Current knitting plans.

I have wanted to knit "Steggie" for nearly two years now. It is a really cute children's jacket with dinosaur spines on the arms and hood. This is a pattern designed by Julia Farwell-Clay, and is available for free on Knitty.com here. I had originally planned on making this for my nephew, who will be turning 7 in approximately one month.

I missed Knit Picks black and orange yarn sale by one stupid day...grrrr The 50% off would have made it so much more manageable to buy the yarn for this project (his favorite color is orange, so it would have been perfect). So I missed that sale, thankfully there is another one currently going on (though not as deep, it's still a good sale). I had selected Swish worsted for easy care and warmth (I love working with this yarn, and my son's baby blanket knit in swish is so soft and huggably squishy!). The exact colorway I will buy is Harvest, which is a very pretty tonal yarn with shades of orange and yellow. The current sale will save me 20%

I would skip this entirely and pick something cheaper if I didn't currently need the yarn therapy so badly, lol Knitting is my therapy, and I've been in need of some lately. Things haven't been terrible, but my exclusive breastfeeding perks seem to be ending and I'm getting some pretty wonky (probably not the word my hubby would pick, lol) hormonal moods (that or I'm loosing my mind, lol). Using up old bits of Super Saver just isn't cutting it right now.

Hopefully I'll order the yarn soon...before this sale ends too :/

Progress update and future plans.

The "Hourglass" socks are coming along well. It is too bad that I wasn't able to complete all the Christmas knits on time, but it is what it is. I am halfway done with the foot area, so I am nearly done (top down socks). After this pair of socks are completed I will have a scarf and another pair of socks (maybe two) to knit up before completing my Christmas knits for this year. I am hoping to be all done within three weeks.

I have a few projects planned once my current queue is done. I want to make a knit tunic for myself (chunky yarn), finish those thigh-highs, finish the jacket for my husband, and I am planning a new project. I met nearly all my goals for this year with knitting, so I am thinking about new goals for 2012. I want to get into designing more and following other people's patterns less. This isn't really a problem for me since I am a progress knitter, but the problem comes in having a written pattern if I want to share with others. I want to get into designing and making patterns as it seems like I can never find a pattern for exactly what I want to make.

I was given a gift card to a local store that sells yarn and needlework supplies. I have never been in there, so I am excited to see what all they offer! I have decided what I want to make and what kind of yarn I want to use, but I need to come up with the technical aspects of it so it looks like I envision. I want to make a short sleeved tunic for spring/summer. I am thinking I want to find a dk weight cotton yarn in a light peachy color and keep the design of the tunic simple and feminine.  I am thinking of pairing it with light colored capris or skirt and a pair of wedges or flats (assuming I have the money to buy those things, lol). I am still trying to decide if I should include some kind of embellishment at the neckline (thinking either beads or glittery thread held along a white or cream colored yarn). So far all I have is a sketch. I need to actually buy a book and read up on designing and pattern making.

I hope to go shopping for the yarn for the spring tunic tonight. I hope to get the kind of yarn I want (don't care what brand it is). Depending on how much money is left after the yarn for the tunic, I will probably try to get some fun colors for summer things for the girls. I was thinking that some bright stripped summer skirts or dresses would be fun. At some point I want to pick up some chunky yarn for my 7-year-old, but I want her to finish the scarf she is currently crocheting first. I hope she finishes the scarf before winter is over. She wants to learn knitting, but I don't think she is quite ready for that yet.

I need to get back to working on the "Hourglass" socks. I am really hoping I can get them finished before the week is up. If I power knit all this evening I should be able to get the rest of the foot done and then work the toe tomorrow. I will update as soon as the socks are done and on the blockers!

Christmas knit #10

Christmas knit #10 has finally been started. I am making the scarf with the jade yarn. I would have posted this sooner, but the scarf is taking much longer than I thought it would, and I wanted to have something to actually show in the pictures.

