Big Weekend and #Stashdown2020

It was a big weekend last week. My almost 5 year old had his birthday party, I geared up for a short work trip, and began planning for #Stashdown2020 kicked off by @browngyrlknits.

The birthday party was a hit and the kids had a blast. I'm so thankful that we decided to hire a magician to keep the kids entertained. We used Philip & Henry to help find us a local magician. The show was curtailed to 4 & 5 year old kids. They had so much fun.

We brought a couple of kitties into our home the next day. Tetra and Akari are a bonded pair of five month old kittens we adopted last weekend. They our sweet. Our lovely Molly, our 8 year old cat, is not too pleased. We're working on easing the transition. My older son is so appreciative with his early Christmas present. He named one and my husband named the other kitty.

I headed to Salt Lake City for a work thing. As always, I was both excited and nervous about the trip. Wanting to make a great impression on my bosses/new colleagues and to learn... I was happy to have some crafting time on the plane and I knitted during the meetings. It's a great group of professionals.I had to share a picture of the beautiful lights and the large LDS temple.

Onto #Stashdown2020. Here is the list crafted by @browngyrlknits:

1. Inventory your yarn before Jan. 1
2. Pick patterns to go with your yarn and make a list
3. Knit from that list all year
4. You get $30/ month for new yarn. Use it all at one time or break it up.
5. You get 2 "deal breakers" for the year just in case your will-power gives out

I'm working on Step 1!!! I went through about 3 large bins. I won't get through all of them, but there is wiggle room to simply work on the yarn you plan to use. With the large scrap projects I plan to do, I'm hoping this is a super productive year and to make it through a couple of bins of yarn.

Lastly, I've been enjoying my yarn advent calendar from Yarn Over New York. I really want larger batches of many of these colors. So much fun!

Wishing you happy holidays and happy crafting.

Hello December 2019!

After taking a month off from the blog I wanted to jump back in with a post. The holiday season is in full swing and we put up our Christmas tree. This will be our first Christmas in our first house. I want to make a tree skirt, lots of decorations, and gifts. As I explained in an earlier post, I'm not intending to make many presents this year. It's a bummer, but totally reasonable.

I'm starting a test crochet for a blanket. It's secret, so no photos or clues. The sampling of stitches is fun.

The Thanksgiving holiday is mired in tough truths about american history. It is a poignant time to be grateful and generous. We spent time with family and shared a lovely meal. I'm thankful for our family and thankful for the hope of another day. Our kitty has been such a wonderful addition to our family too. We're gearing up to share our second round of holidays with her.

My younger son is about to turn 5 years old. I know it's cliche, but it's flown by. Everyday with my kiddos has been such a blessing. Before my husband and I married, we were told that we could have some difficulty conceiving and then somehow by magic we had two kids. I'm hopeful that more bundles will join our family, just not from me :).

I finished some lovely pieces for a friend who is expecting the arrival of her first baby next month. It meant the world to me to be able to give her something to celebrate the arrival. The adventure will begins soon.

Lots of crafting so little time. Happy crafting.

Happy Halloween 2019!

I'm posting early this week because tomorrow kicks of NanoWriMo. With the new job starting as well, I want to put any availabl time into writing more with the focus on the 50,000 word goal. I made it to over 25,000 words last year and was keeping to a consistent schedule before giving up. Wish me luck!

Did you craft anything for Halloween? This year we purchased some decorations so no crafts this go round. Here is a picture of the doilies I made for my mother-in-law last year. Aren't they lovely!?!!

We also celebrated our Molly's (our cat's) adoption day and national cat day this week. One year with our furry baby has been fantastic. We couldn't ask for a better kitty.

We've had some drama on the home front, but the good news is that I have a kitchen and a brand new hot water heater. Please don't let anything else break soon...pretty please... Our house is over 40 years old and could use some updates.

On the crafting front, I can feature the cool items I've test knitted for the last few months. So many have been in "Secret" mode. I had the pleasure of knitting four different designs from Nomadic Knits Issue 5:  Vermont. All the patterns I tested in the group were designed by Melissa Kemmerer.

