more swap love

Got a surprise package yesterday, and it's my yarn lover's swap! Oh, this was a fun one. Who doesn't like getting new yarn? And who doesn't like shopping for yarn? And with no requirements (or expectations) to send a handmade, this didn't require much crafting energy either. I mailed my package early, as it had to head far far west to New Zealand (and arrived there in 8 days!?! crazy!). And this weekend I was happily surprised to open the mailbox and find mine! So much yarny goodness! You are looking at two skeins of Malabrigo Mecha in the Archangel colorway (destined to become a chunky cowl for moi), a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy in the Some Summer Sky colorway (I've been itching to try this brand for years now!), and finally some yarn hand dyed by my swap partner, Laurel McWilliams (aka SpinningFates). The prettiest and softest pink sock yarn ever!

But that wasn't all ... slipped in amongst the yarn were the cutest stitch markers ever. LOVE!

P.S. I'm sure you already think I've jumped off the deep end with all this swap craziness, but this will be my last one for awhile. I've got some selfish knitting to attend to, and Christmas is knocking on the door ...

swap love

You saw the tardis mitts that were just part of the package I sent my swap partner ... now look at all the goodies I was lucky enough to receive! Can you guess the theme of this swap was? Office supplies! LOL. New pens, dry erase markers, paper clips galore ... I am sooo stocked up now and I love it!

 

 My favorite office supply, this hilarious stamp ...

Some yummy Malabrigo! This is the Frank Ochre colorway.

 

And the best part of it all, this amazing chevron cowl. Love this happy rainbow! And my favorite, garter stitch! Here's the link to the pattern, it's another freebie.

hippos and elephants

 

I used the rainy day we're having today to finally finish up the squares that are my contribution to a friend's baby blanket! These are both Elaine Fitzpatrick patterns (Ravelry link), which are fantastic if you like animal themed washcloths (or blanket squares!). And 99% of her patterns are free, too. 

Pattern: Hungry Hippo Cloth (my Ravelry project page) and Peanut Cloth (my Ravelry project page)

Needle: Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeables, size 4

Yarn: Knit Picks Dishie (my first time using this yarn, and I'm a fan! It is soft, and just feels nicer somehow than the Peaches 'n Cream or Hobby Lobby I Love this Cotton that I normally use). Both squares used about 1/3 of the skein (190 yards!). So I think I could totally make a third square with what's leftover.

Modifications: These squares needed to be 8" x 8" so I ended up tweaking the overall stitch count of the patterns, dropping down to 35 stitches for each square. I also did six rows of seed stitch at the bottom, but only five rows on the top.

Personally, I like the hippo better ... the pattern is easier to see because it is more simple. But they are both cute!

growing, growing

 

Progress to report since last week! Slow and steady on the montague bulky lace vest ... the minion, on the other hand is almost done! Just need to finish the second arm/hand, knit the eyes and then on to the duplicate stitch!

 

month #6: love your library challenge

I'm getting back on the love your library challenge wagon, folks. It's okay if you fell off too. June was much more successful than April and May ... I made my first hitchhiker, a pattern I'd had plans to make for quite some time now (since last Christmas, if memory serves me correctly!) and my mock cable wristers, my third pattern knit from the book 60 Quick Knits. That is an official record for me. Three patterns from one book? It started with the lion scarf, then the bobbles and cables cap, and now the wristers. Pretty crazy, huh? May your July be successful!

a mid-year review

I didn't mention it back in January, but when I posted that year-end-review/new-years-resolutions it struck me that I might be more successful in achieving all my goals for the year if I actually looked at them some point before December 31st ... ahem .... and since we've officially finished half of 2013 (already?!?!) this is as good of time as any to check my progress!

My 2013 crafting resolutions:

•  Goal #1: Learn a new knitting technique (I'm thinking brioche stitch, or mosaic knitting!). Status: success! I learned how to make bobbles for the bobbles and cables cap back in February. And the success of the tardis mitts has got me itching to play with color this month ... I have plans for some two-color brioche cowls and playing with mosaic knitting in the works. So this goal will definitely be exceeded by the end of the year.

•  Goal #2: Try dyeing yarn (I have undyed wool, I have the dyes, I have a pot ready to designate as my "dye pot" ... I just need to do it!). Status: success! I played with easter egg dyes and food coloring back in March, so technically this goal has been achieved. It was so much fun I'd love to set aside time to play with dyes some more, though!

•  Goal #3: Finish at least one sweater in 2013.Status: needs work. I have one cardigan that just needs a hem, sleeves, and button bands--definitely do-able by the end of the year! I just need to force myself to just do it.

•  Goal #4: Make one project a month out of my current library of craft books, magazines, and knitting patterns. Status: mixed performance. January? Yup. February? Yup. March? Yup. April? May? Nada. June? Yup. Getting back on track with this one. If nothing else, it has been eye-opening to realize which books I use over and over, and which patterns I already have in my library that I keep forgetting about but really do want to make ... eventually. :-D

How has 2013 been progressing for you?

tardis mitts

 

Remember the secret swap project I mentioned finishing last week? I can now reveal my finished police box mittens! Dr. Who fans out there will recognize the TARDIS pattern, a fun colorwork pattern created by the fantastic SpillyJane (love her patterns!). 