Firstly, the pattern I selected came from Knitty.com as have so many others I've knit lately. The pattern is called "Henry" and is located here. I chose this pattern because it is masculine, classy, and clean looking. It also intrigued me that it is worked lengthwise. Size 2 needles are used for cast on and the tiny border edge, then size 3 needles are used for the body of the scarf...just fyi ;)

The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss Fingering Yarn in the color Jade. The yarn is 70% Merino and 30% Silk. It has a nice sheen to it and it feels lovely. I am hoping the end product will have a wonderful drape. The green color is deep and rich with a jewel like quality to it that is just beautiful. I purchased 4 hanks.

So far I am liking the pattern and my yarn selection. The scarf is looking beautiful, but I am a bit dismayed at how long it is taking to make. I timed myself at 16 minutes per row, so the entire project should take approximately 42 hours to complete. Christmas is just one week away and I am stressing out about getting this completed. I have 3 other projects that need completed as well, each one needing about a weeks time to make. Unfortunately, some people will be getting their gifts rather late :(

 Here is the entire scarf with one full repeat of the pattern completed. That is a 40" cable. See why each row takes me 16 minutes? lol

 Here you can see the waste yarn on my starting edges. I used a provisional cast on, and will be pulling the waste yarn out once the project is complete.

 Here is just another look at the scarf at 1 repeat worth of progress.

Here is a more recent picture and you can really see the pattern a lot better here than in the previous pictures. This is 2 1/2 pattern repeats (the pattern calls for 7). This is a very recent picture, as I am currently only 4 rows beyond this.

I will be working on this scarf every possible second of every day until completion. I have very little time to complete this, and I really want to get it done on time. I have been working on this scarf so much lately that my left hand has been cramping. My middle finger has been locking up and my wrists hurt. I actually had dark green marks on my fingers where the yarn was rubbing on my skin. I am really liking this scarf, but dang will I be glad when it is done!

Christmas knit #9

You know how I started that pair of black thigh-highs for myself for fun? Well I started making them using the needle I needed for Christmas knit #9, lol Stupid, but hey, I power knitted through the foot of the thigh-highs so I could switch out the needles. Hooray for completing the feet on the thigh-highs!

I am making a sock pattern from Knitty.com called "Hourglass." It is an extraspicy difficulty level, but so far is pretty fun to work (I like patterns that require lots of attention and careful detail). I am using Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn (same kind of yarn as was used to make "Spring Forward"), which is machine washable and driable 75% Superwash Merino and 25% Nylon in the color "Make Believe." The coloring on this yarn is beautiful, and I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. And as usual I am using magic loop method. I think it is pretty safe to always assume that when working socks I am using the magic loop method, unless otherwise noted of course :)

 The hank of yarn on day 1.

 Here is the yarn divided as evenly as possible into two balls.  Aren't those pretty colors?

Here is my progress after 5 1/2 hours of straight knitting through last night... yes, I stayed up all night knitting (can't claim that's it's the first time either, lol). I have worked about two hours on it today and am nearing completing the first pattern repeat. I will post a new picture when I get enough progress that the pattern really starts to show.

Christmas knit #8

Christmas knit #8 is a simple black scarf. I am using Knit Picks Swish Worsted 100% Superwash Merino in black, and size 6 needles. I am using the "Apocalypse Scarf" pattern.

There isn't really much to say about this project so far. It is a really simple pattern and very easy to memorize. I added a chain edging to smooth up the edges, and am using a smaller needle to make it denser, but those are the only changes I've made thus far. I've only worked on it one evening so far, and progress is decent for the time spent on it. Anyway, here are the pictures :)

Christmas knit #7.

I started my seventh Christmas knit last evening. I am making a bright and fun (and crazy!) pair of socks. I am using the "Spring Forward" pattern from knitty.com. Yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted (75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon) in the color "Juice box."

This is the hank when it first arrived. Those are some crazy colors!

Here are the two balls wound into equal-ish portions. Winding those balls with those bright colors was dizzying and sickening, and honestly had me a bit concerned about how the socks will turn out.

 A close up of those crazy colors :)

Here is my progress so far. I have the cuff made and barely over one full repeat of the lace pattern. I think it is knitting up fairly quickly, seeing as how I haven't really worked on it much so far. I like the way the colors look more than I thought I would, and it isn't really sickening at all :P The colors do make the pattern hard to see, especially in the picture. I am hoping the pattern will show better once the sock is complete and has been blocked, if not then, oh-well.

