Warmups

You know, taking November off from blogging worked out nicely for me. It means that I have a nice backlog of finished projects that I can show off in December without tipping off too much of my holiday knitting. I approve of this heartily.

Today I've got one for you that a friend asked me to make for her daughter.

Legwarmers by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Little Girls' Knit Legwarmers by Smashed Peas and Carrots (pattern available for free)
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky in True Grey (2 skeins)
Needles: US 5

I ended up using the exact yarn mentioned in the pattern because my friend requested black or dark grey and this was the only one of either in sight. Because of the thick yarn and the smaller needles, this worked up into a very thick fabric. I didn't particularly care for the feel of it, I'll admit, but I think with a few washings they will be super soft, and they will definitely be very warm.

They worked up pretty quickly and I do really like the pattern. I think if my daughter ever decides she wants legwarmers I'd use this one again, though I might look for a different yarn.

Also, I ended up buying three skeins just to be on the safe side because the pattern didn't really specify how much yarn was needed. It barely took over one skein for the legwarmers, so I used the extra to whip up a matching hat and scarf.

I crocheted these instead of knitting them, in the interest of time. I used a size US K hook and just kind of winged them. I will say I enjoyed working with this yarn a lot more when it wasn't so tightly stitched together.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how these turned out, and my friend seemed pretty excited as well. These will definitely come in handy for keeping her daughter warm this winter!

Presenting: Color Affection!!!

Welcome back! Sorry for being away, but I appreciate your patience with my blogging break while I was busy novel-writing.

But! I did still get a few crafty things done in between the writing. One of which was to finally, at long last, finish my Color Affection shawl. Huzzah!!

Dimensions in Space by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Color Affection by Veera Välimäki (available to purchase from Ravelry)

Yarn:
IndigoDragonfly Merino Nylon Sock in TARDIS (1 skein)
Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in Coast Grey (1 skein)
Knit Picks Stroll in Black (2 skeins)

Needles: US 6

Man, what can I say about this? It took me five months to make, which is kind of insane. Especially since I don't know when I will ever actually get the chance to wear it. I also completely screwed up by doing a stripe of blue when I should have done grey, and then not wanting to rip back two whole rows just let it stand. (Although my husband really likes that part, funnily enough.)

But. I really do love it. All of the yarn came together very nicely and it is very soft and cozy. I LOVE the colors and how they look together. I am glad I made it, and I know that the next time I have occasion to wear my little black dress, this will go with it perfectly. Plus it was a good exercise in making something garment-sized.

Still, I am oh so glad to be done with it and on to the next thing!

Roundup

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Got a few quick projects done this past week.

A few more ewoks, for starters.

The pattern is by Etsy designer Lucy Ravenscar and can be purchased here. I used the small hook for these guys again (E), though I did end up going up a hook size to G for the second two hoods. As you can see on the bottom one, the hood with the size E hook didn't really fit the ewoks. I only made bigger hoods for two of them though because my daughter had already claimed the first one. I ended up letting her keep it since these are a surprise for someone anyway and they won't be expecting a set number.

She was just so sad when I told her the ewoks weren't for her. I couldn't resist, especially after she dug out her Princess Leia for the ewok to play with.

I also made a little fall housewarming gift for my stepmother, that I will be sending her way this week.

Pumpkin Bowl by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Crochet Pumpkin Treat Bowl by Meredith Crawford (available for free at her blog, One Sheepish Girl)
Yarn: Knit Picks Brava in Orange, remnant green and brown
Hooks: US G, US H

This was super quick and easy. I did it in an evening. I did end up using a different leaf pattern (kind of just winged it, actually) because I got a little confused by the pattern provided for the leaf. I am pretty sure that was just my ineptitude though.

Anyhoo, so that's what I've been up to.

I will not be updating with any more projects again until December, since National Novel Writing Month kicks off tomorrow. I will still be working on stuff though when I am not writing, so hopefully once I start posting again, I will have lots of things to show you. In the meantime, if you're curious about what I am working on, I'll be keeping (or at least trying to keep) the current project list over on the left side of the blog updated for you.

My goal is to get that dang shawl finished before I start posting again, too. Fingers crossed.

Until then, have a happy November, you guys!

Past, Present, Future

Remember when I mentioned that I had done another small quickie project but couldn't show it to you?