First, I completed Circus Lights, a pick your own adventure scarf. I love the Gingerbread main color yarn. This sweet brown along with the cream and teal are from Yarn Over New York. The bright colorful yarn is from Potion Yarns (one of her special club colorways). for the pompoms I used a jumbo clover pompom maker (I think 3 3/8 inch).

Next was the completion of the cocoon shrug Zanie. I used Mighty Stitch from KnitPicks. I love that canary yellow so much! This has been a great layer to throw on when I need to run into the garage or head out of the house.

Then, I began a couple of sweaters at once. The first is the fun tunic named Sideshow. This has been a go to layer at home now that the weather has shifted. I love how the raglan shaping looks and the fun color and hem shape are nice unique details. The yarn is Cascade Heritage 150 and the main color is Pagoda Blue.

Lastly, I wrapped up the cropped V-neck sweater Aerialist this week.  Photographing black is tricky, and knitting with it isn't much easier. I love how this turned out, and the stripes in the sleeves are so fun. The main color and teal are from Yarn Over New York. Four of the contrasting stripes are from the Sophisticated Mini Skein set from Enchanted Forest Fibers and there is on stripe in Cascade Heritage. I might go back and add some length for my own personal enjoyment. I have about a half a skein left of the main color...and maybe striping a row or two with the contrasting colors would look nice...so much fun!

Now I have to be good an finish my Halloween Mystery KAL sock today and then work on my Rozeta...start a baby sweater....on and on...

I'll have lots to share later in November or in early December. Have a happy and safe Halloween.

Happy crafting!

Second Sleeve Syndrome (more famously known as second sock syndrome)

Do you ever struggle to complete that second sleeve, second sock, second glove, second mitten, etc.? I'm working on my last test knit prior to taking a significant break from testing. Knowing that this will be the last test makes it only more difficult to get through the second sleeve on this cute cropped sweater. I don't like to focus on only one project at a time...It's not something I'm proud of.

The CALs and KALs are calling me. The last clue is out for the WestKnits' MKAL and I haven't even completed more than a few rows, it's so beautiful!!! I've been following instagram so no worries about spoilers. We're five clues into Yarn Over New York's sock MKAL and I've barely started the third clue for one sock. Lastly, the Rozeta CAL is three sections in, and I still need to get started. All that whining is my motivation to get through this last sleeve. I'm enjoying the fit of the cropped sweater, yet there are so many lovely distractions. Just inches to go, a decrease section, and a cuff!

Here are my five tips to getting past this:

1. Remind yourself that focusing your time solely the second item will be much quicker than starting that new project.

2. Remind yourself how unlikely it will be that you or the recipient would use that one item without its pair.

3. Utilize shows, continuing education, or other events to help get through the time needed to work on the second item (jury duty helped me recently).

4. Keep the first item around with you as a reminder of your ultimate goal (It's also handy to have the item to make sure that your second one matches the first).

5. Remember how quickly you made the first item and that the second one should only take that much time or less (since you're familiar with the pattern).

Of course, you could work on pairs two at a time, but I'm assuming that you've already completed the first item. Ok, enough advice :).

A couple of weeks ago I said I'd feature my recent test completions. Now that I'm so close to finishing the last one, I want to wait another week. In the meantime, check out Nomadic Knits Issue: Vermont. I'm working on my fourth of the designs in the publication, and I've enjoyed them all :).

Happy crafting and have a great week!

Tough Weeks and Growth

It's been a crazy week of mixed emotions and stress at my job. My colleagues now know that I'm closing one chapter and starting another professionally. With the news spreading and a deadline this coming week I felt so overwhelmed. The good news is that everyone has been so kind, and I'm thankful that I've had such a great team.

I have less than two weeks to go before I'm done with my current job. I've never been so sad to leave a job, which tells you I've been very lucky for the last almost nine years.

