WIP update

January 27, 2016 by 21 Comments

Soooooooo many WIPs!  Please tell me you do this too.

I’ve frogged the Sugarfrost scarf:

Sugarfrost scarf begin

I got about 5x farther but it was still so slow…

Too much tiny knitting and it would take WAY too long for my patience (which gets tried plenty at work).  Not sure what to make with the yarn, though.  Still working slowly but surely on the Fino cowl:

stockinette cowl

I’ve gotten about 60% done now though

 

Also started a cool looking cabled hat but it called for small needles and chunky yarn and just hurt my hands too much so I frogged it, too; maybe I’ll start over in a worsted weight yarn instead.  My Harry Potter knit scarves are still the same, kinda hibernating, but whenever I get to it I’ll post the pattern.  I’ve just resigned myself to laziness for this:

Harry Potter knit scarf

My Citrus Stripe Blanket is also hibernating, although it’s looking pretty cool:

citrus stripe blanket

Dunno if I ever even got around to sharing my Wolf River sweater I started a few months ago.  It’s cool but the yarn I ordered was the yarn the pattern called for and it’s not near as soft as I would like.  Stalled out on my Lutz Jump hat, too.  And the Venetian Carnival cowl I didn’t share because it was originally gonna be a Christmas gift got replaced with another knitted gift and is now sitting around, almost done, waiting for me to put buttons on it and block it (it was a cool make but it would’ve been cooler if I’d doubled the length so it could be wrapped around twice, but then I wouldn’t have had the yarn to start the Fino cowl mentioned above).  A couple of other things are hibernating, too (my Paulie cardigan & my Weasley sweater)…

I’m also working on two versions of two individual patterns I’m writing (4 items total), which I’ve super been into as evidenced by the Anthropologie Inspired Hat, the Not Your Granny’s Granny Square Clutch, and the Thai Crochet Cowl, all of which are pretty recent releases.  The new patterns are also crocheted cowls (cowls are THE BEST) but that’s all I’ll say for now.  I’ve got ideas for more patterns to write, too, after those, so it should be a fun year.

The things I’m actually working on actively now are the Aspen blanket and my Chunky Circle Scarf #5:

IMG_5233

Heaping them on my ottoman keeps them in view so I’m constantly reminded to work on them, but they’re super fun so it’s not like it’s a chore.  I’m gonna start a Chunky Circle Scarf #6 soon, too — both 5 and 6 are for coworkers who’ve requested them (so I’m still not really breaking my resolutions because they’re paying for the yarn).

Whew!  That was a bit of an eye opener, just typing that all up.  How many WIPs do you have going right now?

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FO & pattern release: Thai Crochet Cowl!

January 25, 2016 by 27 Comments

Thai Crochet Cowl from Not Your Average Crochet

This awesome floral cowl is made of a bunch of crocheted puffs, all interlinked in a specific way.  It’s super cozy and warm, too!  And of course I’m releasing the pattern for free!  Read on for details:

difficulty level:

Advanced

finished size:

60″ (168 cm) circumference, 9″ (23 cm) wide

materials:

  • 7 balls of Garnstudio DROPS Alpaca in 4010 Light Grey Purple, or 1271 yds (1162 m) of your preferred sport weight yarn
  • US E/4 (3.5 mm) hook
  • Measuring tape

Thai Crochet Cowl from Not Your Average Crochet

This was a fun project to make because it offered a bit of a challenge, it used up a lot of yarn in my stash, and it took some time (that’s what happens when it’s made of puffs, and I’m glad of that because sometimes I just whiz through crochet projects too quickly!).

If you want to make this pattern, you can always find it in the menu of this site, or:

click here to download the free PDF pattern!

You can keep track of your progress on Ravelry, I’ve added it there.  Click here for that.

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new yarn storage!

January 20, 2016 by 6 Comments

I’m still holding to my resolution not to buy yarn, but I said nothing about not buying a decent place to put my stash!  Craigslist has always been my friend for affordable furniture, and it did not fail me here.  Out with the plastic bags that collected dust, out with the flimsy plastic stacks of drawers (although the drawers themselves were recycled here), and in with my new mirrored armoire!

IMG_5181

Yarn is mostly organized by brand or specific line in a brand.  Blocking materials and all my needles and hooks are in the drawers.

This is a HUGE improvement on what I had before and it also opens up the bottom of a hutch and an entire desk that had been holding yarn for other storage.  Even though another large piece of furniture makes our house seem a little tighter, it’s much neater and that makes me feel much better.

IMG_5180

Do you have a large dedicated storage area for your yarn?  I’d love to hear how you organize!

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a new book and… yarn

January 14, 2016 by 7 Comments

*shame face* I broke my resolution to not buy yarn already.  Well, sort of; I said I wouldn’t buy any unless I was commissioned, which I was, but I still feel bad.  Gonna do a 5th Chunky Circle Scarf for a coworker, and she wants a giant one!  It’s gonna be fun.  Got some Berroco Vintage in Smoke for it.

And I never said anything about not getting books, so I don’t feel so bad about this:

IMG_5135

There are lots of cute things in here and it really sparks the imagination.  Can’t wait to do some pixel crochet!  Chris will love video game themed items.

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giganto blanket: begin!

January 12, 2016 by 4 Comments

So far I’m keeping to my resolutions: I haven’t bought any more yarn, I’ve been working on those crochet patterns, and I’ve got a few projects going.  I’d like to share one in particular with you, my ASPEN Blanket by Go-Girl Knitting (which I’m affectionately calling The Blanket Everyone Wants, because ecru/cream colored chunky-knit cabled blankets are EVERYWHERE right now, everyone really does seem to want one)!  Here’s what I’ve got so far:

IMG_5116

It’s probably going to be about 60″ wide (hard to tell yet) and I’ve got 17 balls of Garnstudio DROPS Andes in 0100 Ecru (Super Bulky, 65% wool, 35% alpaca) so I’ll keep going until I run out!

I’m loving my progress so far and I know I’ll love the blanket when I’m done, but I’ve got a couple of qualms.  Let me make you a list!

  • The pattern is $6 but it turns out to be a really simple pattern that repeats, and it all fits on a plain 1 pg PDF.  A little expensive for what you get, methinks, especially considering the next 2 points…
  • The pattern calls for US 50 needles but many of the projects already made on Ravelry used US 35/36 needles because the 50s made the blanket too loose (even though the yarn is held double throughout).  I therefore started with my US 36 needles but it was STILL too loose, so I frogged and went down to a US 19.
  • Because of the needle size changes I made, I also had to adjust the pattern to keep the width of the blanket about the same, so I added 2 of the pattern repeats, making the CO jump from 72 to 106.

On the positive side, it’s working up fairly quickly and it’s still soft and plushy!  I used the long-tailed cast-on for a neat-looking but stretchy bottom edge, I’m slipping the 1st st of each row purl-wise for neater side edges, and I think I’m going to try to make the yarn joins as invisible as possible by “spit-splicing,” which I learned about via YouTube video (yes, it is what it sounds like it is).

So far I’m really enjoying it, and I’ll probably update with photos on Instagram in between updates here, if you’re interested in finding me there!

Well, that’s all for now, thanks for stopping by!

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