Well, it was another Ewok, part of my sister's birthday package. I am rather happy with how he came out.

Oh Look, Another Ewok by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Ewok Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar (available for purchase at Etsy here)
Yarn: remnants from my stash
Hook: US E

I decided to try using the smaller hook for this one, and I like how it turned out, so I think I'll keep using that size for future Ewoks.

I am told that my nephew tried to appropriate this little guy when he arrived at his new home, so he was definitely a hit.

Currently I am very close to finishing my last blanket of the year (HUZZAH!!!), as in, I will probably finish it later today. As in, I only have one row of the border left. I am kind of in love with how this has turned out. It is just simple granny squares but I played with the colors a little and tried a different method of joining (as part of the color play) than I usually use. I can't wait to show it to you guys!

Next up, I have a few more Ewoks to make. Don't look at me like that. I have a lot of friends who like Star Wars, and of the amigurumi patterns I got for that, these guys are the cutest/quickest/easiest to make. So, yeah. Expect lots of Ewoks in the future, is all I have to say about that, I guess.

I also have a special project in mind for a friend of mine that will finally give me an excuse to use this awesome yarn:

Nerd Girl Yarns Shimma in Stargate colorway.

Then a few other small projects left on my list for the year. If those go over well, I want to make a new pair of fingerless mitts for myself, a pair for my daughter, and then try to squeeze in a pair of socks or a sweater for myself. Oh, and that shawl, of course. We shall see how all of that goes.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Knitting Is Like Playing Video Games

At least according to the Yarn Harlot. I had a blast going to see her last week. She gave a truly fascinating talk about the actual real mental benefits that occur when you knit (just not lace). I especially liked her discussion about a study into why video games are so addictive and engaging and the fact that the seven main qualifiers the study discovered all apply to knitting quite nicely.

I think this explains a VERY lot about me.

After her talk, she gave a fun Q&A that, in addition to some side-splitting stories about why she is never visiting the three cities she's never visiting on tour again, included some very helpful information and advice on when and how to start teaching children knitting. (For reference, it's about age four or so--when the child is able to write their own name and read a simple sentence.)

She also hung around a bit to meet with people and sign books and take pictures. I got my copy of one of her books signed and got her to take a picture with me and the first pair of socks I made. She assured me it wasn't cheating that I made the first pair for my daughter (which I counted as cheating because they are smaller and easier to finish).

Stehpanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot), my first pair of socks, and me.

Signed book, yay!

Another upshot of the evening was discovering what seems to be a pretty amazing yarn (and other crafts) store literally just down the street from me. It was my first time to visit MadTosh, but I can assure you it will not be my last. The staff seemed very friendly and I loved the whole setup of the store. They also had some pretty impressive stock.

Of course I couldn't help it, and picked up a few things. I will say that the yarn I bought was for a specific project that I've got coming up, so I didn't even feel guilty about the splurge.

Picked up some Madeline Tosh Chunky in colorway Betty Draper's Blues.

Also snagged a few of these cute notions bags (because my notions currently live in a ziplock baggie). 

All in all it was a fantastic treat for myself, and it was very nice to spend the evening with quite a lot of like-minded people. I even got to make some pretty decent progress on my shawl, whoo!

Well, I Planned That Poorly

Sigh, just as I feel like things have calmed down a bit on the yarn front, I learn that I made a mistake on my mental calendar. I am in the midst of the first of two blankets I have left for the year, and I thought I had two weeks to get it done still. I am about a third of the way there. Here's a bit of a hint for it:

So much potential in this one little picture.

Of course, I found out this past weekend that the wedding it is intended to be a present for is actually this coming weekend, not the one after. Yikes! The wedding is out of town though, so we weren't actually planning to attend. As much as it galls me, that means that I will just have to gift it after the happy couple returns from their honeymoon instead of before they leave town for the wedding. Sigh. It's not the end of the world, I know, but it is annoying to me.

Still, the blanket itself is going pretty well (when I am not slacking), as I managed to pick a pattern that (once past the foundation row) is a very quick workup. I think I've come up with another relatively simple pattern for the next blanket as well. I just need to get the colors chosen and the yarn purchased (and then double and triple-check the date of the wedding and plan accordingly).

