A Few More Finished Projects

A new year is upon us and with it comes new possibilities for playing with yarn! I've got quite a few things on my plate already, of course. But I have high hopes that I will be able to stay on top of projects a little bit better in 2012. As of right now, I have two projects in the works (holdovers from 2011), which I will be tackling fiercely in the next few weeks. I also have five blankets queued up. I have ordered the yarn for one of them and bought the yarn for two more yesterday. As for the other two, I have picked out the patterns for them and believe I have been kind to myself in so doing (and still made choices that will result in beautiful gifts, of course). So I feel like I am off to a good start, at least. I have it in my head that I will also get on the ball about those smaller projects that are "want to dos" to break up the monotony of the larger projects. Fingers crossed that goes well, at least partly so I can have stuff to show you guys, too!

I'm not even going to look at my knitting/crocheting goals for 2011 to see how well I did. I know I fell far short of my expectations. That's okay though. I am still pretty dang proud of everything I did accomplish yarn-wise last year, and while maybe I didn't get as many of my personal projects done as I had hoped, I didn't have anyone I intended to make a gift for go wanting. I also managed to increase my skill in knitting, and am very pleased at how that progressed. I still have a lot to learn though, so that gives me much to look forward to (and to likely make me curse occasionally) in 2012.

Now, with all of that said, allow me to present to you my final two projects of 2011. Enjoy!

Stealth Beanie by Cori 2011.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in 9443 (red) and Cascade 220 Wool in 8339 (blue) [< one skein each]
Hook: I

This was for my husband's Christmas stocking. It has become something of a tradition that I make him a beanie for his stocking each year. He loves him some beanies, yo. It's just all single crochet, in the round. There's no real pattern, I just did a few stripes, alternating colors, and then carried on until I felt like it needed to change. I am very pleased with the end result, though the tip is a bit pointier than I would have liked, I didn't decrease quite properly, I fear. Still, he loves it, and that is the most important bit!

I mentioned that I was taking my socks and KAL sweater on my trip to work on. Sadly I didn't get to do anything with the sweater, but I did manage to finish the first sock while I was there. Behold, my very first knit sock, ever!

I am ridiculously proud of this thing.
(Sorry the lighting isn't great in this shot.)

Of course, how good is one sock, without its mate? So upon finishing, I did promptly start the second one and worked on it the entire flight home and over the next few days, so that by Friday I had this:

Winter Socks by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Little Guys by Betsy Lee McCarthy (from Knit Socks! 17 Patterns for Cozy Feet)
Yarn: Mary Maxim Bamboo Soft Stripes in Lagoon [< one skein]
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm) DPNs

I really like this pattern, both in the ease of making and the final look of it. Though for full disclosure's sake, I should admit that I completely screwed up the broken ribbing pattern on the leg. The socks are worked on four double-point needles, and there are a few places in the pattern where the author says "to end of needle" when she should have said (IMHO) "knit to end of round" or "knit to end of heel/instep." I realized this maybe two-thirds of the way through the first leg, and could have probably ripped and redone, but it seemed like too much effort and so I didn't. They still look super cute. Also, Baby Girl, approves muchly.

Her exact reaction was, "Socks!"

Aw, such cute little feet. Must. Not. Tickle.

So there you have it. 2011 wrapped up and 2012 underway. Thanks for sticking with me this far, and I hope you'll join me for this year's ride as well.

Craft on, my friends, craft on.

Knitting To Go

Well, I wish I could say it has been a super productive week on the knitting front, but it really hasn't. My husband came down with some sort of crud and it wasn't long before I caught it too. It pretty much drained any desire to play with pointy objects for a few days. I am finally starting to feel a bit better, thankfully. Just in time, too, considering that I leave on Thursday to go visit relatives for Christmas.

With travel comes the making of many lists in preparation to pack and then leave. Among those lists are what project(s) I will want to take with me on my trip. I sat down to assess what I've got going on at the moment and make that particular decision.

My current project pile.

At the moment I have three projects in the works (all knitting). There is a fourth stealth crochet project that I might try to sneak in before the trip, but I am still deciding on that one. The projects above include: that darn scarf (left), my poor KAL sweater (top right), and socks for my daughter (bottom right).

