2kcbwday4 Whatever happened to your __________?



Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.
There are a lot of different aspects to look at when looking back at a knitting project and it can make for interesting blogging, as much of the time we blog about items recently completed, new and freshly completed. It is not so often that we look back at what has happened to these items after they have been around for a while.
How has one of your past knits lived up to wear. Maybe an item has become lost. Maybe you spent weeks knitting your giant-footed dad a pair of socks in bright pink and green stripes which the then ‘lost’. If you have knit items to donate to a good cause, you could reflect on the was in which you hope that item is still doing good for it’s owner or the cause it was made to support.

For the purpose of today's blog, I'm thinking of one project in particular. Because it's the one project that has been put to good use.

I made these slippers for my DH about 5 years ago.  You can tell they are very worn.  I made them at his request.  Of course, I didn't start right away, I had more important things to knit.  Then all of a sudden his requests became more persistent, as months passed, he would casually sit next to me in the recliner and as I was happily knitting, he would wave his barefoot in front of me and ask where his slippers were.  Eventually, I just sat down and made these in an evening.  They are made out of lion brand Jiffy I think. It is a bulky weight yarn, so I use #13 dpns. I colors of his favorite sports team DA BEARS!   Needless to say, he pulls them out every winter and wears them proudly.  As I write this, I remember now, that I actually made him the felted clog slipper first, I was so proud of those, they required many more skills then these old slippers.  But, they were not comfortable for hubby, these were. When I look at him wearing these slippers, I think about how long he waited for them and it makes me happy to see that he still enjoys them. I don't know if you can tell by looking at the  picture but, he is going to need a new pair soon, which I will gladly do for him.

If you are reading this as part of the Knit Cro Blog Week. I would love for you to leave a comment with your URL so I can read your post.

HAPPY KNITTING,
Karen

2kcbwday2 Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

To answer this question, the first thing I did was think back on the things I had made.  Two skills were added to the skills learned list:  First, I learned how to do Cat Bordi's Moebius Cast-On.  Didn't go any further with her patterns as they seemed a little boring to me after the cast-on.  The second skill I learned was to knit backwards.  This is fun and a real time saver when making bobbles and doing entrelac.  I guess another skill I started and am still working on is making sweaters that fit me properly, I have been reading, Elizabeth Zimmermann and Barbara Walker books as part of this process. 

On a side note, the prayer shawl is finished and my DH is giving it to his co-worker today.  That means I can start a sweater for me. YIPEE.

If you are reading this as part of the Knit Cro Blog Week. I would love for you to leave a comment with your URL so I can read your post.

HAPPY KNITTING,
Karen

2KCBWDAY1 A Tale of Two Yarns

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them...............

I don't knit for the yarn, I knit for the patterns so, when it comes to choosing a yarn to love it's hard.  For the most part, I choose solid color yarns so the stitch pattern will show. That being said, like all knitters, I have a stash and since I worked at a lys, I have a fair amount of yarn.  Before the store closed, I nabbed some Manos Cotton Stria.  I love the feel of this yarn and had a sweater pattern that called for it. So, it sits and waits.

Recently, I stumbled across the above sweater in a magazine. I thought it would be great to use with the Cotton Stria.  I quickly ordered the book to get the pattern. To my surprise, the pattern called for cotton stria.  Did I have enough yarn?  I did, but, not enough colors.  So, being the person that I am, I though I could work with four colors but, that would drastically take away from the pattern.  So, I bought another color.  These are the colors my sweater will be done in.  I will post my progress. Before I can start on it I have to get a prayer shawl finished.  Wish me luck, it could be done by the end of today.

Now, a yarn that I loathe? Chenille, it worms like crazy.  You can knit at a very even tension and things will look great when you finish a row.  But, a couple of rows later you look down and a stitch or two look very very loose. You think to your self, was I getting sloppy? So you continue on being oh so careful of your tension. You look at your finished row, it looks good, you knit on.  You look back a few rows later and they look loose again.  I would think long and hard before I ever use this yarn.

Thanks for stopping by, I'd love a comment.
Karen

I Can Wait

I've had my eye on this little bird.  I think he is so cheerful! It is a set of stitch markers I found at patternworks.com.  It is not available until March 15th, I can wait

Each day, I look outside my living room window, I see a bluebird (bluejay) and a red bird (cardinal) hanging in the tree branches, Spring is right around the corner, I can wait.