Ok, back to crafting. Let's start with what felt like a fail...I tried to teach my son to crochet again. He can definitely chain, but that's it. We argued about how he's supposed to hold his hands and the yarn and then he claimed he wanted his loom. He hadn't touched his loom for months. My older son is 10 years old, and I've tried to teach him both knit and crochet a few times. He actually picked up knitting for a brief time, but has to be reminded how to do everything each time we come back to it. Even the loom is problematic. Anyway, I'm hoping we can sneak one more hour in tomorrow and something will stick.

I'm still frantically test knitting. I'll post about the four projects I've worked on for one book next weekend. I have lots of knitting left on the last sweater and I have until Halloween to get it done. I really want it done a week early and there are other project that I want on my needles.

WestKnits MKAL had it's second clue released and I've barely started the first. I knew this would be tricky. I think sharing an image wouldn't need a spoiler alert at this point. Seeing others make progress and watching the videos for the third section are so tempting to steer me away from the test knitting.

Soon, Jessie of Yarn Over New York will have her mystery sock KAL and I hope to keep up with that on time (at least for one sock). I'm planning to use scraps. It was so tempting to get one of the mini skein sets to go with the pattern, but I need to stop buying yarn for atleast a year. The Christmas Advent set will be a nice way to quell my appetite. I often get yarn form Christmas too.

Then, there is Rozeta, the Scheepjes KAL that started and I'll be a month behind on it for sure, but it should still be fun. The yarn for that project is set to arrive on Tuesday (my work deadline day).

I don't have any images or any links in the post, but you can definitely find the all the crafty things I referenced pretty easily.

I'm hopeful next weekend will be more restful and I'll have lots more to share.

Happy crafting!

Cozy Up and Crafting

It's the second (was the first when I started drafting this) chilly weekend of the season here in Portland and I'm ready to cozy up with my knitting and crochet.

Last week, I enjoyed knitting at jury duty and making progress on the test knitting. This week I was frantically trying to finish the same project and it is thankfully drying.

I have a confession to make. I ordered yarn today. I vow that it's my last purchase for an entire 12 months. No more yarn! There are too many things and I want to make from all the supplies and I need to refocus.

Back to my confession, I ordered a yarn pack for the upcoming Scheejes blanket KAL. It's crochet and it's such a fabulous design. I had want to buy a kit when I first saw the pictures of the design, but they weren't available yet. Thanks to Instagram, I was reminded of my hope for a kit and was excited to find the color scheme that I wanted was still available. It might seem like the least exciting, but Midnight is so gorgeous.

The color change that is part of the yarn is truly beautiful, but having some basic contrast and neutrals really speaks to me. I'll start this a few weeks late and it will largely be a winter project instead of fall as the intent of this project. If you're interested in the project (it is a free pattern!), check out the designer, Tatsiana's blog post at LillaBjornCrochet for the pattern description and inspiration.

If you're working on the WestKnit's MKAL. I hope you're having a blast.

Happy crafting. Have a great week.

Not buying yarn...not buying yarn...wait, did I buy yarn???

I'm one of those crafty folks that collects yarn and my insatiable appetite for it can complicate things. To help, I purchased a mystery subscription from Hedgehog Fibers for June - August to receive two mystery skeins each.

Then, I purchased a 20g Christmas Advent Adventure Mystery Package from Yarn Over New York on Pre-order. I'm so excited to see the variety of mystery skeins. I'm hoping to make a blanket out of all the mini skeins. Now that it's already the second half to September, there isn't long to wait.

With the 10th Anniversary MKAL from Stephen West, I purchased the two fabulously curated kits from Undercover Otter. I plan to use some of the yarn, but the other vivid colors should go in a cropped sweater...at least that's what's on my mind. This is the duo that I pan to use later:

Oh, what to do with these lovelies? The MKAL starts on October 4th, I believe...so excited!!!

Another MKAL starts on October 16th. The YONY Halloween in Space Mystery Sock pattern should be a blast and a great stash buster unless you want to buy one of Jessie's lovely curated mini skein kits. Here is one of my favorites and this is Jessie's image (Martians and Astronauts in Space):

I can't wait to see socks knitted up in these fab colorways.

