Happy Knits :)

What's Happenin??

2010-11-28T11:35:00.001-08:00

Knitting plain stockinette stitch socks does not make for very interesting blog posts, does it?

Oh well, that's all I'm really knitting right now! I do have plans, though. The boyfriend wants a sweater vest, and I am happy to make him one! I still have to get the yarn, but once I start that, I think my blog spots will hopefully get more interesting!

Besides knitting those socks, I've been spending time playing with my new phone!

I love it so much. It's a Samsung Seek from Boost Mobile, and I like it SOOOO much better than the phone I used to have, which sucked! It's so fancy! It has a touch screen and all kinds of fun stuff. I know it's not the fanciest phone out there, but I usually have pretty crummy phones, so I'm very pleased!

PS, did you notice my zebra print nails?

I painted them myself, and they make me happy!

There is talk around the house that we might put Christmas Decorations up today! We won't have the tree yet (we get live trees, so we wait a little longer so they aren't all brown and crispy on Christmas day!), but I'll take some pictures of our cute christmasy house to show you guys!

Have fun today!

But I haven't even finished eating all of my Halloween candy!

2010-11-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving! The food, the family, the love, the fact that we all come together to give thanks for every blessing that God as bestowed upon us! I have to much to be thankful for: a great family, the love of my life, all my friends, a great job, and the fact that I have a roof over my head and food to eat (which I plan on eating a lot of tomorrow!)

At this very moment, I'm thankful for Starbucks Iced White Mocha's and hand knit socks!

Since it's been getting colder around these parts, my toes have been freezing, and I need more knitted socks! The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug in "Dusk", and I have no pattern. I started with casting on 10 stitches (I think) with a Turkish Cast-on, and increased to 60 stitches. I'm not sure yet which heel I'm gonna use, either my good ol' No Wrap Short-Row Heel, or a toe-up Gusset Heel (PDF).

I hope all of you have a fantastic and wonderful day tomorrow, and I give thanks for all of you!

Random Catch-up!

2010-11-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, July? July is the last time I posted on my blog? I'm a blog-loser. Please forgive me, any left-over followers I may have! I have a couple of things to show you, though! I thought I'd have a bunch of finished projects to share, but I really don't! What have I been doing with myself? Haha. Here's a couple:

Amy's Instant Oatmeal:

Pattern: Oatmeal by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Chunky, 4 balls in color #240

Needles: US Size 11

Amy picked out the pattern and the yarn for this sweater, and it took me only 4 days to make, gotta love that! I think it turned out super cute, but I have yet to get a picture of Amy wearing it.

My Rebel Scum-bag:

yes, I know I'm a nerd.

Pattern: Felted Skull Knitting Tote by Adrian Bizilia

Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool, 2.5 balls in "Natural Mix", and Cascade 220, 0.5 balls in some red color.

Needles: US size 13

I had some yarn in my stash that I wanted to make a felted bag out of, and the pattern I picked had a skull on it, but I wasn't feeling the Skull motif, so I charted my own. I love it! It made a decent sized purse, and knitted up real quick-like. Here's the link to the chart I made if anyone cares.

Amy's Fake Isle:

Amy was in the yarn store the other day and picked up a hat on the class table and said "Make me this!" So, I did.

Pattern: XOXO Cap by Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli

Yarn: 1 skein Cascade 220 in color #4192 and 1 ball of Noro Kureyon in color #240

Needles: US Size 8

Hot Water Bottle Cozy:

I have a hot water bottle that I use in bed to keep my toes warm when It's cold outside, but the rubbery texture is not really nice to feel with your feet, so thus, a hot water bottle cozy!

Pattern: I wrote up a recipe for making one, here's the Rav link.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky, 1 skein in color #M62 (I think)

Needles: I don't remember... maybe 11's?

Fuzzy Feet:

I don't know how long ago I made these, probably sometime last year! I lost them quite soon after I made them, and just found them the other day! Yay! I do remember that I knit them in one sitting! I'd like to make another pair in a more exciting color.

Pattern: Fuzzy Feet

Yarn: Cascade 220, 1 skein in color #8555

Needles: US Size 10.5

That's all I've got as far as knitting things to show ya'll. I'm working on a bunch of different stuff right now, but I can't really show you any of it, because they are mostly Christmas presents! I'm so excited for the Christmas season to start, I can't wait for Christmas music, movies, and all the other warm fuzzies that make me think of Christmas!

