Episode 20 - UFO Parade!!

So this week the episode is what feels like forever long. I show ALL my UFOs- Unfinished Objects. I took pictures of them all too. This week is just massive. But I have a reason for doing this- accountability. I want to show everything that I tuck away because I've gotten tired or bored of it and bring it out into the light of day so that it can get some fresh air, and if I've shown you everything that I am working on, then maybe I will also be more inclined to finish them. That is my ultimate goal, to have no more UFOs by the end of the year. I am also on a yarn diet. I am trying to focus myself on the things that I already have and have started instead of always jumping ahead to the next biggest and brightest thing. That being said, enjoy the show!

First, there are a couple different categories of UFOs, first there are the UFOs that I have inherited in some way (mostly through thrift store purchases), that will ultimately either be frogged or finished and given to charity. Then there are the UFOs that I have personally started, but are still on their way to charity when they are finished. Finally, there are the UFOs that I have started for either me and my loved ones and they have been caught up on some detail somewhere along the way. So without further ado, let us start with the first category. UFOs that I didn't start, but will either frog or finish and give to charity.

The next category of UFOs are the projects that I have either started or worked a substantial amount on, and are going to end up somewhere for charity. Unsurprisingly I have several blankets in this category, but also a sweater for the Knit for Kids charity.

First a granny ripple afghan.

The infamous Knit for Kids sweater that is just missing one arm.

A garter stitch baby blanket made with skinny yarn on small needles.

An afghan that was started in my college dorm days and I honestly have no idea why it didn't get done. I might have run out of yarn, but that is clearly not a problem now, really I have no excuse.

A ripple with Lion Brand Homespun yarn, I just really don't like the way the yarn behaves so I have been avoiding the whole thing.

My nuts for neon blanket for Project Linus that I have started working on, but got set aside, no real reason. 

Then we arrive at the last category of UFOs, the projects that I have started for either me or my loved ones, and that have languished because of some flaw in either the design, or a difficulty with the pattern, or a conflict between the needles and the project.

First there is the back to a chunky sweater, where the large needles hurt my hands, and since I was improvising the pattern, I was unsure of what to do next.

Then a cowl that I have been working on, but got stymied on because of the trepidation of doing that much kitchener stitch again to finish it up. 

A purse done in a bobble ripple that was just a little too fiddly.

A shawl that had really slick alpaca yarn and slick metal needles that had an eyelet row feature and it was hard to keep the stitches from just slipping off.

A ameniko cat that just needs sewing together, but I am not much of one for sewing, I prefer the stitching part of any project.

Two hats with the same story, just in need of a little stitching to be done.

A tunic poncho with metallic yarn that was worked with skinny yarn with a big hook and also got kind of fiddly to work with.

A construction truck blanket squares that show that I am an imperfect knitter because the intarsia is lumpy.

A Curls shawl from the Curls book by Hunter Hammersen. I didn't like the color when it was knit up, and even though I am almost done with the shawl I was never able to memorize the stitch repeat on it, so I always had to follow the chart, which gets tedious.

While I was going through all these UFOs in the podcast I pull out a little hat that I have been not working on, and remember that I was working it using the Portuguese knitting technique. I try to demonstrate this technique during my podcast, but I am afraid it is a bit of a failure, and really you just watch me knitting, and can't tell that I am doing anything differently. Also, I haven't really knit on the podcast to show you how I knit normally, so showing you how Portuguese knitting is different is kind of a moot point when you don't have anything to compare it to. Sorry! So, as promised here is a video tutorial by someone who knows what they are doing.

Now onto the WIPs, which I am including in the things that I would like to get finished this year. At the end of the year I would like to start with a clean slate. Honestly, to be completely unrealistic I would like everything off the needles at the end of my yarn diet, which is when school gets out, so I can work on whatever new projects I want to during the summer, and cast on all the things!!! Anyways, there is a lot of lace this week, I think I have just been in the lace knitting mood.

First I worked on my mitered square scrap blanket a lot this week, and added 15 squares!

Then, I started a semi-circular shawl worked on 2.5 needles, and my grandma's Christmas slipper socks, because I need to get those done pretty soon.

I also started a Tunisian crochet cowl with some yarn that is similar to Noro, but not quite.

