Yarn Along {current projects and tech trouble}

I have a few projects on the needles right now that seem to be taking forever. This is the scarf of doom that I mentioned last week. It really is going to be rather lovely, but wow, the repeats are playing in my head at night as I sleep. It's a sample knit for a local yarn shop and I volunteered to knit it. I'm well over the half way mark now which is a relief, because in the beginning I wasn't sure I was going to make it. (I'm a repeat wimp...I have self diagnosed ADD when it comes to these sorts of things.)

My little pickle requested a pink and purple hat, and I happened to find some cascade220 superwash in exactly those colours. I've had my eye on the stella hat for a while now and thought it would be sweet. 
It ended up being a touch small for her, but I was able to add a few rows here and there to get a little more room out of it. I'll be making this one again for her, but definitely one size up.
This was a really fast knit, (yarn is held double) and it only took about 2 hours, which I was happy to knit during a middle-of-the-night bout of insomnia. 
I always get insomnia out of nowhere towards the end of pregnancy, and feel like if I'm going to be just laying there awake, I may as well DO something.

She loves her little hat, and the way it hugs her cheeks makes them look even chubbier and that much more kissable. She was so excited about it that I could barely keep her holding still for the two seconds it took to take the picture. Sorry about the blur.

My socks are still a work in progress-I've really only been knitting them while i'm away from home (which isn't too often)  because they're so wonderfully portable. I always like to keep a portable project in my purse. This makes small things seem to take forever though, If i'm only working on them here and there.

I'm going to bring them to knitting night tonight though and hopefully get through the rest of the foot. I have some more yarn and a new sock pattern (toe up with a fish lips kiss heel)  than i'm really eager to try-but won't dare cast on until these are finished. I'm weird like that, I guess. 

P.S:This last month has been a bit of a technical nightmare...My phone was out of order for a good few weeks so I wasn't able to take as many photos as I normally do (or use instagram. so SAD).
But now it seems that my laptop is out of order, and ironically, I have to make this post from my new phone. (And can't use the app, because blogger's app is horrid. And I'm still getting used to typing on this thing.)

I also just realized that I had about 9 unpublished comments from last week's yarn along that I didn't even know were there until today. I'm so sorry. I feel like a royal idiot. Normally I get some emails that tell me comments need published, so I'm not sure what happened. 

But really, these are all first world problems, so life is good.

Yarn Along {Finished Projects & More Socks}

These are the wee socks I was working on last week. They were a good project for my first two at a time attempt. I can't say that I'm terribly in love with the inverted heel, it feels totally upside down. It won't matter for baby socks-but I won't be making a pair for myself with this heel.
Like I said though, i'm glad that I was able to do some tiny socks just to figure out the two at a time method. And now that I've done it, I'm not sure that i'll ever knit socks one at a time again!

I also finished up Lotte's sweater dress a couple of weeks ago but didn't get a picture until this weekend. She isn't terribly cooperative for photos (of course) but she does love the dress. She's named it her "purple jelly dress". (She doesn't even like purple jelly, but apparently she thinks it's pretty.)It was my hand dyed yarn that I dyed in cake form (so the middle of the ball was lighter than the outside), and rather than working from two balls through the project and striping them, I just knit one right after the other attempting to get an ombre effect. For the most part, I think it worked pretty well. And I was happy to use the slightly lighter shade for the pockets so that they're actually noticeable.

I'm still plugging away at this scarf of doom, which is actually turning out to be rather lovely, but goodness, it's' repetitive. It's going a lot faster though now that I've almost memorized the repeats. 

And last but not least-new socks were cast on this week in some really scrumptious yarn that i've been saving for a rainy day. It's the coveted and loved KnitPicks Felici self striping yarn in "jellybean". I'm so sad that this yarn is discontinued, and not just the colourway, but the entire line. Where are we going to go for affordable quality self striping yarn now?!

I'm doing two at a time again, but this time ankle down. I liked toe up, but until I find another heel method that I like for toe up i'll wait on that. Any excuse to have to knit more socks, right? That, and Lotte is pretty sure these are for her. I'm certain that i'll be knitting a small, identical pair in the near future.

