Fiber Friday

So happy to be blogging again!

I haven't done much with fiber lately but I have some yarn projects queued up for 2017.

The Lex Shawl from a Quince & Co

I purchased a booklet of shawls last year and it included this lovely pattern. I received some beautiful blue yarn for Christmas that I hope will become this shawl!

Blanche from YOTH yarns

I started this sweater in Brooklyn Tweed yarn, colorway fern. I think it will be a nice addition to my post pregnancy wardrobe and it is fairly straightforward. I haven't done much seaming so it will be a good challenge.

Lucy Hats from Quince & Co

I have the exact yarn shown in this photo so I think I will make this hat. I love having a slouchy hat to cover up bed head in the winter. Plus, it should go faster than the other projects, right?

Project Peace Cowl

So I didn't finish this in December, but I'm enjoying the project so I hope to finally nish it up this year. I am using some YOTH yarn from a previously frogged project and would love to actually wear this yarn, since I purchased it 4 years ago.

I have a few other WIPs:

1. Onward Shawl
2. Ribbed Blanket
3. Featherweight Cardigan (which I may have to frog)

Here's to hoping 2017 has a few more finished projects so I can enjoy the wearing of these beautiful yarns!

Fiber Friday

This week I finished my Terra Shawl and I love it so much!

I had bought this yarn for a different shawl and got about 1/3 of the way through when I realized that that yarn was too dark to showcase the texture. So I ripped it out and found the Terra Shawl. I only worked on it during movie night for the most part, but once I hit the lace section, I couldn't put it down.

I'm currently working on fixing up my Featherweight Cardigan. I started this around Christmas and plowed through but when I got to the sleeves, I must've grabbed a different brand of needle and there is a noticeable line where I switched needles. The sleeves were really bugging me so I decided to rip back. I was able to just rip back the sleeve section and get the stitches back onto the correct needles. Phew! I was fully prepared to tear the whole thing out and start new, but I'm very grateful it didn't come to that!

I also decided to take stock of my WIPs and drew up a chart in my bullet journal. It was so satisfying to finished the Terra shawl and mark it off as complete! I also cast on the Onward shawl which was the original plan for the Tosh yarn above. This time i used some Berocco Ultra Alpac I received from someone. The color is REALLY hard to capture on the camera, but it is a dusty green color and since it is a light color and fairly solid, the pattern seems to be showing up wonderfully! I've been whizzing through this pattern since it's a new cast on and the repeats are easy enough to memorize.

The color here is fairly similar to actual color.

Do you keep track of WIPs? One year I did a stellar job of logging via ravelry.com but find that it's easier to grab my journal than log onto my computer. Happy Fiber Friday!

fiber friday - baby edition

After last week's fiber purge and inventory I become inspired to start some new projects. And, what better inspiration for handmade gifts than a baby!

The first project is a continuation of a project from almost 4 years ago. This blueish/lavender yarn is from Scotland, a gift from my sister. I knit up the booties in an afternoon but didn't have the heart to give them away, so I put them in a box with some other baby gifts I was storing away for future nieces and nephews. I held the yarn together with some cream colored wool, loosely following this pattern.

I pulled out the booties last week and realized there was still quite a bit of yarn left over. So i got to work on a little hat to match. I didn't follow a specific pattern, just used specifications for a baby hat and went with stripes (in case the blue yarn ran a little short). The cream colored yarn is leftover from a shawl I made. It's Quince and Co - Tern in colorway egret. I decided on a square hat because I saw a cute hat with little ears. I'm waiting to let it finish blocking before I commit to tying the corners into ears.

The other project I worked on this week was a hooded baby towel. I wasn't really a fan of the versions in stores so when I saw this tutorial from Purl Soho, I jumped at the chance to do some sewing! I went with some fun vibrant colors, since we are waiting to find out if baby is a he or a she, and I happily using all the coupons I could find with a gift card from my class. This project ended up costing about $15 for a hooded towel and 6 matching washcloths ($0 for me!).

 

Looking forward to more sewing this summer and some finishes coming up soon! The Terra shawl is just a few rows from complete! Hope you found time to do some stitching or knitting this week!

fiber friday

It's been much too long, but to be fair, there hasn't been much fiber fun happening in the last few months. Things have changed though because it is summer break and I have new found energy and motivation to create!