I'll leave you with a video of my best buddy:

Some FOs

2010-07-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some more sewing! Check out my new Jammies:

Cute huh? I got the fabric and pattern at Joann's. I figured pajama pants were a good jumping off point for future garment projects.

Also, I finished Ari!

Ignore the fact that the dog has a messy face...

I think I like it, I'm going to wear it to work today and see how I like wearing it. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet...

I loved the pattern though, it was well written, and I think I'm going to be knitting more Berroco patterns in the future! Here are the specs for those interested:

Yarn: Berroco Weekend, 4 skeins in Navy

Needles: US Size 8 and 7

It was a quick knit, too. From start to finish it took me 13 days! Sweet.

Alright, that's all for now, I've got to go get ready for work! See ya!

Alright Zippers, we can be friends again...

2010-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Zippers have always thwarted my sewing attempts with them, but today I thought I would give it another shot. Armed with this tutorial, a bunch of scraps of fabric, and a couple of zippers salvaged from failed projects and ugly purses, I made these:

Aren't they cute???

Look at how useful they are!

This first one I made to hold various purse items; like hand cream, my foldy hairbrush thing, makeup, a nail file, hand sanitizer, chapstick, etc.

The next one is for knitting notions. A tape measure, yarn needles, stitch markers, stitch holders, blah blah blah...

And last but not least was one for my mom:

Now I'm keeping my eye open for anything I can steal a zipper from...

I've also sewn a couple more totes! One for my mom and another for my sister. Here's my mom's, modeled by her and our adorable doggie:

She's really not a purse dog, but she obliged for my photo shoot :)

And when I gave my sister hers, she promptly stuffed it full and headed off to the beach with it.

Now, I know that this is technically a knitting blog, and I have been knitting! I started Ari by Berroco last week, and it;s going super fast!

I already have the back and both fronts done, and about half of one sleeve. I'm using the recommended yarn, Berroco Weekend. I love this yarn, and I think it's going to be a nice summery, wearable sweater!

Well that's all for now, I'll catch ya'll on the flip side!

You can do it, too!!! :)

2010-07-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

I made myself a tote bag for my knitting the other day, and i was so proud of myself, I made another!

And I took pictures as I did it so I could make a tutorial for anyone who wants to make one, too! There are a lot of pics, so get ready!

You'll need:

1/2 yard of fabric for outside of bag and 1/2 yard of fabric for lining (Mine was from the Freebird collection from Moda fabric, plus some solid yellow for lining)

Step 1: Cut 2 pieces of fabric 34" wide by 15" (one of each)
2 pieces of Outer fabric 4" by 24" (for straps)
1 piece of lining fabric 15" by 5" (for pocket)

Step 2: Make the straps!

Fold strap fabric in half longways with right sides facing, and sew down long side. Repeat on other strap!

Turn straps right side-out, and press flat, making sure the seam runs along the center of the straps.

Sew down the sides of the straps 1/4" in from the edge on both sides, and then 1/4" in from first line of stitches.

Ta-da! Finished straps. Alright, let's move on.

Step 3: Make a pocket!

Take piece of fabric cut for pocket, and turn in the edges 1/4", pressing as you go. Turn down one long side twice (for top of the pocket. Sew edges down. It should look like this:

Take your large piece of lining fabric (the one that's 34"x15"), and fold it in half. Lay it out and pin the pocket into the center, like so (make sure you only pin through the top layer!!):

Unfold lining fabric and Sew pocket down along side edges and bottom edge, then sew a line down the center of the pocket to divide it in half:

Step 4: Make the bags!

Take your large pieces for the body of the bag (the 34"x15" piece of outer fabric and the 34"x15" piece of lining with pocket attatched) and fold them in half with the right sides facing, the pocket should be on the inside for the lining piece. Start at the top and sew down one side and along the bottom, until you reach the fold. Do this on both pieces!
IMPORTANT!!! : Leave a hole about 3" in the center bottom of the lining fabric:

Or you could just be cool like me and forget to leave a hole, and then use your seam-ripper to open it back up...

Step 5: Make the Gussets!

