair in a lovely gray recycled yarn that had a beautiful cable on top, but don't seem to have a pic of those.  I like the pattern so much I have them on my mental list for myself.

 I also made some slipper socks for the FIL as a Christmas gift.  They took about 1 1/2 skeins so I used the left overs to make a quick hat.  I seem to have not taken pics of that either, but it's still around the house so maybe someday :-)

 I made another Dandy Neckerchief from Ravelry with a very pretty yarn I found at Tuesday Morning.  I believe I used 1 1/2 skeins and made a matching hat by modifying the stitch pattern.  Of course, I don't have a pic of that hat either...

 Probably the item I'm most happy with would be this lovely blanket I made for my mom for her birthday.  It's in colors to coordinate with her living room.  I really loved the stitch pattern and after repeating it 10 or 20 times I memorized it!  I can tell it's going to be warm because I stayed toasty as I knit.

I made a couple other gift knits that I don't have pics of (yet?  I'm hoping the recipients send me some!).  My sister received a loop scarf/cowl that I made with three color yarns held two together at varying intervals.  The blue, green and purple really do mimic a peacocks coloring if I do say so myself.  Each one of my children received a set of fingerless mitts and a simple winter hat in colors to match their winter coats.

I made another baby blanket (did I post about the first one here???) for a cousin who recently had a baby.  I found a really fitting but a bit complex pattern that included color work of farm characters.  It was my first real color work and I did not like how the back left hanging yarn that could get caught on little fingers or toes.  I ended up deciding to sew on a backing of blue gingham print cotton material.  I did takes pics of that but have not edited them yet so maybe next time...

Just before year's end I started a scarf that may or may not be for DH (depends on what he thinks of the final look) which I've still got on the needles as my standby, easy to travel with knit.  I also got to work on a little something for myself... a sweater!  I had some LBY Homespun from year(s?!?) ago that I made something with that I was not all that happy with anymore so I frogged it and got started.  I didn't really find an existing pattern that I really liked and thought would work.  I used the idea from several top down raglan style sweaters to get my stitch numbers and figure out where to increase.  From there it was all my own mind's idea.  I hope to write up a more official pattern and put it on Ravelry for free.

I was knitting my sweater as the countdown to 2012 began and finished it up first thing 1/1/12.  I've already soaked it and am blocking it now, hoping to wear it to the last holiday celebration tomorrow!

Even though I haven't had much time to keep up everywhere, I have been trying to make an effort to keep my Raverly project page up to date.  There are even some pics there (taken via camera phone) that I'm not posting here.  So go check it out sometime :-)

Still busy knitting...

Wow, surprised to see it's been about a month since my last post.  I have been knitting and posting quick updates to my Facebook fan page, but haven't taken that extra time to write a longer update.

My recent knitting has consisted mostly of family and personal knitting.  I used some mystery yarn found at a thrift shop to create myself a hat.  It's a little lacy and a little baggy, but not the snood I thought it would be.  Turns out, I really like it just the way it is!

I finally finished the strap on a bag I'd started I don't remember how long ago and gave it to my daughter.  It's the perfect size to hold books, but the downside to that is it stretches the strap out bit.  Fortunately, since it's a knit strap, we can just put a knot in it and keep going while still looking fashionable!

My sis really liked my white hat and wanted something similar.  The yarn we settled on wasn't the same thickness of my white yarn, and I changed to a different lace pattern.  This resulted in a hat that was not baggy enough, so my daughter got another knitted item!

I was able to knit up a cowl that met what my sis had in mind, so she didn't end up empty handed.  I knit up this thrift store find with a simple rib to start and end for the stretch factor and knit around in the middle.  It's a basic pattern, but that's all you need sometimes when the yarn is so interesting.

I have also been working on socks for DH.  These have been going on for quite a while (in relation to my other projects).  One sock has been successfully completed, however I now have SSS (Second Sock Syndrome).  I haven't even made it to the heel of the second sock yet and am trying to force myself to knit at least a little on them every day.

Another item I started (and finished) for myself was a shawlette.  I'd never really thought of making myself a shawl, but found some beautiful drapey feeling yarn that I bought ball of without knowing what it might be.  I later got to thinking about a shawl and a search through Ravelry found that I did have enough yardage to make a mini version.  I'm really pleased with the results and overcame a couple of knitting fears in the process; lace patterns really can be memorized & enjoyable and charts really can be read!