I think I have decided to bring the sweater and the socks along with me. The socks, obviously, because I am hoping to get them done in time to be a stocking stuffer for baby girl. The jury is still out on whether or not that will happen, but who knows. When I initially took the photos for this post, this was all I had of the socks:

Winter Sock # 1

But after taking the photos and looking at all of my projects, I got a bit inspired and sat down to work on them a bit more, so that I now have this:

Cuff, leg, and heel turn done, whoo!

So, they're shaping up at least. Worst case scenario, I don't finish them by Christmas and she gets them for New Year's instead. I have at least gotten to the point where I don't feel quite so very much as if I am knitting with a porcupine anymore. I'll take it.

I was also heartened to see that when I pulled out my KAL sweater, I actually was a bit further along than I remembered. In between the last update I showed you guys and when I had to set it aside for other more pressing projects it did manage to go from this:

Oscar Pullover Update 1

To this:

Oscar Pullover Update 2

I am hardly foolish enough to think I will return from my trip with a completed sweater, but maybe at least a completed back and a good start on the front. Perhaps I can finish this before January is out, at least.

I plan on giving the scarf the week in between Christmas and New Year's, maybe alternating it with the sweater so it doesn't get the chance to get too tedious. Then it will be my "small" project to work on in between all of the blankets (and possibly some commissioned baby hats, if my friend still wants them) that I will start up once that dang sweater is done.

Whatever else my goals for 2012 might be, one of them is most definitely to try to keep my project list from spiraling so out of control again! Heh. We'll have see how long that one lasts, though, won't we?

Approved By Kitties and Coris

Despite the two unfinished projects lingering in my yarn cubby, mocking me, I have actually been making some progress on the yarncraft front.

There is, first and foremost, this beautiful item:

Hearth and Home by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Irish Afghan by Nancy Sheck (available in Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs)
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Buff Fleck (15 skeins)
Hook: I (5.5 mm)

Here is a closer look at the pattern:

Bobbles, bobbles, everywhere!

This pattern was not hard, but it was time consuming, and it rather involved paying more attention than I like on such a large project. Still. Holy cow, worth it. I was almost sad to have to give it away, but not really. I mean, yes, I will probably never make this pattern again (at least not in a blanket, although I think it could be adapted for a really nifty vest). It is possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever crocheted. But how can I be sad that it went to a home where it is already loved this much?

It has clearly gone to a good home. For those wondering, this was a wedding present for my youngest brother-in-law and his new wife, who were married the weekend before last. (As far as I can tell, they seem to like it too.)

The pattern itself wasn't difficult, like I said, it just took a lot of time. This is primarily because the whole thing is basically single crochet all the way across. It was a row of single crochet, then a row of embellishment on the right side of the blanket, then single crochet, then embellishment, and so on. All of those bobbles and front post single crochets and puff-stitches don't add anything to the actual length of the thing. I will note I made two modifications to the finishing of the blanket. Well, three. First off, it called for twenty-four pattern repeats. I think maybe I had sixteen or eighteen, but it was definitely long enough. I also modified the border, just doing two rows of single crochet around instead of the one row of single crochet and then switch to a larger hook for a fiddly bit. Lastly, the pattern called for fringe, and I don't do fringe. (Unless I am making a reproduction of something specific, as in a scarf from a movie or show.) As it was, I barely had enough yarn to finish and I bought three more skeins than the pattern called for. I swear my gauge was right on, but I still didn't come out with the same amount of yarn required by the actual pattern. Sigh. Oh well, such is life. I had enough to finish the blanket I was making, and that's the important thing.

After I finished that I made some pretty decent progress on that project that I wanted to finish by the start of December, though I am still nowhere near finished with it. Sigh. The problem is that it is a scarf and it is knitted. Apparently knitted scarves are my kryptonite. I can get in about a week of working on them diligently and then I have to just put it somewhere that I can't see it for a while. I get bored, I get annoyed, I get distracted. I go buy more yarn when my closet is already overflowing with the stuff...yeah. I had to set it aside when the month started in order to begin a Christmas gift. I was feeling pretty badly about that, until I realized that the recipient's birthday is early next year, but still a few months away. So. New goal. That will be her birthday present. I will work on it for a week or two in between bigger projects, or as a break from things I need a break on, and hopefully it will get done in time. Then, I will ask you all to kindly shoot me the next time I say I want to knit a scarf. (Except for when I finally get around to making myself that Gryffindor scarf....)