I started by doing a major sort of fabric. I was able to eliminate a large tub and in doing so, discovered lovely fabrics and unfinished projects! I quickly got to work sewing up some washcloths out of flannel so I could use up my stash a bit and prep for our November baby's arrival. I hear babies like messes :)

Today I sorted through my yarn which was much easier because I did a purge not too long ago. I still discovered some lovely yarn and projects I'd abandoned and was happy to find a spark of inspiration! I'm currently playing with some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Smoky Blue. I inherited a LARGE amount of this yarn so I'm testing out some stitch patterns and needle sizes before committing. The hubby is toying with knitting something for the little one so we're considering this blanket or perhaps this project. Updates to come!

I am also making steady progress on my Terra shawl from some lovely Tosh Merino. I have worked on this weekly for a few months, during movie nights. It is a really fun knit, though the garter ribbed section felt quite long. Glad to be in the carted lace section now! Note: the color is hard to capture so I included a photo of the yarn from madelinetosh.com. 

And lastly, I started working on a blanket in April using some Inca Tweed Yarn I've had for awhile. This is a great airplane project. Something easy to remember without having to carry the pattern around. Because it's repetitive, I tend to work on it in spurts then I get a little bored. I am really liking the weight of the blanket now that I'm about halfway through!

That's the fiber news for now and I'm very excited to be back in this space and to have some projects to share. Happy knitting, sewing, and weekending!

fiber friday - 2015 recap

Another great year for fiber projects! I tried counting it all up and here is what I recorded and remember (it's quite possible I've left something out!).

Yarn project were bountiful once again! Not quite as many projects as last year, but I nearly doubled my production just in the last three months alone!

When making this list, I was pleasantly surprised at how much sewing I did. Again, December really amped up my numbers as I made gifts for my favorite people.

What an awesome year 2015 was for fiber. I'm looking forward to more fiber friday posts in 2016! Hopefully some of those unfinished projects will move to my "completed" list :) Off to go work on my featherweight cardigan. I'm loving my Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn and am eager to wear this sweater! Happy knitting and sewing!

To see details about knitting projects, visit my ravelry.com project page.

Fiber Friday

So many fiber takes to tell!

This is a washcloth I made on a road trip last week. I'm on a mission to use up my stash and leftovers so I packed all my cotton yarn in a bag and have been picking away making simple garter stitch washcloths. This is organic cotton from various other patterns.

Yesterday I made progress on my quilt, thanks to a little sewing date with Juliann.

I also cut the leaves to start the appliqué border just outside this center square. I'm hoping to go to the fabric store this weekend to pick up some neutral greys for backgrounds.

So fun to dive back into the fiber world! Hoping to get to clue 4 on my summertide mystery knit along this weekend. Happy stitching!

 

fall list

I love fall. I'm one of those people that craves the crisp morning air and the slightly cooler temps. This fall I have just a few simple things i'd love to do...

1. drink cider - hot and spiced
2. go to a farm for fall festivities
3. go for lots of walks in the neighborhood
4. make #allthesoup
5. wear boots and tights
6. hand quilt on my tree quilt so it's ready for december
7. host an autumnal gathering. i'm thinking there ought to be pie
8. knit some mittens or fingerless gloves
9. play guitar more, just for fun
10. make new pillow cases for the living room

what is something you love to do when falls comes around?
or are you a fan of another season?

fiber friday (delayed for revisions)

This will be part one because I am 6 rows from finishing my guernsey shawl! This has been a fun knit and I'm curious to see how blocking goes. The center increases were new for me and I'm a little unsure if the tension, but only time will tell. Edit: I delayed posting this because I was determined to finished! It's done!

I have already dreamed of wearing this with at least 4 different outfits! A major increase in progress happened after I found this beautiful ceramic bowl from my mother in law. I decided it would be a great place for my knitting to live so that it would be both decorative and practical for storage. This quickly became "at home" knitting since it felt complicated but by now I can read the repeats just from the previous row! Edit: I finished at midnight! I got it all set and blocking so when I woke up, it was ready to wear! LOVE IT! Much less bulky than I imagines, which is nice since it is textured.

I'm also about to start clue 2 of My mystery shawl! I'm so glad to be back in the fiber world. It is my sole source of relaxation these days. Edit: I woke up early and finished clue 1 so I could start clue 2! Loving the lace pattern so far. Hoping to stay up to speed on this project so with each new clue I can keep plugging away!

In the sewing world I purchased a new pattern! I've read through it and am totally pumped! Now I just need to get  fabric and interfacing. I will probably take my Quince&Co yarn with me so that I can be sure to have some coordinating handmade items. Handmade wardrobe seemed so far fetched when I started but now I'm finding it fun motivation to keep up with my creative dreams :)

fiber friday

I'm making tons of progress on my Guernsey Triangle Shawl. I love this project, even though I had to tear out a few rows. I feel good about my choice to go back and fix a few tiny things because it looks so nice now. I'm close to finishing and hope the rain will pause for long enough to get some good photos outside.

