What Next?

Okay, the shawl is done (Wheeee!), so now, what's next?  Well, I do need to block & steam the shawl.  I have to get some rustproof pins first, then wait till after the Christmas tree is gone, so I can use the living room floor for a blocking pad!! 

There is a sweater on the needles calling my name.  It is made with a lovely cream yarn with green, blue & burgundy threads running through.  It is so close to being completed, too, only a sleeve & a half, plus a collar of some sort.  I'm not sure if I'm inspired enough to return to it yet.  Maybe I'll take it out & look at it awhile, get my enthusiasm flowing again!  Or maybe I'll make a hat...! 

Yippee! Finishing a WIP!

Hooray for me!  With Christmas over, I've been relaxing with an ongoing project...a circular shawl.  I originally started it last year while on vacation.  I admit, I did not work on it regularly, though, mainly while we were on vacation.  But I picked it up a few days ago & realized it was about the right size to start ending it! 

I'm using Helen's Lace, a wonderful variegated lace weight yarn from Lorna's Laces, in the tahoe colorway.  I'm using a larger needle & a lace stitch from "The First Book Of Modern Lace Knitting".    Right now, I'm adding a small lace border instead of casting off the stitches, like Elizabeth Zimmerman suggests in her books.  The best part is that its more than halfway finished!  Whoohoo!  It will have to be stretched & steamed, but it is coming out nicely. 

Its a great feeling to be almost done with it.  Sometimes these older projects haunt me, reminding me how much time I've spent & how little there is left to finish.  I can't help myself though, I'm wanting instant gratification with smaller, quicker projects, like hats!

Busy, Busy, Busy

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all who have stopped in to read my babble and A big THANK YOU to all who have posted comments!  Please be sure to check out the other knitting journals that I have linked on the left.  There is a lot of great knitting going on out there!  I love to see & read about what others are doing. 

Tis the season...to be busy!  I haven't knitted the last few days due to the demands of the upcoming holiday.  I think I will make time tonight, though.  I need a stress reliever!  I'll be back to babble again in a few days! 

Some Fun Holiday Stuff

Here are some pictures of the snowmen that I've been making.  I can't help myself, these are just SO CUTE!! I included pictures of the knitted body, unstuffed, and after stuffing but before accessories. 

The hats were a blast!  I made them up as I went along.  The green hat is a K1 P1 rib with a folded brim.  The purple was a 2 row rib, then St st, dec at the top.  I threaded some red yarn through it & tied in a bow.  It looks like a bonnet!  The red one is a stocking type with a white rolled brim.  I just dec to make it into a point, & added a small pommy. 

I still have to finish the unstuffed one.  I'm trying to decide how I want to do the face & what type of hat to make.  I have a braided scarf done.  I was playing with different ideas, I did 2 I-cord scarves, one garter st, & the braided one. 

Sadly, I think I'm done with these for this year.  I have tons of things to do around the house to get ready for the holiday.  Maybe after the holiday rush is over I'll keep making some for next year! 

Felting Pictures

Finally!  Here are the pics of the felting projects.  I tried to show before & after pictures, so you can see the difference the felting makes.  My daughter let me take pictures of her wearing the hat before & after, so you can see the size difference.  Even though I felted both pieces together in the washer, the hat felted a lot more than the eyeglass case. 

The case hardly shows a difference at all in the size,the knitting is just a little more blurred & fuzzy.  Now I just need to figure out what type of clasp would be best for this project.  I'm pleased with the results of both projects, but if I make another hat, I will make it longer.  Ah, well, live & learn! 

In the meantime, I'm still playing with the snowmen idea.  I'm having a blast with these...they are so cute!  I've gotten the pattern for the snowman's body to where I like it, & it is fairly easy.  Knit in the round, no seams!  It sort of looks like a pear shape, then the scarf pulls everything in to round it out. 

One of the most fun things is the accessories...hats & scarves.  The hats I'm just making up as I go along.  I just knit & see what I come up with.  The scarves are I-cord, but I may try a braided cord or maybe garter st, just for some variety.  Loads of fun, I will most likely keep making more!