Binding off,
Corra

Yarn Along {itty bitty sockies}

I have a horrible case of second sock syndrome so I decided to some two at a time baby socks.

I can't say that I'm in love with the pattern...I've never made toe up socks and the pattern kind of leaves you hanging for the heel turn. I ended up finding a heel turn formula for just about any number of stitches, and in a variety of styles, and used that instead.

The two at a time thing has ended up being far less confusing than actually making a sock toe up. The whole heel and gusset really took while for me to wrap my head around. I'm not sure this style is for me, but that's why i made baby socks for a first attempt; smaller commitment. 

I also took on a sample knit project for a local yarn store. They're going to be stocking a new yarn (i can't even find the yarn on revelry yet) and needed some sample projects made.
Its a scarf, knit flat, but with an intricate brocade/hash pattern.
Lots of counting not my strength but so many repeats that it gets easier and easier.And it's  a fairly simple pattern, nothing but knits and purls. Good Television Knitting.

 I really like the yarn, It's got a nice rustic texture to it but isn't splity, and it knits up rather nicely.  My eyes get a tad tired trying to see the pattern though with it being solid coloured! I'm sure that blocking will make it all pop out and become a lot more obvious. 

Binding off, Corra

Yarn Along {Flax Dress}

A few weeks ago I was going through Lotte's fall clothes that she wore last year and some of the clothes my niece had outgrown that were passed down to her, and many of them are too small. My girl seems to have managed to somehow completely skip size 3 and go straight into size 4. I can't believe how fast she's growing. She doesn't look as big as a size 4, which is puzzling, but it is what it is. I'm in a little bit of denial that she's almost three. She's still my baby!

One of the many things that she has outgrown are her sweaters, and her sweet little sweater dress...Which made her look a combination of saucy and cozy, the two top toddler things that make me melt.

So of course, another sweater dress is in order. I decided to go with this super simple pattern, but i'm just going to lengthen the body. I'm undecided on shaping the dress/skirt portion, i'll mostly likely decide as I go. Toddlers can get away with a straight up and down tube for a dress, it's the one age where it's fun to show off their chubby little bellies.
Also, the for the sleeves,  I'll probably make them either short (so she can wear a long sleeve t-shirt underneath if it's cool) or possibly 3/4 length, depending on how much yarn I have left. 
I'm using hand dyed, so I can't buy more if I run out. 

Lotte thinks I need to make a matching one for our October due wee one, and I just might. I'd like to make that one a bunting though. Sweater dresses aren't so practical on newborns, are they?

And speaking of denial, I should really probably get cracking on these baby knits I have plans for. I have about eight weeks left is all. Somehow, despite being rather large and quite miserable, I've unintentionally been putting this pregnancy at the back of my mind.
No, not the baby, but the pregnancy. People keep asking me how many weeks I am,  and if it weren't for midwife appointments, I'd have no clue. I know when I'm due, that's about it. Maybe it's a fourth baby thing. I don't feel like this is such a mystery anymore, and don't have a gazillion questions to research or ask my midwife. My midwife told me that our appointments feel almost silly since I have nothing to ask her. Been there, done that? So we end up talking about Knitting, naturally.

Binding Off,
Corra

                                                                            ***

P.S-for those who follow me on instagram, please know that my phone kicked the bucket this week and I can't post anything until my new phone arrives by mail. So no, I haven't disappeared, i'm still watching YOUR posts online :)

Yarn Along {a mystery sweater}

Working on a little somethin'-somethin' this week, I say mystery because once again, i'm just kind going into this blindly and seeing what works. I am writing it down this time though, so I can remember what I did if I actually want to make a repeat.

I'm not sure if this will turn out the way i'm envisioning, and truth be told, i'm not even sure who i'm making this for. My little lass? One of my nieces? No idea. That's how I roll when I get a hold of yarn with no pattern and a good dose of indecisiveness.

I'm using fisherman's wool which frogs nicely and pleasantly, if need be.

I speak from experience. 

