This is a week late, but I still wanted to give it it's own post. This is episode 13, and it was shot at the lake. The lighting is a little funny, but I still manage to talk about my different projects. There weren't any FO's, but I did manage to make some pretty good progress on some projects.
Before I get to the project photos, which are phenomenal, I have to give a shout out to my brother, the one I am making the epic cable sweater for, who caught a pretty good sized fish, and I snapped a quick photo of him.
Another shout out has to go to my mother who was also crafting at the lake. She was making quilts for Project Linus, a charity that donates blankets to children that have experienced trauma, whether they are in the hospital, or are in other trauma. I just thought it was fun for how she could transform the kitchen table into a miniature crafting area.
Then I went on a photo shoot, the next morning, it was pretty epic, all on the back deck of my parent's house down at the lake. I have first my not-quite vanilla socks that are almost ready to turn the heel on.
Then I have the short row shawl that I am completely making up the pattern on, and it was almost ready for a lace border on it.
Then I have my cowl that I started, that I am putting in different fair isle patterns on from a pattern book from the library. I am thinking that I will need to buy this book in order to complete the project. This is all being done in Knit picks Palette Fingering weight, on US size 2 needles, 16 inch circular Karbonz needles.
Then there are the two Project Linus blankets that I am working on. There is the orange tiger striped blanket that is turning out more "Halloween" than I hoped for. It is tunisian crochet, and I am making up the pattern.
Then lastly there is the mitered square blanket that I am making out of left over acrylic yarn and I am working it on US size 10 needles. I added 7 more squares this week.
Thanks for coming on my adventure at the lake. I hope you enjoyed this little look into a different aspect of my life. Join me next week when I will be at home, and it will be my birthday.
Thanks for joining me this week. Lots happened this week, I was busy all the time, but I still managed to eek out a bit of crafting. I don't think it's too terrible, considering how really busy I was. My episode starts off kind of slow, but gets rolling pretty quickly, and then I really get in the groove.
Needlework is a big deal in my family. My mom knits, crochets, cross-stitches, sews and quilts. She mostly quilts. My grandmother used to crochet and has tried to knit, and embroiders and sews. My aunt crochets. My great grandmother crocheted, and knitted. Another cross-stitched, and another crocheted. So there is a lot of crafting mojo in my family, and I think that has inspired me and kept me going in my own crafting life. There is a cross-stitch piece that was done by my paternal great grandmother, and it hangs in my living room, and I look at it every day.
I went to Project Linus Make-A-Blanket Day, and it was a blast! I got to see some of my yarn-y friends that make blankets for Project Linus, and then I also worked on my blankets while I was there. I am really close to finishing my corner-to-corner throw. The pattern is available on the Red Heart website. I am not sure of all the yarn that I am using for this blanket, because most of it was donated to Project Linus and is just various acrylic.
I also worked on my mitered square blanket that I am using the same pattern that everyone is using for their sock yarn blankets, but I am doing it with worsted weight. In reality I was testing to see if I wanted to do a sock yarn blanket. The jury is back and it is a decided "no". I have no desire to make squares that small, even if I don't have to do any seaming. I also needed to use up a bunch of different scraps, so I thought that the mitered square blanket would be a good way to do that.
My third blanket that I'm making for Project Linus I didn't actually work on at the Make-A-Blanket Day, just because the long hook can get unwieldy. I am working it in orange and black. I was going for tiger stripes, but I think it is coming off more like Halloween. I like working on it, and hope to have all three blankets done for Project Linus next month.
The name of the podcast comes from my rambling about the mystery yarn that my socks are being made out of. I never figured out where the yarn came from or what kind it is. I made up the knit and purl pattern on the top of the socks, and it turned out pretty well, I think. It's interesting and keeps me engaged in them when I work on them, but they are really purse knitting.
As promised, here are the pictures of me dying self-striping sock yarn with koolaid. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the finished socks. It was before I was really podcasting and blogging on a regular basis, so they just kind of fell through the cracks. The first picture is the yarn in the dye pot.
This second picture is the dyed yarn out to dry, so hopefully that gives you some idea of what it was like to dye up the yarn, or at least a better idea of what I was trying to describe in the podcast.
My last knitting work in progress is a shawl that I am making up the pattern completely myself, using lots of short rows to try and make it really long and not very deep. I won't be sure how well it has turned out until I bind off, but so far I think it is going pretty well. i am using Boboli Lace Yarn and Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight. I kind of wish I had chosen another color beside grey for the contrasting color, but I think that it is turning out pretty well.
