Super slow week!

So, as my previous post said, my grandmother's passing really took up a lot of the last week.  I have been working on things, but at a much slower rate than usual.  After last Friday, I really only worked on the blue blanket I showed in Vlog #5.  

So, one with the show!  First off, I did finish my varigated, knit Christmas stocking.  I used Bernat Happy Holidays in Merrier.  I really enjoyed the pattern with the exception of how the heel turned out.  I use the pattern, Waiting Up for Santa Stocking by Sour Krot Designs.  I think it must have been me that messed up, not the pattern, but my heel is so pointy.  I just don't like the way that it looks.  I love the way it was constructed, but I just don't like how it turned out for me.

I do however really love the toe decreases that she chose.  This is done round like a hat vs being done like the toe of a real sock.  For some reason that rounded toe looks so much nicer hanging down.  Many moons ago I knit a stocking that used a standard toe decrease and it looked nice laying flat but kind of looked funny while hanging on the mantle.

The next stocking I worked on was Christmas Stocking by Sonya.  This one turned out very lovely!  I really like the finished style.  I don't think it would be as good as my knit one for using as a stocking, but it looks so great hanging up.  My picture doesn't really do it justice.

This pattern was a bit wonky to understand.  Well, it was wonky at the heel and restarting for the leg.  If you have knit or crocheted socks before, you will perfectly understand what is going on in the pattern.  If you haven't ever made socks before, be very careful at reading and working this pattern.  It isn't intuitive.

The last finished object of the week is another donation hat.  This one just uses a basic recipe idea of the crown measures x, the total length is y.   There are many people out there who have created graphic charts to show you the recipe.  I don't want to get dinged for copy write, so I will just tell you to Google that one.

This hat is made from Lion Brand Wool Ease and Caron One Pound scraps that were in my scrap box after finishing the rainbow blankets.  I really like the texture these worked up together.  The Wool Ease is so light compared to the Caron it made a really nice fabric together.

I wanted to share with you all this label I found on one of the balls of yarn from the rainbow blankets.  Not a color that you would see much of anymore.  I am not sure when Caron Sayelle was discontinued, but this ball is at least 20 years old.  I love finds like that!

Here is this week's Vlog Show and Tell.  I hope that you guys enjoy.  I did forget to mention in the Vlog that my yarn weight usage is up to 63.65 ounces out of 400.  So, we keep creeping up there!

Take care everyone and I will see you all next week.  XOXO

Wow, I really dropped that ball!

Hey guys, sorry for the delay in getting any kind of update up for you guys.  It has been a long week!  My grandmother sadly passed away and I was going back and forth with my family getting updates and traveling to North Carolina for the funeral.  Her passing was very sudden.  Taking care of that took up most of my time.

Sorry, but for last week's update, we will just have to go with my Vlog post.  I wish that I had time to write everything up, but I don't want to miss a chance to get this up before this week's video goes live and the new post gets put up.

As to the "pattern" for the cowl:
CO 66
Work in the same moss stitch for 8 rows
Knit for 25 rows
Moss stitch for 8 rows

Remember to bind off in a very stretchy bind off.

I do have this up on Ravelry not as a pattern, but the pattern is written in my description box.  Cowl to Match Lomond Hat.

I should have more up either later today or first thing tomorrow! 

Hats, Hats, Hats-- and a Scarf...

So, this last week or so with the knitting and the crochet have been a bit different than my "normal" flow.  I am running through a lot of the small knitting projects that I had wanted to make to enter into the SC State Fair, I am working on some hats for donation, getting ready to redecorate and waiting to see what Hurricane Florence does....

So...  I will start with the scarf.  I made the scarf that matches the hat from last week.  It is the Dublin Duo Scarf by Bonnie Barker.  It is in the Celtic Cable Crochet book.  I have 2 crochet cable books by her, this is the first one I am working from.  I plan on doing a review after I finish two more patterns from the book.  This scarf actually worked up super fast compared to the hat.  I had originally planned on an extra row of single crochet around the perimeter in the cream I used for the ribbing, but decided against it.  I really like the width of the written boarder.  Just like the hat, I really like the pattern and found it to be very well written.

Next, I worked on a slew of hats.  Seriously...  all of my FOs and WIPs are hats...  I didn't work at all on my August Knitcrate or September Knitcrate projects...  All has been for the fair or donations this week....  LOL!

Fair hats, K&K by Nathania Apple, I have made this hat before and I love this brim!  I come to this hat when ever I want a super basic hat pattern that doesn't have ribbing.  I am not one of those people who doesn't like purling, I just want a different shape.  I went a head an made it in the "Toddler" size and the Adult size.  I put toddler in quotes because I would say that this is more young child in a lot of yarns.  Make sure of your size gauge before you start for a toddler or a child. 