Also, I joined Helen Stewart's Mystery Knit Along! Many factors in my choice:

1. I love her percentage patterns, easy to follow and I always feel accomplished!
2. I am ready for a new pattern and shawl not that the Guernsey is close to done.
3. My dear friend is going to knit it as well so we will have another reason to check in on each other and chat knitting! I love the idea of accountability to be working on it steadily.
4. It means I get to go yarn shopping with my mom (love this!)
5. I feel confident in my skills to try this type of project. When I told someone about it they asked if i was nervous there would be a stitch that I didn't know. I love that I feel like I have the ability to work through new stitches and try something new!
6. I love Helen's patterns, they are beautiful

I'm off to the yarn shop this weekend but to prepare I assessed my current stash of shawls to look for colors I don't have much of. I'm leaning toward coral, pinkish, orange since I have a lot of blues, greens and grey in my collection.

I'm also using this cool tool from Quince & Co Yarns so compare colors online. I'd love to use their yarn for this and while I'm not sure if that will work out, it's fun to play with their colors.

I also want to dive back into some sewing. I love my new mustard yellow dress and think that a long weekend is the perfect time to get out the sewing machine! Happy weekend!

fiber friday

Wow, I've been knitting a lot this week! I worked furiously on the Glebe Shawl for my mother-in-law. I LOVE this shawl and hope she loves it just as much. Check out the slideshow below or my Ravelry project page.

Before putting it in the mail I took these shots in our yard, which seemed like a lovely, autumnal backdrop for this back-to-school gift.

I also worked one morning on one point of the center star of my Midnight at the Oasis for the QAL. I sewed all 16 triangles together one morning before work. I have most of the triangles cut for the other 3 points, just working on how to organize my supplies. I want them to be handy and easy to grab so that when I'm inspired I can dive in! I saw a brief post on twitter about this idea of daily crafting and how to make it part of the routine. After reading the comments here are my ideas that I will try and implement for achieving my crafting goal this fall!


Craft Night! Choose one night a week where crafting is the goal. I'm leaning toward Thursday but without our fall schedule completely blocked out, it might change.


Break it DownBreaking projects into small tasks helps me feel accomplished. I aim to complete one task each setting. I recently did this with the baby quilt I made.

1. cut all the triangles 
2. arrange the triangles into rows then pin pairs to prep for sewing
3. sew all rows 
4. sew the rows into a top and add border 
5. make small fox for the back and baste the quilt together (quilting prep)
6. machine quilt the top and sew the binding to the front
7. Hand stitch the binding

That was the plan and I actually ended up finishing the whole thing in 5 days. When I completed something quilting I could assess the next step on the list and determine if I had enough time to complete another step.

Find a System
I like to create an assembly line and system to make things go smoothly. When I am sewing half-square triangles or something repetitive I set up the ironing board and sewing table as an L shape at the same height, I can plow through a bunch by chain stitching and eliminating the need to go across the room to iron.

Making a pattern you know is another way to help the process. Of course, I've not been sewing enough lately to want to remake items. Instead I keep trying new patterns. Perhaps this is a good one for me to try out this fall.

Fiber Friday

I finished the winter sea shawl! It's funny because I knit this in the summer in the woods, but I still love it :) it was a fun quick knit and great for working on during our road trip, movies and while listening to podcasts. I am so excited to officially block this when I get home. I did a makeshift blocking since I'm away from home because I wanted it to lay a little more flat for the photos.

 

I'm so close to being done with my whispering pines. After the shawl recovered from surgery I have just 58 more stitches to bind off. That picot binding is tricky for me so I'm taking it slow. Maybe next week I'll have photos! For now here is a photo of me working on the bind off while at Holland Lake. The island just behind me we dubbed "Whispering Pines" :)

In the fabric realm I'm considering joining this Quilt along and making this quilt. I have tons of fun vibrant colors and just need to figure out a good goal and rhythm for regularly working on it.

I cast on my guernsey triangle shawl and will have to give more details later. So far I'm taking it little by little so I do it well. I also need to get yarn for a gift shawl so lots of fun projects on the horizon!

 

 

currently - vacation edition

 

 

scripture sunday #becomforted

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Each Sunday I choose a scripture for the week. The scripture relates to my one little word for the year and helps me intentionally explore my word and set a purpose for each week. See more scripture sunday posts here.

 

fiber friday

Oh the adventures it had this week!