I have also been working on my shawl, getting at least about half an hour to forty-five minutes a week to work on it (though I want to try to throw at least another hour a week in there). I am really digging how it is turning out. As it happens, we aren't going to be able to make the wedding I was going to wear it to either, so it now has an open-ended deadline. I still want to try to get it done sooner rather than later, however.

So, that's where I'm at this week. Have a great week, and happy crafting to you all!

Pretty New Things

Alright. I am officially done with the dragon blanket, woohoo! However, I will not be showing it to you just yet. I'd like its new owner to get the first crack at seeing it.

It is absolutely amazing how just the right motivation can take a lingering project from a huge pain that you keep putting off to something you really enjoy doing once more. For me that motivation was the new set of crochet hooks that I received for my birthday.

Knit Picks Harmony Crochet Set (minus the J hook, which was in use when I took this)

Aren't they beautiful?? I love them! I saw that the set had a hook in the size I was using in my project and immediately switched it out. Getting to play with it all week has been a joy. The wood is super smooth and pleasant to hold and they have a nice deep hook that catches the yarn easily.

I also got a new interchangeable circular needle set:

Knit Picks Options Interchangeable Harmony Wood Circular Knitting Needle Set

I haven't gotten to use them yet, but I have been wishing for this set for a while. I cannot wait to break them in! Sadly, I am at a point on my shawl where I am doing short rows and won't be able to just pull a switch like I did with my hooks. I've got two more blankets to crochet (yarn already bought for the first one, which I will be starting this week, but once they are done I plan to do some celebratory knitting. I have one small definite project in mind and then possibly a pair of socks for me.

Maybe even out of one of these:

They Are No One (inspired by "Bad Wolf"/"Parting of the Ways")  [with bonus Doctor Who buttons]

The Dandy Doctor (inspired by the third Doctor)

Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, & The Supreme

These are the three skeins I got from the summer Doctor Who yarn club (Who's Your Doctor) that Nerd Girl Yarns did. A new skein each month with a colorway directly inspired by the series (with absolutely fantastic names, to boot). You can choose from a variety of yarn bases (or even fiber if you like to spin). I chose their sock yarn Bounce and Stomp.

I love this idea of yarn clubs, seriously. For my birthday I got a subscription to the fall club as well, so I have three more months of Doctor Who goodness to look forward to in my mailbox and on my needles (just in time for the new season to start, even)!

All in all, I think it's safe to say that I have come out on the other side of the yarn slump I've been in and am once more very excited to be making things!

Maybe Too Much Progress

I think right now I am in one of those yarn-related funks where I am getting stuff done but it really doesn't feel like it because my efforts are spread out among too many projects. Currently I have three things in the works: the dragon blanket, my Color Affection shawl, and an impromptu project for my kiddo.

Dragon blanket in progress.

This is actually coming along a lot better than I had hoped for, I am just kind of stalled out at the moment because of another project. The two panels with the dragons, which is the actual finicky part of the blanket, is sixty rows. I have done twelve already. I can do at least six in a day (when I actually get to sit down and work on it). After that it's just twenty more rows of the stripes and the border. Easy peasy. It's just a matter of actually doing it.

For the record, I am really pleased with how the dragons seem to be turning out thus far. I mean, I know that's their tails but I can see how it will play out, I think, and it will rock. I was a little worried since my sample swatch was in half-double crochet and I am doing the blanket in double crochet. But the change doesn't seem to have messed anything up.

Dimensions in Space in progress.

So here's my shawl. I was going to try to finish it before starting the dragon blanket but I kind of got a little burned out and had to take a break from it. I've got maybe ten rows left in the second section and then I get to start the "short" rows, which sound fabulous to me! I have a wedding to go to in October and the goal is to have this finished by then so I can wear it. We shall see if that happens. I think if I can do a few rows a week on it at least, and maybe give it a full week in between each big project, that will be doable.

Cuddle Up blanket in progress.

(Now with cat tail for scale!)

This one is kind of the current distraction. I am hoping to get it done today though, actually. We've been having some issues with my daughter's sleep patterns and I have been trying out some new strategies to get her back on track. This is one of them. Since she quit sucking her thumb, she has lost her trigger to make herself go to sleep without just running herself until she keels over. My thought is that if she has a special blanket that she can grab whenever she is starting to feel sleepy but doesn't want to get in bed yet, that might help the transition a little bit. But you can see why this one has kind of taken priority.

