Speed Crafting :)

For almost two months I worked on the lovely Midnight Maths Shawl. This test ended up being more daunting than I had expected. The pattern is written well and I was able to keep up until the very end. This is Fiery Phoenix's design. Not only does Babs design beautiful patterns, but she also like to help you to learn the skills too. Here are some pictures of the finished shawl.

I'm not sure when it will be released. It was very fun to knit and she created both written and charted instructions. Lace and charts are such a wonderful thing for my accountant style brain.

Now that the test is over I'm jumping into birthday projects for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Both of their birthdays are in October. Next is my cousin's wedding at the end of October...then my nephew's birthday, my younger son...then Christmas! This has been quite the year. I crocheted a lovely doily for my mother-in-law and I'm working on a little something for Gilly (my sister-in-law). I posted a little while ago about the awesome Halloween themed doilies. A couple of Dias de los Muertos doilies would be wonderful...and a Frankenstein for my mother-in-law too. I won't have time for all of that but having ideas can be useful down the road.

In all of the fun holiday knitting/crocheting I'm excited for Stephen West's next mystery along. It begins on October 5 and should be quite intriguing:  Texture Time. Although I don't always share Stephen's aesthetic, I love to follow his work. The designs, photos, and fun are beautiful. I always feel like Stephen puts art, not simply knitting into the world. MKALs are not for everyone and you sometimes get partway through it and realize it's not for you. The adventure is really the best part. Here is my initial idea for colors.

I'd be using a heavy fingering weight yarn, closer to a dk weight. The colors remind me of sunset.

There is also a KAL that I only have one more week to complete. I'm not through my first Angel's Flight sock, but I'm making good progress. The colors are so fun...why not try to finish them in time? Check out Jessie's designs.

Have a great week and happy crafting.

Designing a Sweater...Yes, I want to do this.

We're leaning towards sweater season and I want to design my own. A top down yoked seamless sweater. Some color work and a bit of lace. These were my initial thoughts.

In regards to #handmadewardrobe I'm hoping to start designing a fun and funky group of patterns with a Portland theme. Can I over the next twelve months design (in no particular order) design...

1) Sweater,
2) Cardigan,
3) Cowl,
4) Bandanna cowl,
5) Socks,
6) Scarf,
7) Throw,
8) Hat, and
9) Bag?

You'll notice that a shawl is not on the list, but that could easily be done with the modification of the bandanna cowl. While working on my current test for another designer (less than 150 stitches to cast off as of this current moment), I started drafting a stitch pattern for the cowls, which I'm hoping can be used in other patterns in this group as well. I'm hoping to have both knit and crochet designs and I'm super excited to get those patterns moving. Anyone interested in testing some color work knitting? I was thinking about trying Yarnpond and there are a few interested testers in my pool already.

Here is an early image of the test I'm trying to complete :).

Back to the test and I hope to have lots to share next weekend. Happy crafting.

Thank You for More than 4,000 Views!!!

Thank you for all the views!!! I'm hopeful to have 5,000 views by the two year mark and we're at 18 months, so it's not a crazy goal.

I took last week off (first time ever) and I'm only posting briefly today. The knit shawl I'm testing is due this week and it's not looking like I'll make the deadline. With work deadlines and family obligations, I'm afraid I won't make it. The other knitter doing the fancy edging is in the same boat.

Surprisingly, I'm in Seattle as I type up this post. We were able to get cheap last minute college football tickets and a hotel room near the University of Washington. Being back on campus brings back so many memories. I'm wearing my first bit of Husky gear that I bought about 15 years ago. Attending UW was my biggest adventure and I still can't believe the blind confidence I had that I could do it.

My husband and I met in the Husky Marching band when I was a junior. We walked through the little outdoor theater with the iconic four columns where we were married over 11 years ago. UW was simply the start to my big adventure. We miss Seattle so much.

Have a happy crafty week.

As August Draws to a Close...

It's been a very busy month. Summer is a wonderful time of year. However, my favorite season is Autumn. The seasons of transition are always so intriguing to me and the fall season hear in the Pacific Northwest is mostly beautiful. November is very rainy, but September and October are generally very nice. Seeing the leaves change and celebrating Halloween have been my favorite fall events since I was a kid. I would rake the leaves into a pile for my own amusement.

My older son's school starts next week and it's amazing to think about how quickly the summers tend to fly by. After a week of several days of 90 degree weather, we're suddenly only hitting daily highs in the 60's and 70's...it feels so strange, yet I'm thankful for a bit of a cool down.

Doesn't it make you think of a cozy jacket or sweater? I wore a hat yesterday (mostly to cover up my frizzy hair). Getting ready for a 9:00 AM dress fitting didn't fit with doing my hair. My teal hat matched my bridesmaid dress, which wasn't on purpose at the time. The kind attendant complimented the coordination of color.

Here's a little selfie for your amusement...please ignore the messy hair.

The lovely teal yarns arrived this week along with a beautiful skein for a knit along I wanted to start this week. I can't wait to start playing with the yarn to make a lovely gift...

Sadly, the edging for my test knit will take a significant amount of time to wrap up. It looks lovely, yet I'm nervous about my patience. I'm supposed to have 720 stitches to bind off with the edging and only 3 stitches of the body are knitted together every 12 row repeat. I'm working on my 10th repeat after frogging back a bit. I had dropped a stitch and there was a gap I didn't like. I'm hopeful that I can get through much of it this weekend. There wasn't much time to knit on Saturday.

With all of the KALs and CALs happening, it's nice to take a peek at some of the great patterns that are newly available. The one pattern that caught my eye is Verena Cohrs' Divining Tee. Here is a great image of it. There is also a long-sleeved slouchy sweater version that is beautiful as well. The simple details and lines are stunning.