Its Done!

The eyeglass case is done & felted.  The hat is done & felted!  They came out pretty good, I think!  I wanted to wait til they were done before I posted pics, so I could show a before & after shot.  My husband took the camera today, so the pictures will have to wait until tomorrow. 

I'm pleased with the results.  The case came out much like I expected.  I was a little worried because I used a different yarn for the edge trim, but it felted evenly.  The hat actually came out smaller than I expected.  It shrunk more in the lenght than I planned, even though I measured carefully.  But it still fits good, it just doesn't have the brim I anticipated. 

I'm currently "without project", sort of.  I have things to do, but I don't want to do them right now.  So I played around with a snowman idea I had been tossing around.  I made the first one yesterday, he's maybe 3-4 inches tall.  I think it came out so cute!  I added a hat & scarf, too.  My daughter wanted a girl one, so I made her last night.  I'll add the hat & scarf today.  These are really fun & very quick, so I may make a few more before the holiday.  I will definately take pictures of these cause they are just too cute!!

A Felting We Will Go...

Both the hat & the case are done, I think I'll felt them later today.  I wanted to get a picture of the unfelted hat being worn by my daughter, but I didn't wan't to risk messing up her hair! :)  I had to play around with the edging for the eyeglass case.  I wanted to do an I-cord trim, but it wasn't working out the way I hoped.  Instead, I used a reverse St st & used it to bind the sides of the case together.  It looks pretty good.  I did do I-cord around the flap & opening of the case, so it was a compromise.  I'm still planning on posting some pictures, so stay tuned...I hope to have them today or tomorrow! 

Case In Point...

I finished the eyeglass case yesterday.  Now I'm thinking I might add a contrasting trim, maybe in I-cord, to give it a more finished look.  After checking with my daughter, whose fashionable opinion I trust, we decided yes on the trim!  I'm planning on using the Brown Sheep yarn I wanted to use originally for this case.  There is a similar purple tone in the yarn used for the case, so it will match nicely. 

I tried taking pictures of the work in progress, but the colors keep coming out weird.  The purples all look blue...bright blue.  I may try to take the pics in a different light later today & see how they come out.  Of course, I will post them here! 

The hat that I'm making from the other wool is almost done as well.  I only have another inch or so before starting the crown decreasing.  It should be done later today.  I tried pictures of this project also, but...ick.  I'll try later in a brighter spot in the house.  Plus it is still on the needles, so it makes it difficult to get a good picture, it just won't lay flat!  Well, off to knit I go!

On a Felting Adventure

The eyeglass case is coming along quite nicely.  Its almost done, just another few inches, then the flap.  It is going to be a double case, meaning it is for 2 pairs of glasses.  It is for a loved one who requested it some months ago, but I'm just getting to it now.   She has a double case now, & said she can't find one in the stores anymore.  It is really just a long tube, folded in half making 2 long pockets, then attached together at the top.  The glasses sit back to back in the case.  It sounds rather weird trying to explain it, but think of a sock, without the toe.  Fold it in half lengthwise & there you are.  I'm making pointed closure flaps, so I'm working from flap to flap.  I should be finished tonight. 

But, I'm not going to felt it yet.  I'm also making a hat from the purple hues yarn.  Once I finish that, I'll felt them both at the same time.  I may even make another hat from the remaining yarn from the eyeglass case.  It depends on time, of course.  I would like to have the case done by Christmas, but the hats are mine, so who cares when they get done!  As for what's next...I haven't thought that far ahead yet.  I may try to finish some WIPs (works in progress) that I have laying around!  They sometimes haunt me to finish them, so it might be a good idea!!

And We're Off!

I felted the swatches, both came out well.  It was difficult to decide which one I wanted to proceed with, so I left the choice up to my daughter.  She chose the pinks & purples, which actually was my favorite!  I had to really beat the daylights out of the swatches to get them to felt properly.  I ran them in the washer about 4 times each.  I used an old towel to help with the agitation, but they still took a long time to felt.  Finally, they felted up to what I wanted.  The purple hues felted nice & thick.  It has streaks of the differents shades throughout, so it looks interesting.  The pinks didn't felt as much as I had hoped or wanted, I thought about washing it another time or two, but my daughter really liked the way it looked as is. 