Anyhoo, it's just a big granny square. I had four skeins leftover from my last blanket so I am using those up. Quick and easy. Well, it would be, if life wasn't being so distracting. For some reason I have been having a hard time finding a chance to just sit for an hour or two each day to actually play with my yarn. It's been sporadic at best. But my goal for this week is to work on that. A Cori who doesn't get her allotted yarn-play time is really not a happy Cori, after all.

Also, for those wondering about the yarn circle, last week's meeting saw much progress! We managed to move on to single crochet and both of my friends seem to be getting the hang of it. With practice it should become completely natural to them. We are skipping a week since I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday, but we'll kick off August right with our next session. Should be fun times.

Room to Grow

So, for Christmas my daughter received a My Little Pony nightgown set that included the nightgown and a pair of matching slippers. She adores the set but her favorite part is the slippers, which she calls her "pink shoes."

As I am sure you can imagine, six months of hard wear by a toddler has taken its toll on the slippers. The nightgown is still holding up pretty well, though like most things my daughter owns, it is now way too short (all legs, that one, she's gonna be trouble later on). I noticed a little while ago that the slippers were starting to come apart at the seams in a few spots and realized they were not long for this world. So I decided to try to make the kiddo a replacement pair of slippers.

Just A Little Big by Cori 2012.

Yarn: two skeins of remnant Red Heart Super Saver
Hook: I

I totally winged the pattern, but it was inspired by the knit slippers that my mom has made for me since I was a kiddo myself. I let my daughter pick the yarn for her slippers out herself, and she very much enjoyed trying them on as I made them (to check fit and see how much I had left to go). Once I had finished the first one she happily wore it as she waited for the second to be made.

My hope was that by engaging her in the process of making them she would take to them as replacements for the "pink shoes" a little more quickly. It has more or less worked. She seems to prefer her "green shoes" (as she has dubbed them) for when she's hanging out in the house and her "pink shoes" at night for sleeping. I'll take it. I've sewn up the holes in the pink slippers, so hopefully they'll last for a bit longer.

I really like how these came out, and I've tried twice to start a pair for myself but the magic doesn't seem to be happening on a larger pair. Give it time though, maybe the third try will be the charm.

In other news, I've started the next blanket and work progresses, if slowly, on my Color Affection shawl. It might be done by the time the weather actually cools enough for me to wear it...

Dimensions in Space (progress shot) out at a ball game.

Happiness All Around

Well, I finally managed to finish those socks I have been plugging away at.

Avocado Toes by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Starter Stockinette by Betsy Lee McCarthy, size large (pattern available in Knit Socks! 17 Classic Patterns for Cozy Feet by Betsy Lee McCarthy)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Quatro in Summerdaze (blue, two balls), and Green Tea (green, one ball)
Needles: US 3

Even though the measurements given for the women's large should have fit my feet, these came out way too big for me. They were not too big, however, for my husband, who was more than happy to reap the benefits of my needles:

Socks! I have socks, yay!

I shall put them on my feet and do a jig for you!

You can see from his sexy legs why I married him, of course.

Anyhoo, other than issues of size (I swear my gauge was right, but whatever), I am really happy with how these came out. I will definitely be making another pair (in the smaller size next time) for myself at some point. Also, I love this yarn.

After I was done with the socks, I even had enough to make this guy:

Swell Fella by Cori 2012.

With only eight legs, not nine, despite my husband's urging.

Pattern: Amigurumi Octopus by Lion Brand (may require free registration with site to see pattern)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Quatro in Summerdaze and Green Tea (less than one ball each)
Hook: US G

I used two strands at a time to get the fun color effect on this one. I like it a lot. I was really happy with how this guy came out. Quick and easy despite the pain of making and attaching all of the separate legs (while my daughter kept wandering off with what was assembled of him so far). This will be a gift for the son of a friend who is expecting her second child at the end of this month. I hope he enjoys it. It already has my daughter's stamp of approval!

Now I am back in blanket making mode. I am already pretty happy with the pattern and yarn for the current project, so that's a good thing. Hopefully it will work up quickly! I definitely have a lot more small projects I would like to try to squeeze in this summer. Only three blankets to go after this one gets done though, so my fingers are crossed.

Whee!

