Rowan Afghan KAL Progress

I have finished knitting all my 'Candy' squares for my Pure Wool Worsted Mystery Afghan KAL and I have moved on to a new colour: Mallard:

 

Not only have I done the knitting part, but I have weaved in all the ends, washed and blocked every square!

 

I only have 23 blocks left to make and I will be able to join these beauties into a gorgeous afghan!

Baby Blanket WIP

Working on a baby blanket for my soon to be born niece/nephew. I am using the yarn from the Mary Maxim blanket kit from my previous post. I didn't want to use the pattern that came with it since it is crochet, and I want to knit, so instead I am using the Roshana Baby Blanket pattern.

Neon Afghan

I wanted to venture into brighter colours for an afghan and when I saw this neon yarn, I knew I had to make something with it.

Neon:
Yarn:  Caron Simply Soft in white, neon pink, iris, neon yellow
Needle Size: US 10 (6mm)
Pattern Source: Chevron Baby Blanket from Espace Tricot

To make this afghan I casted on 145 stitches and did 24 rows for each colour repeat.

My inspiration for the border came from this post, but I didn't follow it exactly. To make this border I did:

1- Granny clusters in white

2- *Half double crochet, ch1* around in pink

3- *sc, ch1* around in yellow

4- Picot edging in purple following these instructions from Attic24

Afghan Gift Take Two

As my last attempt to make a knitted afghan as a gift for my aunt turned into a total UGH! I decided to try again, but this time I went with a bulky yarn to speed things up a little.

 

Chunky Afghan:

Yarn: 2 balls of each: Bernat Softee Chunky Solids in white, natural, dark taupe and linen and Loops & Threads Charisma in taupe

Needle Size: US 10 1/2 (6.5mm)

Pattern Source: Maple Grove Blanket (available on Ravelry)

 

This was a wonderful blanket to knit while watching TV, and as it grew it kept me warm while I was knitting. I think my aunt will love it, and I can't wait to give it to her!

Close-up of lace detail.

UGH!

I finished making the blanket I was knitting for my aunt about a week ago but I couldn't bring myself to do a post about it since I felt really discouraged about it. Here's what happened: I had finished knitting it and it was looking awesome, but I wanted to make sure all the stitches would show nicely and the blanket would sit well. I decided to steam the blanket to kill the acrylic (as had worked beautifully in the past), but unfortunately, this time it didn't it didn't turn out so good. I made a big mistake while steaming it: I didn't follow the direction of the pattern, I just went in a straight line. This turned the squares all wonky on one side (I saw that I had made a mistake on the first half, so the second half of the blanket turned out great). To top it off, there was drops of hot water that fell from the nozzle of the steamer right onto the blanket causing the acrylic to get over-killed and creating holes. Seen from one side the blanket does not look so bad, but I won't be giving it as a gift, I will keep this one for myself and work on something else to give to my aunt.

 

The 'good' side of the afghan.

 Afghan:

Yarn: Mary Maxim Starlette in Soft Taupe

Needle Size: US size 9 (5.5mm)

Pattern Source: Knitted Black Afghan from Knit Simple Fall 2013

 

The pattern was excellent, and all the different stitches really kept me interested in making it. The different squares were easy and small enough that I was able to carry this project with me. I will chalk this one up to a learning experience and move on to my next afghan project.





You can see the holes created by the drops of water in the center of this photo.

Finished Afghan

I have finally finished school. Really finished school! These past couple of weeks have been so hectic that I hadn't had time to do any knitting or crochet. However, this week I have had a few days off, so I have been able to finish this granny square afghan I started back in March.

 

 

Afghan:

Yarn: Red Heart's Soft Yarn (in yellow - 1 ball, aqua blue - 2 balls, dark blue - 2 balls, grey - 2 balls)

Hook Size: 5.5 mm (I)

Pattern Source: Time to Relax Granny Throw by Red Heart (free pattern!)

 

It took me awhile to get all the squares together after I had finished crocheting them, but other than that, the pattern was easy to follow, even for a beginner like me!

Still Gifting

As it happens, I didn't manage to finish all the gifts that I had wanted to make for Christmas. I just did not have the time, so I decided not to stress out and just keep giving even after the holidays were over.

This is one such gift.

