Tag Archive | crafts

So Much Super Bulky

You may remember my Star Stuff super bulky cowl from the other day, the one made from that gorgeous LB Art Yarn yarn? After that, I became obsessed with super bulky yarn. I immediately pulled out some Berroco Brio from a cowl I’d frogged a couple of months ago. After nearly an hour on Ravelry, I’d settled on…the same pattern I’d used the first time around. But this time I used smaller needles and cast on fewer stitches and ended up with a cowl I like much better.

That wasn’t the end of my love affair with super bulky. I was forced to go back to Yarn Social on Wednesday, and what fell into my hands but a beautiful skein of Malabrigo Rasta and a purple fur pompom? They said they needed to become a hat, ASAP. I obliged.

But now, though the bulky continues to call to me, I must return my focus to previously scheduled knitting, as I do have some deadlines to meet. I did enjoy my super bulky interlude, though!

Two-Hour Cowl

Dec18

Yes, you read that right: two hours. I’m home sick with strep throat (thanks to the brother whom I saw at a birthday party on Saturday) so I spent the morning watching West Side Story and knitting a simple cowl with my new LB Art Yarn. I tried a pattern with a dropped-stitch pattern but it was making me irritated and I wanted to just enjoy this yarn, so a plain stockinette cowl was what I needed.

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I cast on 56 on size 15 needles, did 4 rows of 2×2 rib, and knit until it felt right. Somehow I guessed perfectly because I ended up with less than a yard left over! And I love my new cowl…but now I need more of this yarn! It’s LB Art Yarn on Etsy and this color is called Star Stuff. She doesn’t have any of that color right now, but I’m hoping for more in the future. What’s your favorite sick-day project?

More new projects?

Dec14

Well, clearly I don’t respect my own limits. Or maybe subconsciously I do and they’re not as low as I thought they were. Despite my whining about feeling overwhelmed by WIPs the other day, I have added more to my queue. One is a sock but that’s totally justifiable: I needed a simple travel project for car/concert knitting. And I had beautiful new sock yarn calling my name.

This is Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the color Gossip. Love it! After the boy’s band concert, I have a good two inches of leg past the cuff, but it got too dark to take another photo.

Okay, the sock is understandable. But apparently I have also agreed to make two cowls…before Christmas…as gifts…for a friend to give. But hear me out: I like this person a lot, and I like to help my friends, and I like it when people like my knitting enough to ask me to make things for them. Plus, I like it when they’re willing to pay me to make said things!! So, two cowls are on the list. They’re bulky weight and it’s baby alpaca which means they’ll be fast, fun knits for me. Right? Right. Thank goodness it’s Friday so I can get to knitting ASAP! Anyone else taking on last-minute gift knitting?

What’s that yarn??

Dec13

I’ve had a lot of questions about the new project I shared in an earlier post. I wasn’t thinking clearly, or else I would have included the details of course! Both yarns are from Manos del Uruguay, and they’re my newest review project.

The solid is Fino in the color Peacock Plume, and it’s an extrafine merino/silk blend. I’ve used it once before and it’s heavenly. It’s paired with Cabrito, a laceweight kid mohair blend, in the color Locura Fluo. Now imagine merino, silk, and mohair all in one project, and you know why I’m obsessed with this project right now!

The Cabrito is 230 yards and Fino is 490, but I really wanted to knit them together for maximum coziness. I decided the two held together could be close to a DK, so I chose a simple shawl pattern called Orbit. I’ve made one before and wear it all the time, so I knew it was a good pattern choice. I’ve been tired in the evenings so I’m not getting a ton of knitting done but here’s where I am so far.

This one’s not going to linger on my needles, I can tell already!

Too much knitting?

Dec12

Is that a thing?? I’m afraid it is–I have something like six WIPs and there are at least three more floating around in my head and I feel like there are some I’m forgetting that I’m supposed to make and AAAAHHH! Knitting is supposed to be my therapy, not my stressor! I don’t really even understand why I feel like this, because I can sit down and plan out my projects, the timeline of gifts and review projects, and it’s fine. I’m doing fine. But for whatever reason, my head feels full and it’s like I’m not staying on top of my knitting.

I don’t like associating that feeling with knitting. But I’m not sure how to fix it. One thing that seems to help is finishing projects, so I probably should focus on that before casting on anything else. Yesterday I finished a sock, one of a pair I started about three months ago, and that’s a long time for a sock for me.

They’re fraternal twins and the feet aren’t the same length but I love the colors and they fit and feel good on my feet today so that’s a win. Now to finish the other sock project that’s been lingering for months!

Weekend Highlights

Dec10

Did I mention the girl is home for winter break? She got back in town Friday night…and drove straight to her old high school to see her friends in a choir concert. The next night she went to another concert. But we got a little bit of visiting in there too, and yesterday she spent the whole day with us. It was a pretty good weekend, I have to say.

