addicted to stripes

What is it about knitting stripes that is so addicting? Socks that I knit with self-striping yarn fly off my needles, while non-striping socks will linger in unfinished limbo for years. This is my first sweater that has a regular striping pattern, and I'm finding myself feeling that self-striping sock deja vu all over again. Internally I'm chanting "one more stripe, one more stripe" as I knit. And I'm drawn to this project like a moth to flame--when I see it sitting on the table the project sings to me like a siren. I want to work on it in a way I haven't felt toward my knitting in quite some time. "Just one stripe, just one stripe" I tell myself when really I should be working on something else. 

Why? 

Yes, I love this yarn. This yarn is indie-dyed and much coveted by me. It's deliciously speckled Merino DK by Long Dog Yarns in the colorway Octopus Garden. This picture does not do it justice--imagine oceanic turquoise, with spots of periwinkle and deep ocean blues mixed with lavenders and lilacs. Oh, and a sprinkle of neon green here and there to mix things up. I have coveted this yarn for two whole years while I was on a strict no-yarn-purchases diet. It was one of the first things I bought when I fell off the wagon this year. 

And yes, I love the interplay of the colors I chose for my stripes. I found the perfect periwinkle blue and lilac yarn in my stash for the stripe section. Not only are the colors perfect, but they were from my late grandmother's stash and that adds a level of sentimentality to incorporating them into the project.

But the real reason I find striping projects so dang addicting? I suspect that it is the internal progress marker of achieving another micro-goal every time I finish a stripe. Like getting a sticker for good behavior, I see that stripe and think, "look what I did!" And I can count the stripes and visually see that I'm making progress. And I feel myself knitting faster as I see that stripe count grow … 

We'll see how fast this sweater finishes. This may be a new personal record for me. Are you as addicted to knitting projects with stripes as I am?

sunday's stitches 2018, vol. 6

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor 
whatever your stitching on

Sloooowly inching towards the finish line .... #needlepoint #stitchersofinstagram #stitching #100dayproject #the100dayproject

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on May 27, 2018 at 4:00pm PDT

See my progress from week to week on past sunday's stitches. 

#100dayproject stitching

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly slow, daily progress adds up. Last Wednesday I posted an update on my #100dayproject stitching. And here's where I stand as of Sunday morning this week--all that empty space you see below? That's all that remains! Seriously! Which I am floored by, because I started this project a year ago last May. And in less than two months of stitching a teeny tiny bit everyday I am almost finished. Which is good, because I have an even older needlepoint I stalled out on that I need to finish next! I'm racing to finish this by the end of May, but hopefully by the end of this week!

catch up

With the semester over and one week until public schools let out, summer is rapidly approaching here in Mississippi (it even feels like it with 90+ degree temps lately!). The prospect of summer means time to try new things, to dive head first into new crafts, and to set outrageously lofty goals for crafting. Basically, I want to make.all.the.things! Those who know me well will not be shocked by this at all. I've been so busy jumping right into my normal summer crafting mania that I've done a bad job of documenting my creations!

I'm still plugging away on my crazy stretch goal of knitting 12 sweaters this year. I'm about half-way finished with sweater #4. Does it look familiar? It should, since I'm making a second Carbeth Cardigan in a dark maroon color.

I've been faithfully stitching a little bit everyday, continuing my #100dayproject goal of stitching for 100 days consecutively. I've been making good progress on a large needlepoint project I started in May 2017 and I also finished an adorable bee embroidery (below) for an end-of-the-year teacher present.

Work-in-progress Wednesday, update tres: Realized I never posted the finished #bee #embroidery that was gifted to a precious teacher we love! Went with the yellow stripes after all. . . . #embroideryart #stitching #stitchersgonnastitch

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on May 16, 2018 at 11:26am PDT

Last Wednesday I took a weaving class, and dove head first into a new hobby. We wove hand towels in the class. I still need to finish knotting the ends and then complete the finishing process. I can definitely feel myself falling hard for this new craft!

Soooo ... this happened today! My first time weaving. 😍 #weaving #rigidheddleloom #craftaholic

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on May 9, 2018 at 6:29pm PDT

And the other new craft I'm diving into is using a punch needle! I have the Amy Oxford punch needle, which I first learned about on Instagram. It looked like a fun way to use up stash yarn--so far it has been a delight!

Playing with an #oxfordpunchneedle! Basically this is a device for old school, primitive rug hooking. But sooo much easier! I can feel a new crafting obsession coming on ...

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on May 8, 2018 at 5:26pm PDT

Anyone else have craaaazy goals they hope to achieve this summer? I know I'm not the only one!

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on May 13, 2018 at 4:30pm PDT

sunday's stitches 2018, vol. 5

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor
whatever your stitching on

I'm still plugging away on my #100dayproject! I didn't photograph every day's work this week. Probably since it was slooooow going. I'm almost done with this middle section! .. // // #needlepoint #needlepointersofinstagram #stitching #stitchersgonnastitch #making

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on Apr 22, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

See my progress from week to week on past sunday's stitches.