The pattern calls for DPNs, but I am using magic loop method instead, just FYI ;) I am using the knit picks 2.25mm needle, and the different sized tips hasn't been an issue for me. I am using the sharper of the two tips to knit with and it is working well. I also must comment that this is the easiest lace pattern I have ever worked. It looks pretty enough, but is very simple and easy to memorize (great for tv watching!). I am enjoying knitting these happy socks :)

Christmas Knit #6.

For Christmas knit number 6 I decided on a men's entrelac scarf. I started it tonight and am loving it so far. The pattern I selected is "Danica" from Knitty.com

The yarn selected for this project is KnitPicks Swish worsted yarn. I bought 2 skeins each of "Lava Heather" and "Hollyberry." "Hollyberry" is the pure red color and is my main color. The yarn is 100% Superwash merino wool, so it is machine washable and super soft. It has been really nice in hand and looks great worked up.

Here is my progress so far this evening. (click the picture to enlarge it) I have the beginning triangles, section 2, and section 3 done. I will repeat sections 2 and 3 until it is long enough. It looks complicated but is actually pretty easy and very fun to work. This is going to be one cool looking scarf!

I will try very hard to be better with posting updates. I just haven't felt like posting for awhile, and then Skyrim (a really awesome video game) has been eating up all my non-knitting free-time. I have only worked on the scarf for about an hour and 20 minutes so far, so I am thinking it is going to knit up pretty quickly. I'll try to post a picture of my weekend progress.

On a last note, I will most likely be starting a pair of socks before completing this project. I have been itching to try out my newer knitpicks needles (the lopsided ones that I decided to keep) and that bright yarn is calling to me. When I was winding the hank into balls, I was getting nauseous from the bright swirly colors, so I am dying to see what it looks like worked into socks. Hopefully it is fun, and not hideous looking, lol When I do start I will post about it though, so no worries ;)

Christmas knits #4 and #5.

I was in a bit of a blue mood last night, so when picking my next Christmas knit pattern I wanted something pretty and fun. I considered using the bright orange and yellow yarn for a planned pair of socks, but chose to go with something "pretty" instead. I had been planning on making the jade colored men's scarf next, but decided even though it is a beautiful yarn it is not quite happy enough.

The pattern I ended up choosing was the "Flit + Float" from knitty.com. If you follow the link, you will see that this is a lacy and pretty scarf, meant more for looks than for warmth. Also notice that in the title I listed Christmas knits #4 and #5. I am making two scarves for two different people, one purple and one dark red.

This is the picture I took of the yarn the day I received it. It is Knit Picks Shimmer yarn in a lace weight. It is 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk. The color on the left is "Sherry" and the color on the right in "Elderberry." This yarn is very soft and luxurious feeling and a pleasure to work with, even if it is tiny.

This picture the flash shows the pretty sheen the yarn has. You can see both scarves being worked on here. I am using my new size 4 (3.5mm) Harmony Knit Picks needles. You can see those cute, neat, little balls of yarn...it took me an hour to wind each ball. I have a bit of a cramp in my right arm from winding those last night.

Of course this picture is just to show the yarn color without the sheen to it. I am pleased with the colors. "Sherry" is a very pretty dark red with some darker and lighter tones in it. "Elderberry" is a brighter color with some very pretty purple tones in it. I think the end result will be very lovely.

The pictures were taken after about 2 hours of work. I cast on and am working the first ruff, I will be done with it in 3 more rows. After that I will slip my needle back through the open cast on loops and start knitting the actual scarf. I hope to be done with this project by the end of this weekend. Once I get done with the ruffle and have some progress on the scarf done, I will post new pictures :)

Christmas knit #3.

I have decided which project to tackle for my third Christmas knit. I will be making the "Skullface" scarf from Knitty.com. I selected this pattern for a young man who loves math. I thought the pattern had a decidedly geometrical appeal to it and a sort of coolness factor that would be appropriate for the person it is intended for. I don't usually include pictures of the pattern, but for this one I will.