So. Went to the Bloggess' book signing last night at A Real Bookstore in Dallas. Went all by myself and managed not to have a nervous breakdown, yay!

(Even though there was no reception for my phone and the wi-fi was a really really unfunny joke, thus rendering me completely internet-less for the evening.)

I got there about twenty minutes after they started giving out wrist-bands and so I ended up in the second group for the signing. Then I had an hour and a half to kill until the reading. I had planned to go buy my book, get my wristband, and then leave the store in search of dinner, but people were already camped out for the signing and there were no chairs left that weren't being saved.

So I found a chair off to the side (hey, bookstore), and sat down to knit for a while. After a bit I wandered over to their café to see what they had but nothing really looked appealing to me so I wandered back and found a new seat and knit some more, thinking I would just grab dinner after the signing before heading home. Then they made some announcements and I started having flashbacks to the Brandon Sanderson signing which lasted forever and got worried that by the time I got out of there all of the decent food places would be closed. So I went back to the café and noticed on second glance at the menu that they had hot dogs, so I got one (it came with chips) and a cookie and a can of sweet tea. It was not really the dinner I had imagined taking myself out for, but it wasn't that bad. I led with the cookie.

I ate in the café and by the time I was done it was almost go time, so I found a shelf to lean against behind the seats and waited for things to get started. Before too long, out came Jenny Lawson to greet us and do a quick reading from her (New York Times best selling!) book (Let's Pretend This Never Happened) and take a few questions. Her reaction on walking out and seeing us all gathered there?

"Holy shit. There are a lot of you."

Thus began an evening of laughter. Afterwards we were sorted into our signing groups and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the line actually moved along quite quickly. I was knitting in line and a woman near me commented on the bread bag tab I had my tail wrapped around (something I picked up from my mom), relieved to see someone else doing that. We struck up a conversation and talked the whole way up to the table. It was random, but nice (and now I have ideas about using kool-aid to dye yarn with my daughter when she gets a little older). I was actually kind of proud of myself.

I think all told I was in line for less than an hour. Yet when I got up to her I didn't feel rushed at all. They handed her my copies of the book to be signed and an employee was on hand to take pictures for anyone that wanted one. I chatted with her for a few seconds, telling her about laughing so hard I couldn't breathe (which she agreed was awesome except for the part where I almost died from reading her book--I told her it was okay because she is just that awesome).

Jenny Lawson and me.

I did make her a present (more on that next week) and gave it to her, but I told her she didn't have to open it right then. Mostly this was because I didn't want to hog her and I knew they wanted to keep the line going smoothly. Also a little bit because I was nervous that she won't like it and didn't want her to have to feign appreciation. She promised to look at it later and I hope that she likes it, but it's okay if she doesn't. It was just me trying to say "thanks" to her for her blog and her book, both of which I just find so completely amazing.

After I had my books signed I made another beeline for the restroom before hitting the road for the long drive home. When I got in there, I found this guy hanging out in the stall:

Well hello there, sir. They sure do seem to be making the bathroom attendants smaller these days, don't they?

It was the perfect random way to cap off the evening for me. I pondered taking him home as a souvenir, but decided to go ahead and leave him to cheer up the next visitor instead. I mean, for one thing, his owner could have realized he was missing and wanted to go back to retrieve him. For another, I don't know where he's been. So, yeah. Still, it amused me quite a bit.

After that I headed home and rocked out to Crystal Gale (true story) on the way. I was in such a good mood that I wasn't even bothered by the delays due to construction. This is a major victory for me, you guys. You have no idea.

All in all, a wonderful evening. Despite it's (to me) somewhat inconvenient location, I really like A Real Bookstore. I will definitely consider attending any signings they might hold in the future, and highly recommend them to you as well if you are in the area.

Halfway There

So, I can't show you my most recently finished blanket just yet (soon, I promise), but I did manage to make some progress on my socks this past week.

See:

One down, one to go. These are officially my husband's socks, too. I chose to make them in large, because I do not have small feet, but because the pattern uses worsted weight yarn, they ended up way too big for me. My husband just loves constantly being told I need his foot for a minute, let me tell ya. Still, in the end, he will have a new pair of super cool socks made just for him. So he has decided to tolerate my demands for feet.

My plan is to have the second one finished before the month is out. But before I start it, I have another little project (which is crochet and is actually going pretty quickly) to knock out. After the socks I have one more small project I may or may not make and then on to the next blanket. Whoo!