Pattern: Police Box Mittens by SpillyJane (my Ravelry project page)

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Celestial Blue and Cream (used less than 1/2 skein of each)

Needles: Size 2 dpn's

Modifications: None! Amazing pattern! I've been admiring the SpillyJane patterns for years now, and when she released this one it was the perfect opportunity since my swap partner is a huge Dr. Who fan. These were sooo much fun to knit, that I'm eyeing the swedish fish pattern next! Although next time I might try using two circular needles or the magic loop approach. My only frustration was maintaining my tension on the stitches at the join of each dpn ... I'm thinking with two circulars or magic loop I'd have a lot less joins to deal with ... maybe?

I enjoyed this basic palm pattern so much, that I am totally eyeing the ginger gloves released in Knitty's First Fall 2013 ... although I'd probably skip the fingers and convert to fingerless or true mittens!

knitting beachside

Yesterday this was my view. I have a lot of progress to report on my long list of cast-on-itis works-in-progress this week, thanks to four days of knitting at the beach, and the five-hour car ride (one way) it took us to get there. 

 

The minion is growing! The holes are where the arms will be picked up and knitted. I need to add stuffing before I continue decreasing to finish the overalls/legs section. After I make the limbs I'll finish the overalls with duplicate stitch ... gulp... hope it turns out okay!

 

And more progress on my Montague Bulky Lace Vest! This project got the least amount of time on the trip, but I am having so much fun with it and this colorway. I need to find a way to capture the depth of this yarn's color ... you can't see the purples and variations in the blue in these pictures. It's a gorgeous, complex dye job! 

 

Perhaps the most progress was in what is not pictured:

• Two cute animal squares for a friend's baby blanket ... one DONE, one nearly there! 
• One more secret swap partner project ... DONE!

That just leaves the following untouched .... for now.....

• A Five Easy Cables blanket for the big boy room in hunter's orange Caron Simply Soft  ...
• Dancing Bamboo socks in MadTosh Sock in the Jade colorway ....
•  A swiss cheese scarf using a Zauberball Lace Ball ....

And I am so missing the beach already ... my daughter is too. She asked, "when are we going back?" pretty much the second we made it home.

cast-on-itis strikes again

 

Soooo ... not surprisingly, my needles are all over the place right now. I'm suffering from some serious cast-on-itis lately. I've started a Montague Bulky Lace Vest in some Malabrigo Mecha in the Whale's Road colorway (looooove the color, and the yarn ... bulky + superwash + Malabrigo. What's not to love there?). The pattern is from New England Knits, a book I've had on my shelf for quite some time now, but have yet to knit out of.

What else is on my needles? A hat? A purse? Nooo .... it's a minion! This one I'm knitting more on the sly, as a surprise for my daughter in anticipation of the Despicable Me sequel being released on July 3rd. This pattern calls for duplicate stitch, which I've never attempted before. A little nervous about how it will turn out ... we shall see ... 

And not pictured?

• Two cute animal squares for a friend's baby blanket ...
• A Five Easy Cables blanket for the big boy room in hunter's orange Caron Simply Soft  ...
• Dancing Bamboo socks in MadTosh Sock in the Jade colorway ....
•  A swiss cheese scarf using a Zauberball Lace Ball ....
• One more secret swap partner project ...

Yeah, I know I have a problem. Thinks look all neat and tidy on the blog ... what you don't see are all the half started projects stashed around my house .. ahem ...  this is what happens when I'm restless but don't fall in love right away with something! Summer is the worst ... something about the appearance of long blocks of unscheduled time!

meow!

 

You didn't think I could let my sewing machine rest too long, did you? Hot on the heels of my finished robots and rockets triangle quilt, I'm back at it again ...

 

This time it's a quilt for my sister's first off-campus apartment ... a cat quilt, that is! When I saw the pattern for the Kool Kat Kwilt I sooo could not resist. It's the most complicated piecing I have attempted to date ... so far, so good when it comes to the cats themselves. I'm a little intimidated by the interlinked tail block. I'll just have to try one and see how it goes! Worst case scenario, I'll just tile lots and lots of cat blocks!

more swappy goodness

 

In addition to my recent travels, there's been another reason why things have appeared quiet here on the knitting front ... while the blog has been sparse, in reality I've been a busy little bee in the background thanks to my newfound swap addiction. It all started with a birthday swap group ... one fun swap, and I was addicted. Hey, who doesn't like surprise packages? With yarn in them? It's like yarny Christmas! So I promptly signed up for more ... you've just seen how spoiled I was in the cup o' yarn swap ... I simultaneously participated in Color Swap 18. You pick the color, and your partner builds a box full of yummy things in that color theme. Now that my partner has opened her package, I can finally share these fun finished objects here!

 

 

Pattern: Hitchhiker (my Ravelry project page)

Needles: Size 3 Hiya Hiyas

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Solemate in Harrison

Modifications: None! Such a fun pattern! I have raved about my love of garter stitch before, and this pattern is perfect for any garter stitch lover. I am sooo making one of these for me! Loving Solemate, too ... it feels sooo soft and cool to the touch. Perfect for Mississippi humidity!

 

 

 

Pattern: Mock Cable Wristers from the book 60 Quick Knits (my Ravelry project page)
Needles: Size 6 dpn's
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Marine Heather
Modifications: None! Fun, fast knit that makes the cutest fingerless mitts! These whipped up in no time, they would be perfect last minute gifts! Seriously tempted to cast on some for myself!

Bonus: both patterns were in my library, so I can count them towards my love your library challenge! I totally fell off the wagon for April and May, so it feels good to get back on track!