Fold out the corners on the bottom of the bags like so:

Measure 1.5" from the top, and draw a line:

Pin it down so it doesn't shift! Repeat on each corner (2 for each piece)

Sew along those lines, and cut of the extra:

(From now on, I forgot to take pictures, d'oh! But don't worry, we're almost done!)

Step 6: Join the Outer and Inner pieces!

Take the inner bag, and turn it right side- out. Take your straps, and pin them to the lining fabric at the top, making sure the side without the seam is facing up:

Mine are about 5" in from the sides.

Put the lining bag with the straps attatched into the outer bag (which should still be inside-out):

Make sure you line up the seams on the sides.

Now, sew along the top of the bag, from one side all the way around to the other, sewing straps in place as you go:

Now using that hole that we left in the lining fabric, turn the whole thing inside-out! Press the top to make it nice and even, and top-stitch around the whole thing. (I did 2 lines of top-stitching so it matched the straps.)

And voila, your bag is done! Yay!!!!

Stuff it full of goodies and celebrate!

I hope I didn't forget anything! But if something doesn't make sense, please let me know!

It's a good thing I'm good at knitting...

2010-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

...because I fail as a seamstress! I love to sew, but man do I suck at it!

While away this weekend I bought some fabric because I've had a project in mind for a while for a skirt that I wanted to sew. Well what happens when you don't buy enough fabric and you and Bias tape do not get along? Failure.

I was attempting to make a Domesticated Skirt, which I have been admiring for a long time, and that didn't work out. But, I think I've figured out what my problem is! Every time I sew something, I have a couple of moments throughout the project where I say to myself "I don't have to do that, really. It's just an extra step, I think it will work out okay if I don't." Every time that thought pops into my head I should just ignore it, and do things the right way, instead of cutting corners. I do need to pin things out. I do need to press my seams as I go. I do need to follow the step-by-step instructions instead of just thinking that I know what I'm doing. It's a humbling experience, I tell ya!

So with the fabric I salvaged from the skirt, I made a few bags, a project I'm much more comfortable with! First up I made a shopping bag, using this tutorial.

Cute, huh? It folds up nice and small so I can keep it in my purse and pull it out at stores. There was still a bit of fabric left so I made a little drawstring project bag:

I didn't really do any knitting this weekend, and I'm feeling uninspired. My current projects are not wowing me, so maybe I'll keep on the sewing kick for a while until my knitting mojo comes back. Who knows?

New and Exciting Adventures

2010-06-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Listening To: Give a Little Bit by The Goo Goo Dolls

So, you know when you are just knitting along, minding your own business, when out of nowhere, a pattern comes along and knocks you upside your head? Yeah, it happened to me last week. I was catching on my blog reading when I came across the Medano Beach (rav link) bag pattern. So stinking cute! Thanks to Jillian over at Sknitty for the heads up!

I had to make it, I just had to! I picked up a couple of skeins of 2nd Time Cotton, 2 in Natural, and 2 in Charcoal. I had a hard time deciding on color, but in the end I had to go with my Gut, and I'm glad I did. I can't wait for it to be finished, I think it's going to be so cute and practical!

I'm going on a little trip at the end of the week, and I'd like to have this finished to use this weekend, but I don't think that will happen. If not, this will be good vacation knitting! Stockinette in the Round... Zzzz...

I also got some new sock yarn yesterday that I wanna try out. Corn Fiber Socks? Why not.

That's all for now, I'll try to post again before I leave on Thursday. Tomorrow I'm going to Universal Studios with the boyfriend. I've never been there before and I'm really excited! Yay!

I hope ya'll have awesome days!

Here's another!

2010-06-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

So tonight was my buddy Elyse's birthday, which means that I gifted another knit, which means that I can show it to you! Check it:

Ta-da!

Aren't they cool (if I do say so myself)? I love them! I wish they were mine :) Here's the specs:

Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Ty-dy Socks, 1 ball in "Grapes", #1745

Needles: 2.75mm 40# circular (for knitting Magic-Loop)

Pattern: Fingering Weight Toe-Up Socks With Gusset and Slip-Stitch Heel (PDF) by Wendy Johnson

To be honest, I really only used the heel portion of this pattern. I started with a Turkish Cast-on, used the above pattern for the heel, knitted up the leg, and finished with a sewn bind-off. That's it!