Also, making this pair of socks has convinced me that I definitely want to learn the magic loop method (for knitting two socks at the same time). Another thing to add to the yarny to do list.

Have a great week, y'all!

Baby Blocks

As I mentioned last week, I finished a baby blanket recently. As it turns out, I was just in time, since the baby in question arrived the same week I sent the blanket to the office with my husband (it was for a friend of ours that he also happens to work with). My husband kept forgetting to ask when the baby was due, so I kind of thought I was handing the blanket over way early, but figured it was better safe than sorry. Turns out I got it done just in the nick of time! Whoo!

I am pretty happy with how this one came out, too. The proud parents also enjoyed it quite a bit. Hopefully the baby is digging on it by now as well! Anyhoo, here it is:

Alphababy Blanket by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Baby ABCs Afghan by Coats & Clark (Available in Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs)

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Sage (6 skeins)

Hook: US G

I loved this pattern! It was pretty simple and easy to do, it just required me to keep count of my stitches pretty much the whole time. I think it is super fun for babies because the bobbles give them lots of extra texture to play with, plus, you know, it's educational. Win-win. The really cool thing is that it would be super easy to take the pattern for each letter and make your own design up with a name or whatever you want it to say too. I can see myself playing around with that at some point in the future for sure.

In other projects, I actually managed to finish the next baby blanket in line this past weekend. I am not sure how that happened. So this week I am going to give my socks a little TLC before I move on to the next, full-sized, blanket. I went ahead and picked up the yarn for that and the pattern seems pretty simple, so hopefully that one will go quickly too. We shall see.

Wishing you all a wonderful yarn-filled week! 

Pillows? Pillows!

So. Somehow last month I managed to make not one but two pillows. I am not sure how this happened.

But still. It did.

So, since everyone has received their pillowy surprise, I thought I'd share with you guys now too. Yay!

Remember that dragon blanket I am going to be making for a friend of mine? Well, once I had the swatch finished up, I was trying to figure out what to do with it. I knew it wouldn't get incorporated into the final blanket, since I will be buying all new yarn for it to ensure that dye-lots match and whatnot. Also, there is a possibility I will be using a double crochet instead of half-double.

I looked at it for a while and then realized it was remarkably pillow-sized. Also, that my friend had a birthday coming up. So. I made it into a pillow. I used the remaining yarn from the swatch to make a coordinating back panel and then I placed to two pieces together and did a row of single crochet around the edge to attach them to each other. Before finishing the last side, I stuffed it up, and this is what I got:

Dragon Swatch Pillow by Cori 2012 (Front).

Dragon Swatch Pillow by Cori 2012 (Back).

I used actual fiberfill to stuff it the first time around, but it was super lumpy and had next to no structural integrity. So then I pulled all of that out, measured the "case" and realized it was just about the right proportions for a standard queen sized pillow. So I ordered up one of those and when it arrived, I stuck it in there and closed the whole thing up.

I have to say, I am pretty happy with how it came out. I mean, it's pretty much purely decorative, but still, it looks dang awesome. My friend was also very happy with it. He approved of the colors wholeheartedly, so it will go with his house and match the finished blanket whenever I get that done and shipped to him.

After that one came this:

Liberty Pillow by Cori 2012.

(Yeesh, I really need to get better at photographing yarn and my projects, don't I? Thank you for putting up with my horrible photos all of the time!)

This project was solely inspired by the yarn, which I acquired randomly in a mystery box from Craftsy. It is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in the colorway Liberty. The red, white, and blue motif just begged to be made into something star-shaped for my mother (a retired member of the army reserves).

It ended up being a bit smaller than I had intended, but about halfway through the first panel I panicked about using up all of the yarn and scaled back a bit. Thus I still have a good bit of it left over. I am thinking it might be fun to make up a few felted cat toys with that. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed working with this too. Wool is always tricky for me for some reason. I almost always expect to hate it. I am just too used to synthetic fibers I suppose (although I am getting more used to the nicer stuff as I take on more non-blanket projects).