A different WIP that I had started has now been frogged. My start on Caitlin Hunter's Alyeska...I say good bye. I've decided that I want to change a color and would like to convert it into a cardigan.

I hope you have a great week. Happy crafting!

Weddings and Knit/Crochet

My cousin's wedding is only a couple of months away and I can't help but think about the amazing handmade items I've seen for weddings.

One Interweave Crochet magazine from the summer of 2015 had so many great handmade wedding items, from flowers and bow ties to a full wedding dress. I love this issue of the magazine so much even beyond the wedding patters. It's a must see.

In another older magazine issue there were lovely pictures of a shawl designed for a designer getting married that took my breath away. There were amazing socks for the groomsmen and fun photos. If I find it, I'll share what issue it is.

I finally ordered my first skeins of Potion Yarns. I wanted to find something in teal to try to make a little something for my cousin. A scarf or a wrap...something nice for the coming winter months. I also found a lovely skein of yarn on Yarn Over New York, so there is a third contender for the teal yarn.

Here is some lovely eye candy of the teal yarns I found from the dyers:

Potion Yarn's Queen of the Nile

Potion Yarn's The Drones Club

Yarn Over New York's Fox Specs

Each yarn has such a unique beauty.

This post is pretty short this week. I've been making great progress on my the test for the Midnight Maths Shawl from Fiery Phoenix. Only 720 rows of the special cast off to go.

Happy crafting!!!

#HandMadeWardrobe

Oh, how I love the idea of being able to hand make a wardrobe...or even simply be able to mend my clothing with finesse. I'm a hand sewer. My sewing machine has been dormant for some time (you can see the post in which I finally opened the box and showed my older son how to use it last year). After moving it...no progress.

Sadly, I can't knit all standard garments necessary and that would take quite a bit of time. I have a super fun sewing book that I really want to dive into. It starts with some simple patterns and progresses to skirts and dresses.

There are some garments that I'd really like to add to my wardrobe that seem completely functional. Cardigans and sock weight shells seem to be easy additions. I'm hoping to make some small, thin accent scarves to add to color to my mostly black and neutral tone wardrobe. I can make up the accent scarves :). Maybe they'll be interesting enough to share.

Here is a great short list of what I'd love to tackle for my knitted/crocheted wardrobe:
Comfort Fade Cardi from Andrea Mowrey (casual cardigan) - dk weight
Free Range Kimono from Jesse Coppom (casual drapy short sleeved cardigan) - worsted weight
Carbeth Cardigan from Kate Davies (chunky cropped cardigan) - bulky
Maia Tee from Francois Danoy (beautify tank/shell) - fingering weight

Here is my fade idea for the Comfort Cardi. What do you think?

I was shopping last weekend (for clothing...for me!) and thought of how amazing it would be to make my own garments. I wear primarily business casual with some suiting requirements. I bought a literal shiny new suit! The sheen doesn't show up well in pictures but the suiting has a nice silver shine. Such a lovely neutral that can be dressed up or down...let's see how long it takes me to stain it.

Yarn Over New York, an indie dyer and pattern designer, will be starting a KAL with prizes next Saturday, August 18. The Angels Flight KAL has several options. I'm hoping to knit the socks :). Join the Facebook Group to learn more and for a discount code!

Here is a little taste of some lovely hand dyed yarn from yarn Over New Yarn:  Stormborn.

If you're in need of fibre in your YouTube subscriptions, check out Potion Yarn's channel. Johanna is doing a series on different kinds of wool. I also like her spunky attitude and gorgeous yarn. Check out her shop too :). She dyes hair and yarn for a living.

Here is just a peek at at Johanna's colorway Pamplemousse. It's my favorite :).

Ok, working on a new design idea...have a stitch pattern charted...onto swatching. I'm also continuing on my test knit.

Happy crafting and have a great week.

A Start to August and to KALs

Summer knitting and crochet can be tricky. I have some friends who cast off their projections for sewing or simply doing other things in the summer months. Handling wool in triple digit heat is understandably unpleasant. However, those of us in air conditioning can find the wool comforting. I read an article that summer is considered to be "women's winter" due to the air conditioning inside spaces. That phrase was new to me this year.

The summer months rarely slow down my crafting. There are often long road trips or waiting that provides me with time to keep making. During these months I'm often inspired to work with cotton, bamboo, linen, and various warm weather blends. The lovely array of summer clothing and accessories are also lots of fun. Projects that don't require sleeves are much quicker too.

As I'm typing this up, I'm thinking about the wool shawl that I'm currently testing. I started it on a bamboo blend  as well, but am focusing on the wool version to make sure I meet the necessary deadline. Pi shawls do tend take more time as you go, since they keep growing :).

Here is a picture of the wool version before I had completed the Chinese Lace section. The pattern is by Fiery Phoenix (Babs Rudlin). It's quite airy and light with the Knitpicks Shadow Lace yarn. I'm using two different colors and changing as indicated in the pattern.

The design is very pretty.

The fun challenge that I'm hoping I can do alongside this challenging test knit is the Sweater Sister's Mini Sweater Challenge. It starts on Monday 8/6. Four mini sweaters will be knit over four weeks to practice different sweater construction. I love these challenges that help you to better understand construction without having to spend months on a single project. This is not the first mini sweater challenge, but my first opportunity to participate. I'll share them is I'm able to get them done :).

There are a bunch of MKALs and CALs that are starting this month as well. I'm sticking with this test, the #minisweaterchallenge, and catching up on my #VVCAL squares as time permits.

Stay cool, we're back to 90 degree temperatures here in Portland starting tomorrow. I appreciated the break...I've grown so accustomed to the moderate temperatures.

Happy crafting and have a great week.