Blankets! What I've been up to: Lots and Lots of Project Linus

I have been making blankets for Project Linus lately. I inherited a LARGE amount of Red Heart yarns, perfect for charity knitting, especially since Project Linus can't accept any amount of wool, due to the sensitive conditions of the kiddos that we are giving to. This is what I've done since December, I haven't properly followed a pattern for any of these, and the vast majority are 100% my own designs. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you for checking these out, stay tuned to see more of my work!

Vegan Cleanse: Day Two!!

So far in my little experiment everything has been going well. I got three pimples last night, and had a "moving" experience, but other than that everything has been just honky-dory. Last night I also went to shallow water aerobics for the first time! I had been to deep water, but shallow water was different in it's own way.

Today I ate a green smoothie and an apple with peanut butter for breakfast.
For lunch I ate brown rice and quinoa with black beans and peas. I seasoned my black beans with Chinese ginger, and garlic salt and onion flakes. I put garlic salt, and pepper on my peas. I had a lot left over so I just stuck it in the fridge.

Then I rode the bike for 50 minutes, which is a personal record! (I'm trying to build up endurance to walk a 5k, I think I'm almost there!).

Then I made another green smoothie. I put in frozen mango chunks, a banana, kale and flax seed powder with water and coconut milk.

Then I did some resistance band strength training for my arms.

After I had done that I was getting kinda hungry so I put fresh spinach on a plate and put on some cold rice, quinoa and beans onto it. I ate that and some pear compote for dinner. For my pear compote I put in 5 pears, a bag of dried berries, and about three tablespoons of sugar into a pot with water and cinnamon. I let it boil down until it's the consistency of applesauce, only made with pears and berries instead.

In addition to this I got two blankets finished for Project Linus! They are both crocheted.

The first one I inherited the granny squares in the middle from someone, I'm not even sure who, and then I did different borders, mostly puff stitch and half double crochet around it until it was large enough.

All that color changing means there will be a lot of ends to weave in though! I usually finish all the actual stitching on the blankets before the meetings, and then sit and weave in ends at the meetings, since nearly everyone else there is sewing on something, and I'm just not that much of a sewer.

The second blanket is a corner-to-corner throw that is from a pattern published by Red Heart, and it's done in very old Red Heart Super Saver. This blanket, although it's small was about four and a half skeins. There are not near as many ends to weave in on this one, and I think the pattern and the yarn made an interesting, admittedly dizzying design on this one.

Tonight I will work on my next blanket, and there will be a progress report tomorrow.

Episode 23 - It Just Had to Come Home with Me!!!

This week's podcast was a little off the cuff, since I didn't have show notes with me. I was a little bleck all day today, not sure why, just the weather maybe? Because I didn't have show notes everything is out of order and all over the place, but I talk about it all, so it's all good. 

I finished my Sin City blanket, one of my oldest projects on Ravelry, can now be said to be completed! It was also on my WIPdown list, so one more checked off. I turned it into Project Linus- a charity that donates blankets to children that are in the hospital or have experienced some sort of trauma or illness. 

I also finished the green lace scarf that I was making, and my mom claimed that one. So that's two more WIPs off my list! I'm really buzzing through things!

For my WIPs this week, I worked just a little on the orange Tunisian crochet blanket that has been growing ever so slowly. Made with acrylic yarn, intended for Project Linus, I worked it in several directions and have been making rounds of single crochet around the outside to finish it off.

I also worked on my blanket for Project Linus that is a for the Nuts for Neon competition. My local chapter of Project Linus is having a volunteer appreciation day, and as part of that day there is a competition for the best blanket, that will be voted on during the volunteer day. I finished one panel of orange lace, that is the same lace pattern that I have been using for the Edison Bulb portion of my neon cowl, and then I did three mitered squares in the corners to complete the round.

I also almost finished the back of a sweater that I am making from mill ends that I got from JoAnn fabric and craft stores. I got this yarn in pound bags and don't know anything about it except for that it is acrylic. I got three pound bags and it's a bulky weight yarn, so I hope that that will be enough to complete my sweater. It's twelve balls in total, but I'm unsure of the yardage on any of them.

I also worked on the pair of stripey socks that I am making out of Berroco Sox, in two different colorways, but I have lost the ball bands at this point, so I can't tell you what those two are exactly. I am almost done with the cuff, then I will do ten rows of one by one ribbing in the green colorway.

I started on a Done Roving Frolicking Feet section of my neon cowl, and am on the last seed stitch section, so after this bit of color I will bind off and have another project off the needles!! The bright yellow is Edison Bulb by Madeline Tosh.

Last but not least I started a new project, a Tunisian crochet double ended hook project that I am making out of a book of 101 Double Ended Hook Stitches, released by Auntie Anne's Attic, which I'm pretty sure is a daughter company of Red Heart, but I'm not 100% sure on that. This is the project that I do a demonstration on during the podcast.

I'm sorry some of my pictures messed up this week, I had issues uploading to Flickr, so I switched and uploaded directly from my phone onto blogspot, but something clearly went a bit wonky in the process, and now there are pictures with stripes down the side, where there are no stripes in the pictures on my phone. I will try to figure something out better next week. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next week!

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!!