I have one more gift to give that then I can post about, but in the mean time, I started a new pair of socks! You would think that after knitting 2 pair in about a month, I would be sick of sock-knitting, but I'm really not! I pulled a ball of Silk Garden sock out of my stash and started a new pair!

Well that's all for today, my friends, I'm off to bed! Nighty night!

Here I go!

2010-06-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

I was told by family members last week that I NEEDED to blog, so I'm back! Who knows for how long, right? I didn't think I had much to show, but I found a few things post-worthy!

Yesterday was my friend Rochelle's birthday, so I baked her a cake:

(Dark chocolate fudge cake on the inside, milk chocolate frosting on the outside... mmm)

And knit her some socks:

(thanks for modelling, mom!)

Here are the specs (for those interested!)

Yarn: Dream in Color "Smooshy", 1 skein in "Blue Lagoon"

Needles: 2.75mm 40" circular (knit Magic-Loop style)

Pattern: Basic, top-down vanilla socks. 64 sts.

We had lots of fun celebrating her birthday yesterday! We went to dinner at Claim Jumpers, played Quelf, and ate cake! Hooray!

As far as knitting goes, I just finished those socks and two other gifts (that haven't been gifted yet, so no pictures! Shhh!) and now I don't know what I want to work on! I need some divine inspiration... I do have some things that I could finish (blah), like this:

The pattern is the "Little Coffee Bean Cardigan", and I knit it up really quick, using scraps of wool in a bunch of colors using a random stripe sequence. All that's left to knit are the sleeves, but do I want to knit them? Of Course not! You're so smart! ;)

It is cute, though!

Well, party people, that's all I've got for today, I'm off to go troll Ravelry from my next big adventure! Have an awesome day!

Some FOs and cool new stuff!

2010-01-29T10:53:00.001-08:00

Listening to: Stash and Burn!

Hey check it out, I'm blogging! And I'm back with a few Finished Objects to show off! Both of these were knit for the Boyfriend. Up first:

Cowabunga.

Someone I know has a thing for Ninja Turtles.

Pattern: Tridactyl from Knitty, Summer 09
Yarn: Dale of Norway Falk, 2 skeins
Needles: US Size 4, knit Magic Loop

I started these gloves the moment that Summer issue of Knitty came out, and I only finished them a few weeks ago, poor James has been waiting for these for a long long time. It's not like they would have taken very long from Start to Finish, but I was a loser on this project. Anyway, he loves them, and he wears them a lot!

Next!

He's Cute.

Pattern: Kim's Hats from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, 1 skein in Black Forest
Needles: US size 8

James asked for a hat, so I took him yarn shopping and he picked out this Malabrigo (He has good taste!), and I absolutely LOVE this color. I think it might be my new favorite color of Malabrigo. It's awesome.

He wanted a hat with earflaps and no ties, so there ya go! And it fits perfectly. I don't remember what size of the pattern I made... whichever one has you start with CO 80 stitches. Anyway, he loves it, and loves the yarn, it's so soft and cuddly!

So anyway, I have 2 sweater projects on the needles (one for me and one I'm knitting for Hire), and to get through them quickly I needed some kind of incentive. Thankfully Lois (my boss, the owner of the LYS I work at) ordered lots of fun new stuff for the shop when she went to TNNA! Check out all my fun new goodies!!

From left to right we have Smooshy sock yarn in "Blue Lagoon" from Dream In Color, a Pretty Cheep project bag from Blue Sky Alpacas, and square Double Pointed needles from Kollage Yarns.

I don't know yet what I'm going to use that Smooshy for, but I'm not letting myself even wind it into a ball until I finish those 2 sweater projects. I'm thinking I'm going to make a shawl, and I've got a few patterns in my Ravelry favorites, I just have to pick one!

Well, I'm off to go knit! Have a wonderful day everybody!

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Whiskey Sour by The Calamity

I hope all of you out there had a fun and safe New Years Eve, and I wish that 2010 be your best year so far! It's a new start, a fresh slate, so enjoy every minute of it, and make the most of it!

This is gonna be a knitting post! I only have 2 pictures of projects to show off, I knit a lot of things last month that I gave away without taking pictures. I knit 2 cowls, one for my sister and one for my cousin, both out of Malabrigo Chunky. I knit a bright yellow scarf for another cousin out of Malabrigo Merino Worsted (which I loved and wanted to keep!). I knit a shoulder shawlfor my grandmother out of Malabrigo Merino Worsted (I know, this was the Christmas of Malabrigo!), and a pair of gloves for my lovely boyfriend. Hopefully I can get pics of some of these things to show you guys!
Anyway, here are the knits I managed to sneak in to make for myself!