Friday night and Saturday had a lot of pupper time while knitting, which is the best, plus I finished my Growing Leaves cowl and pinned it out to dry. Hope it blocks out nicely!

Sunday, we drove to Weston, MO, a cute little town with a great downtown. We had lunch at our favorite cafe (but our favorite waitress wasn’t there) and we went to the yarn store (which was CLOSED). But at least we bought fudge and saw Father Christmas. And I was so disappointed about the yarn store that my people took me to Yarn Social again to see the Treasure Goddess‘s trunk show so I got new yarn anyway, haha! I even ran into a local Instagram friend there!

I finished the weekend with a family viewing of The Santa Clause and casting on a new project, which I already love.

I hope you all had an equally lovely weekend!

New LYS!

Dec5

Dear Knitting SIL,

I’m so sorry. I know we were going to visit the new LYS in town together, and I know I had to back out because of the boy’s guitar recital and we were going to go together later this month. But then Sunday arrived, and I didn’t have plans, and the yarn store was open, and…things happened. Helloooo, Yarn Social!

If it helps, I will absolutely go again with you and the girl another weekend. Because the store is super cute, and they have a lot of fun yarns, and they also have a living room area with a couch and a few chairs where you can hang out and do yarn-y things. They even had yarn cookies! But I’m guessing that was just because it was opening weekend and it won’t be an all-the-time thing.

And I know you are probably as happy as I am that this store opened, because the KC metro area needed a good yarn store downtown. We needed a store to offer some variety with the smaller indie dyers, a store that will focus on yarn and on creating a welcoming community for crafters. It just has a different feel than the other stores in the area, and it provides a balance we didn’t have before. So while I bought some beautiful yarn, I tried to restrain myself a tiny little bit so that I could still get something when I go back with you, because I know we will go together at some point soon!

Thank you for understanding that I am only human, and can only resist the call of a yarn store for so long.

Sincerely,

Bonny

Paddington Station Socks

Dec4

The sock pattern that I test knit is now live! They’re called the Paddington Station Socks, and the designer said they’re named for the novel 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. I haven’t read it; I volunteered to test because I liked the texture of the pattern.

It’s just knits and purls in a four-row repeat, so it’s simple but still engaging enough to not be boring. I knit the large size, and I actually like the slightly bigger leg for myself! The pattern continues onto the top of the foot nicely and makes for a nice squishy sock. It was a quick enough knit, and the only reason I haven’t finished the second one is because of gift knitting. But I’m getting close!

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Just a gusset and a foot left to go and then I can add another pair to my sock drawer! My yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted and I like it a lot. It’s soft but feels sturdy, and is a thick enough fingering to make a dense sock like I prefer.

Pattern: Paddington Station Socks by Ambrose Smith

Hogwarts Cowl

Dec2

In my quest to finish some lingering WIPs, I pulled out my Hogwarts cowl this past week. It’s very comforting because it’s all stockinette in the round, and it’s Harry Potter colors! When my brain was too tired at night to work on something with an actual pattern, I worked on this. And yesterday, the boy had his winter guitar recital (he ROCKED it!) and I had two solid hours of knitting time. By the time we got home, it was time for the ribbing and the bind off, and this morning it had a little photo shoot.

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I took the photos before I washed it and blocked it, so please ignore any dog hairs or stray ends! It looks a little more rainbow-ish than Harry Potter-ish to me, but I do love all the colors together, so I’m sure I’ll wear it quite often.

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The yarn is a Hogwarts House Pride set from Nerd Girl Yarns on her Binary Sock base, and it’s lovely yarn. I almost wish I’d made striped socks with it! The pattern is improvised, but you can see my notes on the Ravelry project page.

And while we were gone for those two hours, we left the puppers free to roam the house, rather than locking them up in the kitchen/dining room, and I’m delighted to say they didn’t destroy a thing! While I’m not confident enough to leave Duncan free all the time, I’m optimistic that he’ll grow up to be a trustworthy pup!

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Meet Me at the Station Shawl

Nov29

I have a finished shawl to show you, and the best part is that the pattern is now live and you can knit one too! This is the Meet Me at the Station Shawl by Under the Olive Tree Knits, and I loved testing it.

It’s designed to be a one-skein shawl, but as you may remember, I had issues and ran out of yarn too soon. To be fair, I did not check gauge before I started knitting, so I accept full responsibility. And in any case, I’m glad it happened because the cream lace is perfect with the dark green body.

The pattern is clear and well-written, and Jem provides plenty of photos and tutorials as well. My knitting experience was smooth and happy, and I’d love to knit this again, maybe in one color like I intended!

Pattern: Meet Me at the Station by Olive Tree Knits

Yarns: Araucania Huasco Multy Botany Lace in Hunter, Cascade Heritage in Snow

See my Ravelry project page here.