You can see what I mean about the geometrical qualities of the pattern. I will not be following the pattern exactly. I will be omitting the ties in the middle and the shell pattern on the bottom edges. I want to keep it a simple scarf with simple edges. I think the shell design on the ends doesn't work very well with the geometrical skull patter, especially since this will be a man's scarf. I will also be grafting the two pieces together instead of using a triple needle bind off. I will attempt to make both sides at the same time. I will have three strands of yarn for each side, so it may get a little tricky, but that's what makes it fun! This pattern is "Tangy" difficulty, so it should be a breeze once I get used to the skull pattern.

The yarn I will be using for this pattern is Knit Picks Swish Worsted. It is 100% Superwash Merino wool. I have 4 skeins of solid black, and one hank in the color "Gypsy" which is a tonal red. It will be great that this yarn is machine washable and dry-able, very nice for a gift item. Here is the picture of the yarn.

The man I am making this for likes red, so I think this tonal red should look nice. The colorway should end up making a marbled look which should look nice for the skull faces.

I mentioned before that this will be my first time using the intarsia method. I am not very apprehensive about it, as it sounds rather simple. It is simply using a separate piece of yarn for the area of color being worked, with wrapping the yarn around the neighboring strand to keep it all connected. In this pattern the color pattern is achieved by slipping stitches, the intarsia is only for one edge of black.  I am still not sure why it is necessary to even work the side edge in intarsia, but hopefully it will become more clear once I actually start the project. If it isn't necessary, I may end up not even using intarsia.

I won't be starting this project for a couple days. I have work to do on the Tribute socks. Once I get the gusset completed and need to switch to a smaller needle size, I will start work on this scarf. I don't imagine it will be more than 3 days. I will post once I do start the "Skullface" scarf, hopefully with a picture or two :)

Christmas project #1 - Tribute Socks.

I just started project 1 of 11 Christmas knits. Yes, I am making 11 knitted gifts for Christmas this year. I just ordered the yarn yesterday from KnitPicks.com. I had purchased the yarn for this gift when I bought the yarn for my husband's socks. I just started knitting them today and I am totally not following the pattern at all, lol!

The socks I am making are super cool and they are named Tribute. I love the look of these socks, and picked them out for a certain person that I think will like them. They are such fun looking socks! I really am not following the pattern for these at all. These are top down socks, but I am making them toe up. I will make the gusset and heel portions like I did on the Diamond Wave Socks, only I am using the pattern chart for the lace from the Tribute pattern. I turned the chart upside down to work it. It seems to be going well so far, so here's hoping it turns out well! I will post pictures once I get more of the foot portion done so the lace pattern can actually be seen.

A note about the yarn. I have purchased most all of the yarn I will need for my other 10 Christmas knits. I may make one scarf in the black yarn that I ordered, then purchase a beautiful jade green later to make another one. There is a certain person is the family who likes green, and this green yarn is very beautiful but still masculine enough to make a nice scarf for the man I am thinking of using it for. I had thought the yarn wasn't available until the end of October, but I was wrong! It is available the 5th! I forgot to order sock blockers with my last order, so I will make an order on the 5th for that yarn and those sock blockers I keep forgetting to buy.

Here comes knitting season!

The hot days of summer are slowly becoming a thing of the past and cooler days are approaching. Yes! That means it's knitting time! Knitting in the summer is surely quite possible, but not very pleasant if working on anything that covers a lap.

My summer knitting break is over and I've picked up my needles again over this past Labor Day weekend. I had a few goals for knitting this year, and toe-up socks and two-at-a-time sock knitting were both there. So I started knitting a pair of socks, toe-up and two-at-a-time. I also started knitting a jacket for my husband. While there was a sale at the local Joann's I picked up enough yarn for two more pair of socks.

First the socks I have started. I am using a pattern found on Ravelry.com called Diamond Waves Socks. For the yarn I am using Patons Kroy Socks FX yarn. I am using a size 1 circular needle. The yarn is self striping and 75% Washable Wool and 25% Nylon. It is not the softest yarn out there, but it should be warm, durable, and very importantly washable. I have not yet decided if I will make the socks to fit me, or make them as a gift for Christmas. I am leaning towards them being a gift since I have so many gifts to make in just a few months. Here are the pictures of my progress thus far.

This last picture the lighting is off, but it shows the pattern quite clearly.