Yarn Along {blocking week}

I usually wait until I have a fair amount to block before I drag out these mats and my pincushion, only because I have a wee helper who likes my pins quite a bit and loves to rearrange them in fun patterns after i've already tacked down my knitting. So if opportunity arrives, and she's preoccupied with either a nap, or playing contently outside with her brothers, I jump on the chance to finally get my projects blocked. 

Looking at the last picture...

Top left: A cowl I knit this week out of hand dyed bulky wool-I dyed this wool last month using mulberries that were just a little too over the edge for us to eat. It was dyed twice in cake form to make it a little more tonal. I really like the way it turned out. I probably could have used more mulberries, but I don't mind the muted grey/lavender. 

Top right: A bramble shawl. Lotte informed me that she needed a shawl like mine for when she goes "apple picking". I'm not sure where she go this notion from...she's been apple picking once, and she wasn't even two yet.
Regardless, the girl requested a shawl. And it's really adorable on her. (I'll get a picture of her wearing it for us later. She goes through moods of "i don't want my picture taken"...and I wasn't able to get one this week.)

 I loved knitting this, and I might make a couple more for some gifts for other little gals in the family. One of the things I like the most about this is that it crosses over the chest and buttons in the back, securing it so that it isn't constantly slipping off.That, and it makes her look like a miniature Mother Hubbard.  

Bottom Right: Longies for Lotte to match her new sister's Gingersnap legs (Bottom left.) 
I posted about these last month and people have messaged me asking me for the pattern. I'll try to post a pattern for those soon. 

Bottom middle: Random hat out of leftover yarn to match the leggings :)

This week I cast on and am almost finished a puerperium sweater (not pictured)  for our new bundle in October, and am about to cast on some sweet little pants.

I'm eager to see what everyone else is making this week! 

Binding off, 

Corrabelle

Yarn Along {getting head start on a handmade christmas}

 A few years ago, after the birth of a surplus of babies in our extended family, my sisters and I decided that despite the huge rise in the number of children, our families still wanted to give Christmas gifts to  each other's children. Over the course of three years, 6 new babies arrived between the three of us.
We decided that the only way to continue though was if the gifts were either handmade or thrifted. My sisters and I normally buy or make for each other anyway because we're just like minded that way, we all enjoy creativity, and love a good bargain at an antique store.

Half the fun of making something or buying anything used/vintage/antique for each other is telling the person how we got it or made it, and what a deal we scored on it. While other families might find it weird to openly disclose to each other how little they paid for their siblings' gifts, in our family, it's not only expected, but the thrill of it is part of the gift itself. 

Between the three of us, there are ten kids, and two more are expected by Christmas. So this means if I'm going to knit anything, I need to start now. Especially with a new baby arriving in October. And it doesn't help any that all my children's birthdays are already in the autumn. 

I decided that this year each of my nieces and nephews will get a hat, and maybe something small like some mitts if I can swing it. I'll probably get them something else small that they can do as a family-a game, or some music etc-which also means a lot less stuff to clutter up their houses.

 I have to be careful, because I also don't want to be that aunt that is known for giving only hats, mitts and underwear. blah! What a stigma. To and adult, hand knit items have more wow factor, and if not exciting, at least appreciated because of their practicality. To a little kid though, it might be a wee bit boring. Maybe i'll fill them with firecrackers or something. (totally kidding-but I know they'd love me if I did.) 

These little hats are super fast-i'm not really following a pattern for these, just kind of switching  up needle size  and cast on number of stitches according to whatever yarn i'm using, and eyeballing it. (And trying them all on my own kids to make sure that they'll fit the kids i'm knitting them for.)
I decided for the girls that i'm going to put some wooden buttons on the brim that Reuben has made me (handy children are such a blessing), and for the boys, I'm going to do some stripes. The forest green hat with yellow wasn't supposed to be Green Bay Packer colours but sort of turned out that way. Luckily, the intended recipient's Daddy is a Packers fan. Maybe he'll get one to match!

Every time I do jogless stripes, even though it's ridiculously simple to do, I feel like I have super powers and have to oogle a while over the magic of it all. 

This is how I feel after making a stripe where the beginning and end are so well hidden that you'd never find it unless you knit it yourself.

Almost as fascinating as a heel turn!