After this MKAL fun and the test knitting there won't be enough time to get much holiday crafting done. The items higher on my queue below are planned to be the last minute things to make. Take the time to check these out.  Sadly the list doesn't show the designer's name. Feel free to find me on Ravelry:  LizzieHutch and check out my queue.

Happy crafting and have a great week.

1	Puppy Hand Puppet
2	Sugar Skull Amigurumi
3	Death Star
4	Ragdoll Unicorn
5	Land and Air Pattern Set 1: Biplane and Police Car
6	Hubble the Squid
7	Dissent Cowl
8	My Inner Wanderlust
9	Easy Puzzle Blanket
10	Halloween in Space Mystery Sock
11	Crochet Northeasterly
12	Christmas Stockings
13	Trevi Top
14	Taroko Sweater
15	Sprouting Brioche Baby Blanket
16	Shawl Shirt
17	Chevron Shrug

Coming back to the blog...

I've taken a lengthy break from the blog. With moving, an unplanned kitchen renovation, busy summer things...secret test knitting. The list of excuses and delays are available. I had planned to post the weekend after the 4th of July, which is Independence Day here in the US. With everything going on, I didn't feel so celebratory.

Although there hasn't been a ton of spare time, I've done quite a bit of soul searching to figure out how I feel about lots of matters (both inside and outside the world of crafting). After completing Foundations training, which is required for foster care or special needs adoption in Oregon, I felt pretty exhausted. There is so much to unpack.

Getting back into blogging, I decided to start with a fun post about test knitting. I'm in the midst of two "secret" test knits so I can't share what I'm working on in much detail. I can say that I'm working on a cropped sweater with puffed sleeves and a tunic, both featuring color work.

Testing has been a great outlet for me to make fun and beautiful things while helping designers and the knitting community in general. Below are the items I've completed so far for 2019. I've included link for the ones I can share currently. I'll update and share more as different publications go into print (some will be next year too). I'll share some photos too :).

• Silver Linings by Jennifer Tipton

• Scarf featuring large intarsia circles
• Cocoon shrug with lace ribbing
• Cocoon sweater with distinct mosaic pattern
• Confetti by Jennifer Tipton (Free and just released!!!!)
• EveryBody Shawl for Yarnpeople Issue 3
• Lifepath Shawl for Yarnpeople Issue 3 - This was a super fun lace, texture, and cable sample

• Queeng Hat for Yarnpeople Issue 3
• Hirahira Shawl by Christy Furlan
• Painted Plains by Faye Kennington of UkeeKnits
• Tūmanako Pullover by Francoise Danoy - I loved the fun quick cables. I still want to make one for me
• Armorica by Irina Anikeeva - Second sweater that I completed in 2019!

Yarnpond has been the main place that I've gone to for finding patterns to test. I like the tracking and chat room set up. I've tested via e-mail, Ravelry, and Facebook too. They all have their pros and cons.

I need to get better at photography and modeling. With each project, I'm working to improve.

I'm working on the Gnome MKAL and am planning to give myself a little time to get caught up this weekend :). The clue that went out today is thankfully very short so I can catch up from Thursday's clue...

We're only a few weeks away from Stephen West's next MKAL. I succumbed and purchased a kit or two. Such gorgeous yarn from Undercover Otter... It's fun getting yarn from other countries. This year I treated myself to yarn from Ireland and the Netherlands in additional to my domestic yarn purchases. So many lovelies.

Next week, I'll post about my bottomless yarn appetite and my recent acquisitions. Be ready for color and project ideas!!!

Happy crafting.

Crafting and the Oregon Coast

Each year we plan for two trips to the Oregon Coast. We love Lincoln City and choose another city to enjoy. Our first trip to kick off summer is to Seaside.

I always have high hopes that the kiddos will be on their best behavior and that my partner and I are rested and ready for anything. Not surprisingly, our trip was off to a tough start. We were all tired. There were some really great moments in between the unpleasant chunks. A nice family hug when we all had a great view of the beach was great.