I used the Magic Loop cast on, and have been working on the socks since Sunday. It is rather slow going because the size 1 needles make my finger tips sore rather quickly. If I am going to be knitting a lot of socks I may yet invest in some support gloves to help with fatigue and protect me from blisters.

Thank you to my awesome Mother-in-Law for helping me get started on these socks! :)

The other project I started is the long-planned jacket for my husband. I had previously picked out the pattern to use, the Scarlow. I picked out yarn for the project and the price was over $120. I tried again, looking at discounted yarns and got a price of $97. I don't have $100 to be spending on yarn right now, but wanted to start the jacket for him. I ripped apart a huge afghan that I had started years ago and never finished. I have plenty of yarn to work on the jacket and they are colors that he should be okay with. The major problem is that the yarn is cheap acrylic yarn (Red Heart Super Saver) and is worsted while I need a bulky weight yarn. I am doubling up the yarn and using two strands to gain the thickness and gauge that I needed with the size 10 needles. The jacket won't be as nice as it would have been if made out of nice wool yarn, but if this turns out fairly nice and he actually wears it then I will make another one for him out of nice yarn later this winter. Hopefully by the end of the year he will have two jackets :)

I just started the jacket Monday night, so haven't been working on it much so far. I work on the socks, then switch to the jacket when my hands start hurting. I am working on the side panel and here's a picture of my work so far.

The stripped panel is achieved by alternating colors every two knit rows. My main color is two strands of dark green, and my contrast color is a strand of tan and a strand of sage green.

I have several projects planned to make as gifts for Christmas this year, so I've got a lot of knitting ahead of me these next couple of months. I will be making at least 4 pairs of socks and a few scarves, hats, and such. When the family and I stopped by Joann Crafts on Labor Day I stopped by their yarn section to look for sock yarn. I didn't find anything really great there, but did get a couple yarns. My husband likes the idea of having some socks made for him so he picked out the yarn he wanted. He picked out a green color of the Patons Kroy Socks FX. I have a fancy sock pattern in mind as a gift for a specific person that calls for a white yarn, and I actually found a yarn that I thought would work. Red Heart, Heart & Sole yarn is 70% Superwash wool and 30% Nylon. The Red Heart is a bit softer than the Patons yarn, perhaps due to the "with aloe" bit. Here is a picture of the yarn I got, three skeins of each.

On a last note for today, I am in need of some new knitting needles. I only have one circular needle in size 1, and it is on the short side. I am going to need at least a size 0 and a size 1 needle with longer cable if I am actually going to complete the projects planned for gifts (most of them are made using fingering yarn). I need to look around for what needles I'd like to buy.When my husband's parents were here visiting, my mother-in-law let me look at her KnitPicks needles. They seem very nice, with soft flexible cables (one of the main things I am looking for in new needles) and they have a nice feel to them. I will definitely keep the KnitPicks needles in mind, but I will look around more before deciding for sure what to get.

I hope to get the socks done this weekend, start on the next pair and make some progress on my husband's jacket. It is great to be knitting again!

Finished Projects.

I have been in a slump lately, so haven't been doing much updating. I had planned to post progress pictures, but I don't remember to take pictures when I'm blue and knitting into the wee hours of the morning in front of the tv. I completed two of my projects and am nearly done with the third.

In the previous post I said I was having trouble with the socks for my daughter. It is such a simple pattern, but I just kept making dumb mistakes. No surprise that the sock is the project that I haven't finished yet. I am on the right track though, and remembered to increase this time. I will most likely finish it later this evening then take a break from knitting until Monday.

The tank top I knit for myself turned out very well, but I don't think I'll be wearing it much until fall time. It is pretty warm, and I think would look good over a long sleeved button-up shirt. Using two strands of Red Heart Super Saver and size 13 needles, it knit up pretty quickly. I think it turned out quite excellent for just casting on a random number of stitches and holding it up to my body to decide when to make arm holes or neck shaping. I completed this Saturday morning. Here are the pictures.

The shirt for my 4-year-old I completed Monday night, realized I made a mistake, ripped it partially apart then re-completed it Tuesday morning. It turned out very pretty and my daughter loves it. I used the same eyelet pattern as is used in the sock pattern, with a seed stitch edging. I was hoping to use up some of the leftover yarn (Lionbrand Cotton-Ease) from the girls' "Elenka" dresses. The shirt used up the partially used skeins, but I still have a pink that was barely used out of, and a green that hasn't been used at all. Guess I'll save them for something later on, perhaps I'll make a matching hat and scarf for her later.