Personally, I like the results of both so much, I'm probably going to make myself a felted hat from both yarns.  Especially since I have so much of each yarn.  I want to finish the case first, then I'll work on the hats after.  I'm not knitting any presents this year, except for the case, so my knitting time is "my" time! 

One thing I hated...both of these yarns were in hanks.  The pink is in small hanks, but the purple was in a huge hank, enough for a sweater.  Having to wind these into usuable balls was a pain.  Ugh...the tangles...the knots...ick.  That is one think about this craft that frustrates me.  I love the feel of the yarn in my fingers, but trying to untangle a mess is just too much.  I'd really rather be knitting.  The purple was especially difficult, because the hank was so huge.  It was just one long yarn...I hated cutting it, but I had to do it...my rewound ball was getting too huge to work with.  I chopped it up into 3 usable balls.  Since I'm probably not going to make a sweater with it at this point, it doesn't matter anymore, I guess! 

But they are done, thank goodness, & now I can get to work.  This is the part that makes it all worthwhile! 

Being Forgetful Is Good...Sometimes!

After my previous frustrations of not having enough yarn for the eyeglass case, I looked through the stash to see what I have.  Being forgetful can be good, its sort of like Christmas!  I found yarn that I forgot about...a beautiful handpainted wool in shades of pinks & purples.  Oh yeah!!  Then I found a lovely handdyed yarn in shades of purples, I know its wool, but I'm not sure how well it will felt.  I still have my heart set on felting this project.  Fortunately I have tons of both of these yarns!  No worries about running out. 

Last evening was spent making swatches, which I'm going to felt today.  I may dig around a little more to see if I have anything else that might be worthy of this project.  I'm trying to stick with a particular color, so that does limit my choices.  I think that is about all I have in wool in purple, but then again, I could just surprise myself!  It will be like Christmas again!  What fun! 

If these don't work out, or I'm not happy with the felting results, I know I have tons of purple in other types of yarn.  There are beautiful cottons, mercerized so it is shiny & silky to the touch, or matte cotton, sturdy & firm.  There are lots of acrylics & baby yarns also.  No need to worry about running out of those either!  Sheesh, I have too much yarn! 

Good Intentions Gone Awry

Hmph...after a few false starts, I finally got a good idea of how I wanted to do the eyeglass case.  Sadly, I was only near the beginning when I realized there is no way I'll have enough yarn to finish it as I wanted.  I was hoping to felt the piece after it was done, which means I have to make the original knitting a lot bigger than the finished piece.  I was trying to use up some leftover Brown Sheep wool that I had from a few other projects.  While I have some other wool yarns, I already had the felting measurements on the Brown Sheep.  Plus I know it felts wonderfully. 

My other projects with that yarn were felted projects too.  I had made two pairs of slippers & an etrelac tote bag.  These were loads of fun to do...deliberately shrinking a project in the washing machine is rather sinful!   The tote bag especially is fun, it was done with some very bright colors, pink, purple, teal, yellow & green.  It came out bright & thick, perfect for a tote bag.  I would like to make another, but I have so many knitted tote bags...I really don't need another one! 

So now, the question is, do I find another yarn that I can felt down to what I wanted or do I knit the piece regularly...no felting.  I was hoping that the felting would make it a long lasting, protective case.  Being that the material is thick, it would protect the glasses better.  I don't know yet.  I get discouraged when my desired results don't equal my actual results!  I need to work on that issue! 

Good news about the children's hats!  When dropping them off at the donation site, the drop box was no longer on display.  They were given to an employee who was thrilled to get them.  I hope the kids who get them are just as thrilled.  I hope they get as warm of feeling from wearing them as I did from making them! 

Finally...finished hat pictures!

Finally, the hat pictures are posted!  I'm pleased with my hat efforts.  They were fun to do, but I'm glad I'm done.  I know its for a worthwhile cause, so its a bonus! 