For donation hats, I wanted to use up my orange scraps, it isn't a color that I really use much of, so one ball is more than enough for my stash.  I started with one of Margaret Olander's favorite donation hats, the Better Late than Never Hat by Kathy North.  I really love this hat's construction!  It isn't something super spectacular if you have made a lot of hats unless you are like me and just love clever changes to the basics.  I also am so tickled at how well I am getting my rows to stack when I am smart about working.  So, I got two Better Late than Nevers done, then I decided to go a little off script with another hat.

I took the brown and orange one and used it as a size guide to make my own double crochet-double strander hat.  I know there are 500 patterns for this out there, I think Margaret Olander has a "recipe" for this kind of hat.  I just wanted to finish off that brown and suck up as much orange as I could...  I did finish the brown ball, but I had just enough orange left over for....

A cream and orange (creamsicle) Better Late than Never Hat.  I actually started this one last night when I was chilling with a mask on my face waiting to go to bed.  Trying to de-stress from "What if...Planning".  So, next week this one should be done and I will hopefully not have only 5 hats to share with you guys as FOs and WIPs.


So, I have some fun additional information on my Youtube channel (that just sounds so bloody funny!) video from today that is in conjunction with my "Show and Tell" here.  Please stop over there and take a listen to the fun shares.  I have some fun acquisitions and "reviews" to share with you guys!  Including Halloween finds, my disappointing Mary Maxim purchase, and books!

I want to take a moment and thank all of the people who have supported me this year in my getting out there again.  It has been a long time since I shared in the open like this and I have really missed being able to share with my friends and make new friends.  I know I don't see very many comments on my blog, but I do see my "lurkers" and I am very grateful for you all! 

Hugs and Kisses until next week hopefully!

Knitcrate August Review and September Unboxing

Crafting Makes the World Go Around...

At least it makes my world go around!  Sorry, I haven't had time to get back over here to share with you the updates on my WIP and FOs.  I thought I was going to have more time on Saturday before the football games started...  I was WRONG!

So, lets get this ball rolling!

I did finally finish my C2C Rainbow Blanket.  I might still put a boarder on here, I haven't decided yet what that should be if I do.  Maybe one of the random purples I have up in the craftroom...  I don't know yet, but I will figure it out.







I finished two hats. One is this pink and cream one.  I used Vanna's Choice yarn and the pattern is the hat from Dublin Duo by Bonnie Baker.  I got her book, Celtic Cable Crochet and am just smitten with the aesthetic of all of the patterns.  I think I might go ahead and make this the next book that I work my way through the whole thing.  I can't think of one that doesn't just look like fun to make.

The next hat is Crochet Ribbed Hat by RecycleCindy.  I liked this hat as a starting place, I have a whole basket of neutral scraps still, so I think that I might work through a lot of those using patterns like this that are just simple and basic.  I already have another brown and cream one going upstairs.

I have been working on my two Knitcrate projects.  I finished the one from the Primary box.  I had some extra yarn from knitting the cowl I decided to knit an ear-warmer.  The cowl pattern is The Beach Ball Cowl by Virginia Sattler-Reimer.  I liked it, but I will have more to say about the combo when I do my final review of the first Knitcrate and the unboxing for months number two.  


No one part of this was wrong, I am just not 100% sure I like them together.   That might change after some wet blocking too.  The fabric is fun to touch through and I am looking forward to wearing this when it a touch cooler.




The ear-warmer is my own pattern (if you can call it a pattern) CO 100,  in the round- 5 rows of K2P2 rib, 15 rows knitted and 5 rows of K2P2 rib, extra stretchy bind off in pattern.  I love the feel of the yarn around my face.  I ended up with only a small amount left over.  I don't even know if I have enough to add into a junk pompom...


I have been working on Caribbean Escape by Jennifer Dickerson.  I am once again loving the yarn, but... I will say that over all but not super excited with the pattern.  I will get more into that when the next box gets here and I give my final review of the yarn and box as a whole.  Don't let me sound too negative, it isn't bad, I am just little meh on both combos though.




The last thing I have been working on is Cakes Two to Tango by Gwen Kok.  Now this is a super simple pattern once you have both balls established, but those first few rows you need silence and patience with yourself.  The pattern is very well written, you just need to pay attention.  HOW PRETTY!  I am using Lion Brand Mandala Baby in Unicorn Cloud. 

I am already planning my next round with this pattern.  I have the yarn, it will be the Warlock color way for the fall!  I love how it looks using the same colorway, but the pattern is written to use different colorways.

I do have my next Vlog up, please, go and take a peek.  This one is a Show and Tell video mostly but I also introduced my next challenge for 2018!

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you all! 

 Please, if you want to follow more closely with the 25 pound challenge, let me know and maybe we can start a group on Ravelry or Facebook.