Although I am not yet finished with the second sock, I will go ahead and included a picture of the one that is complete. I don't think I'll create a post when I do finish it, just because that seems a bit of a waste of time since they will both look exactly the same anyway. Here is the free pattern I used for the socks.

Because I've been in a slump lately I changed my mind on what to make next. I was going to make the "Scarlow Cardigan" for my husband, but I didn't think dark musty colors sounded like a good idea right now. I wanted to make something pretty for myself in a more cheery color. After a bit of searching I decided to go with the "Abotanicity" pattern I found on Knitty.com. It looks just complicated enough to keep my mind occupied, but not so complicated as to be frustrating. I will be using the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Silk Yarn (80% Low Micron Superwash Merino Wool / 20% Silk) in the color Tea Rose. It was a bit more costly than I would have liked, but working with this yarn should be a pretty big "pick-me-up" and I sort of need that right now. The yarn will be here on Monday, which is why I will start knitting again on that day.

I am excited to start this project as I will be completing two of my personal goals in knitting. It is made in the round from the top down, and the arms are knit with two circular needles instead of DPNs (double pointed needles). I really don't mind using DPNs, but apparently a lot of sock knitters hate using them, so many of the sock patterns I want to try are written for circulars. I figured it would be good to learn the technique on something like this sweater that is a bit simpler than the lacy socks I want to make.

After I have completed the "Abotanicity" I will try to make that cardigan for my husband. I want to start working on some gifts before too much longer. I would like to make socks and maybe some shawls. I want to make the Shipwreck Shawl. It is beautiful and I've never made a circular shawl before. I may make one for me and one or two for family member(s) that I think may like it as well. I have a hard time knitting or crocheting gifts for people. There are a few people I know who actually use and like what I give them, but then there are others that I have an inkling just don't care and never use the gifts.

That's all for now. I will be trying to catch up on reading and working on the garden over the weekend. When the yarn comes on Monday I will put up a "Yarn Haul" post complete with pictures.

I've got a head full of knitting worries.

I am nearly done with the crochet dress, then I have a crochet pullover and I'll be finished with my four projects for spring. It must be because I'm nearly done with the "Spring Four" because I've got ideas swimming in my head for what I'm going to make next. I am actually stressing out about trying to pick a group of patterns to knit next...when I'm not even done with the current group.

I've wanted to branch out my sock making for a few years now. I've only made socks with leftover yarns that were worsted weight. Mostly I've used Red Heart Super Saver yarn leftovers from afghans I've made. I want to try my hand at making socks with actual sock yarn, especially the stretchy stuff. I will be making at least two pairs of socks in my next group of projects, I just need to narrow down the patterns to my two favorite, lol That could take awhile...

There is the matter of making a sweater for my husband. I can't get a satisfactory answer out of him when looking at patterns. He thinks the models look weird, and doesn't even seem to see the sweater I'm trying to show him. I may end up just picking something that I like and hoping that he likes it when it's done. There are at least four patterns that I would seriously consider making for him that I have found so far. I will continue to search and hopefully find the "one."

I further complicated my status of "too many projects, too little time" by picking up the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Vogue Knitting. I only want to knit about 13 of the patterns shown, lol I already have a heap of patterns that I want to make which I've printed out off knitty.com (speaking of which, they just updated their pattern archive so it's much nicer to use now) including a few tanks for summer. Then I have the stack of patterns from LionBrand.com, some of which I would like to make as gifts. Many of the patterns I had selected last year, but never got enough money to actually make the projects in time for Christmas. I will probably try again this year, but it all depends on the cash flow.