My treat was to stop by Seaside Yarn and Fiber, and my older son picked out a skein of yarn for me.

A couple of toy shops, a candy shop, and a nice walk on the Promenade, we settled in. The little guy and I stayed behind and enjoyed the quiet, while the other half of the family enjoyed the arcade.

Sunday is our full day in Seaside. We spent the morning and lunchtime enjoying the beach and yummy fish. After a little break we were back on the beach and snagged some lovely handmade ice cream.

I'm frantically testing three patterns this weekend. I'm 75% done with a quick shawl and I'm making steady progress on the two other patterns. The hat needs to be done by Wednesday and the others by next weekend.

Lastly, HiraHira, a shawl pattern by Christy Furlan of Yarning for Whimsy was launched last week. This was a real blast and I'm always honored to test patterns for fabulous designers. My hubby loves to take pictures when I'm not ready...

Have a great week and happy crafting!

How to feel better when things suck (or at least what I've been doing...)

In reality, this how I deal with tough times...Not a guide, but maybe some inspiration for you.

The last couple of weeks at work have been tough and feeling secure in my career has been tricky. Technology and other pressures have made what I do for living seem less bright 10 - 20 years in the future. How do I stay in a competitive spot? How do I create a premier professional service line? Neither of these questions sound fun, but there is definitely room for creativity.

I've needed to unwind on my time away from the office. Knitting and spending time with kids only so much. One bright moment was a networking lunch with an inspiring attorney who has been out on her own for about a year. Speaking with someone who is out making things happen in a way that is effective and rewarding is wonderful. She makes things work as mom and as a young attorney. When I asked her what would be her preferred client, she said "Good people." This make me happy because having good clients is so important. Money isn't worth having to deal with people who don't treat you or your staff well.

I don't want to jinx it, but I've attended my knitting/crochet group two weeks in a row. I miss these fabulous people and there are always new ones to meet. Chilling out and sharing our love and crafting is fabulous. They're helping me pick an iron, so I can try to get going on sewing again... :)

A date night this week was a nice escape. We spent time at a bar near us that we hadn't tried. My husband said that the Philly cheese steak was considered very authentic, so he had his chance to give it a try. Fish and chips are cheap on Fridays, so I had an order with a margarita. That's a big treat for me. We topped it off with finally watching Captain Marvel...I still need to see the last two hours of End Game.

I started doing barre classes from YouTube this week and my abs are so sore today. clearly I need to work on them (my abs) more. I'm excited to try classes that are focused on the upper body. When it only takes 5 minutes to feel the burn on my legs, I know it's a good workout.

Doing something for myself can be a big help. I finally went in to see the optometrist for first time in couple of years. I had to replace my last frames several times because my younger son snapped them. I ordered a nice new pair with a newer look...I hope look fine. You can be the judge.

Lastly, venting sessions have been helping. Although I don't like to complain or cause a fuss, sometimes I need to express what's bugging me. Venting can go too far, so I keep it going until I feel like I'm at that teetering point of saying more than enough.

On the crafting front I'm wrapping up a test knit. Next week I get the feature on of my recent finished projects (I'm hoping to feature two). Next, I'm hoping to work on a collection I recently found. My goal is to make all of the pieces. Which one would you start first?

Renée Callahan's Recollect Collection (all are her sample photos)...checkout her YouTube episodes too.

A Sweater For Lucille

Hazel's Stripes

Jo Shawl

Josephine

Mabel's Maze

Pat Hat

I'm excited to see some yarn come my way for the next three months...a short term yarn club should be a blast.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

So much fun in the Knit-Crochetverse

Besides the current testing of some patterns for some fabulous designers, there is a lot of fun out there.

Having three shawls on my needles has been making me feel all shawled out. This should not dissuade you from the Aroha Knits KAL that will be starting. Frenchie is running it for several weeks and you can choose any of her shawl patterns. Frenchie re-released her Wheat Fields Shawl pattern this week, which was the idea behind a shawl KAL. I've been lucky enough to win a few prizes.