Then there is the lace baby blanket that I am making as a keepsake, although I'm not sure who it will end up going too, I am enjoying working on it. The pattern is from Lace 101 One Skein Wonders book. I really love the entire 101 One Skein Wonders series.

I am also working on a lace scarf, just as a relaxing knitting project, with mystery sock yarn from a local craft supplies consignment shop, worked on US Size 3 needles.

Then there is the ever popular neon cowl that I am making out of Done Roving Frolicking Feet and Madeline Tosh Edison Bulb. I am working alternating seed stitch and eyelet rows with the different colors, and have two more stripes to go and then I will be done.

I also have stash enhancement this week, but mostly because it was Christmas this past week! I got needles and hooks with money from my grandparents, and I am really excited about them, I mean who wouldn't be?

I also inherited yarn from my knitting group, it's sad that this lady passed, but I will put her sock yarn to good use!

And last but not least, the best stash enhancement of all, I got a new quilt from my mommy! I love it so much. The colors are all my favorites, done in a gradient, and then the grey and black squares have different writing and math all over them. It is definitely my quilt, and I love it!

I hope that 2015 was a great year. I look forward to seeing everyone's New Year's resolutions, and Have a wonderful New Year! See you in 2016!!

Episode 11 - Recovery

These past two weeks, because of my job being around kids, I got ill, and have spent most of my time recovering. However, I did manage to finish two projects and get a lot of crafting done. I also got a bit of yarn from my local Hobby Lobby. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy!

My two finished objects, are my "hippy hippy shawl" which, isn't really a hippy hippy shawl, because it doesn't follow the pattern at all. I did it all in fingering weight yarn with size US 2 needles, and then I did a simple lace border that was different from the old shale border that was on the original pattern. The finished shawl is wider than my wingspan, (which is about five and a half feet), and is about two and a half feet deep. It was worked in Knitpicks Chroma and a mystery acrylic in brown. It was a fun knit, but I think my next shawl is going to be on a little larger needles, to see if it goes faster.

The other finished object is a blanket that I turned into Project Linus, a charity that provides blankets to children that are either sick in the hospital, emergency room, or have experienced trauma. This one I made up the stitch pattern, based on the ball band dishcloth pattern, and then I did a garter border. I worked it on size US 7 needles, and it was worked in Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway, and Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway.

Then onto my works in progress. I started working on my brother's sweater again, after a long hiatus, and was pleased that I still remembered the rhythm of the cables. I worked on it during the knitting group on Saturday, and everyone was commenting on how interesting and intense the cabling was. Once you are knitting it, it is actually pretty intuitive, so I really like that about the pattern. I am working the Hedge Row Fence Pullover by Elinor Brown in Plymouth Encore Tweed Worsted, on size US 7 needles. Hopefully I finish it within the next year. My brother keeps joking that he needs to watch his weight so it will still fit him whenever I am done! 

I am also working on three blankets for Project Linus. The first one is a corner-to-corner throw. I think the fourth one that I've made. I'm working it with a size J hook, and holding just random worsted acrylic double, so it is a pretty thick blanket.

The second is a bright orange and black tunisian crochet blanket that I making up the pattern, and just playing with yarn as I go along. It is turning out more Halloween than I would like, I was really going for tiger stripes. I am working it on a double ended size I tunisian crochet hook.

Finally, I am working on a mitered square blanket, using the same pattern as the sock yarn scrap blankets that are all the rage, only using worsted weight acrylic scraps on US Size 10 needles instead. It is going pretty quick, and while I like working up the squares in this size, there is no way that I would enjoy working with little tiny needles and sock yarn to make an entire blanket this way, so I'm glad I did a test knit first, just to see if I would like it.

Another charity knitting project that I worked on a little is my Knit for Kids sweater. I am making it out of Caron One Pound yarn, in a bright red colorway. I finished the first sleeve, and put on the collar, so the only thing left is the second sleeve, and then it will be ready to mail. I am liking how this is coming along, and anticipate making more sweaters, and playing around with color and texture more to keep them interesting.

Finally, my last knitting project in progress is for me. It is a pair of socks that I started out of mystery yarn, that I cannot figure out where I bought it from, but I am really loving how it is knitting up. It is almost denim in texture, and has speckled, but is also distinctly striped. It is the best of three worlds! I made up a knit and purl texture on the top of the foot that I will continue on the leg. They are being worked on US Size 1 needles, two at a time, toe up. They are almost ready for the heels.

