Seaweed Scarf

I started this scarf back in July and worked on it off and on. Determined to finish it, I have been working on it pretty much daily this month. I finally finished it at 1am this morning.

The pattern is available on Ravelry. It is very easy to do and is great if you have not done the knit through the back loop increase. So I learned something new doing this!

Now to decide what I’m going to work on next. I have many things I want to do but there is only one of  me!

Leafy Sea Dragon Scarf

I started working on this scarf back in February this year and only just finished. I worked on it off and on as I’ve got lots of other things going on so tend to jump around with my projects.

This is a loom knit pattern and it is available on Ravelry. It’s fun and super easy, so I recommended it if you are a newer loom knitter wanting to try something that isn’t plain straight. Or maybe you’ve been loom knitting for awhile and like ruffles. This pattern is one everyone will like!

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The piece of yarn with the full-sizes scissors is what I had left. I won the game of yarn chicken! This scarf measures a total of 74″ long. It is also made with my handspun yarn. I was determined to use it all on this scarf, and so I did. Now it’s much too hot out for scarves, so into my hope chest until the colder weather arrives.

My next project is going to be a shawl that I’m planning on wearing to Rhinebeck (NY Sheep and Wool) this October. Since I’m slow at knitting due to distractions, I figure that if I start now, I will hopefully finish it in time. The challenge now is deciding on a pattern!

Spinning and playing away

Over the holiday I have been working on my fiber related projects. I took stock of all of my fiber and uploaded them in to my stash on Ravelry so I can keep track of what I have. It also makes it easier to add to my projects when I list them. I got a gift card to Webs from my coworker for Christmas as well as a gift card from my parents and grandparents. I will be going down soon to stalk up on more fiber and to hopefully get some weaving yarn.
Here are some things I’ve done since this past Thursday:

Rolags from mystery fiber. Hard to tell in the picture, but they are black and purple.

I spun this up and plied it with silver metallic thread. It is Loops December Bullseye of the Month Club “River Safari”. This is my first time spinning one of her bullseye bumps. I really enjoy watching the colors spin up as I get to them. I am looking forward to the next mystery bump!

This one was a double experiment. I have never spun Polworth before or tried corespinning. I really dislike the Polworth. It is very “sticky” and hard to draft. I had to stop constantly and pre-draft. This was intentionally spun thick for weaving with.

And a few projects I made earlier in the year but I don’t think I ever posted about. Nothing interesting really, just some basic scarves and ear warmers. The two black and white houndstooth scarves are woven. The others are knit.

And aside from those, I have been making cotton wash cloths. No pictures of them yet, but I have a mountain of them. I’m trying to use up the small balls of Peaches n’ Cream I’ve had for a few years before buying new yarn.

So that’s what I’ve been doing! I hope everyone else had a nice Christmas and holiday.

Wingspan Shawl

Over the weekend I finished knitting my first project that is not a basic scarf or plain rectangular shawl. I also used a pattern for the first time. Since I am still a beginner, I wanted something easy. I found the Wingspan shawl on Ravelry and thought to give it a try. I worked on it off and on for a week and finished it Sunday. It is a super easy pattern and one that people should try if you are just learning to knit. Experienced knitters could do it in their sleep!

This is the yarn I used. It is Jitterbug in the Ischia colorway, 100% superwash Merino sock yarn, 400 yards at 150gs. The pattern called for 100gs but did not give yardage. I am glad I went with this yarn because I only have a tiny ball left. Keep that in mind if you want to make this yourself.

And here is what it looks like. It is not a big shawl (more a shawlette), a lot of people would probably consider it a scarf.

If you want to get the pattern (sorry, it’s not free), you can find it on Ravelry HERE.

Working on stash busting

I have a lot of acrylic and cotton yarn to use up so that I have room for my own handspun. This is what my stash looks like right now (minus two or three more skeins that I have some place else).

I have used up some purple yarn (wan’t pictured) to make my mother a shawl for her birthday.

I also made a short infinity scarf with yarn that has been in my stash for probably five years. I could never decide what to do with it!

I have a lot of yarn crafts bookmarked on Ravelry that I hope will help me bust through the rest of my stash.

Sick weekend = Crafty time!