 

Fertility Blanket:

Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable in Soft Taupe (4 balls)

Needle Size: U.S. 10.5 (6.5mm) circular needles

Pattern Source: Fertility Blanket from Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting

 

 



I loved the pattern when I first saw it, and thought the description the designer gave was hilarious. I am glad I was able to get it done and send it off so early into the new year!

 

This project had a stitch pattern that was not complicated, but I could never have memorized it, I kept the book close by while I was knitting. It kept me interested - which isn't easy to do when I am knitting a big project like this one!

The yarn felt a bit 'tough' and not as soft as I wanted it while knitting, but after I put it through the washer and dryer, it is much improved and feels so much nicer.

 

This was the perfect project to do over my last week of Christmas break, Loved it!

Completion of the "I Think I Might Be Crazy" Afghan

I-Think-I-Might-Be-Crazy Afghan

 

I had been working on this afghan for a while when I finally put together the last squares. I started it way bqack in November of 2011 and I had finally finished making all the squares in September. It turned out beautifully but I don't think I would ever do anything like it every again! 265 tiny squares is WAY too many.

 

I-Think-I-Might-Be-Crazy Afghan:

Yarn: Bernat Super Value Solids in beige, light grey, light purple, purple and teal

Hook Size: J (6.00mm)

Pattern Source: Knit Simple Magazine Holiday 2011

 

This project would be good for someone who wants to work on something over a long period of time. I don't think I would have been able to just work on this project and make 265 squares all at once. I took a lot of breaks while making this. Just remember that once you have made all the squares, you still have to put them all together!

 

Another stash busting challenge complete

This picture is not very clear - It was taken in a dark room on my tablet.

I wanted to knit my puppy a comfy blanket to keep her warm this winter and I had some left over Homespun yarn (stash busting challenge #3!) that was taking up a lot of room in my stash. This was a really quick knit that gave an amazing result. I held two strands of yarn together and knit it garter stitch until no yarn was left. I used whatever yarn I had left so It has a bunch of different colors in it and this makes it even cuter!

Thick and Quick Blanket

I knit my sister a blanket for her birthday. I wanted to make her something comfy and warm, but not too big. I came across this pattern for the Moss Stitch Blanket. They size it for a baby blanket, so I casted on a few more stitches (45 stitches to be exact) and I continued knitting until I liked the size of it (I used up almost 4 whole balls of yarn). I didn't take any measurements but it is just slightly bigger then a lap blanket.

Moss Stitch Blanket:

Yarn: Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Sequoia

Needles: Size 19 (15mm) circular needles - to accommodate the number of stitches.

Pattern Source: You don't really need a pattern, but I got the idea from the DROPS design for a moss stitch blanket

This is a great quick knit that gives great results!

I think I might be crazy!

I saw this afghan in the new KnitSimple Holiday Issue, and I absolutely love it! So of course I looked through my stash and immediatly started to crochet. Only to realize that it is made out of 265 squares! 265!!!  That is a lot of little squares to sew together. I am still going to make it though because it looks just fabulous! Mine will have beige centers and different shades of purple for the outer edges, it is going to be super cute!

Some FOs and a new challenge!

I was able to finish a couple of different projects this past week. The first is my sister-in-law's birthday present that I have been working on for what feels like forever.

 I've already blogged about this 'Quick & Easy Afghan' here and here

I also finished the first pair of socks from the Sock Knitting Master Class Book:

 These super cute Slip-n-Slide socks were first blogged about here.

So now that I am finished my first Sock Knitting Master Class Challenge, I am on to the next pair of socks:

Happy-Go-Lucky Boot Socks:

 Yarn: Light Blue - Blended 3-ply knitting yarn Pink - Opal Sockenwolle Darker Blue - Knitters Brewing Company's Sock-aholi Sweet

Needles: Size 2 DPNs

Source: Sock Knitting Master Class Book

I can't wait to start on this pair. I just bought a new pair of boots that these will go GREAT with!

Happy Knitting!

A new KAL

Boyfriend Blanket Square #1 (August):

Yarn: Unknown worsted weight, blue yarn
Needles: Size 7
Pattern Source: Ravelry

I have been planning to make the boyfriend a knitted blanket, so when this new knit-along started on Ravelry I couldn't resist joining in. The 12 month cable afghan "K-A-L" from Woolen Collectibles for 2011-2012 group administrator provides one square per month for a year, so by this time next year I will have a finished blanket! The August Square has already been posted and I found it challenging (to say the least). I have to be really concentrating so that I do not make any mistakes. So the fact that this is given to me in small pieces makes it easier for me to follow along. I would definitely not recommend this as a first try at a cable pattern, but it is a really good project!