Last but not least I finished the singles of the Malabrigo Nube Solis that I will ply with itself, and have about a sport weight yarn. I really love the colors and the way that it spun up so thin. I am really enjoying this spin.
Thanks for watching and I hope that you enjoy your week! See you next week with new scenery since I'll be at the lake, and hopefully I will be outside, with a lovely view.
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!
Hello, welcome to another week (this time very short) of the spinningknitting1 podcast. I hope that you enjoy this week, I kept it pretty short and sweet. My family and I went to the lake this long, Labor Day weekend, so I recorded and edited while we were still there, so the background is different yet again. I also didn't have all my projects to show, since I wasn't at my usual abode, so forgive the lack of projects (I still had three, just not seven like usual).
There were no FOs this week. Instead of doing a ton of knitting I spent my time going to a couple job interviews, and then accepting a new job! I'll be working at a before and after school program at an elementary school. I go to training this up coming week and I'm super excited!
Since I didn't bring all my projects to the lake, I spent a lot of time working on the Hippy-Hippy Shawl by Gabrielle Vezina. It's a free pattern on Ravelry, and I am making it out of fingering weight yarn, instead of the DK called for in the pattern. I think that I am going to do the lace edging in the brown that I have been striping throughout the shawl. I am using US Size 2 Karbonz needles, on a 40" circular. I am enjoying working on this shawl, even though there is a lot of plain stockinette, and it takes forever to get through a row by now, since the rows are so long. The long color repeats are Knitpicks Chroma, and the brown is a mystery acrylic that I found at a crafting consignment shop.
I put a little bit of work on my chevron cowl. This is a pattern that I am making up as I go along. I provisionally cast on 100 stitches, using a crochet cast-on. Then I have been working a chevron stitch in the round, and I have been holding two different skeins together. One is Mille Colori by Lang Yarn, and the other is Berroco Comfort sock weight. I am using a 16" US Size 4 needle for this. I will keep knitting until it is long enough to go around my neck, and then I will kitchener stitch the two ends together.
I also put just a little more work on my ballband dishcloth blanket for Project Linus. I am using a US Size 7 needle, and the green is Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway, and the variegated is Red Heart Super Saver in the Primary colorway. I should be done with this blanket in time to donate it to Project Linus this month.
As a bonus project here on the blog, I thought I would include a recent picture of my Crackerjack scarf that I am making this season to record the Kansas City Royals' season. The royal blue is for wins at home, the powder blue is for wins on the road, the gold is for losses at home, and the white is for losses on the road. As you can see, there is quite a bit more blue than gold or white, so that's always a good sign. I'm working this on US Size 6 needles, with Plymouth Dreambaby DK.
In addition to knitting, and going to school and going to interviews, I also read this week, quite a bit. I talked about two books that I have been reading this week. The first one is by Debbie Macomber and is A Good Yarn. It's a pretty light story that is about three ladies that are taking a class on knitting socks in their local yarn store, and their background stories, and the shop owner's background story, and just a glimpse into the lives of other knitters, so that's kinda a fun read. The second one is Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado. It is just a series of character vignettes that expand on stories from the life of Jesus and different places in the Bible and just really brings them to life. I really like his writing style, and think that I will be reading more of his books.
Finally, the thought for this week was about how important it is to stay positive and flexible, and just trying to keep a good attitude. That's all for this week, I hope you'll join me next week for the weekly update on spinningknitting1's 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.
The newest episode of my podcast is up! I'm sorry that the lighting is so bad, I had to film in a different location, and thought that it looked fine on my screen when I first set up, it wasn't until I was editing that I realized that I look like Casper the ghost for most of it! I am very pale in general, so just having direct sunlight on me like that really washed me out. This is a good lesson to keep in mind for the future, just in case I am tempted to do something crazy, like record outside or something (yeah, right).
In this episode I go on and on about my failed vegetable garden that I planted this spring, as well as my personal struggle with social anxiety, which is just one facet of Generalized Anxiety Disorder that I am diagnosed with. I have been getting up early this week to try and adjust my sleeping schedule to better work with getting up early to go to school, which starts next week. This has given me even more time for crafting, so I finished two crocheted blankets for Project Linus this month. Project Linus is a charity that accepts handmade blankets, whether they be crocheted, knitted, or quilted, and then distributes them to children that are either sick or have been through trauma. I have been making blankets for Project Linus since the 7th grade, about 13 years ago.
