gentille cowl #2: begin!

July 25, 2015 by 2 Comments

I love my first Gentille Cowl so much, I had to make another with another lovely yarn (in fact, the same yarn, just a different colorway)!  The pattern costs but it’s worth it.  I’ll probably make more of these in the future (I’d like to try one in a solid yarn, since it would define the lace better).

Gentille Cowl beginnings

I love these KnitPicks Hawthorne yarns.  Can’t wait to try the DK weight (or is it sport weight?  I can’t remember… well, I’ll be anxious to try it either way)!

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

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garter stitch blanket: ta da!

July 21, 2015 by 22 Comments

Started in May of 2014, this blanket really seems to have been a long time in the making.  I am so, so pleased with how it turned out!

garter stitch blanket

 

Using KnitPicks’ Comfy Worsted yarn (75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic), this stretchy, cozy, soft blanket measures about 42″ wide by 66″ high, perfect for a lap blanket or curling up in a chair (in particular the leather chair pictured).  I used 3 skeins of each of the 5 color blocks and 1 skein for the darker gray border:

garter stitch blanket border

 

It’s crocheted!  I thought after posting about the books that included both knitting and crocheting I would mix it up a bit and try something new, and I really like it.  I only wish I’d had enough yarn to go around a 3rd, 4th, or even 5th time, but I’d have to order more yarn and I’m so excited to be done after over a year that I can’t wait anymore!

The border is not nearly as stretchy as the body of the blanket, though, and I hope it doesn’t become a problem in the future.  It wouldn’t look very nice if the knitted portion expanded a great deal over time or in the wash and the crocheted border stubbornly remained the same size.  We shall see.

Now I’m all ready to go and start a knitted sweater, but I have a feeling my enthusiasm would not last the full time required by the project.  Crochet really is so much faster!

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

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what’s on the bookshelf? books with knitting & crochet

July 18, 2015 by 7 Comments

My mini-series of posts about crafting books is coming to a close.  My knitting books and my crocheting books are great, but I have a couple  left to share that actually have both in them (& more).

Hannah's Crafty Books

 

First up is a book called Freeform Style, and just by the name you can probably tell it’s very whimsical.

Freeform Style

 

I have not made anything from it yet, but some of the ideas and techniques are cool and can be applied to other items.  Who else kinda thinks the hat looks like octopus tentacles?  I really like the wrap she’s wearing, though, so that might be a nice pattern to make!  Here’s another example:

Freeform Style example

I do like the idea of using both knitting and crochet in the same piece.

This next one though, while it has knitting, crochet, and embroidery patterns, doesn’t really mix them together like that.  This is more of a traditional book that, while older, is a great resource.  It’s the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Book of Knitting Crochet & Embroidery.  My ex’s mom gave this to me and I’m really glad I still have it:

Knitting Crochet & Embroidery

 

It has samples of various techniques for all of these specific crafts, and it even has specific methods such as aran knitting:

Knitting Crochet & Embroidery example

Another specific method it demonstrates is filet crochet:

Knitting Crochet & Embroidery example

 

And then of course it has full patterns, too.  I really want to make this hat (I tried back when I first got it but was still too new to crochet to understand the slightly older way of writing patterns):

Knitting Crochet & Embroidery example

 

Well, that concludes my bookshelf tour (well, my knitting and crochet book section, at least)!  Hope you enjoyed it.  Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

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what’s on the bookshelf? knitting edition

July 14, 2015 by 7 Comments

The other day we covered the crochet books I own, now it’s time for the knitting ones (the list is shorter…maybe)!

Hannah's Crafty Books

 

This Jane Austin Knits magazine is great — my parents got it for me when we had Christmas in England a few years ago.

 

Jane Austen Knits

 

Here are some of the designs found inside:

Jane Austen Knits examples

 

Jane Austen Knits examples

I really want to do some of those wraps/shawls in particular!

Next up is Knitting in the Old Way, which I got in an attempt to learn how to magically come up with perfect patterns without having to think too much.  So far I haven’t had success.

Knitting in the Old Way

 

Knitting in the Old Way example

 

Next up are a couple of books by the fantastic Arne & Carlos, 55 Christmas Balls to Knit and Easter Knits:

55 Christmas Balls to Knit

 

55 Christmas Balls to Knit examples

I love the idea of either the Christmas balls or the Easter eggs as gifts, don’t you?

Easter Knits

 

Easter Knits examples

 

My friend bought the next single pattern for me along with some yarn so I could make her one.  It wasn’t too long ago!  It was a difficult knit for me at that time but I was proud of the result:

bajada

 

Next up is Sock Knitting Master Class from which I learned little — the DVD was nice but to be honest I like using YouTube for tutorials.  There was some good beginner info in there though that’s worth getting!  I haven’t completed a pair of socks from this yet but I plan on it!

Sock Knitting

 

Sock Knitting example

 

The Cool Girl’s Guide to Knitting was a nice companion to the crochet version, and it has some cute beginner patterns in it:

Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting

 

Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting example

 

Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting example

Next up is a great reference book given to me by the wonderful Nicky from D’NALI and it is so useful!  It’s got patterns as well as technique instructions and different stitch patterns:

Vogue Knitting

 

Vogue Knitting example

 

Vogue Knitting example

 

Next up is Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, which I have not yet used.  There are some super cute things in here, but I’m not so sure about last-minute…

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

 

Does this look last-minute to you?

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts example

I really do like this scarf/head wrap though:

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts example

 

Well that’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!  I’ll have one more of these book posts and then it’s back to projects!  See you soon!

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colorblock blanket progress

June 16, 2015 by 10 Comments

In May 2014 I started making a knitted colorblock blanket, and it’s sat untouched for a few months.  I’ve picked it back up, and I’m about 2/3 through with the body of the blanket.  The simple garter stitch is relatively quick (for knitting, that is) and will provide a nice stretchy blanket when complete.

image

This, like my Coming Up Roses hat that I’m also working on now, is made of KnitPicks’ Comfy Worsted, a really soft cotton.

That’s really all I’ve got today.  I know a garter stitch blanket isn’t the most exciting project in the world but it’s enjoyable to have a repetitive pattern sometimes that’s easy enough for me to simultaneously watch TV with subtitles (Chris and I have been watching some anime lately).

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

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