So I wound up with a cold on Thursday and because my breathing became a pain, I did not go to the gym for a few days. Instead, I stayed home bundled up under the covers and worked on some projects.

I had been planning on making a shawl in hairpin lace, but I was not paying too much attention to what I was doing since I was teaching myself. Instead, I attached all the pieces I had together and made it into a long scarf.

This is a washcloth that I started knitting last year but got distracted by something else and never finished. Now it is all done. It is using Sugar n’ Cream cotton yarn.

I used up two skeins of Caron Simply Soft (Eco) yarn to make this bag. It is good-sized, could hold a pair of shoes and other stuff since it will stretch. I have no idea what I’ll use it for though.

I then made myself a hat to match the scarf I made a couple of months ago and with the remaining yarn I was able to make a skinny scarf. I love this yarn it is so soft! It is Merino 50 by Lang Yarn.

I have a few other projects in progress but that is nothing new here. I’m back to going to the gym since I can breathe a bit better now so my crafting time is down a bit. I am going to work hard on using as much stuff from my stash as possible and only buy things if I need them to finish a current project.

….famous last words? Probably.

Three more scarves! Time to fill a box!

I have finished three more scarves already. I have found that I can finish one in a few hours so I could get one done a night if I don’t get distracted by something else! I am hoping to fill a box to donate to one of the shelters around my area so people in need can be at least a little warmer.

I have four more skeins of that green yarn left. That first blue one was slow going because the yarn was thicker than was meant for the reed I was using but it’s the only one I have at the moment. The Black/blue/purple one I did last night and have enough yarn left to make two more like it.

After I get rid of this older yarn, I am going to spin more of my own up so I can weave with handspun to make an 100% made by me scarf! I’m really enjoying my Cricket loom and maybe I’ll get one a bit bigger (possibly the 25″ Flip).

Pinwheel Houndstooth scarf

Here is my third finished scarf on my Schacht Cricket loom! This time I tried something a bit different. I used yarn I had in my stash and the colors are a bit bright so it’s hard to see the pattern, but it is there!

And this is my cat Black Jack supervising me while I was warping for the previous scarf!

And number two is done

I just finished weaving my second scarf on my new loom. I’m having so much fun with this! For my next one I am planning on trying out a pattern. I think it’s pinwheel houndstooth but can’t remember for sure.

This one is a much better length than my first one. I also like it better with the same yarn as warp and weft than the first which had the white for the warp.

I love my Cricket loom!

Completion

I completed the scarf I posted about the other day. It turned out shorter than I had thought it would, but that is my fault for measuring the warp wrong.

Scarf number two is already on the loom and half done. I’m finding that weaving goes very quickly for me, at least doing plain weave. I’ll be looking up patterns soon, I think !

Scarf donation

Here are all of the scarves that I made and will be donating to the survival center this week. I was hoping to make more but I kept getting distracted by other things. At least they are better than none!

Handspun yarn

Here is the hand spun yarn I have done up so far. I started knitting with it last night and it makes an interesting texture with the thick and thin yarn. I still have a whole ball of roving to spin up too, so hopefully it will be a bit more balanced out.

Update

I finished scarf number three on Sunday but am just now posting. This one came out really really long because I went until I finished the skein. Since I know there are people who like long scarves, I’m not worried about someone not liking it.

Also, this is another ATC I did for the 7 Deadly Sins swap over at Swap-Bot. I honestly had a hard time doing this one as I just could not think of anything. After reading and re-reading the description of the sin (Sloth), it says that the goat and the color light blue are associated with it. This is what I came up with. It is also my first hand drawn ATC. I hope my partner likes it.

ATC and scarf two

Here is another ATC for the Deadly Sins swap over at Swap-Bot. This one is Greed. When I hear Greed I think money and that means gold. It took me awhile to figure out how to do this one with what I had, but I like it in the end. Hope my partner does.

And I finished making the second scarf that I plan on donating later this year. It is short but is just long enough to put one end over your shoulder. It’s really thick and soft too. Not sure what size needles I used. My biggest, that’s all I know.

Scarf

I am about halfway done with my first knitting project. It’s coming along well. I still need to take pictures before I actually finish.