A few new things

Hi everyone.  I've been having a great time with my parents, and we had a fabulous visit to Orkney/the north of Scotland.  I did manage a bit of knitting and crochet, but not that much to be honest.

The leaf cardigan is still a WIP......I've gotten far enough along that I am almost positive it will be too small, so I've lost all desire to finish it.  I will, I'm just not sure when.  So instead I've started a hat for my Mom.  As predicted, it is much colder here then they are used to, and I'm doing my part to keep them warm.  Progress is slowish, but I hope to be done soon.  It is a Sirdar pattern in Crofter Chunky, thistle colourway.  Hard to see the pattern right now though......

I've also been practising my crochet.  In all honesty it is getting most of my attention.  I'm working on a Market Bag, and it is fun!  I'm using some cotton yarn that my parents brought me, and I'm almost done with the bottom.  The sides are triple crochet, which I've not done before.  I am really loving learning a new craft.

As for books, I'm reading Mistborn, the Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.  I was just telling my Mom this morning that I don't consider myself a fan of science fiction or fantasy writing (she is), but I'm a liar.  I'm starting to love it, and it is all my husbands fault!  This book is fabulous so far, though I'm only 60% through it.  Luckily there are two more after this one, so I'm set for a while.

Take care, and happy crafting.  If you have sunshine, please take a minute to enjoy it and think of me, suffering in an almost continuous downpour and covered over by grey cloud.  If you are suffering from the heatwave, I'll do my part and send cooler thoughts your way.  

I'm in Heaven

My parents arrived today, safe and sound.  Here is what they brought me:

Wool yarn, cotton yarn, sock yarn, acrylic yarn, more wool yarn.  Pounds and pounds of yarn.  And a Knitscene magazine.  I'm so chuffed, what shall I make first!?!

This Week

Hello everyone!  I've decided that I'll just do one post this week, as I have some important visitors coming at the end of the week--my parents!  We are all really excited about their imminent arrival, but I really do need to crack on with the cleaning.  I'm so easily distracted though, because the SUN is out.  It is gorgeous and I'll have to go and sit in it and knit for a while later.  First I really should clean the bathroom though.......

I've been pretty monogamous to my leaf cardigan, though it has been hard.  I've been tempted by all sorts of other projects, but.........I'm making good progress and I really want to finish it.  The back is done, the left front is done, the right front is 80% done!  I hope to be working on the edge ribbing by the weekend.

I've also been working on a bit of crochet.  I'm making another handbag/clutch, with the hopes of listing some in my shop.  They are fun, and great to make while watching t.v.  This one is Girlie Camo, and I'm just finishing up the lining and flower in the next few days.

Lastly, I was working on Isla's quilt again (until I ran out of thread and had to wait for more to arrive..... I'm still waiting).  But I had a bit of the sewing bug so I made a wrist lanyard for my keys.  

I am forever losing my keys in the abyss that is my purse, so I figured this would help me find them.  I keep my car key and my house keys separate (the only way to lock the house door is with they, so it normally just lives in the door until I leave the house) so I'll make another one today I think, for my car key.  I used some fabric that my Grandma tie-dyed, and instead of a D-ring, I just used a regular circular ring, because that is what I had.  This was a fast and satisfying project.

Look, I'm a hand model!

And that's all from me for now!  Take care, happy crafting, see you next week!

Market Bag

You will no doubt be terribly surprised when I tell you it is raining.......again.  And cold......again.  Did someone steal my summer?

On to happier news---I finished my crochet market bag!  It was such fun to make, and really fast.  I love instant gratification. 

You crochet the hexagons, then sew them together.  Then you fold the bag over, and sew the remaining sides together.  Lastly, crochet the handle.  It was easy enough for me--a super novice crochet artist!

Originally I was going to line it, and I still might.  However for right now I like it the way it is.  

Stats:

Pattern: Hexagon Market Bag It is a free Lion Brand pattern

Wool: Miscellaneous.  I've stash busted this one, and used a variety of different fibres. 

Learned:  I CAN crochet, hurray!!

 

That's all for me today, I'm off to find more stash busting patterns.  We are planning a move for next summer, (to somewhere with more sun you wonder?  Why yes, yes indeed) so I have a year to work through my stash.  Then, you know, move and build up a new one!  