Numero Uno:

When I saw that Incognito pattern in the latest issue of Knitty, I knew I had to make it. James has a 'stache that he loves and that I absolutely hate. Don't get me wrong, he's a handsome devil with or without it, I just prefer my men not to be mustachioed. I used leftover amounts of Malabrigo merino worsted (actually, I used the leftovers from the shawl I made for my grandma). I made the adult large size, the tangy version of the pattern, and the Poirot chart.

Numero Dos:

Piper! It's so cute, I love it so much! It's totally my style. Kinda funky and vintage looking. And it was my kind of project, too! A quick knit with a little bit of interest with the short rows and the knit-in pipping. I used Patons Classic Wool for the main body and Cascade 220 for the pipping.

Today I've got some time to sit and knit and watch TV, and I'm hoping to get a lot done! On Thursday I get to go to TNNA to take a class with Lily Chin, and I'm super excited!

Have a great day everybody!

Abstract Art

2009-12-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I stopped by the arts & crafts store on the way to James' house and picked up a couple of canvases and some acrylic paints,

and we tried another project from my "Big Ass Book of Crafts"! This time, it was Drag Art:

You basically just dribble paint wherever you want on your canvas and drag it down with a piece of cardboard, and you really can't screw it up. It was a really fun project, messy, but fun! I bought 4 canvases, so the first 2 we did were our practice pieces, and the second set we did turned out much better! Now that we know some more techniques, James and I are probably gonna try it again!

We were talking yesterday while "painting" about how we never do art projects together, which it weird, because he's pretty talented in that department (he gets it from his mom!), and I'm not a terrible artist, although I have to admit that I am more "crafty" than "artsy". Anyway, I think we are gonna try to do more stuff like this together, it was really fun! Here are our finished art pieces:

Clockwise from the Top Left: My first attempt, James' first attempt, my second attempt, James' second attempt. I think the second set we did are way more awesome than the first, but I love them all!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T16:27:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've done this, let's see if I still remember how!

I'm sitting here right now writing this while wearing a Snuggie (thanks mom!) and watching the end credits of Julie and Julia. It's been a lazy day around here, we're all recovering from yesterday's festivities!

I hope every single one of you had an awesome Christmas! Overall, it was a great Christmas for us, people loved their gifts (including me), and we all had fun! The one exception is that James (my wonderful boyfriend) is sick, which really puts a damper on your festive fun.

But, in spite of that, I had to do something productive with my day, and boy did I!

With this present:

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano (Thanks, Claire!)

I made:

Bubble-print stationary for my thank-you notes

and:

Spray-painted plates! I bought glass plates at my local Dollar store, along with a couple of laundry-mesh bags, and I found some lace and spray paint. Here are some pictures of how they turned out:

Gold and black with mesh print

Black and Gray with mesh print

Red and black with lace print

and the very best one:

White and black with lace print!

I love them, and they where really fun to make, too! I just have to seal them and they're done!

And I made one more thing with this present:

A giant cupcake pan! (Thanks, Winters Family!)

and this present:

The Philosophy Recipe box with Red Velvet Cake and Sweet Cream frosting shower gels and matching recipes! (Thanks, Frakers!)

I made this:

The most delicious cake i've ever made! Plus, it's adorable!

Thanks for sticking with me, blog readers, if I have any! I think i've come to terms with the fact that this won't be a strictly knitting blog, but more of a life blog, and I hope I can keep up!

No Wrap, No Gap Short Row Heel Tutorial

2009-10-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

I used to have this tutorial on my old blog, and I've had problems with the pictures, so I'm going to re-post it here with new pictures.

I saw this method on some pattern somewhere, but I have since forgotten where. I don’t take credit for this Method of Short Rows. There is no wrapping, and no holes.

