Tag Archive | scarves

Some Selfish Knitting

Thanks to a doctor’s appointment and a grocery story trip, I didn’t have much knitting time yesterday. But with the time I did have, I worked on two projects for ME! They’re both ones that have been hanging around for a while, and I’m getting eager to wear them. One is my black and white chevron infinity scarf. I met a fellow crafter for coffee on Monday night, and took this with me. I thought it would be easy enough to knit while talking, but I didn’t do well. Last night I had to frog back about 10 rows to get rid of stupid mistakes. I was going to try to live with it…but, no. So now it’s back where it was and I’ve got the pattern set in my head again. I should have taken this super simple mesh scarf I’m making with some Pima cotton. It’s just a YO, k2tog repeat. Hard to mess up, though of course I have. It doesn’t look like much here, but blocking will work wonders, I think. This was my waiting room knitting.I worked a little bit on a bag commission too. This was my “sit outside with the puppies in the afternoon” knitting. This is the one that will mostly be a secret, but since this is just the bottom of the bag and it doesn’t look like much, I don’t think I’m giving anything away.I’m getting to the good part now, where I can start working the nifty pattern and where I’m working in the round. Maybe it’ll go quickly!

And the puppies. Oh, the puppies. Bit of backstory: we have a large patch of dirt in our backyard. We’re in the process of getting it prepped to lay sod, but until then, we have a lot of dust and dirt being tracked in the house. It’s a mess. Add that to two puppies who like to get on the kitchen table, and I’m washing a table every day. Plus the dirt and puppy paws are hard on the table. Easy solution, I thought. I went to Big Lots, bought a cheap vinyl tablecloth, problem solved. Right. Here’s my tablecloth after the doctor appointment. Jack says it’s not HIS fault.And I tend to believe him. It’s this one who’s the troublemaker, and she was on a roll yesterday. Ate the plastic pulls off the kitchen window blinds, ate a long plastic straw out of the dish drainer, tried to eat the hose and sprinklers in the back yard (multiple times), dig dig dig in the peat moss and dirt, ate the hostas…sigh. Alex and I finally took them for a long walk after dinner and it was a good thing, because only then could I remember why I wanted puppies. They’re so much nicer when they’re calm and cuddly. So fine. I’ll try to walk some silly puppies today.

It’s Cotton Season

Apr19

Everything I’m making right now is cotton. I’m so ready for warmer weather that I can’t stand the thought of playing with wool or alpaca. I think other people feel the same, so since I’m prepping for craft shows, I’m trying to make things that will be appealing. You’ve seen some of the hats, now four in all. But I also made a lightweight mesh scarf. It’s either TARDIS blue or KC Royals blue, however you want to think about it. And this morning I finished a simple little purse with a long strap so you can wear it across the body. It’s perfect for baseball games, theme parks, amusement parks, anything where you just need your wallet, phone and keys. It’s got a snap inside to keep it closed. Best of all, it’s cotton, so if it gets wet, it won’t hurt the bag! (Might hurt the phone, but that’s not my problem!) It’s cute by itself but it’s even cuter with a little flower. I’ve got some gorgeous raspberry-pink cotton that might become my next little bag, and I’ve got another custom order hat to do in a cotton/linen blend. Looks like my cotton fixation won’t be ending anytime soon.

The Day of No Knitting

Mar29

I didn’t knit a stitch yesterday. I know, isn’t that crazy?! I wasn’t sick, I was home all day, and yet I never picked up a needle. BUT. That does not mean I didn’t play with yarn. I spent the day organizing my inventory of finished objects and getting ready for upcoming shows. Everything is priced, tagged and bagged. I pulled out the heavy winter items, since they won’t be big sellers for a while. I updated my Facebook Items for Sale photo album. And best of all, I worked on my Etsy shop.

A while back, I blogged about my frustrations with Etsy and got a LOT of great feedback. One seller graciously offered to look at my shop and give me some pointers. Thank you so much, Leonor, your suggestions were detailed and on point! I also took the time to look through her shop, Felt Buddies, for some ideas. She’s got some amazing needle felted sculptures.

