Tag Archive | handmade

Cotton Lace Scarf

My knitting mojo is hindered. I spend half my day doing job-search stuff, then when I do sit down to knit, my brain won’t stop thinking about it. It’s not fun. It means I can’t knit in silence right now; I have to have the TV on too. It also means my simple projects aren’t the best, because they don’t occupy my brain as much. But I’m still resisting casting on more new projects, so instead I’m forging ahead with my WIPs. The main one is my Secret Beach Scarf in three colors of Cascade Ultra Pima. I made it to the second color yesterday.

I like the idea behind this photo, but I couldn’t get the needles to lay the way I wanted them to, and it also occurred to me that many of my added treasures are just too small. They’re not proportionate to the size of the main item, the knitting. So I tried again.

I like this one better: the straighter line of the needle cord, the bigger box lid to help balance the knitting. Plus the white flower in the previous photo reflected too much light no matter where I went. Anyway, the scarf. It’s pretty. I like it. It’s simple to knit. It’s also kind of…boring. Once you get the pattern set, it’s very mindless. And there are times I crave that. But now is not one of those times. Maybe I need to give myself permission to cast on another lovely intricate lace shawl!

My other current WIP is an afghan for my mom, a special request. She picked out the yarn, and my goal is to get it done before the weather cools. I think I’ve got time! I’m using one worsted and one bulky held together with a larger crochet hook, and it’s working up quickly. It’s all peachy/green/tan colors, and while they’re not my favorites, I do think it’s lovely. I’m doing a classic ripple afghan, and I’d like to add a border when it’s done.

Other than that, I’m just waiting for my phone to ring. I put in a lot of applications over the last two days, and I’m dreading that first call requesting an interview. I mean, obviously I WANT it to happen, but it’s one step closer to having to convince a stranger that I’m a worthy employee, and one step closer to potential rejection. It’s just scary, thats’s all. But it’s all good. Once I get the first one under my belt, I’ll be fine. And until then, maybe I’ll cast on this Peek-a-Boo Bay Shawl by Little Church Knits with this gorgeous rainbow Manos del Uruguay Alegria.

Finally, I absolutely MUST share a couple of puppy photos. I mean, come ON:

Cutest puppies ever (in my humble dog-mom opinion). Unfortunately, right now they’re also the shedding-est puppies ever so I have to go sweep up some fur before my allergic Knitting SIL comes over for a playdate!

Felted Yarn Bowls

Jun21

I added something new to my Etsy shop today: felted yarn bowls! They’re a partnership with my Knitting SIL, who is talented in so many crafty ways, and I think her bowls are so cute they need to be widely available! And right now, if you use the code LOVEMUSIC2016 you can get 25% off! Check them out:

They’re all available as of this morning, and you can go straight to the listings by clicking this link HERE. I offer free first class shipping within the U.S.

Oy, This Shawl

Jun20

I have definitely learned the importance of the old knitting adage “Spend money to save money; buy more yarn.” I worked hard on my Marcelle Wrap over the weekend, even had to rip back 12 rows to fix a mistake I made in the lace. (That was over 5200 stitches. It was very sad.) But I made it back to that point and beyond, and I’m midway through the second repeat of the lace chart and it’s looking just LOVELY!

But do you see that tiny ball of green yarn? That’s all I have left, for nine more rows of green. Um, yeah, that’s not enough. You know what that means, don’t you? I had to go to KnitPicks and order more. And they’re having their summer sale, which means of course approximately 10 more ball of Palette ended up in my card. Who can resist such pretty colors at such awesome prices? Plus, I had to get free shipping, right? So, yeah, this project is on hold. Again. While I wait for more yarn.

What’s that? I should have checked gauge? Well, yeah, I probably should have. But I had to order the yarn before I could do that, didn’t I? So I should have just been smart and ordered an extra ball of each color to begin with. And I should have used the right size needle too. Instead of a 4mm, I’m using a size 4. (Not on purpose. Brain fart.) And my unblocked gauge was only 2 stitches off her blocked gauge, so I foolishly thought I was okay.

I was not.

Well, obviously I’m FINE. But I needed more yarn. So! This is back in timeout. I’ve been asked to do another test knit, which I think is awesome and super fun, but it also uses Palette so I ordered some in that same order and can’t start the test knit until it arrives. And I’m going to make the boy a hat, because in looking through his Amazon wish list I discovered (I almost hate to say it) a knit beanie. Clearly I can’t spend money to buy a hat I could make! Especially not when it’s a good excuse to buy more yarn! That yarn is also coming in my KnitPicks order.