I was trying to find project ideas to offer a Knit-a-long.  I thought of  Christmas Ornaments.  When I went on Ravelry, I searched and found a monthly christmas ornament group!  I joined! Then I saw this bluebird ornament pattern.  I had to make it.

It's kinda cute, but needs a few modifications, Like the beak, and the eyes, I'll make a few more. I also think I will make some in red for the cardinal in my yard.   The next one will be better. I can wait.

What are you waiting for?

How come I have no knitting done....

Sometimes I feel like I get nothing accomplished because nothing seems to get finished and when it does it is slightly uneventful as I have been working on it for so long. The actual time on a project is not long but, I jump from one project to the next so often that they stay on the needles for months. So, what have I been doing with my time. 

There are the things to do while resting from knitting.  Just made a run to the bookstore and bought the new issues of Knitting Traditions and Piecework.  I love to read about the history of knitting and look at the old patterns from around the world.  Of course doing this gets me thinking about new projects instead of working on the current ones.

 I've also been knitting a pattern for a baby sweater that my grandmother wrote.  The sweater is simple, athe body is all on piece and you pick up stitches to add sleeves. The pattern is clearly just scribbled and guesses are to be made.  She new the pattern by heart and wrote it for someone else to use but at some points in the pattern the directions conflict for example when you start working on the front, you work on the right side firts.  I started with 21 stitches on the needle.  the pattern knit across row to last 5 stiches do a bar increase to make and eyelet.  Continue, increasing on each knit row until you have 12 eyelet, making 30 stitches on the needle.  Adding 12 to the exsisting 21 does not make 30.  Thats okay, I just added 9 eyelets to equal 30 stitches.  I continue through the pattern and start working the other front side.  I do the increases (I'll make 9 eyelets)  and start to notice that the sweater fronts aren't wide enough to meet up and button. Drats,  I will now be frogging the sweater back to the neck line.  I will then add 12 eyelets which will give me 33 stitches on the needle and my fronts will be able to button. 

I have to admit, it is fun doing this pattern and trying to decide what grandma is saying. I had 50/50 shot that increase to 30 stitches would have been correct.  No matter how you look at it I still have the fun of have needles and yarn in my hands...........I just don't have any finishd projects to show.  So what you see today.  The magazines I'm reading and the sweater I'll be frogging.   What keeps you from finishing a project?

What do you HEART?

I Heart Irisheyesknitters
I Heart my Family
I Heart my Yarn
I Heart my Friends
I Heart my New laptop
I Heart Saturdays Off

What do you Heart?

Happy Valentines Weekend!!!!!

We Interrupt Your Day.......

If your going to get to know me and follow my blog, I should tell you this up front.  I watch daytime TV.  Some of you might do the same, Oprah, The View, the News then the Soaps. I keep track of the ABC soaps and the Young and The Restless.  Even if I don't watch them, the TV is on and they are playing in the background while I knit. I think the reason I am a little out of sorts today is for the last 2 days, the networks keep interrupting my regular schedule with their not so breaking news.  It snowed alot, okay a blizzard and it's cold.  Very, Very, cold.  But do they really need to keep telling me. Honestly, If I'm home, I'm not out there dealing with the elements.  And if I'm outside, I can't watch the TV and hear what they have to say about. In the meantime, I find it very hard to get anything done and I hardly know what time it is without my shows on.  Give us the news in the morning and then keep with your regular scheduled programming so I can keep to my regular schedule.  Phew, thanks for letting me vent. maybe now I can get back to knitting.  Has your daily schedule been interrupted by this storm?

Instant Gratification........

Sometimes you just need a quick fix, to just say you finished something.  Well, this scarf was the perfect get done quick fix.  It is the Marian Scarf found on Ravelry.  It uses Twinkle yarn by Classic Elite, which took a few phone calls to find and uses #19 24" circular needles.  I used Addi Turbos.  It took me all of 2 hours to get done.  My daughter is the model in this picture. Do you have any quick knit projects on your needles?  If your experiencing the Monster Storm, today could be a good day to work on it. Now onto my next project....

Blogging is too much fun!

I would like to write more and read more blogs but, I must spread knitting techniques across the land. Tonight is the 4th in a beginning series of lessons I teach. All the ladies are new knitters. Boy did they jump in and go. After 2 lessons, they wanted to make the Marion Scarf using twinkle yarn. I got them going last week, we will see where they are at tonight, my bet, 2 will be finished, 2 will be in the middle and a couple will need encouragement. Off I go