In more current news, I finished a baby blanket on Friday and worked on the socks a bit this weekend. Started up on the next baby blanket yesterday. I fear that the socks are going to be way too big for me, but if my husband ends up finding them too girly, I suppose I will just have to find someone with big feet who would also like cozy toes to give them away to. I did go ahead and frog that poor sweater. That was kind of sad for me, but it had to be done I think. I do plan to give it another go this summer when I (hopefully) have a little more free yarn time on my hands.

As long as no one else announces an expected baby or wedding this year, I think I can begin to see the end of the blanket-tunnel in sight. Then I can start thinking about what (if anything) I need to be planning to make for Christmas presents. Whee!

Delightful New Goodies

Well, I had a pretty good time in San Francisco last week with my sister and her family and my mom. It was a really great visit. Of course, given everyone involved, you know there were a few trips to yarn stores on our itinerary. We actually only made it to two stores, the third one we could never quite manage to make it to during business hours. Still, that was more than enough. I thought you might like to see the lovely items I picked up in my travels.

The first store we visited was The Yarn Boutique, pretty much right in my sister's back yard. It was a fun little shop with lots of wonders, although I felt it was a bit small and crowded. That could have just been because my daughter was with us and was getting into, well, everything. The employees were very friendly and patient and knowledgeable though, so that makes up for quite a lot on in my book, I have to say. 

Funnily enough, I didn't actually get any yarn there. But neither did I leave empty-handed. Here is what I procured from that store:

Jane Austen Knits 2011

I have been drooling over this pattern book for a while now, so when I saw a copy on the rack in the store and picked it up to flip through, I knew it would be going home with me. I am going to have to do some serious leveling up in my knitting skills before I can attempt to make pretty much any of these patterns, but oh my goodness the gorgeousness. I am looking forward to getting to try these out.

Namaste Bag (baby not included)

This gives you a better idea of the shape. It is the Laguna style bag in Peacock.

Oh I am in love with this bag. Never in my life would I ever have dreamed of spending so much money on a bag but as I chased my daughter around the store this gem kept catching my eye. Finally I had a moment to pick it up and look at it and there was no going back. These pictures don't even start to do it justice. It is ginormous, able to hold a ton of stuff (knitting, diapers, and other), but it doesn't feel like a big clunky bag. It has already replaced my regular purse. I'll admit I've been drooling over the Namaste bags in my Knit Picks catalogs for a while now, but I never considered actually buying one until I saw this one in person. I guess to touch it is to love it...

Our next stop was a shop in Oakland that my mom wanted to check out because she met some of its employees during last year's Sock Summit. It is a lovely little store called A Verb For Keeping Warm (which I think is just a fantastic and random name for a store of any kind). In addition to yarn they also carry quite a bit of fabric. It was a nice open sunny shop, and they had a wonderful stash of books and toys for kiddos under one of the display tables. In fact, Baby Girl zoomed in on that as soon as we walked in, pulled out a Sesame Street book, and once placed in a nearby chair, spent the entire visit happily reading through that. This allowed me plenty of time to ooh and ah over all of the wonderful yarn on display. I made up for the lack of yarn purchased at the first store here. The pictures don't really do these beautiful yarns justice, but here's a gander nonetheless.

Wishing II in Chartreuse Sister

This is the store's own line of yarn, hand dyed using completely natural methods. It is a lovely silvery green multi yarn. I think this is only about half a skein, it was in the clearance bin, but it will work up to something small and lovely, I have no doubt.

Malabrigo Sock in Aguas

Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky

Malabrigo Sock in Indiecita

As you can tell, once I hit the Malabrigo section, it was pretty much all over for me. This yarn is so soft and gorgeous. My mom recognized the Indiecita and said she's used it before and it works up really prettily. I just can't wait to find some socks to make with it.

Speaking of socks being made by me...I did manage to start that pair that I took with me to work on during the trip, but I didn't get very far on them. 

Well, it's almost all of a cuff...

I was doing most of the driving and on the plane I really didn't want to get to into them in case my daughter decided to get fussy. Also, I was doing quite a bit of visiting. That's okay though. I've managed to finish the cuff and start in on the leg since I've been home, and that's all just straight knitting. These will be good to work on during Jeopardy! since the blanket I am making requires me to count every stitch, which I can't do while answering clues. They will be a nice side project while I get these next few blankets knocked out for sure.

So, those were my yarny adventures while I was on vacation. Next week I'll have a few finished projects to show off for you, so stop by then, won't you? 

TTFN!