So what to knit?? I needed something to keep my fingers busy! I made two cotton washcloths while at the family Father’s Day lunch, but last night I had a good chunk of knitting time. In my WIPs, I have:

gray garter stitch scarf (OMG SO BORING WHAT WAS I THINKING)
gradient seed stitch wrap (pretty colors but also pretty boring)
bulky cotton blanket (bright colors, soft organic cotton, but a heavy blanket in 90 degrees?)
crochet afghan for my mom (I’m not far enough along for it to be overly heavy or hot, but it just wasn’t calling my name)

Time to cast on a new project! Apparently in my yarn stash, it’s last in, first out: I picked three colors of the Ultra Pima I got recently and cast on for the Secret Beach Diagonal scarf. It’s a paid pattern, but you get the pattern for both the scarf and the cowl, so I figure it’s worth it.

This pleases me, and will definitely keep me knitting happily until my KnitPicks order arrives.

Now, finally, I would like to humbly ask for your opinion. I knit a little clutch, and my Knitting SIL felted it for me, and I think it needs a button closure. I don’t want to do an inside closure because it’s so small already and I want to maximize the useful space. So what do I use to go around the button to close it??

Oops, that wasn’t really “finally”, sorry. THIS is finally: my daughter is in the school Concert Choir this coming year and they’re planning a trip to Princeton. YAY! But also: time to fundraise, so I’m offering 25% off everything in my Etsy shop, even the sale items, so if you’re interested, take a peek at my shop HERE (this is probably more for my non-knitting readers) and if anything calls your name, use the code LOVEMUSIC25 for 25% off and free U.S. shipping!

Happy Monday, friends, and happy First Day of Summer!

Back to the Lace

Jun17

Having finished the test knit project, I returned to my sister’s Marcelle Wrap. I’m near the end, at the lace section, and it’s a chart. I know many knitters love charts. I do not. Therefore, I took the time to translate the chart into written directions. Sadly, yesterday when I picked up the project, I realized I hadn’t read it all carefully and my instructions weren’t right. Close, but not quite right. So I adjusted them and forged ahead. It’s going a bit slowly, what with almost 350 stitches in each row, but it’s fun.

You can just barely see the beginning of the chevron pattern. It doesn’t help that it’s all squished together on the cord, but I can’t help that. Take my word for it, it’s going to be pretty cool. I don’t know how quickly it will get done, because the knitting is taking a backseat to the job search. It’s…an adventure. I’m learning what kinds of jobs intrigue me, and I’m learning that the online application process is lengthy and time-consuming, but I’m also learning that there are a lot of different industries and roles that need strong writing skills, and I’m confident I’ll find something that’s a good match for all involved. It is hard, though. Thankfully I have the support of a good dog, who’s by my side for almost everything, from working out…

to knitting…

Wishing you all a happy Friday and a lovely weekend!

Update: Yarn Chicken

Jun16

Well, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I finished so quick and thought I’d share the results today: I WON! I weighed the yarn, purled a round, weighed again, and thought I might have to skip a round. Knit a round, weighed again, and thought I might just squeak by. Purled the final round, and then it was time to decide: Jeny’s stretchy bind off or normal bind off? I’m apparently a bit of a daredevil, because I went with Jeny’s, even though it takes more yarn. And I made it through with less than 5 yards to spare! HaHA! Take that, stupid yarn.

Yeah, yeah, I know, if I’d checked gauge first blah blah blah. I get it, I just don’t want to do it. And look, it worked out okay, right?

Yarn Chicken

Jun16

I’m playing a game of Yarn Chicken today. I’m *thisclose* to finishing my test knit cowl, and I have four rounds (260 stitches per round) plus the bind off, and this is what’s left of the yarn. That’s a whopping 8 grams. What do you think, will I make it?? Maybe if I knit really fast, I’ll finish before the yarn runs out!

My guess is NO, and I’ll have to leave off a row or two of the border. It’s either that or frog back the last pattern repeat, and I’m not sure I want to do that.

Check back tomorrow to see what happens!

A Story of Kindness

Jun15

I told you the other day about my adventure at my LYS, all the pretty yarns I splurged on. But I forgot to tell you about the awesome thing the owner did that day. After my shopping trip, I texted my Knitting SIL to let her know about the discounts. She asked me to pick up a skein of yarn for her, and since the store is two blocks from my house, I said it was no problem. When I went to pay for the yarn, it was $4 and change, and I handed her my debit card. She sounded apologetic when she said she doesn’t take cards for purchases under $5. I totally understand her point, but I don’t carry cash very often, so I didn’t have any on me. I said, “Okay, let me find something else.”