Yarn cost is a bit disheartening sometimes. Even knitting with medium to low-end yarns can get expensive. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to knit with a premium yarn because the sticker shock is a little more than I can handle. Maybe I'll be so lucky as to find a phenomenal sale, hey I can dream, right? The Patons Grace I am using for the crochet dress was plenty spendy enough, and it is considered a medium quality yarn AND I got it on sale. It's a good thing knitting is so relaxing and works as my therapy. I could never afford to knit if I had to pay for talk therapy, lol Life is too stressful to not have an outlet. Thankfully I have a husband who understands knitting is my relaxation and peace...if only I could get him to pick a stupid sweater pattern, lol

I am trying to convince myself that I need to wait to pick out new patterns, but I am failing miserably. I keep thinking about what kinds of things I'd like to make while I am working on my current project even. I think I just need to get the "Blue Tangelo Reflection" dress finished and move on to the crochet pullover. Working with a different texture and yarn weight should help put off some of this yearning for new projects. The Patons Grace has been giving me a bit of "yarn burn" on my finger, lol Something softer and thicker would definitely be a nice change.

I should be finished with crocheting the front of the dress by this evening. After I sew the side and shoulder seams I'll need to block it, so I won't be able to do the edging until tomorrow. I am not quite understanding why I didn't attempt to do this dress in the round instead of following the pattern exactly. I guess I never fully trust myself to make too many alterations to a pattern without totally screwing it up. I probably won't be making this pattern again to try it in the round, simply because there are so many patterns I want to make.

I should have pictures to post of the completed dress some time tomorrow.

Projects for Spring!

I've got 4 new projects rounded up, 3 of which are spring projects. The 4th is still okay for spring since this is Montana after all, but it isn't very "Spring" looking. You'll see what I mean once I get to pictures.

The first project I'll be making will be a knit dress for my youngest daughter.  I found this beautiful dress on www.Knitty.com. Follow this link to see the free pattern and additional pictures.

The "Elenka" is a perfect little sun dress for spring and summer, plus the Lion Brand Cotton Ease that is called for in the pattern has some beautiful and bright colors available. The difficulty level is "Tangy" on Knitty.com, which I believe would be approximately a Easy or Easy + on other sites. I will be knitting the dress in the "Lime" color pictured. I will be making a second dress in "Berry" (a mauve-ish pink color) for my older daughter. I have used Cotton Ease before and love the way it knits up and the way the finished garment hangs, plus the super easy care can't be beaten when using it for children's garments. It is difficult to find locally, so I ordered off Jo-Ann Fabrics website during a sale.

The third project I will be making is a crochet dress for myself that I found out of a Patons Grace pattern book I purchased at a local craft store.

I will be making this "Blue Reflection Dress" in Patons Grace in the color "Tangelo." The idea is that the dress will remind one of a delicious orange dream bar. The dress is quite see-through, so will probably be wearing it over either a white tee and leggings, or over a simple white dress. I am really excited about this dress. The yarn is beautiful and a much higher quality yarn that I typically work with. I found some locally, but there was not enough to make the dress, so I ended up ordering it online and getting a pretty good deal on it. The difficulty level is intermediate.

The fourth project I will be working on is a crochet sweater, and the only experienced level project I selected. It does not look particularly difficult though, and should be nice to crochet in the round.

The "Ladylike Pullover" is a free pattern off of Lion Brands website, located here. I will be making this with Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the color "Eggplant." The deep plum color should look splendid in fall (and go very nicely with my dark brown hair), and the wool yarn should be quite warm despite the rather airy design of the sweater. This is another garment that I will need to wear something under, but I don't mind as the design is quite pretty. I have this strange feeling that I might like to wear this sweater in the spring time with a pair of bright yellow capris (or skirt) and a bright yellow tank top under the sweater. Maybe I'm crazy, but that just sounds fun to me...not that I would wear it out on the town or anything, lol

I am still on the hunt for a perfect sweater to knit for my husband. I have found a few that I like that got an "I guess it would be fine" from my husband. I do know what color I would use though, as I think dark grays and deep or musty blues look best on him. I want to make a flattering sweater that looks good on him but that he likes and would want to wear.

The yarns for the spring dresses and the lady's pullover should get here by the weekend (perfect timing!) and the yarn for the dress should be here by the end of the month. I am hoping the yarn comes early, but if not that's okay as I am still working on a hobo style bag currently. Once I am further along on the bag I will post a picture of it. I am trying to use up scrap yarn, but am pretty sure that I will need to buy another skein to finish it. Hopefully I'll have those pictures of the bag progress within a couple days.