The Christmas gift is, thankfully, crocheted and is already working up quite nicely (as I write this I am about 3/4 done with it). The pattern seems simple but has a really nifty little catch to the primary seam. I am using a wonderful yarn, and it calls for a blessedly huge hook. I seriously almost cried tears of joy when I saw that the pattern called for a size K hook, I kid you not.

So that's where I am on the crafting front. Things are looking optimistic (unless you happen to be my poor KAL sweater, which is still only about half of a back--but it will get finished one day, I swear, hopefully before it gets too warm to wear it again).

Just A Wee Bit Insane...

NaNoWriMo starts today. So that's 50,000 words (at least--but more importantly a complete story) I've gotta write in the next thirty days.

I am a little over halfway done with the blanket--I've got two weeks to finish it. Sure I can do it (I think), but I am also gonna freak out about it a bit.

I've got two other sizable projects that I would like to finish before this month ends. (This is not going to happen, but that won't stop me from trying.) I've already realized I need to back-burner the KAL sweater and finish the other project, which is not for me, first. Otherwise I will feel like a miserable excuse for a human being.

My daughter has recently discovered that it is SUPER fun times to plop down in my lap right on top of whatever project I am working on and refuse to move.

A friend has approached me about commissioning a couple of baby hats and I have already had to tell her I won't be able to work on them until after Christmas because I am so swamped craft-wise.

Yet despite all of that I am seriously thinking about taking a day or two of Yarn Time this week to make a pair of these (sans beads). What? I mean, it's cold in my office, and I can't be expected to reach my word count if my fingers are too frozen to type, right? Right? Anyone....?

Sigh.

Happy November, y'all. Let the games begin.

Getting A Bit Out Of Control

I am slowly but surely making progress on two of my three big projects currently in the works. (The third is on hold until one of them is finished, since it is not time sensitive.) Here's a peek at the one I am actually able to show you:

The back (so far) of my KAL sweater.

I got a good chunk of this worked on this weekend (yay!), but I still have about forty something rows left on the back before I start the shaping for the armholes. This is only the first piece. Sigh. It's okay, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be working on this long after the actual KAL blog posts have wrapped up. The beauty of Lion Brand's KALs is that they don't actually have a set schedule or anything. They do a post a week that you can use to pace yourself, but the discussion groups in Ravelry stay active as long as anyone is still working on the project and wants to talk about it, and the blog posts themselves don't go away. They will still be there to reference when I get to the steps they describe.

I am so glad I went with the Wool-Ease for this project, too, because I really do love this yarn. Also, it was lovely to play with this past weekend, which was nice and cool and rainy for us. A rare treat. Yes, I know, it's October, that's the normal weather for everyone--unless you live in Texas. We don't really get fall. We just have summer (with a few fall-like days scattered throughout September and October if we're lucky) until winter shows up sometime in November. You get used to it, but still, after a summer like this one, breaks in the weather are very much appreciated.

But I digress.

Right now I have six projects on my official knit/crochet list. Three of them are the current WIPs. One of them is a Christmas present that I am hoping will work up quickly in December. Another is a little quickie project for a friend that I can probably get done in a weekend, I just await measurements for that one. The third is a wedding present for someone who has actually been married for a few years already (I recently realized I totally dropped the ball on that), so while I would like to get it done sooner rather than later, there isn't really any sense of urgency to it.

I am just crazy enough that, depending on how the Christmas present goes, I might even try my hand a knitting a pair of socks for my daughter's stocking. We will have to see on that one though.