12 sweaters in 2018: sweater #3

This week I finished my third sweater of 2018, my Carbeth cardigan. It needs a good blocking to smooth the button bands before I take some photos modeling it, but suffice to say I haven't really taken it off since I finished weaving in ends and sewed on buttons!

This pattern is knit with bulky yarn using LARGE needles (size 10.5). So this sweater should have been finished sooner--but I added length to the body and subsequently ran out of yarn. And then ran out of yarn again. So I'm calling this one my "big purple yarn eater." But the wait was definitely worth it. The best part of this pattern are the details. I'd never knit an i-cord edging on a ribbed button band before, but wow what a difference it makes. But my favorite detail is the collar. It's what makes this sweater super cozy and comforting--ribbing folded over on itself. It wraps your neck in a cozy hug. What drew me to the pattern were these structural details--the distinctive collar and decrease lines on the front and back of the sweater. I'm positive I'll be making this sweater again ... probably soon since I have another sweater quantity of Malabrigo Mecha sitting in my stash!

Pattern: Carbeth Cardigan (link to my Ravelry project page)
Needles: Size 10.5 Addi Turbo's
Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha (colorway: dewberry), used 7.64 skeins (764 grams)
Mods: Added four inches in length to the body below the underarms (knit for 12" instead of the 8" pattern called for).
Verdict: PURE LOVE!

sunday's stitches 2018, vol. 4

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor
whatever your stitching on

See my progress from week to week on past sunday's stitches.

hitting snooze on my sweater

So I'm running out of yarn. Again. This sweater is turning into the big purple yarn eater. Now, I know that I created this yarn eating monster by adding a significant amount of length the body. The original pattern is cropped--but I'm just not a cropped sweater kind of girl. I measured my smallest favorite cardigan and the body length was 12 inches from under the armpit. This pattern calls for only 8 inches. Sooooo ... I added four inches of length to the body. And I loooooove it. But I'm ready to finish! So I've temporarily hit "snooze" while I wait for the extra skein of yarn to arrive. I'm tempted to finish off the remaining yarn I have, but .... common sense tells me the new yarn will be different and I'll want the option to alternate skeins. So I'm forcing myself to be patient.

In the meantime ... my crochet hook is calling me! This is an old WIP I started in December, my seventh time making Moogly's Artfully Simply Infinity Scarf. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in the colorway Ruby River.

sunday's stitches 2018, vol. 3

sunday's stitches: a moment to slow down and savor
whatever your stitching on

Wow, the #100dayproject has really jump started this needlepoint project! After four short days I'm done with the top quarter and can move into the middle section. Could I finish this within a year of starting? My first post with this project was May 14, 2017. #newgoal #racetothefinish . . #needlepoint #stitchersofinstagram #100daysofstitches #sundaysstitches

A post shared by snapdragoncrafts (@snapdragon__crafts) on Apr 8, 2018 at 9:16am PDT

See my progress from week to week on past sunday's stitches.

FO Friday: sweater #2 of 12

So in January I set a super crazy stretch goal for myself: to knit 12 sweaters this year. I promptly finished my Weekender sweater (which I'm still loving!), and then knit this sweater for my daughter during the Olympics. And then it sat, patiently waiting for buttons. For weeks. Ooops. This is a bigger version of the last sweater I made her, which she has worn since November 2015. I can't tell you how happy that makes me--a solid 2.5 years of wear! This one I knit purposely with ample room. With luck, it'll last a couple years as well. This project qualifies for my unofficial #knityourlibrary challenge for myself, since it uses a book I've owned since 2013. Ann Budd's Handy Book of Top Down Sweaters. It's a great one if you like to make simple sweaters, top-down (with little seaming) and just want to buy yarn and do something straightforward with it.

Pattern:  Basic Raglan Sweater - Child by Ann Budd (link to my Ravelry project page)
Needles: Size 8 Addi Turbo's
Yarn: 2.25 skeins of Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn (colorway: Fruit Salad)
Mods: None! Knit size 28" chest, using 5 stitches per inch gauge.

WIP Wednesday: sweater edition

Sadly, this is not all that I have on my needles at the moment. But this project is my top priority, as it is the closest to being finished! This will be #3 of the 12 sweaters in 2018 goal. The pattern is Carbeth Cardigan, and the yarn is yummy yummy Malabrigo Mecha in the Dewberry colorway. I should have finished this sweater last month--it's bulky yarn knit on size 10 needles! But I stalled out once I realized that I would need to buy additional yarn to finish this project. Being in denial, I waited a week or so before ordering more yarn. And then I needed to wind the yarn. And then it just sat there because I knew I would need to alternate skeins, since the new yarn does not match the old yarn. At all. (Hence the three balls of yarn you see in this photo--those are all attached to the body right now!). And let's face it, alternating skeins is annoying. But I have two sleeves done! And I'm a few short inches away from finishing the bottom of the body. So the end is definitely in sight! And I know I will love this sweater!  Linking up for old time's sake with Ginny at Yarn Along.