I actually enjoyed this pattern so much I cast on another one... however that was rather quickly frogged.  With two balls totaling approximately 240 yds, I was already cutting it close... Then I came to the part of the first ball that was cut.  I should say, this yarn was part of a grab bag, which is usually prone to some kind of issue, hence the awesome price.  After a little playing with the pattern and contemplation, I decided to pull it out and look for something else.  Still looking for that something else...

My daughter was the recipient of one more item that was another first for me.  It's called a Sleeveless Cardi and is knit like a raglan sweater.  I hadn't tried my hand at a sweater yet and never realized how simple raglan sweaters could be!  Once I got the concept of what was happening, I got really excited that I could create all kinds of things and have added that to my mental que.  This project started because in many of my recent grab bag purchases I would end up with a ball or two (or more) of the same yarn, color and lot!  I wanted to do something big with it but wasn't sure what.  A friend suggested a sweater so I started there, coming across the pattern I did was a perfect match as the weather is slowly warming up here.  I think she looks just darling in it!

With so many knit items going to my daughter, my sons (one in particular) were feeling left out.  They really wanted a shirt but there isn't much similar to the above in a less girly version.  At this point, I settled on a simple sweatband for the most left out feeling son to wear for soccer season in the school colors.  I may just get started on some raglan sweaters for them and hope I can finish by the time the weather cools down again!

Knitting away...

I was re-inspired after my thrifty yarn shopping trip and cast on a new project the next day.  Using the heavy salmon colored (what may or may not technically be) yarn I knit up a handbag.  I had to seam the sides together with a different yarn and I can see it peeking through and that gave me the idea of a shoulder strap, maybe a brown leather kind, that would run down the side of the purse.  No pics yet as it's not really finished yet, but whenever I get around to getting a strap on it, I'll post some.

After asking DH what he might like knit, I cast on a pair of socks using Universal Yarns/Wisdom Yarns San Francisco.  It's about as small a yarn/needle combo I am willing to do, but the yarn is self patterning so interestingly, I'm actually thinking of getting more to do for myself!  

I had recently read (or heard on a podcast?) that when knitting socks one should actually use either the smallest needle suggested or maybe even smaller.  This creates a denser fabric and helps stop the sole of the sock from becoming holey.  Recently a (doomed from the beginning) sock I knit for myself starting getting holes in the sole so I'm more aware of the issue and am hoping the size 3 needles are creating a tight enough weave on DHs sock.

The next cast on project was a snood.  I enjoyed the lace pattern I'd been working on the recently ordered hats so much I wanted one for myself and thought something bigger would be nice, something I could tuck my hair into and go.  Well, I'm pretty far along on this and have realized it can't be a snood.  Not exactly sure what the main factor is (yarn to thick, knitting to tight), but it's not floppy enough to work as a snood.  So, it's looking more like a baggy beanie hat.  This project seems to have mind changing effects because I'd also planned on dying it once complete (it's a cream color now) but the pattern and color look so nice together I'm having a hard time justifying the dye job.  Perhaps it will not even end up for me!  

My most recent cast on is another hat with my lace pattern dejour in a bright blue shade.  I have a recipient in mind who I am thinking of donating it to.  I don't know them too well, but she is a young breast cancer survivor going through chemo and I think it would be a nice surprise.

Well, back to my current routine of Netflix watching and knitting...

Hats, mittens, hats, purses, a scarf, and custom order hats

After finishing the striped blues hat (which ended up looking too cute on my daughter), I still had hats on my mind, but I also had the single mitten waiting for it's future to be determined.  I did a test drive in the mitten and decided it was definitely too big and would have to be frogged.  I'm glad I did because I now have a pair of mittens that fit and are snugly warm!

With that off my mind and a half skein of yarn leftover, I decided to knit up a quick ribbed hat.  The Lion Brand Yarn Homespun is so versatile!  I've made hats, scarves, wristers, mittens and wraps out of it and they all look fabulous.

One of my thrift store yarns finds was a large amount of a crazy mix of red, black, and gray.  I had used some for a ski mask style hat for my son so I knew it made great hats.  This one has ribbing around the brim and then knit the rest of the way around.  My crown decreases were done to create a bit of a puff on the hat, so it's not exactly a beanie.

The marbled grays cabled purse was completed without further incident.  It's turned out to be a bigger purse with a handle that will easily fit over the shoulder.  The yarn was not as "stiff" as my previous purse yarn, but it gives it a more hobo bag look.