I searched the web for different hat patterns.  I have the basic roll brim hat pattern down in my head permanently, I think!  I wanted to try something new & different for the hat project.  I found the helix spiral to be one of my favorites.  It doesn't take too much yarn & I was able to use a lot of smaller balls of yarn for these.  I'm sure I'll continue to do these in the future, because they look interesting as well! 

I also enjoyed making the mitered hats.  Adding the floppy brim made it fun & stopped that nasty curling under that I didn't like.  One of the mitered hats has a ribbed brim.  It looks nice, but I don't like it as much as the floppy brim.  The pattern suggests garter st, I may try that sometime in the future, but I like the look of St st.  Plus, garter uses so much more yarn, I didn't want to run out of a color while doing a hat! 

I tried using some mosiac patterns on a few basic hats to add some interest (for me, mostly).  My favorite is the pink & orange version.  Wild colors, but they really seemed to go well together.  I'm sure I'll do more like that too. 

So, on to the next project.  I started working on an eyeglass case with wool.  I will felt it to make a nice thick case.  I frogged what I had done, I just wasn't happy with it.  I'm going to make this one up as I go, so it should be interesting!

The Last Of The Kid's Hats...

I finished the last children's hat last evening.  I'll add some decorative touches to the unadorned hats & off they go!  I doubt I'll be starting another project today, but who knows?  I want to get these hats done & out of here!  It is definately winter here, & the children need the hats more than I do!  I'm sure my family will be glad to see them go. 

I still need to photograph them.  I think I'll stuff them with balls of yarn because it will have more body than the soup cans I used the last time.  At least it is easy to get the pictures on the computer, & then fairly easy to get the pictures online!  I'm probably going to get offline early today, so I can embellish the hats & get pictures of them while the sun is still out.  I get truer colors when the pics are taken in some daylight. 

All in all, I'm pleased with my progress on the hats.  They were loads of fun to do.  Plus I don't usually add pom-poms & stuff, so these just look so darn cute!  I may start adding poms to the adult hats...but I'm not sure.  I know I wouldn't like the pommy, but some folks might!  I borrowed Nicky Epstein's book "Knitted Embellishments" from the library.  It has many ideas in it for knitted flowers & leaves & stuff, so I may try some of those also.  That is a book I'd like to own (hint, hint, hubby)!! 

Nicky Epstein is very creative...her brain must be on overload!  It makes you wonder how she finds the time to knit everything she comes up with!  Years ago at a Stitches convention (sponsored by Knitter's Magazine), I took a class taught by Nicky.  It was for knitted I-cord embellishments.  This was before her book, & I still have my notes from the class.  Now most of these ideas, if not all, are in her book, & she added tons more, as well. 

Well, I'm going to call it a day for now on the puter, & get moving on my 3D day!  Lots of knitting to do & not enough time to do it! 

Back From Vacation!

Home at last!  Vacation is over & I've added to the growing pile of children's hats.  I made 4 hats while we were gone, plus a pair of mittens.  I'm not sure I'll continue on the mitten binge...I'm just not sure I want to do them. 

We met a very nice family at our motel, & I gave one of the hats to their little girl.  So I have 15 hats completed...& I started another, but haven't gotten too far on it. 

I also tried to make some of the miniature sweaters, but I wasn't really happy with my results.  I started with about 30 sts in the round with a baby yarn & increased to 36, which looked really nice, but I wanted it smaller.  So I went to about 15 sts, I didn't like it...then 20, still no.  Thirty sts seems to be the right amount.  If I decide to play with them further, that will be my target st number around. 

I'm still planning on posting pictures of my completed hat collection, I would like to finish the one I'm working on first, then I'll take pictures.  I also want to add the frilly touches, pom-poms & such too.  I'm hoping to get the hats to the donation box within a few days! 

So what is next?  Well, I'm sure I'll continue with hats, adult chemo hats, though.  I also have a Christmas project I want to start, but it shouldn't take too long.  I just have to figure out what it is I want to do & how to do it!  I'll post my results here as I progress with it.  

It's good to be home, even though the beach was wonderful!