I also spun some this week, and am almost through my braid of Malabrigo Nube in the Solis colorway. It is really pretty, and is spinning up really thin. I can't wait to ply it!

Those are all my projects that I have been working on the last two weeks. Hopefully I get some of the blankets done before next Saturday, which is Make-A-Blanket Day, where the entire Kansas City Chapter of Project Linus will get together and work on making blankets. I am really looking forward to seeing everybody again. See you next week!

Episode 6: My Computer Ate My Podcast

This week was a bit of a doozy. Not only did I start my first week of school, which went reasonably well, all things considered, but I recorded an ENTIRE episode for the podcast, and then I went to open it up, and the file was corrupted, so I went and did a take two. Last week it was an editing issue, this week it was a corrupt file issue, I wonder what issues will await me next week.

So first off I talked about my grandfather passing, which was my storytime for this week, and then I talked about the past week at school. I also talked about processing my wool, which I got from a friend that raises sheep on her farm, and she had a lot of extra wool. It was a pretty awesome experience, because I actually got it clean, and now it is white and fluffy instead of beige, like it was before. I didn't get a picture of the wool, but I'll try and show a sample of it next week.

Then I talked about my lack of FOs (Finished Objects). I'm almost done with G's socks though, and hopefully I will get those done this week.

I am also a good way through my Stripey Socks, that I am making out of Berocco Sox yarn, with two different colorways, and I am striping the two colorways to make super stripey socks. Both yarns are self-striping themselves. I have turned the heel on the second sock, and just have the leg and cuff to finish.

I am also continuing to work on the Hippy Hippy shawl by Gabrielle Vezina. It's a free Ravelry download. I'm working it with KnitPicks Chroma and a mystery brown acrylic yarn. It's a slow going shawl, since it is fingering weight and I'm working it on Size US 2 needles.

I also continued working on the ballband dishcloth blanket for Project Linus, which is a charity that gives blankets to children that have been through some type of trauma, and are distributed by either hospitals or police and firemen. I think that it will probably be two to three more weeks until it is done, The variegated is Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway and the green is Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway.

Finally, I am making good progress on the sweater that I am making for Knit for Kids, which is a charity that collects sweaters, hats, and blankets for children in impoverished areas. The items are collected in Pennsylvania, and then once they have a pallet worth of items the items are shipped all over the world. I'm using Caron One Pound to make the sweater.

I also spun this week. I finished a skein of alpaca. The colorway is Murphy's Ocean, and there were 4oz. I got 168 yards and I'm going to say that it was between a sport and worsted weight. I plan to use it to make a cowl for someone for Christmas, since it's nice and soft.

I am also spinning some art yarn from an art batt. It too is 4oz. I am getting between a fingering and a lace weight, and I will be plying it with some reflective and metallic decorative thread that I got for another project, but I think that it will be really great with this wool.

And then I have just a bit of stash enhancement because of the great sales that they had at JoAnn's this week. I got a Caron One Pound skein in grey that I am going to use to make a sweater for one of my baby cousins for this Christmas, and then I got two skeins of Patons Kroy in the Meadowstripes colorway. I'm excited about working with this yarn, and I think it will be a blast.

I finished up the podcast by talking about the quilt that my mom made me for my high school graduation, and then my thought of the week was just musing about how great it is to be able to shop your stash and how I feel like it's an important part of the creative process for myself. Thanks for watching and reading, I'll see you next week.

Insomnia Can Be Productive

This week I posted a new podcast, with the same title as this blog post. I hope that you can check it out!

I went to the lake this past weekend with my family. It was an alright time. I couldn't sleep Friday night, so I ended up working a lot on my brother's sweater, which I will show you a little later. I walked over to my grandparents' house early Saturday morning, and I saw a really huge spider web that I took a picture of. It was at least two and a half feet across. It was pretty massive. I saw others on the way, but this was by far the largest. 

There was a lot to talk about on this episode, but I'm afraid I may have rushed through some of it. So, to solve that problem, I thought I would elaborate a bit on here about the different things that I talked about. So first up are my FOs. I finished the Sockhead hat that I had dug out from forever ago and finally finished. I think that it turned out nice, and here it is, all the ends are woven in and everything! I finished it while I was at the lake. I worked in on my 16" Karbonz, US size 2. 