Almost any other store owner would have just said okay, and let me buy more. I would have bought more. I’ve done it before. But this lady, this kind, generous lady, said, “No, no, you’re close, right? Just come back by with the cash when it’s convenient.” I was shocked and asked if she was sure, and she said of course. I thanked her and said I’d come by in the morning, first thing, and she wrote down my name and the amount. I asked if she wanted my phone number and she waved me away. I left with the skein of yarn, feeling like I was getting away with something, but extremely grateful. I showed up the next morning, cash in hand, and said I was there to pay off my debt, and she laughed, said it was fine, I hadn’t needed to hurry.

This is the store that’s closing this summer, and that’s a shame. It’s a shame that a small business that understands the importance of putting service ahead of money is leaving. It’s not by choice; the building sold, and she decided to retire and spend time with her grandkids instead of finding a new location. I don’t blame her a bit, but I’m sad to see her go.

But I’m also encouraged, because it reassures me that there are still good people out there. And if we keep putting kindness out there, maybe we can inspire others to do the same.

Thrift Store Yarn

Jun14

I’ve been knitting, I swear I have, but I have nothing to show right now. I’m flying along on the test knit I’m doing for Andrea at This Knitted Life, and I’m loving it, but it’s not time to reveal that one yet. Here’s a sneak peak.

I will say that I found an error in the pattern and I was quite delighted because A, it meant I was doing my job as a test knitter right and B, the strange result I’d been getting wasn’t because I’m a crap knitter (which was what I was sure of for a while). I did have to frog about 15 rows of progress but I wasn’t stressed about it, and ever since I restarted, it’s been smooth sailing and I’m going to love the final product.

So instead of showing you knitting, I’ll show you the yarn I got the other day. I stopped at Savers, a thrift store near my house, on a whim and got all excited because I found a cake platter with a dome to replace the one broken in our move last summer. Then as I shopped more, I got even more excited because I found yarn!! And not just cheap scratchy acrylic, either! I found sock yarn, some Patons, some Deborah Norville Serenity, some Regia Galaxy. They were all jumbled together in plastic bags, and I found two bags with colors I really wanted, so of course I had to buy both. Plus, when you find good yarn for cheap, you just…buy it, right? One bag had some blue/gray that will go to my Knitting SIL, and these are the skeins I wanted.

They’re so pretty! I don’t make socks, so I don’t really know what they’ll be. My SIL makes these pretty yarn bags with sock yarn, so I might try one of those.

Then I found some glow in the dark yarn, and well…I bought some. No good reason, except I lose my head a bit around cheap yarn. I think it’ll be fun. I might make a couple of cute kid’s scarves with them.

And that would be fine if that’s all the new yarn I bought. But NOOOOO, of course I had to go to my LYS. “Just to check things out,” I told myself. I just needed to be in a yarn store. Ha. Yeah right. Before I knew it, I had several skeins of clearance yarn in my arms, and then she had the gall to tell me that all the full-priced yarn was 20% off. (They’re closing next month. I know. I’m devastated.) Well, apparently that was all the permission I needed to get some of the Cascade Ultra Pima cotton I’d been drooling over. And because she’s good at her job, she told me about two patterns a lot of her customers have been making with it. Sigh. Yeah. This is what came home with me.

These will be the Secret Beach Diagonal Scarf and Cowl when I have time to cast on a new project. Yummy yummy colors, I think!

And here’s ~~some of~~ my clearance yarn, more Berroco Luster. I have a special fondness for yarns with a sheen. I’ve got three who skeins of silver…and one skein of a gorgeous deep teal.

Finally, I will share one last bit of exciting news: we have a new licensed driver in our house! The girl learned to parallel park on Sunday (learned it in one day, of course) and I took her for the test yesterday.

Yep, that’s the excited “I PASSED!!!” grin. She immediately took her brother to the grocery store to buy some cookies, and last night she was able to drive herself to band rehearsal while I stayed home. It was awesome, and terrifying of course, especially since she left her phone at home. She very kindly used someone else’s phone to let me know she’d arrived safely. I’ll still have to drive her around during the day when I need the car, but there will be plenty of times when she can drive herself. And she’s got a job and is saving for a car and once that happens, my chauffeur duties will essentially come to an end! Am I supposed to be sad, nostalgic for all our times together? Maybe I will be…someday. But today is not that day. Not when I’m taking her to band camp at 9, picking her up at 11 to take her to summer school, and then picking her up again at 3. Nope, right now I’m thinking her car can’t come soon enough!

