Pink Speeder

Fall has finally hit us, in full swing no less  The temperature has dropped dramatically, and I’m so happy for it! Hot chocolate, snuggles by the firepit outside, and of course, cozy handknits. Thankfully, I very recently finished a sweet pair of socks. I tried two-at-a-time for the first time, and I really enjoyed it- having a completed pair of socks at the end was just- amazing! I can’t imagine knitting socks any other way now. The yarn is Twist Sock from Hedgehog Fibres– the color is a from a club she offered last year, and the name is Kitch  I love it’s bubblegum color! I’ve really come to love BFL fiber, especially for socks, and I’m so happy I ended up using this yarn for this project. I think I chose the perfect pattern for this color- simple and easy, that’s how I’m loving variegated yarn. The pattern is Speeder, by amippa  It was an absolute joy to knit, and great ‘auto-pilot’ knitting , with a wonderful new-to-me heel. Just simple increases and decreases make up the heel! So brilliant in its simplicity. I really look forward to knitting this pattern again. I had some difficulty with the purl stitches being on the edges while knitting these TAAT, so I ended up shuffling stitches around to ease my troubles. I’m so happy I finished these in time for fall- I’m wearing them right now, while I sip my favorite toasted marshmallow hot chocolate  Cozy...

Black Locust Mitts

I originally designed these mitts last year, but wanted to take my time really cleaning up the pattern and getting great photos taken- I’m finally ready to release it to the world! Introducing my first published pattern- Black Locust Mitts! They are just the easiest things to make, these mitts. I started and finished this pair during a short jaunt to Hilton Head Island. If you are an experienced knitter, you could easily finish them over a long weekend, making them great for last-minute gifting! But these are easy enough for even the newest of knitters. I love variegated yarn knit up in smooth stockinette, and also simple mesh, so I chose an incredibly simple pattern to feature throughout- the columns of stockinette are not even really stockinette, just a clever combination of k2togs and ssks, with a single knit stitch nestled in between! The pattern is really easy to memorize- just two simple rounds to keep up with! Many thanks to my hand model Emily- I see a new career in her future! I hope you’ll enjoy my new pattern– it can be easily modified for shorter (or even longer!) cuffs and palms, and would look just a lovely knit up with a solid or semi-solid yarn. I used about half a skein of Malabrigo...

Not-So-Selfish Crafting

I wouldn’t call myself a selfish knitter, I’m really just not into making things for other people, y’know? I never feel like I have to make a Christmas crafting list in June in order make gifts for every friend and family member, it’s just not my thing. If I see something that strikes my creative fancy, and I just so happen to I think of a specific person, then I trust that instinct and go for it… Which is how this cowl came into existence!   While doing my daily four-hour-trawl of Ravelry a few days before Christmas, I came upon this One Skein Cowl by Little Doolally, that had been crocheted in the ever-so-delightful Malabrigo Worsted, in a color adore, and instantly was struck- “I need to make this for Sharice”. Never mind the fact that I am not really a great crocheter, or that I rarely see Sharice, and I’m sure she has never ever requested a cowl, I needed to make this and I needed to make it for her. Divine inspiration and last minute creativity/panic are the sort of feelings I live for.   In my mind, I can make anything in a few hours, no matter my level of expertise (or lack thereof). So of course, this actually took me a few weeks, and quite a bit of cursing as I have yet to figure out where to place stitch markers in the beginning of a round in crochet- I’m sure it’ll come to me one day, but I just rolled with the stitches for this project. Anyway, this pattern- I’m in love with it! I am totally obsessed with the puffy...

Lonely Fairy Shawl

When I received this lovely lump of fiber from Fiber Stash, it nearly took my breath away. Absolutely dreamy, the colors are just so perfectly me, with just a hint of sparkle throughout the fiber. Instant Love. This was a true joy to spin, honestly I didn’t want it to end! I used my Ashford Traditional, and once I was finished with the singles, I decided to ply it with an iridescent thread- Sulky Sliver in 8040, the perfect opalescent. Seriously, I didn’t realize I could fall more in love with something, but damn, I want to ply everything with this thread now! But as a quick note to myself- when I try thread wrapping in the future, I want to try spinning a bit more twist into the singles~ It took me about two months to decide on a pattern for this special yarn. I am very wishy-washy when picking out patterns for yarn, you know? It has to be just right. In the end, I decided on Sylvia Bo Bilvia’s Lonely Tree Shawl! The leafy lace pattern gets a bit lost in the shifts of color, and honestly I knew going in this would happen, but I still wouldn’t change it for the world (and also because it would probably take me another three months to pick out a different pattern)! I really freaking love that sparkle!...

Simplicity 1426

This past weekend was full of crafting! I wanted to do it all- spinning, knitting, weaving, gardening, you name it, it was on my bucket list, but with a limited amount of time, I decide to go with some sewing 🙂 I had this cute top (Simplicity 1426) in my pattern box, and figured I’d give it a try using some stash fabric. I tried out tailor tacks for the first time, and they’re totally perfect for handling darts and pleats! I do wonder who patterns (made by the big pattern companies) are supposed to fit, though- the bust fit fine, but the band itself was far too short! I ended up adding on a few extra inches to close the gap. I also find the pattern instructions are usually a bit more frustrating then they need to be, for this one it was the halter straps… I ended up foregoing the instructions for sewing them up partially and attaching them. I made a few yards of double fold non-bias tape, and attached them from the back edge and around the front. In the end it was a fun project with a wonderful result! This will be a fun top to wear to summer events, and I’m looking forward to making more of these, hopefully with a partially-elastic back in the future...