First, my whispering pines shawl had major surgery. In my traveling I misread the stitch count needed for the lace and ended up with 18 rows TOO MANY!!!! That's right, 36 extra stitches and 18 extra ROWS! Of course I notice this late at night when the lighting is bad, my eyes are very weak and tired, and my emotions are high. My darling husband came to my rescue and while I held a lantern over the project, he meticulously picked up each of 233 stitches onto a life line so I could resume in the morning. At one point I realized ridiculous we must've looked as we both were sprawled out on the floor taking over the entire living room and acting like we were in a scene from a medical drama. "Metal crochet hook," he would say when stitches were getting small then, "clamp this while I grab my other tool." I bust out laughing so hard at his seriousness and the absurdity that I almost compromised the entire project. After a five minute break I kept my cool with just a random giggle here or there and we finished. Oh the adventures!

I other news, I hand-wound my second skein of malabrigo from my trip. I started this shawl and am loving it! I can't wait to block it and see the zig zags more neatly. They scrunch up quite a bit while I work.

I'm also studying the chart for and prepping to make the guernsey triangle shawl by Brooklyn Tweed. I'm excited about my yarn (Fossil color way in Loft) because it is light in color and will hopefully show off the pattern well. I've also been wanting a cream colored shawl for awhile as it should go with most everything I wear!

I hope you're having less dramatic fiber days than I but iPad love to hear about a project you want to dive into! Off to, very carefully, work on lace....!

 

 

currently

fiber friday

It's been too long! I've been working with mostly paper these days and while that's technically fiber, it's not quite the same.

On our Epic Road trip we were able to visit a few yarn shops which definitely got me back in the mood to pick up my needles. It's interesting to me how two shops can have the same supplies but arrange it very differently. I find that this greatly effects my interest level. In one shop it was all neat and orderly, white matching shelves and very bright artificial light. Beautiful but I didn't want to touch anything for fear of messing it up. Another shop was quirky with baskets overflowing with yarn, wooden crates as storage and tiered tables. I think I spent an hour here and touch almost every skein of yarn!

I ended up arriving there on day one of a sale! And because it was Friday, not many people were around so we had the shop to ourselves. I dug around the 50% off tables (6 of them!) and found a color that I couldn't put down. It's a sage green sort of. Reminds me of a muted versions of my elementary school favorite: jungle green. Did you have that marker? If so, i probably borrowed it from you.

So, the yarn is a worsted weight and with the 2 skeins I have about 400+ yards. Now... what am I making with it? So glad you asked. I DON'T KNOW!

But here are some things I'm considering:

Winter Sea Shawl by Liz Abinante
This looks like a fun knit but also a good repeating pattern. Since the yarn is solid, I think it will look nice with some texture.

Dominika by Ardilanak
This looks interesting, but I'm not sure it it's big enough. I like the option of tying the ends together around my neck, but I love the drop stitches that cross along the bottom!

Blue Heather Shawl by Leonore Bogat
This one is beautiful, but with a solid yarn I think it might be too plain. It would be great for a variegated or stripy yarn!

Cherry Wrap by Cath Ward
This one is pretty and has a great texture! I would probably have to pay close attention to what I'm doing... problem? Maybe...

Persimmon Wrap by Nikki Slipp
This is awesome! It ends up like a circle and I definitely have enough yarn. Plus the texture is cool.
Can you knit something called "persimmon" in green? Perhaps!


Decision making time! I'm going to knit a bit with needles size 7-9 to see what looks best with the yarn and that should help me narrow it down. Can't wait to show you progress! Until then, I'm to the lace on my Whispering Pines Shawl! It's only taken me 4 months to start it back up again. It was great car knitting since it's a 4 row repeat and all odd rows are purl across. Looking forward to seeing how the lace turns out!

february goals

This month I set four small goals on the sidebar of the blog. I was tempted to set more, but I knew I needed to start with something reasonable and attainable. Now that were in the last few days of February, here's an update on my progress:

Blog Twice A Week
Thanks to Scripture Sundays, this has totally worked out. I'm hoping to continue this pattern with an extra post here and there. I didn't realize how much I missed blogging until I got back into it!

Finish One Knitting Project
I finished my cowl! As long as finished means I did the bind off... I still need to block it and weave in the ends, but I'm planning to do that on Friday. The goal was to get something off the needles so I could focus on my other 4 projects. Mission Accomplished!