Merethe of NaasKnits has released a pattern today! It's a lovely lace cowl. Be sure to check out My Inner Wanderlust. Her sample looks amazing and I have a skein from one of Aroha Knits KAL that would be perfect. Here is an image of Merethe's sample. Buy it this weekend to get a discount and check out her newsletter for upcoming patterns!

The #kmoonkal ended today and sadly mine is not finished. The great part is that I plan to finish before the end of June. This is Brenda's Kimono Moon Shawl listed under Brenjsknits. I'm very fond of my Captain Marvel themed colors and can't wait to sport it upon completion.

Andrea Mowry is doing a fun challenge during this long weekend to knit one of her mosaic hats for her Shiftalong KAL. She released the gorgeous hat this week. I'm trying not to buy patterns, so thankfully I had one of her other mosaic hat patterns in my library. I cast on today and we'll see if I can have it done by Monday.

The next KAL that I have to tell you about is the My Favorite Murder Mystery Wrap which started today (5/25/18). This is going to be an intense project, but I really want keep up. I need to get the yarn wound. It is a mystery along, so I hope I like it! Also, a portion of the proceeds for the pattern sales is going towards an organization helping with the backlog of rape kits. The inspiration for this pattern is the My Favorite Murder Podcast, which was started back in 2016. I love true crime, so I'm giving this podcast a shot :).

We're getting settled into our new home and only have a couple of boxes left to unpack. I'm definitely planning to get through a chunk of my stash this year. Feel free to comment any projects you recommend. I want to continue doing garments and accessories for family, friends, and myself.

This post is light on the crochet, but I'll report back on that more soon.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

Personal Growth and Kick Starting Designing...Again...

I wanted to start with my favorite Dr. Who quote, which comes from the twelfth doctor:

"Human progress isn’t measured by industry. It’s measured by the value you place on a life. An unimportant life. A life without privilege. The boy who died on the river, that boy’s value is your value. That’s what defines a age. That’s what defines a species."

With everything going on in the world, I always like to reflect on our love for one another. Those we don't know and will never meet have value. We should strive to treat others better.

After that little note, I'd like to whine about defiant kids and not getting the Friday night off from my family. Those free nights come along so rarely that losing one is extremely disappointing.

I still made time for myself by getting a haircut. Beyond that, it looks like no quiet or peace for me... Upon that note, I'd like to say I'm thankful for my boys. They might drive me crazy, but I can't imagine my world without them.

On the knitting/crocheting front, I decided to start designing again. I wrote down 6 ideas that I have in mind and I'd like to have both knit and crochet patterns for each sketch. My goal is to spend on average about 30 minutes a day on designing until I'm done with my current test knitting.

I'm working on two shawls and I'm not really a shawl person. One is designed to use mini skeins, so it's a fabulous stash buster. The other is all one colorway with a lovely lace edge. The goal is to see how many pattern repeats I'll do and the overall measurements with two full skeins of yarn. I'll share more as I get closer to the end.

Lastly, did you see the awesome yarn clubs from Hedgehog Fibres? I've been in love with their yarn for so long. A squishy surprise in the mail for three months sounds wonderful. Check it out!!!

Happy crafting! Have a great week.

Moving, working, test knitting...Happy Mother's Day!

Once again I skipped a weekly post. We were readying for our big move to our first house. This is a defining time in our lives, and somehow it's not easy for me to relish the moment. We're so thankful to have the opportunity to own a home. We bought modestly and don't expect to trade up anytime soon. Here is a picture of a lovely surprise from our new home...roses!!!

One thing you learn when you move is how much stuff you have. Oh...too much stuff. My yarn addiction was clearly reflected. I moved all of the yarn bins myself and after 10 bins later, I realized I needed to knit/crochet more and buy less. I still want to support yarn dyers and producers, so I'll be sure to feature things I've finished with my great love, yarn.