Start off with your heel stitches on one needle (I just cast on for the purpose of the tutorial, but these would be the heel stitches of your sock):

Slip the first stitch purlwise (and every time you slip a stitch, slip it purlwise), knit to one stitch before the end:

Turn, slip the first stitch, purl to one before the end:

Turn, slip the first stitch, knit to 2 before the end:

Turn, slip the first stictch, purl to two before the end:

Keep Going like this, turning, slipping the first stitch, and knitting to 3 before the end, than 4, than 5, and so on and so forth, each time you’ll be leaving a stitch behind and havin less and less stitches to knit. Keep going until you’ve got however many stitches you want to stop at (I did 6 or so, but a standard sock might be 10 or 12, whatever you want, really.)

Your work should look something like this:

Ok, so.. You should be ready to do a knit row. Slip the first stitch, knit to one stitch before the gap:

Slip the stitch before the gap onto the right hand needle, pick up the bar running between the gap and put it on the right hand needle:

Knit the slipped stitch and the picked up bar together:

And thats how you close a gap on the right side. Now turn, slip the first stitch, and purl to one stitch before the gap:

Slip the stitch before the gap, pick up the bar running between the gap, and put it on the right hand needle:

And that’s how you close the gap on the purl side. Here are videos to help you out.

On the Knit Side:

On the Purl Side:

Keep going like that, Turning, slipping the first stich, knitting to the stitch before the gap, slipping it, picking up the bar, and knitting them together, until you’ve closed all the gaps.

And You've finished your heel. Here's how it looks on the side:

And here’s how it looks knit on a real sock:

You know it's fall when...

2009-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

You put a quilt on your bed.

You wear a hand-knit sweater to work.

You order hot Starbucks instead of your normal ice blended.

Your toes are cold! One remedy for cold toes? Malabrigo.

I'm knitting some slippers out of the leftover Malabrigo Merino Worsted that I made a sweater out of a few months back. Once I finish these I'll probably leave them at James' house, so I don't have to steal his slippers and he can have warm toes, too!

Happy Fall everyone!! ♥

Woah it's been a while.

2009-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

And I have no idea why! I've been thinking about things I want to blog about, but I never get around to it. Truth is, I am busier these days than I used to be, but I want to make time for this too! And instead of cataloging all of the things I've knit since February, you can check out my projects on Ravelry if you really want to. My username is KaityBeth, add me as a friend!!

I will post my latest FO, though, because it's just too darn cute!

Pattern: Duh. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket!
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug, one skein in "Sweet Dreams"
Needles: US Size 4

So cute. I knit it for a baby coming up, but until I need to give it, it's on display at the shop for the BSJ class. Everything that people say about this pattern is true. It's fun and interesting to make, knits up quick, and yields the darn cutest baby sweater ever. Plus, that Elizabeth Zimmerman was a freakin' genius.

And as a bonus, little pink chick buttons!!!!

I've got to learn to knit faster...

2009-02-22T15:54:00.001-08:00

Listening To: Stash and Burn

I think I mentioned in my last post that James (my boyfriend) wants me to make him a sweater, but I can't start it until I finish something that I've been putting off knitting for someone for MONTHS now.

This woman at my church asked me to knit a poncho for her so she could give it to her daughter for Christmas, and I agreed, and then she asked if I could knit another for her granddaughter (who's, like, 3), and I agreed again, because she's tiny and it wouldn't take very long. Then, about a week later, she asked if I could knit one more for her, and she's just such a nice woman, that I couldn't say no. So I finished the ones for her daughter and her granddaughter before Christmas, but I figured her's didn't need to be done before Christmas, so I kinda put it off... then I forgot about it until my mom kindly reminded me. Sooooooo I'm working my little fingers to the bone trying to finish this poncho so I can be done and have it off of my mind!! I wish I could knit faster...

So ANYWAY, back to the point of my story; James wants a sweater. Now, I know what they say about knitting sweaters for your boyfriend. As soon as I told my mom about it, she said "What about the Boyfriend Sweater Curse??" and my boss said the same thing when I was talking to her about it the other day at the store... Yeah right, like I really believe in that (I think...)

I showed him a couple of sweater patterns to see what he wanted... he rejected the Cobblestone sweater, which made me kinda sad, because it's such a handsome sweater. He also didn't like another of my favorites, the Hidden Agenda Sweater, darn! But we searched through Ravelry and he finally picked out a sweater from Drops Design, 85-1 Mens Pullover with Hood. Luckily the sweater is knit in a bulky yarn so It will go fast (and between you and me, James is small, so I can knit the smallest Size! Woo Hoo!).