I do have one other largish personal project I would like to tackle at some point next year (but that I am not going to make a priority), and will have at least three blankets to make. Then, hopefully, I can finally embark on my long awaited quest to start knitting socks. My closet would really like me to get on with it already. I am also pretty sure my husband would like me to just stop buying sock yarn (well, yarn in general, but most of it seems to be sock yarn). But what is a girl to do when presented with a limited edition sock yarn colorway called "Time Traveler" and described thusly:

Wear these brightly striped socks whether you are going to the office or traveling through time and space. Time Traveler is a colorful mix of purple, tan, red, gold, ivory, and gray stripes. While you can knit some really really long socks, this colorway will not create socks that are larger on the inside than they appear on the outside.

Knit Picks Felici in "Time Traveler"

What, I ask you, what?

She buys six skeins of it, that's what.

Got another Sunday Social at Jennings Street Yarns this coming weekend. Hopefully I can resist bringing home any of the yarn in the store...

On The Right Track

Last week I talked about some of the "one" skeins of yarn I have acquired recently, and how I was starting to look for projects to go with each skein. Part of my motivation was to use of up some of my ridiculous stash. But also, I have been kind of dawdling on my yarn crafts, and I thought maybe throwing in a few quick one-skein projects here and there in between (or during, if I need a break) my bigger projects would help me to stay excited about my knitting and crocheting.

I think this was the right idea. This past week I picked up a quick project that was on my "to make" list and I finished it in two days. I felt so happy about it and it got me excited to work on my other projects languishing in their organizer bins. Granted, it was not for any of the yarn I showed you last week, it was another skein I had bought specifically for this project, but still, the same principle applies.

TARDIS Wash Cloth by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Tardis Dishcloth by Lorenia Lemas
Yarn: Knit Picks Dishie in Jay (about half a skein needed)
Needles: 7

Yup, it's another Doctor Who project. It is crazy how much of my knitting is actually inspired by my nerdy loves. It was a little difficult to photograph, but I think you can see the pattern of the TARDIS, the Doctor's ship, in the cloth. This pattern was super simple to knit up, it is just knit, with the pattern picked out in purl stitches. It was also actually pretty easy to get the pattern down, despite the frequent changes from row to row. I did use a different border than the pattern called for. The author uses a 1x1 ribbing around the edge, but I felt like that looked a bit uneven, so I did a seed stitch around instead, and I am very happy with how it came out.

I think the most difficult part of this project was my needles. My size 7 straights are ridiculously long, and my size 7 double-points are really short (meant more for working in the round on smaller projects like socks, I think), so I went with my size 7 circular needles. This would have been fine except for the cable. It was much longer than I needed too, so it was constantly getting in my way. It was mostly just a minor annoyance, but still. Definitely a reminder that I am still building up the proper needle collection.

I have another small project I want to try to get done this week (after I go pick up some appropriate needles), so hopefully that will keep my spirits and motivation up. I am going to need it, too. Right now I have one project on the needles that is going much more slowly than I would like. It is not hard, just a little tedious (though I really do love the yarn, so that is helping a bit). I am hoping to have that project done by the end of November, but we shall see if that happens or not. I have another large project, this one crochet, that I will be starting in October and pretty much planning to devote the majority of my crafting time to until it is finished. It doesn't need to be done until the middle of November, but I don't want to slack on that one. I already have done the pattern swatch, and I think it is going to look really spiffy. Here, have a peek:

October project pattern swatch.

That would free me up for most of December to get any holiday projects done in theory, so this seems like a good plan. But wait, there's more! Apparently I feel that, like Stargate Atlantis' Rodney McKay, I do my best work under pressure. Because I decided that I would also participate in this season's Knit Along at Lion Brand, which is a really cool looking sweater--which is kind of another huge project. Also, I have never knit a sweater before, so holy crap, what am I thinking? Still, I couldn't stop myself. Sigh. Not to mention that Lion Brand announced a new yarn this week that I had to get to make something for one of my best friends. But that I know will be a quick project, so it's okay, I think. That can be one of my distraction projects.

So as you can see, the party never ends over here. Just looking at my crafting plans for the next two months makes me wonder if I will still have my sanity (well, what's left of it) by the end of the year. Then I realize that crafts are only one small part of everything else I have going on. Oy vey.

Should be interesting to see how it all turns out, eh?