Anyway, one of her suggestions was to improve the quality of my photos. My photos were better than when I first started on Etsy, but I knew they would be even better if I used natural light with a real person, which is exactly what Leonor told me. Yesterday, I finally did. My daughter already looked nice because of a morning music competition, so I told her to put on a neutral top and come outside with me. Her hair was up, so we focused on cowls and scarves, and I love the pictures I got!She had the most fun sitting on the hood of the truck, even if it was a bit too much sunshine. It was a great exercise for me too, to see how much better the photos look when they’re not in direct sun. We had fun playing with poses and backgrounds, and I can’t wait to get her out there with all my hats! Thank goodness we’re on Spring break–we’ll have time this week.

I also took my teddy bears out for some fresh air. I figure maybe they want to be in someone’s Easter basket this year.So my Etsy shop is updated now, and I’m pleased with it. It’s still a work in progress but I like where it’s headed. Today I’m going to take my new baby hats outside for some photos and get them listed on Etsy too. And I’m always open to hear how you make Etsy successful for you!

Two Finished Knitted Cowls

Feb5

I know I have neglected you, dear readers, but I have been busy making things to show you. Plus I have been busy with other non-yarn things. (I know, what’s wrong with me?) But yesterday was all about yarn, and I finished a project that’s been hanging over my head for months.

A few weeks ago, I posted about a lace cowl WIP that I had picked up again, and I had to frog it and start over. I tried really hard. I got around 10 rows done, set it aside to make a hat…and could never bring myself to get back to it. Apparently, I HATE fingering weight yarn with a passion. And fingering weight yarn with a lace pattern? That is my nightmare, clearly. I messaged the friend who’d requested it and asked if I could modify the pattern by holding the yarn double. She was chagrined that she’d asked for such a difficult pattern, but I assured her that was not the case. Really, the pattern itself is quite simple. There are many knitters out there who would love to make a long lace infinity scarf with 360 stitches in fingering weight yarn on size 4 needles. It was just a combination that I had no idea I would dislike so much. She gave me free rein on the cowl, and I had it DONE by the end of the day. Seriously. Started and finished in one day. Now, that’s mostly all I did yesterday, but in the previous incarnation, I *might* have gotten a third of the way through. Can I say it again? The cowl is DONE. And I love it. I love how it turned out. I’d bought three skeins of Premier sock yarn in Hot Lime, so I held three strands together, took the Spring Lace Infinity Scarf pattern (which really is quite lovely) and cast on 108 stitches. Then I just knit in the lace pattern until it looked tall enough. It came out at 7 1/2″ tall, so I could have gone at least another repeat or two, but for a spring cowl I think it’ll work well. Whew! I’m so glad to have the done so I can send it off!

I also managed to whip out a cowl for another friend. I had one skein of Plymouth worsted alpaca in dark grey, so I used the Darkside Cowl pattern, and I made that in less than a day. It’s a fantastic pattern; I’ll definitely be making more. It’s super cozy, the way it hugs the neck. Mmmm. I need to make myself one.

I enjoyed my little cowl-knitting break, but I think I’m ready to get back to hats. I’ve got a spring crochet scarf to finish up, but then I’m breaking out the circs. I sold a hat on Etsy (WHEE) so now I’m motivated to replace it and add more. And we have cold, snowy weather here today so the best thing to do is snuggle up with the puppy and the yarn.

Finished Object Friday … almost

Nov7

I got SO close to a five-day stretch of daily finished objects. This morning I had about fifteen minutes of crochet to finish off the second scarf and last piece in a 2-hat, 2-scarf order. I wove in ends and got out all the pieces to photograph…and the first hat slid down the styrofoam head. Bad sign. I tried it on, and it was loose. Since it’s for a young boy, that’s not going to work. Sighhhhh. I *thought* it looked big but I was afraid to try it on for this exact reason. Still, I’m glad I found out before I had the name embroidered on it! And I’m also glad that it’s a hat I have to re-knit and not a scarf.These are for two brothers who both like blue, so I used the same shades but alternated the starting color for the stripes. The hat is a simple beanie and the scarf is garter stitch (for the squish factor) with a single crochet border (for visual interest). I used Caron One Pound in Sky Blue and Midnight Blue, and each piece will have the boy’s name embroidered on it. But first I need to knit a smaller hat!