The pattern for these two blankets came from the 100 Colorful Ripples to Crochet by Leonie Morgan. They are made from different acrylics that have been donated to me by people for Project Linus.
This week I also finished half of a pair of socks. I just couldn't resist casting them on, even though I already had two pairs on the needles. I striped two different colorways of Berroco Sox. One was a green colorway and the other was a red, pink, puce, blue, and green colorway. They go together surprisingly well, and I really like the result. I cast off just before recording, so I will definitely work on a matching sock this upcoming week.
Along the lines of half finished socks I finished the cuff and the heel on the speckle dyed socks that I am making from Plymouth Happy Feet 100 Splash. They are going well, but I'm kinda falling out of love with the speckles. I am planning to use the left overs to make striping socks like I am doing with the Berroco Sox with some other stash yarn that I have.
And for the last of the socks, I have the pair of socks for G that I finished both the heels on and am now working on the cuff. I should have them done before I go and see him this Saturday, because I think that that would be a nice present, since I don't get to see him very often. They are made out of JaWoll Lang Color and Cascade Sock. I am working them toe up two at a time.
I added about another repeat of the stitch pattern to my brother's sweater sleeve. Without time that was really quiet and focused it's hard to make myself concentrate enough to knit on the sweater. I am nearing the end of the increases though, and then it will just be the top shaping, since the sweater has set-in sleeves. Then I will work the other sleeve and then the body. I hope to have the sweater done sometime this winter. It is the Hedge Fence Pullover by Elinor Burn, it's a paid for pattern available on Ravelry. It is being worked in Plymouth Encore Worsted Tweed.
I also added a few rows to the Hippy Hippy shawl by Gabrielle Vezina, a free Ravelry download. I am making it out of a mystery acrylic yarn and Knitpicks Chroma. It's a crescent shape shawl and is worked with pinstripes in stockinette.
I added quite a bit to the baby blanket for Baby B. My cousin that is now a few months old. It is Tunisian crochet, worked in the honeycomb stitch, and I change color every row, which gives it a hound's tooth appearance. It is worked in Plymouth Encore Worsted in lime green and navy.
Finally, last but not least, I worked on the knitted ball-band dishcloth blanket that I am also knitting for Project Linus. I am making it out of Red Heart Super Saver in the primary colorway and Red Heart with Love in the Lettuce colorway. It is coming along nicely, and I am almost done with the first two skeins.
My thought of the week this was about how I am going to try to start knitting sweaters for the charity Knit for Kids that is put through World Vision. They look really great and I think it will help me develop as a knitter as well. I also talked about my knitted goodies basket that I put out every Christmas to make the holidays easier on me as a crafter.
So yesterday was a pretty exciting day, I got a new book in the mail. I heard about this book from a podcast, I think it was Just One More Row. Anyways, it is a book called Curls by Hunter Hammersen. I am making one for my mother, and I just started it last night, and I am making pretty good progress. The one I am making is called Gridelin. I am making it out of Pagewood Farm yarn in the Yukon base, which is Merino Superwash, Bamboo, Nylon (70/20/10), in the colorway Army Girl. I got it from Sue's Soft Stuff in Northern Missouri, I don't remember exactly which town. (My mom and I went on a mini yarn/fabric crawl for my birthday). She had a lot of locally produced fiber, and I got a lot of alpaca and llama. I'm working the curl on a US Size 4 needles.
I'm making this one for my mother, since she wears scarf type things in the office that she works at much more than I wear them. The next one that I will make I'll make for my grandmother. It took me about an hour or so of knitting right off the chart before I got it memorized, but now it is making sense and I am just flying through. I am really liking working on this and can't wait to finish this one and make some more. The colors are truer in this photo, and you can see a bit of the stitch detail.
In other news I ran out of light pink yarn for a ripple blanket I was working on, so I finished it up yesterday. I think that it turned out really cute. This is of course for Project Linus, and the pattern is from the 100 Colorful Ripple Stitches to Crochet by Leonie Morgan. I cannot speak highly enough of this book, I have made three or four blankets from the patterns from this book and have really loved working on every single one of them.
I also decided to go ahead and post the pictures that I have done and if they don't get any views than I will redo them and try again, this time making a proper photo box, but I think that the ones I have now will work and look nice. So if you want to check out my store, now with some hats for sale as well as all the bags it's right here. Thanks!