Drink More Water
Not sure I set a real tangible to way for myself to track this goal but I do have a better system for making sure I'm equipped to drink water. I have a variety of glass water bottles that go straight from the dishwasher into the fridge with filtered water and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Anytime I need water at home or to go, I reach for these. They are chilled and refreshing. Once I'm done, back into the dishwasher they go. A pretty good system, though I'm sure I could still use a bit more H2O to fuel me throughout the day.

Make Time for Pleasure Reading
I have discovered so many books I want to read! While that isn't really what the goal was about, I have carved out some time for reading. Here's what's currently on my nightstand:

The Bible - Matthew
I'm reading through the Gospel with Margaret Feinberg's #lentenchallenge I'm using the packet she put together which uses a variety of translations. It is really interesting to read straight through the different chapters and see all the miracles and interactions of Jesus. Next week we'll move into Mark and then work our way through Luke and John. It is a nice way to slow down and recenter each day.

Delancey - Molly Wizenberg
I tried to listen to this as an audiobook first. #fail The reader did not make me excited. By chance I had also put the hardback edition on hold at the library. When it arrived I decided to give it another go. I love reading Molly's blog and am so happy that I gave it another chance. It is fun to read about the ups and downs of their journey toward opening a pizzeria. I have even read a bit aloud to my husband. the way she writes is lyrical and makes me want to set the book down and head straight for the kitchen!





Here what I want to put on my nightstand next:

Make It Happen - Lara Casey
I've seen this one around the internet and on a few blogs lately. I love the concept of purposeful living and finding a way to view life as more than checking things off a list. I'm interested to see what she says about her path to enjoy the journey of life.

Fringe Hours - Jessica Turner
This book seems like the next step in my quest for time management. Not the kind of time management that makes me efficient at work (I've got that pretty well covered right now) but how to make time for the things that I love and am inspired by. I one time overheard a piano student tell his teacher, "I didn't have time to practice this week," and the teacher very sincerely and gently said, "We all have the same time each and every day. Only you get to choose how you spend it." I'm not sure how much the student took this to heart, but I certainly did! I have been working lately to find a balance between efficiency and enjoyment and this books seems interesting to me as I explore the way I spend my minutes each day.

fiber friday

I'm dreaming of seeing and want to try making this quilt for a new niece on the way! Our friends are having a baby girl and I'm over the moon about being able to sew dresses and bows and ruffles! I love my many nephews but a girl is just the sewing inspiration I needed :) 

The quilt is all triangles so I'm going to search through my stash for the pops of cot and then will look for the neutral background.

I'm also hoping to get some batting and start quilting this tree quilt I made over Christmas Break.

I made a little progress on my knitting last week but am more excited about fabric right now.

What are you inspired by?

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Triangle quilt pattern can be found here.

fiber fridays

Fiber Fridays are back!

Hopefully they are back for a while, because that will mean I'm actually making and working on projects. I took a little break over Christmas. I think I got worn down by the very full year of knitting. I'm hoping to do a little numbers post about the projects I completed last year. Stay tuned!

Currently I am working on three shawls and a cowl. Progress is not much on any of them, though the cowl will likely be finished soon.

Lightweight Cowl

Yarn: Quince & Co Chickadee
Color: Chanterelle
Pattern: Girlfriend Cowls with slight adaptation

This was meant to be a fun and easy knit. Success! I've not worked on it very many times and have made great progress during each session due to the simplicity of the tweed stitch. This is also small enough and simple enough that I just carry it in my bag without accouterments and a pattern. A round of knit then a round of k1 sly with yarn in front and repeat! I'm excited to wear this as the color is feels neutral but will add variation to my current wardrobe favorites, which are mostly shades gray.

Cozy Shawl

Yarn: Bumblebirch Fingering
Color: Drizzle
Pattern: Whispering Pines

I'd love to get back to working on this shawl because it's a fun knit and it has a subtle detailing that isn't terribly difficult. I can't wait to get to the edging as I think it will be an interesting pattern. This one is for me, and it will be fun to wear, as I don't have any grey cowls or shawls!

Beaded Shawl

Yarn: YOTH Yarn Little Brother
Color: Thyme (not available on website)
Pattern: Jana by Veronica Jobe

The shawl is meant to be a gift for someone. It is my first shawl knit end to end and has inspired me to look at more patterns in this style. The beading isn't hard but to get set up and ready to knit is not inspiring me. It takes more concentration than other projects (lots of seed stitch) and a flat surface to rest the beads on. Since I am not currently finding more than 15 consecutive (distraction-free) minutes to work on projects, this one has been hiding in a project bag. Perhaps the upcoming long weekend will allow me an opportuniity to resist this shawl. I'm nearing the center of the shawl and can soon start the decreases!