Okay, friends, that’s all the time I have this morning. And all the stories, really. You’re all caught up. Nope, I don’t have a job yet. I’m applying and getting rejected and going back for more. That’s how the game goes, right?

Work, and Knitting

Jun10

This morning I went to the bank, like I actually went inside and was at the teller, and she had the manager with her. They had a new machine, he said, so they were doing some training. No problem. It took several minutes longer than usual, and toward the end he apologized. Their trainer was out that day, and they were still getting used to it. That’s fine, I said. I’d been a software trainer before so I know how it goes.

And as I was walking out, it hit me. Yes, I’ve been a software trainer before. I did so many things under the umbrella of “retail manager” that I’d never referred to myself like that before. And…I really liked it. I liked the sound of it. It reminded me of all the time I spent as a trainer, and how much I loved it. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the job, both teaching people how to use the registers and the software, and learning new software so I could be the trainer. I might not end up in a training role in my next job, at least not right away, but this definitely reassures me that I’m on the right track by going back to work.

But at the moment I’m still a happy knitter, and today I met up with another crafter I’d found on Instagram. She makes project bags and I’m addicted to project bags, so it’s a good fit. Plus we’re both big fans of the KC Royals. See, isn’t it fantastic?

It’s so well-made, it even has a wrist strap, and I love that she chose a baseball fabric for the inside, when she could have chosen a cheaper, plain fabric.

I just love it. And I love that maybe I found a new local knitting friend! To thank her for meeting me nearby, I made a small set of three blue stitch markers.

And then I made a couple for myself. I had the beads out, you know?

Right now my knitting is fast and easy. I’m using up my cotton on simple dishcloths, some for me, and some for a craft show I’m doing tomorrow. It’s perfect knitting for when my brain is focused elsewhere, which it is right now.

I can still focus enough on knitting to grab good yarn deals when I see them, though. I found a bag of sock yarns at a thrift store today, and I loved four of the skeins, but these six aren’t really my style, so I’ll probably find them a new home. If you’re a sock knitter and you’re interested, holler at me and I’ll give you a good deal.

I think that needs to be all for today. I have more new yarns to share, but let’s do it another day, okay? I have a craft show to prep for and a cover letter to refine and a resume to submit.

Enjoy your Friday, friends!

WIP Wednesday

Jun8

It IS Wednesday, right? Summer gets me all confused sometimes. The crochet slippers are all done, and we shall not speak of them again. They were fun for a brief moment, and they are surely cute, but I have no desire to make more. It was a relief to switch back to knitting. Almost as soon as I wove in the last end, I wound some yarn from the stash and cast on a new project. It’s for my winter inventory, but it’s something I’ve been eyeing for a while now. This is the Purl Soho Broken Garter Scarf, a pattern that’s so simple but so beautiful (like all their patterns, really). I’m using some Loops & Threads Value Pack Yarn in gray from Michaels. The bag had two skeins, over 2000 yards, for less than $10. Sure, it’s acrylic, but it makes a super affordable scarf, and it’s surprisingly soft. I’m really enjoying knitting with it. I’ve got some royal purple to use when this one is done. The yarn suggests a size 9 needle, but I’m using size 6 for a really dense fabric. It’s a perfect mindless knitting project.

Today I’m casting on another project, this one a test knit that I’m keeping quiet for now. But I will say it’s a cowl, and I’ll show you the yarn I’m using: It’s Fyberspates Scrumptious, which is 45% silk/55% superwash merino. Yummy!! The tag says “4 ply/sport” but it’s listed on Ravelry as a fingering weight, so that’s what I’m going with. Can’t wait to get going with this one, even if I will be using tiny needles! (Size THREE!)

And I also have a finished object, but I’ll show you the process photos rather than the FO photo.

Thanks to the girl, I had some travel knitting time last night so I grabbed a ball of red cotton and cast on for a new dishcloth, and it was done by the end of her band concert. (I did get some looks, but I wasn’t sure if it was due to the knitting or the purple hair.) You can see a video of me knitting on Instagram (@bonnyknits) or on my Facebook page. This was a very simple seed stitch dishcloth, and it was a relief to have a project that I could finish so quickly!

Anyone else feeling the urge to cast on for more WIPs?