Blanket

I am still working on Anastacia's baby blanket. Someday, I will finish it. It looks fantastic so far. I will confess, part of the delay is because I picked up some Madeline Tosh yarn and cast on the Honeycomb Cowl. I couldn't resist. I need to buckle down and focus on finishing up the op art blanket!

Progress Update: Op Art Blanket

It is really hard to get a good picture of this blanket. It is knit on two circular needles and really bunched up, so it is hard to tell how big it actually it. But it is bigger than it looks in these pictures. I actually only have 3 stripes of color to finish on it. They will take a while though because they are 12,14, and 16 rows respectively. Plus, each row adds four stiches. I am really pleased with the progression thus far. I love love love the color combination. I am dreading weaving in all of the ends though!

Op Art Blanket

My Op-Art Blanket is coming right along. I am really enjoying working on it. A lot of the reviews of the pattern said they thought it got very tedious, especially the purl rows. I enjoy the simpleness of the blanket because I can work on it while doing other things- chatting with my hubby or watching TV. I think the purl rows go almost as fast for me as the knit rows do. I was thinking about that and I think part of the reason for that is because I knit "Continental" style rather than "English" style. Because of this, my purl rows go faster. I am relieved that I learned how to knit Continental because most people have to learn it to do color-work and I already know it.


The weirdest thing that I have noticed about this blanket is that it calls for 3 skeins of each of the two colors. I am probably 1/2 way through my first skein of pink and my first skein of brown, but I am really far into the blanket. Unless I am seriously underestimating the amount of yarn the largest rows will require then I feel like I am going to have a lot of leftover yarn. I guess we will see...

The Year of Fearless Knitting

October 2011 marked 2 years since I have learned how to knit. In that time, I have made about 50 bajillion scarfs (that is the scientific number), a few pairs of slippers, some hats,
some robots, and a few odds and ends. In that time, I have had my fair share of incidents as well. Sockgate 2010 comes to mind, but that is a separate post. There was also the Mohawk hat incident, but again, I think it deserves it's own post. These incidents have made me leery, cautious, and afraid to branch out to anything new. However, I
am changing all that. This is the year of fearless knitting! I am not going to be held back by worrying that I don't know how to do it. That is why they call it learning.

Here are some things I already have queued up for 2012:

The Op Art Blanket:

Technique I Didn't Know: Knitting With Two Circular Needles & Colorworking

The Audubon Shrug:

Technique I Didn't Know: Garment Construction

The Akeno Sweater:

Technique I Didn't Know: Garment Construction & Colorworking

(This particular sweater was promised to my husband in Spring of 2010)

A Sock:

Technique I Didn't Know: Sock Knitting

(More about this in the Sockgate 2010 post)

Finally, this year, I will conquer the Mohawk Hat:

Technique I Didn't Know: Felting

(More about this in the Mohawk Hat Post)

Malabrigo

Malabrigo is, hands down, my favorite yarn in the whole world. I love everything about it, except for one. I love the feel of it. I love the price. I love love love the color combinations. The only complaint I have about Malabrigo is the winding. When they put it into hanks, IDK what they do to it but it is a huge pain to get it wound up and ready to knit with. I always start out with such high hopes when I put it on my swift and start winding it. 20 minutes and a billion curses later I find myself questioning why I love this yarn so much. However, I do love it that much so I endure it each time.
Anyway, the point is, I was ecstatic to learn that my yarn store had recently gotten a brand new shipment of Malabrigo in. I was even more ecstatic when I told DH and he offered to take me. Not only had they gotten in my favorite Malabrigo, which is the worsted, but they had also gotten in two new types that I have never tried. Malabrigo Rios which is a superwash aran was the first one. Malabrigo chunky was the second. Not too long ago, Malabrigo released the Rasta yarn which I love but am a little bit at a loss of what to do with it, since it is just so bulky. The Malabrigo chunky strikes a lovely balance between the two sizes. I am so excited about my new yarn!
I got the Indiecita in the Malabrigo Rios, which looks like this:


Then I got the Purpuras, which looks like this:


In the Chunky, I got two colors since IDK what I will be doing with them:
Cactus Flower:

Jacinto:


I also have this Rasta, just waiting to be utilized:
Baya Electrica


So now I just have to finish out this week of school so that I can get back to knitting my fingers off! :)

Mother's Day Flowers

So last year for Mother's Day, about a week before I got the bright idea to make knitted flowers for my mother and my mother-in-law. I poured through patterns on ravelry and ruled out roses, they were too complicated. I finally found a pattern that I liked that seemed pretty simple. I decided I would make a dozen of red ones for mother-in-law and a dozen pink ones for my mother. I went out and bought a nice cotton in all of the colors I needed. I sat down and started my first flower. About halfway through, I realized I would never got 24 done in my time frame. The flowers, while not complicated, were still time consuming and the cotton was rough on my hands. So I ended up with three knitted flowers in a bud vase for my mother-in-law:


My mother ended up with a knitted glasses case and an I.O.U. that I have yet to fulfill. :)

Knitted Robot

I made DH a knitted robot, which I don't have a picture of right now. His sister loved it so much that she requested one as well. Hers, however, is a little more edgy. She requested a mohawk...



...presenting Vincent Rockface.

I think he is a bit overstuffed, but she preferred a fat robot. I thought that he turned out really well and he was a lot of fun to make as well.

The Knitiot Savant

I have always been a bit of a dabbler...a hobby collector if you will. I am an artsy person and have spent my entire life surrounded by artsy people...now I am married into an extremely artsy family. I have always wanted to do different crafts and always tried different crafts and while I enjoy them, I have never been all that gifted at them. My craft room can attest to my various hobbies- painting, beading, scrapbooking. I enjoy all, yet excel at none. In October of 2009, I asked a very close friend to teach me how to knit. I was always impressed with her knitting skills and wanted to try it. I didn't, however, hold out much hope as my mother's two previous attempts to teach me to crochet did not end in success. I gave knitting a try, and much to my surprise I was good at it! It was something that I just "got". Armed with the basic knit and purl stitches, I made my way to youtube and continued to teach myself. While I am by no means claiming to be an expert, I don't think I am half bad. :)