I went shopping for yarn the other day for the sweater and decided on Eco Wool, which is a different guage than the yarn the pattern calls for, but I'll make it work. I really want to get started but I HAVE to finish the darn poncho. Back to work.

FO: Vest-uary Vest!

2009-02-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

I finished my Vest-uary project, and I even finished it in February!!! Yay! Check it out:

Pattern: I kind of made it up as I went, but I referenced Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns.

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted (I dunno how many skeins, I used yarn frogged from another project and I haven't gotten around to weighing it.)

Needles: US Size 7 & 6

I love it, it came out exactly how I envisioned it at the beginning, I even wore it to work on Tuesday and got lots of compliments on it. I'm not sure it's really all that flattering on me, but I don't really care, I'm gonna wear it anyway.

Next up, my boyfriend wants me to knit him a sweater, so I'm gonna look for yarn today at work, but before I can start that I have to knit something for a woman at my church that I promised to knit for her, oh, 3 months ago? Yeah, I really have to get going on that.

Anyway, have a lovely day everyone!

It's Vestuary!

2009-02-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've had a busy week with school and my new Job, at my LYS! Yay!!

Anyway, it's Vestuary! Yay! I'm gonna knit a sweater without sleeves during the shortest month of the year. I didn't find a pattern I like, so I'm making one up as I go. Cables, and a Deep v-neck. I also found some yarn that will go with my wardrobe!

I think it's coming along nicely! It's fun to knit, too.

Tonight is Traditional Friday movie night:

We're watching American graffiti, and instead of making cookies today, I made Banana and Chocolate pudding with Nila Wafers and Banana slices. Yummmmm.

Well that's may not work out so well...

2009-01-27T14:47:00.001-08:00

Listening To: The Jean Genie by David Bowie

While listening to the new episode of Stash and Burn, It inspired me to want to knit a Vest really badly. I've actually been wanting to knit a vest for a while, and I've been talking about it, but I never really looked into it. Then I remembered a bunch of Lionbrand Wool Ease that I have in my stash in a nice teal blue color that I really love, so I thought "I'll use that for a vest!"

Then I started daydreaming about how I would wear it, and the long sleeved t-shirts I could wear under it, until Nicole and Jenny started talking about picking a neutral color for the vest, so that It would go with other things in my wardrobe, seeing as it's a layering peice.

Duh, Kaity! I didn't even think of that. All the shirts I was envisioning wearing it with are bright colors.

Yeah, that's not gonna work... I can't wear a teal vest and a purple shirt, i'd look like a Crazy lady, but I really want to use that yarn!

I do have one shirt that would work, maybe, but i'd have to wear it with that shirt everytime I wore the vest. Maybe I'll knit it anyway and just go shopping for something to wear under it... I dunno! Any ideas?

Anyway, in other knitting news... there really isn't all that much news. I got past the heel on my Charade sock, wanna see?

there's a lot of teal in this post, isn't there?

I'm gonna go look around on Ravelry for inspiration for my vest, then go knit on my sock some more. Have a lovely day!

Fresh Starts

2009-01-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! If you're reading my blog for the first time, Hi! If you used to read some of my other blogs before I gave up on them, welcome back! I while ago, I decided blogging was too much of a responcibility for me to keep up with, but after a few months of not doing it, I started to miss it, so I'm back. I'm really excited about it, too!

I have to give a disclaimer, though. I can't promise to blog extremely regularly. I'm going to try, though! But you know how it is, life gets busy.

Anyway, this blog is about knitting!

I was noticing that a lot of my handknit socks have started getting holes, and I have less and less wearbable pairs, so I started some new ones. The pattern is the Charade Socks that everyone has knit, but I haven't!

I'm really only using the stitch count and stitch pattern, and doing the rest my own way. I'm knitting them toe-up (just cuz I felt like it), and using my favorite method of Short-rows for the toe and heel. I've knit this short row heel a ton of times, but I've never used it for a toe. It turned out great, I'm quite impressed with myself!!

hello, i'm quite neat.

I also made some cookies!

mmmmm.

Every Friday Night, my friends and I have Movie Night at my boyfriend's house, and I've taken to baking cookies every week to bring with me, and my friends appreciate it! This week, it was Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and they where gooooooood.

Well that's all for now. I'll be back soon!