Buying electronic patterns doesn't have the same sting, but I'm realizing that I have more than I could ever make. And, what shiny new thing will catch my eye next? I did purchase Boyland Knits' most recent pattern in her Knitaly series Navelli. Isn't the sample lovely!?!!

I've enjoyed working on the Kimono Moon KAL, which I intend to knit while finally viewing the Avengers movie this weekend. I've used a navy blue and golden yellow from Yarn Over New York, so why not add red and make a Captain Marvel Shawl?

I'm testing patterns as well, which I definitely need to take a break from doing. This summer will be knitting fabulous sweater patterns and crocheting produce bags and blankets.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there! Whether you're grandmother, dog mother, teacher...any kind of mother, I wish you a wonderful day.

I'm back!

So...I took over a month off from blogging. To celebrate my 2 year anniversary of this blog, taking some time off didn't seem like a bad idea. My busy season at my day job has been heavy this year and with a pending purchase of a home, some kids, and other things...the blog can wait.

After finishing a test for Aroha Knits...I couldn't help but start another. This stitch pattern is super fun to knit. It's from Faye Kennington of Ukeeknits (one of her patterns is featured below). I'll post about the lovely scarf I tested once it has been released. Here is a modeled preview.

There are so many fabulous patterns that have been released recently. As my busy season treat, I scooped up a few. Here are some of my favorites with pictures from their Ravelry pages. Which one should I make first?

Hats (oh, I love hats!):

Faye Kennington's Oregon Grape

Raina Kruus's Seto Hat (free..or at least it was when I snagged it!)

Cowls (the first two were released on Friday April 26 and have some discount codes available for the next few days):

Skeinwalker Knits' Paeony

Erin Kurup's Chevronelle Cowl

Webster Street Knittery's Free For All Cowl (free!)

Carissa Browning's Dissent Cowl (inspired by the notorious and amazing RBG)

Ok, maybe I went overboard with the cowls :).

Sweaters:

Andrea Yetman's Seascape (free!)

I did purchase a four pack of Boyland Knitworks/Caitlin Hunter patterns that I'll feature in the future. One of them was launched in a local yarn shop near me during the 2019 Rose City Yarn Crawl that I was hoping to check out in person. Busy season got the better of me. I generally don't attend the yarn crawl. I might make my own yarn crawl over the summer and visit some shops I'd love to finally check out.

Blankets:

Catherine Noronha's Midnight Diamond Blanket (I was following this one on Instagram before it was released...I want to make a version where the main color is dark and the contrast is light)

Tatsiana Kupryianchyk's Stained Glass Wonder Blanket (newly released with a discount for a short time)

And more...will share later.

I joined the Kimono Moon Shawl KAL and I'm enjoying the patter so much. Look at my progress!!!

I'm not a shawl knitter, but I absolutely love rhythmic lace and garter stitches. The cast on took so much time, but the picots are stunning. I haven't decided what other colors I want to use for the two other color sections check out the #kmoonkal.

Have a great week and enjoy some knitting, crochet, or both (if you're like me)!

Welcome to March 2019

I chose to skip posting last week because of crazy work stuff and nothing really to post about. I'll keep this one short as I'm debating what I plan to do with the blog long-term. Just shy of two years, I'm excited to have 6,000 views. Blogging is sharing and sharing is caring.

Needle crafts are an amazing portable way to do so many things: reduce anxiety, use time to make something, be creative, teach, make gifts...so many reasons. With the amazing patterns and ideas readily available on the internet from so many talented creators, I can't help but ask myself what do I add to this?

My plan is still to release patterns this year, but once again...what would I really be adding? If I take the time to design something, why not write it down and share it. If I sell it, cover some costs and share with charity. If I keep this in mind, I won't worry about it all happening at once.

We're looking at homes we'd like to buy and there is some hope that we'll buy one this year. Knowing that we'll feel broke and I'll need to keep working like a dog to cover costs...it all seems daunting. The mess is the gift because I'll miss it when it's gone. You can tell I've been trying to hold it together.