With one purse finished I was ready to do the next... this one using LBY Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.  This was my first time using this yarn and I loved it!  It was surprisingly soft and it was the thicker, stiffer yarn I was looking for in a purse yarn.  The finished product is a cute cabled handbag, perfect for grabbing only your essentials and going or teens/pre-teens who don't have to carry everything under the sun in their purse!

Since I completed the purses I had in mind, I decided to get back to hats.  I still had some LBY Homespun leftover after the mittens and the hat, but not quite enough for another hat on it's own.  Turns out I had more LBY Homespun in a complementary colorway so I put them together in a striped hat.  I made the crown a little longer for extra head room.

Sitting in my stash for too long, I decided I had to find a good project for the sparkly yarn I'd picked up from DBNY.  It is a medium weight yarn with sequins mixed in.  I really felt something lacy was in order but hadn't found something that caught my eye yet.  Off the cuff I decided to try a ruffle look on the ends.  So I cast on 3-4 times more stitches than I really wanted the scarf to be wide and then did quick decreases down to the right width.  From there I settled on a simple yo, K2tog lace look.  This scarf is still on the needles and starting to curl a bit which I think is giving it another intriguing design element.

The aforementioned scarf is still on the needles and moving slower now that I have some hat orders.  I'd previously knit a versatile cowl/head warmer for her, similar to the one in my Etsy shop.  She wanted to get a few hats to keep her head warm but not get overheated.  After looking at some knit hats online, we collaborated to come up with two ideas to get me started.  The first hat is out of a lovely lavender lace or fingering weight yarn.  It's started with a lace pattern, that gives the edge a scalloped look, and finished with stockinette.  The second hat will be out of the red, black and grey yarn with cables and lace.

Phew... I've done a lot of knitting over the past couple of weeks!  A whooping 10 projects completed, on the needles or almost on the needles :-)  Next up is getting good pics of everything and updating the Etsy shop again!

New Knits

I have decided to start putting all my knitting talk here as opposed to the "Knitting on the Road" blog for just personal things, because I'm no longer "on the Road" for work :-)  So... here is one of my recent personal knits:

 I had two small skeins of shades of purples yarn bought from a lovely Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/syrendell.  I had been contemplating what to do with the yarn in shades I loved when I was finally struck with knit-spiration, use both for a striped hat!  It was fairly simple and I really loved the striping technique.  I hadn't done my own striping before and it really kept my interest.  It totally rocks and matches my favorite sweatshirt in a charming way :-)

I also had the opportunity to do a special request recently... a llama ear flap hat!  Wow... it is really hard to figure out how to make yarn look like a llama!  The snout/nose area was the trick part for me... I finally tried a sock heel technique and it worked!  I will post pictures later or on my facebook fan page for sure.

I've gotten a couple of cowls done that need to be photographed for sale on etsy and I'm working on another.  All my recent yarn purchases have been small amounts so cowls work great...  I would like to do more hats though because they are about the same amount of time and there seem to be a lot of cowls going on :-)

Well, back to my cushy white cowl!

What's Next?

I've been fairly busy with work work but have gotten in some knit work too...  I am currently working on a purse/bag and have another one in my brain.  I finished a lovely knit wire bracelet that I am very excited about.  I'm always working on dishcloths and have some festive Christmas yarn to work with next.  

Speaking of Christmas, I'm taking orders!  Now's the time to place orders to have them in knit in time for the holidays.  I'm going to be working on a custom order of a couple of cloths with matching kitchen towel.  It should be lovely.  

I still have a few skeins of beautiful yarns that will make some really neat scarves as well as some cozy warm cowls.

Well, I should really get back to my knitting now :-)

What's happening?

I've been busy knitting and listing on a fairly regular basis... I have gotten almost all of my finished cloths listed as well as the green cowl.  I still have a cloth trio set to photograph which has proven to be one of my biggest challenges.

Currently on the needles are two projects and both are very close to being complete!  I have another up-cycled item, made from a heavy thermal shirt.  I'm not sure at this point if it will be another long cowl or perhaps just a scarf.  It feels like it will definitely be cozy either way!  My other item is the purse I've been struggling with for a bit.  My first attempt was done up with needles a little too big for the yarn and a pattern that was a little too complicated for the size of the bag.  I simplified the pattern and switched to smaller needles and am loving the result!  I plan to make a strap long enough so the purse can be worn across the chest.  It should be great for holding all your must-haves like a cell phone, wallet, and keys, along with a some other small items such as travel tissues or a pill case.