Frog, Rewind, Repeat

Hello happy crafters, thank you for stopping by.  I hope you are well.  I've been suffering from what I call the "Grey Malaise" and feeling none too loving about this Scottish weather.  I love love love this country, but I'm longing for sunnier, warmer climes.  I think I last saw the sun a week ago.......but I digress, on to knitting!

This past week I was debating whether my Gemini was going to be big enough (before you ask, no, I did not wash and block my very tiny swatch, and yes, it serves me right) when I noticed a rather glaring error right up at the top of the lace pattern.  Grrrrr.  I went back and forth whether or not to rip it all out and start over--I mean, I want to be happy with it, and I tend to be a perfectionist.  However after knitting what seems like endless stockinette I'm in no hurry to do it all again.  Sigh.  I put it in time out until I can face it.

 

To make room in my time out corner I pulled something else out to work on again.  It is my leaf panel cardigan.  Regular readers will probably remember that I accidentally made the short sleeve version rather than the sleeveless version (there are small sleeves, not entirely sleeveless, but hey ho).  It was in time out while I determined what to do.  Well, I decided I wanted to rip it back and make the one I wanted.  I want to be happy with the end product, and that means doing it right.  You know what that will mean for the Gemini one day, just not today.

I've been making steady progress on the re-do, and have the back done, and most of the left front.  In a perfect world I would have ripped it all the way back and done in seamless (see how I'm progressing), but this isn't a perfect world, so I only ripped back to where I needed to in the pattern to do the other version, and I will seam it.  I had to save myself some work.

That's all for me this week, see you on FO Friday, I've got some crochet to share!

Love to infinity

If you asked me to close my eyes and step outside the front door right now and guess what season it was--I would not hesitate to say "Autumn."  Yes, it is just that cold out there.  My weather station tells me 46F, but oh that wind has a cold bite.  So cold in fact, I was really pleased I finished my infinity scarf this week.

It was one of those projects that I loved before it was even off the needles and grafted together (best graft of my career thus far, I must say).  It is just so pretty and soft and warm.  The pattern was interesting enough to keep me entertained, but easy enough I could pick it up and put it down as needed.  I've been wearing it all week in a double loop, which I thought was perfect.

Until this morning, when I discovered I could in fact do a triple loop, and that was wonderful for the cold weather (Dear Mother Nature, it is June, please send me some warmth and sunshine).  I even had to put my winter jacket back on (who knew I looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow man in it?  Not me!!).  I took these pictures myself with the self timer on my camera.  By the end I was highly amused and slightly annoyed, it is difficult to get a decent picture this way!

Stats:
Pattern: Sol Degrade Dropped-Stitch Infinity Scarf
Yarn: "Flower Ball" Homespun by Storied Yarns, 3.3 oz, 196 yds

I hope everyone else out there is having some excellent crafting time and nice weather to go with it.  I've been contemplating jumping a plane to my homeland for some much needed Vitamin D.  However my parents are visiting for a month in July, oh will they be in for a surprise if it doesn't warm up by then!!

Take care everyone!

 

I divide my attention

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well.  I am feeling so much better--my voice is back!!  I went back to work last week and was afraid my voice would give out again, but I did just fine.  Hurray!

My crafting mojo has been reinvigorated as well.  I am love, love, loving crochet just now.  I guess it is probably like this will all new crafts, the thrill of learning something new is just so much fun.  So while my Gemini is a bit longer:

It looks tiny.  I'm going to have to put it on a bigger needle and try it on.

And my drop stitch scarf is a bit longer:

What I've really been doing is crochet.  I started on a cowl (twice) and ended up not liking it.  So I frogged it and went in search of something else.  I found this:

Hexagon Market Bag by Lion Brand

It is called  Hexagon Market Bag, and it is on the Lion Brand Web Site.  I thought it was cute, and once you figure out the first one, it should be cake after that.  Well, it is---so much fun!  I had trouble picking my colours but I'm really pleased with what I've got so far.  And if you stop by here regularly you might be wondering if I have a thing about bags.  Yes.  Yes, I really do.

I'd type more, but instead I will go and hook for a while.  I have to make the most of the sunshine, the time off work, and being with my girls.  Cheers everyone!