Then I finished the first sock of the speckled socks that I am making out of Plymouth Happy Feet 100 Splash which is a heavy fingering weight yarn. I am working them on my Addi Turbo Sock needles that are 8" around and are size US 2. I really like how these are turning out, and I have an awesome idea for my next socks that I am going to make on these needles. I got the idea off of Instagram, and basically you make stripes with two different self striping sock yarns, and the two sock yarns play together to create an even more interesting striping pattern. I think it will be really fun to work on, and it might help me use up some sock yarn that I've gotten bored by. 

That's all for my Finished Objects. Next off I have WIPs. There are two blankets, a shawl, and a sweater, and that's all that I showed on the podcast. I managed to work a bit on G's socks, but I forgot to show them on the podcast, so I will just wait until next week, when they will be nearing completion. I finished both heels, and have about 2" done on the cuffs or so. The ballband dishcloth blanket is about a third of the way through, and I have been working on it off and on. It's been made out of Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway and Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway. I'm almost through the first skein of both of those, so it's coming right along. I'm working it on US size 7 needles. 

I am also working on baby B's blanket. It is more than half way done. I am working it with size I/9 US Tunisian crochet hook. I am working a honeycomb Tunisian crochet stitch and switching the colors every other row, which gives it a houndstooth appearance. It is worked in Plymouth Encore Worsted in Lime Green and Navy Blue. I want to put a border on it in cream or grey or something, but my grandmother and mother insist that I use either lime green or navy. Which if that is the case I am inclined to do a thick border of lime green and then a small border of navy around it. 

The night that I couldn't sleep at all- Friday night, I stayed up and watched the movie Robots three times, once in English, once in French, and once in Spanish. I don't think I will be wanting to watch that movie for a while. I also worked on my brother's sweater's sleeve. Uninterrupted for nearly 5 hours. So I am now almost half way through the sleeve, maybe half way. I'm not really sure. I like how the pattern is turning out. It's a Hedge Fence Pullover by Elinor Brown. It's a paid for pattern on Ravelry. I am working it in Plymouth Encore Worsted Tweed in a natural colorway. I'm working it on size US 7 needles, from my Hiya Hiya interchangeable set. I really like them. Unfortunately, my size 2 needles broke, and I need to investigate about sending them back for a replacement, or what I need to do with them. I will figure it out though. 

Then I also worked on the Hippy Hippy Shawl by Gabrielle Vezina, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. Only I'm modifying it because it was written for a DK weight yarn, and I'm using fingering, so I'm working it on US size 2 needles, and I am using a mystery fingering weight in a chocolate brown and Knitpicks Chroma, but I'm not sure which Chroma colorway I'm using. I like it though, and am excited for the end product. At the end I'll have a feather and fan border using Boboli Lace yarn. 

In addition to all the knitting that I've gotten done, I've also done a ton of spinning. I've been using spinning to calm down my anxiety and help me get through the day. I finished two skeins, one from the Apothefairy is a gradient. All her braids are one-offs, so there is no colorway name to speak of. I chain plied it, and I'm not real happy about the even-ness of my plying, there seem to be some spots where it's tighter and others where it's looser, so we'll have to see how it knits up. I got 154 yards. I think I want to make a cowl out of it. Then I also finished playing the Barefoot on the Farm Isabelle colorway with the chocolate alpaca fiber, and I got 214 yards. I am not sure what exactly I want to make out of it yet. 

I am currently spinning on some wool/mohair 50/50 blend to be plied with the rest of the Barefoot on the Farm top. I think the colors will play nicely together, and there's only 2 ounces of the mohair/wool blend. I am spinning it on my Turkish spindle that I got in a swap. I have a ways to go on this one, since I don't spin as fast on my spindle as I do on my wheel, and I have a lot of projects going. 

I am also spinning some alpaca roving that is cream/white/turquoise and I think I am going to ply it on to itself and make a nice hat- hopefully I can get enough yardage. 

Finally, this week I also talked about my Etsy store briefly and showed off the hats that I've made and put up on there. So that was this week. It was pretty jam packed full of a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. Maybe if I get more comfortable I'll be able to ramble a bit more, but I doubt that I will ever do a two hour podcast by myself like the Dancing Geek does. Anywho, that's all for this week, and hopefully next week I will be able to show you some more finished objects, and maybe some new projects on the needles.