slow going during finals week

April 26, 2012 by 8 Comments

First off, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post about color palettes!  I was glad to hear from you all!

Secondly, I must tell you that I have not been very focused on crafting this past week, because it’s finals time!  While I don’t have any actual finals, my graduate classes have piled on the projects and papers, so I’ve been busy.

Even so, I’ve got some bits of progress to share with you.  Firstly, my blanket (pattern here) is coming along.  Like I said in a previous post, it is kind of tough on the hands, so I’ve been spacing it out.

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing laid out so I just folded it and hoped you could still see how it’s progressed.

 

And secondly, I’ve been working on this scarf for what seems like ages already.  It’s knitted, as you can see.

So that’s all I’ve got for now!  Hopefully I’ll see you soon with lots more progress!  I have a couple of weeks off of school before I start summer school, so I’ll hopefully have some time to craft to my hearts content.

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , , , , ,

gonna be toasty

April 17, 2012 by 16 Comments

I finished the cardigan!  I think it turned out pretty well.  Ready for pictures?  I must warn you, nobody was home with me so I had to take them in the bathroom using the mirror.  Sorry about that.

It fits pretty well.  I just need a big button to hold it together in the front and I’ll be ready for the cold English weather!  Or more ready than I was, at least.

I’ve also been working on my first knitted sock, and after much frogging and re-doing, I finished the provisional cast on toe:

I must say I’m pretty proud of this, considering it took me hours and hours of video watching and frustration.  Hopefully it will go smoothly from here on out, although I have some nervousness about the heel.  And as slowly as this is going, I’m not really sure if these socks will be keeping me warm this Christmas or not…

Well that’s all for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , , , ,

the end of break

March 17, 2012 by 3 Comments

I’m so sad that my spring break is almost done, especially since I wasn’t nearly as productive as I thought I would be with my yarn crafts.  I visited my parents, had a few days of doing nothing, and watched both existing seasons of Downton Abbey in the past 3 days.  It’s been great, especially with the wonderful warm weather!  Hard to believe spring is already here, but the 80 degree weather is proof!

Today I went to my favorite yarn store and picked up some new things!  First off is a new book:

This book is all about knitting socks, and I’m super excited to get started on something!  I’m a little concerned that the patterns will be too difficult for me before I get some more knitting practice in, because none of them are very basic.  They’re all so pretty though!  Here’s the Amazon link if you want to check it out.

I also got some gorgeous, soft new yarn:

This gorgeous soft stuff is Merino 5, made of 100% merino.  I got the fall herbs color, even though it’s spring now, because I just loved the brightness.  I got 2 of them, so I think if I have enough of it I’ll make a knitted hat and  a crocheted hat, just to see the difference in them when placed side by side.  I hope there’s enough of it!  If not I’ll be really sad.  It’s just so pretty!

I’ll leave you now — I must go to Wal-Mart and look for some gardening things with the boyfriend, who wants to make some planter boxes and grow different kinds of peppers on our back patio.  I’m excited!  Tata!

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , , , ,

spring break is already productive

March 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’m off to a good start as far as being super-crafty over spring break!  This weekend I’ve already made a hat!  Now before you get too excited, I must say it’s a knitted hat, not a crocheted one.  It’s my second knitted hat ever, and I modeled it after something I found on Ravelry the other day.  I think it turned out well.  It was made with the remaining yarn from the two cushions I recently made, and I feel a couple more knitted hats coming on from those same leftovers.  Anyway, here’s the hat on top of my stuffed new craft bag:

You know, I think I like knitting partially because it takes more time and less yarn than crocheting does, both of which save me money on yarn (and for a struggling grad student, that’s awesome).  I do apologize, though, for not having any cool new crochet things to share with you today.  Hopefully there will be something in the works soon!

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , ,

slow to do anything

February 6, 2012 by 5 Comments

Sorry it’s been over a week since I’ve posted anything!  And I have more to apologize for when I tell you I haven’t done much at all since then as far as fiber arts are concerned.

One reason I haven’t crocheted/knitted much this week is because of one of my nervous habits: picking at hangnails/cuticles/extra skin on my fingers.  It’s one of those things I can just barely control, and sometimes I go overboard.  Not only is it kinda gross, it impedes me from working with my hands because my fingers get so sore and torn up.  I feel vulnerable sharing this with you because it’s like a big weakness for me, and I know a lot of anxiety is all in my head, so I feel like this should never be a problem, but there it is.

Here’s what I have done though:  I’ve taken pictures of a knitted scarf that’s been in the works for a bit.

The yarn for this scarf is a gift from a friend, who bought it at a local yarn shop.  It’s by Dark Horse Yarn, it’s 50% nylon and 50% acrylic.  It is so soft, it’s almost unbelievable.  Such a pleasure to work with!  And I love the lovely colors!

Here are some more pics of my granny blanket yarn and my blanket circles, which are coming along nicely, albeit slowly:

So that’s it for today, sorry it wasn’t more exciting.  I’ll try to hurry, I promise.

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»