Bumping my hours up at work to 70 this week will make things harder, but it's a short-term loss for a long-term gain. My posts will become shorter, but I'll try to keep this alive.

For those of you who attended RCYC, I hope you had a wonderful time and that you entered my name into drawings. This is the second year that I've skipped it...bummer. I might do my own yarn crawl this summer. There are still local shops I need to check out.

Happy crafting.

Digging through the stash for so many amazing patterns!

Ok, around my birthday...I tend to splurge on yarn and patterns. I had been pretty good and then...there is an awesome brown or an amazing coral yarn...or there is a fabulous pattern (yes, I do pay for patterns). My birthday funds were spent on yarn. In the end it means that there won't be new clothes in my closet or more activities aside from a fun run in March. The splurges stop now...then a pattern or two later...stop!  Here are the paid patterns that I tempted me too much:

Breaking Plaid by Carissa Browning...I've been seeing pictures of these cowls popping up on Instagram. I'm excited to employ the stitch in some lovely scarves to send to family.

Hands Entwined by Xandy Peters...isn't this gorgeous! I love Xandy's stitch techniques and being a fan of her other patterns, I can't help but fall in love with this one too.Purchase of this pattern in the first year supports Handspun Hope, which employs marginalized women in Rwanda. Here is a picture of Xandy's sample.

Twin Peaks Cowl by Xandy Peters...for the love of stripes and contrast!
Huldra Swater by Tatsiana Kypryianchyk of Lilla Bjorn Crochet...I'm in love with the yoke and the fabulous drape of the short sleeve version. I have some whirl waiting to be used :). Here is a picture of the short sleeve for Tatsiana's sample.

All You Need is Love by Swift Yarns...such an adorable hat and once again the profits go to charity. The proceeds go to Girl Up, a UN Foundation that focuses on empowering girls, fighting gender inequality, and social injustices.

The main reason that I'm attempting to curtail my spending is that my hubby and I are putting our funds this year aside for a down payment. We're paying off debt and trying to get solid feet on the ground. It's the down payment that makes the process difficult. Tapping retirement to buy a home really scares me.  At least, there is still hope and that feels good in itself.

With the yarn splurge, my four year old fell in love with some red alpaca. The yarn is set aside for a specific project and there isn't enough for what he really wants...a big blanket. I've been looking around for scrap happy projects. I have an awesome corner to corner crochet pattern with an Incredibles theme, but I definitely don't have enough red. Maybe a vintage style chevron/wavy blanket would be nice. Strips or modular pieces would be best to eat up my stash. Any recommendations?

I'm feverishly working on a test sweater. I need to make a hat and a puppy dog too! Also there's 55+ hours of work, paying attention to my kids, and regular household stuff each week. The fun never stops :)

Have a great week and happy crafting!

Creative Juices and Beautiful Patterns/Yarns

During my work busy season, there are all of these amazing ideas that pop up in my mind. I want to have time to put that all into action, but if I'm lucky, I jot down the idea in a notebook and move on.

Also, I've been so inspired by so many lovely patterns and yarns. Some are brand new and others that I'm so very excited about again!!!

Check out these pretty skeins from Salt River Mills Suri Textures (http://www.nasurico.com/). The North American Suri Company has some interesting information and it's great to know that local alpaca enthusiasts can participate in this group.

Anne Lange's Fish and Seaweed Socks. Such a fun sock pattern and the colors Anne picked are fabulous.

Rowan Yarns' Hildis:

PomPom Mag has two lovely sweaters that I'd love to make from their recent spring publication:

Carolyn Carter's Water Clover and Emily Greene's Ginkophyte:

I'm so inspired by Yarn of New York's new brown and teal yarn colors!!! So gorgeous.













After finishing another test, I'm already into another. I chose to use the pattern yarn and it is so lovely!!! I generally don't buy luxury yarns. For some of these tests, it's a real treat.


The one for the test is in Cranberry Harvest, and then I'm hoping to make one for myself in Fiesta Red. Aren't they lovely?

Ok, this is a very short post. I hope have a great week and happy crafting.