I am trying (really hard) to reduce my enormous stash so I decided to use up some yarn I already had. I don't know what it is, it's worsted weight and it's blue. I'm knitting on size 7 needles, and the final square measured 14" square (I have not yet blocked it, I will do them all at once to make sure they are all the same size). It came out really nice, but was quite stressful to make as I had to be constantly looking at the pattern so as not to lose my place. I would recommend printing out the chart and color-coding it for easy referral.

My progess on some WIPs

A few weeks ago I did a post on some larger projects that I am working on. I have been able to make some progress on them, but they are not coming along as quickly as I would like. The reason for this is that I have a hard time staying on task and I keep finding other things to do instead of working on these ones.

'Quick and Easy Afghan' from the fall 2009 issue of Creative Knitting magazine

This 'Quick and Easy Afghan' has not been all that "quick" for me. It's a super simple pattern, but the number of stitches (228!) is just about killing me. I have been making a lot of progress on it this week (knitting up about 1 ball of yarn per day) because of a sudden sense of emergency (i.e. remembering that the recipient of this blanket's birthday is next month). So hopefully next time you see it, it will be in a FOs post and not still a WIP.

 'Treads' from the Son of Stitch 'n Bitch book.

These 'Treads' socks have also been slow going (I am still on the first sock). I'm a bit disappointed in the pattern; I should have followed my instincts and modified the pattern when I had a chance. I do not like the way the heel was done, and I wish I had continued the instep in rib stitch instead of switching over to stockinette in order to give it more shape. I love the colors of the yarn though, it's really fun!

 Travelling Gnome from Knitted Toy Box (a free pattern!)

And here is one of those projects that distracted me from finishing the other two! He is still a WIP because he does not yet have eyes. When I went to the craft store to buy some for him, they were out of stock, so he will be a blind gnome for a little while longer (I will re-post a photo of Mr Wimwinkle when he is finished). 

 I wanted something to take with me when I go on trips to take photos with (like in the movie Amelie) so I knitted him up real quick (less then 2 hours). I used size 8 DPNs and Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends, and I did him in the round as opposed to knitting flat and them seaming him together. This is the second time I have used this yarn to make a stuffed toy and I absolutely love the look of it.

Those are all the projects I have to share with you at the moment, but later on this week I will be posting a super easy hat pattern. In the meantime, happy knitting!!

Some WIPs

I have been showing you guys a lot of finished projects lately, but I seem to have run out of things to finish! I'm working on a few of 'bigger' items that are taking me a while to get done. Such as this afghan for my sister-in-law. 

 

I showed her some pictures of different afghans and this is the one she chose. It is from the Creative Knitting Fall 2009 issue. I am making this 'Quick and Easy Afghan' with Loops and Thread's Charisma yarn in Forest, with size 10.5 needles. I don't know how quick this is going to be, but it is a good pattern for mindless knitting. I definitely should have used longer circular needles though, it is bunching up like crazy on the 29" long ones!

My second project is these socks for my boyfriend. I got the pattern from the Son of Stitch 'n Bitch book, Treads is a great pattern for a men's pair of socks. It is simple with a little touch of cables for some visual interest. I am working these up with Lion Brand's Sock Ease yarn in Sour Ball, and I am liking the colors!

A Birthday FO!

 
For my sister's birthday I wanted to make her something special. I thought a pretty granny square afghan would be perfect! I have wanted to learn how to crochet for a while and this was the perfect project to begin with. Some simple granny squares that I learned to make with a great tutorial I found on Youtube.
I taught myself how to knit from Youtube, and now it has showed me how to crochet! This was a great tutorial that walks you through each step and clearly explains what you are doing.
This was a great first project that used up a lot of my scrap yarn!

From a simple blanket to an afghan and everything in between... There are so many great patterns out there that it is hard to choose which one to make. I love to gift hand-made blankets because they are so appreciated. A gift like this will be treasured and will provide comfort to the receiver.

