WIP Wednesday: Resisting Temptation (For Now)

I honestly thought I would come back from last month's trip to Germany with a finished project or two, but as usual, I greatly overestimated how much time I would spend knitting while I was away. You'd think a 9 hour plane ride (one way) would be productive, but that certainly wasn't the case for me, unfortunately! I have since finished the projects I took to Germany, and now I have just two projects in play, both of which are blue:

The crochet project on the top is the Calm Cowl in Artyarns Merino Cloud that I started on the flight back to the US. I haven't logged much crocheting time since arriving home, but it has grown a little since last week. The other project pictured above is actually an IOU from the holidays, a pair of striped socks to commemorate the Royals 2015 season for Tyler (each color will represent a win or loss at an away or home game). The 2016 season opener is just a week away this past Sunday, so I figured I better get my butt in gear!

Though I've done pretty well avoiding the siren call of new projects, over the weekend I broke into the miniskeins of Finkhof Wolle that I was gifted in Germany.

I thought it would be fun to knit a tiny triangular shawl swatch, inspired by a 5 Shawls in 5 Days challenge I spotted on Instagram recently...I can't seem to remember to look up what this challenge entails, but I've seen a lot of people posting photos of their sample swatches. I like the yarn - it was a nice rustic yarn that wasn't scratchy - just had a little oomph to it. Each one is actually a little different in terms of fiber makeup (so I saved the tags to attach to each stripe later when it dries). The yarn was also nice and sticky, which makes it easy to weave in ends and/or save a dropped stitch, a quality that can really come in handy! Also, everything seemed to soften up considerably after blocking, so I am curious to feel the sample after it is completely dried.

That's it for this week, thanks for stopping by!

Comments

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

handmade by stefanie

Search This Blog