It isn't always easy choosing the perfect project for someone, it has to be the right 'fit' for the person you have in mind. So if you're looking for your next blanket project (for someone else or for yourself), here are a few ideas.

From my very quick and unscientific research, I have found different kinds of blankets and what they are for. For a bit of interest, I threw in a link to a free pattern for each one. Aren't I the best?

Just a Simple Blanket:

 The pattern for this pretty little blanket can be found on JCasa's blog.

"A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping".
Pretty straightforward I think, but it can be subdivided into many different categories. 

Afghan (or Throw):

Graphic Granny Afghan is a free pattern from the Coats and Clark website.

"An afghan is a blanket, wrap, or shawl of colored yarn. It is knitted or crocheted, often in geometric shapes. It can also be referred to as a 'throw'". I discovered that there are many different types of afghans, depending on how they are made. Mile a minute (made in one piece), join as you go (made up of different pieces, when you finish one you start the next) and motif afghans (made up of many smaller pieces - like granny squares). The last one is a good project for those of us that don't want to work on a huge piece that you have to lug around with you ;) !

Baby Blanket:

 This pretty Lotus Baby Blanket would be a perfect baby shower gift. You can get the free pattern from Needyl.

These blankets should be made out of nice, soft yarn. This is a gift that will be cherished for a long time! (As a side note, make sure the yarn is easily washable... Babies tend to make messes!)

Lap Blanket:

This great Pixie Dust Lap Blanket from the Purl Bee is a great accent for the home.

This is a smaller blanket that is easily carried around and fits perfectly on your lap without all the bulk of a full-sized blanket. This is a great last-minute gift because it is not as big as a full-sized blanket but still provides warmth. I made one for my grand-mother and she absolutely loves it, she is able to take it with her wherever she is in the house.

A Blanket Buddy:

This cute little guy is provided by the Lion Brand website.


I know this isn't a real blanket, but it is too cute to pass up. This would be another great baby shower present, and is different then the standard baby booties and hat combo.

WIP/ FO

I want to try posting something on a regular basis; every week I would like to post a picture of one of my work's in progress, and a picture of something that I have finished (hopefully I will have finished something that week). I don't know if it will be every Sunday, but I will try to keep it on the same day.

My finished project today is something that I shared with you recently. I had not completed every block yet, but I finished the whole afghan now and I want to show you what it looks like finished! I absolutely love the colors and the yarn, it turned out better then I imagined. It's the perfect size to keep me warm when I'm curled up on the couch. In case you did not see the previous post about this project, the pattern is from Knitting Today magazine (they give the pattern for 4 blocks in each issue and at the end you have all 20 blocks that make up the afghan). They even have the first 4 blocks available on their website.


My work in project is actually 2 things. I have been working on these bookmarks for some time now, but never seem to have the time to finish them. The animals design is from the Cross-Stitch magazine from their motif library section. They are so adorable!! The second bookmark is a mishmash of different designs. I was just picking out some of my favorite designs and putting them on there. I'm almost done this one, I just haven't found the time to finish!

That's all I've got for you guys today, but later on this week I will be posting some links to some of my favorite free patterns!

Happy knitting!!

I've been on a sort of a blogging hiatus for a bit (well, more then just a bit...) I was finishing up with school and taking a break, but now I have decided that I would like to keep up a more regular blogging schedule.





For my first post back I wanted to start by sharing some pictures of the beginning of an afghan that I am working on. The pattern is from the 'Knitting Today' magazine. In each issue they give the instructions for 4 squares, until you have all 20 patterns that will make up the finished blanket. I have finished the first 4 sets of squares and I am anxiously waiting the next issue (out next week) to finish up this beautiful blanket.
I used the recommended yarn, Full o' Sheep from the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller collection. The colours are Little Lamb, Aquamarine, Passionfruit and Black Sheep. I am in love with this yarn, the colours are so rich and bright!






I have been having a great time making this project. Usually with a big piece I have a hard time motivating myself to finish it, but with this one, there is enough time between each batch that my attention is re-captured every time I get the new magazine.

I would definitely recommend this afghan pattern to everyone, and it is especially great for beginners who want to learn new techniques (I've done lace, cables, different colours and slipped stitches so far!). It has even made me more confident in my knitting. If you are interested in starting this blanket, you can get the first 4 squares (the lace) on their website here.

Happy Knitting!