A Happy Finish

Not really true to color.

I finished my sister's birthday present this morning, with just the ends left to weave, and a light blocking if I have time. Seeing as she picked out the color & yarn, I'm really hoping she likes it. Working with Knit Picks Stroll was lovely- I have worked with similar before, but not the plain Jane Stroll. I have to find a place where I can capture the true color of the yarn; it is much richer in person. Also, my couch is not a good staging place. Nor is my iphone a fabulous camera when I need it to be (it takes great pictures when I dont need it to take great pictures).

 

New wardrobe in the first bedroom

Yesterday afternoon, E and I spent quite a bit of time assembling the above wardrobe. E was having a bit of trouble, but once two heads were involved, it came together fairly quickly. It looks great with the new paint too. Assembling this was one of the last steps in having the apartment move-in ready. My parents have a baby crib for us, which we are picking up this weekend, and after that, there is just a bit of cleaning left. We won't start moving in earnest until after the school year is over, but we are getting there. (Also, I'm making new curtains.... Hopefully)

Again, colors don't work, though this does give you an idea.

My sock blanket is progressing slowly but surely. I came to the conclusion last night that this will most likely NOT be for the baby on the way. While I'm not big on gender colors, this blanket will definitely lean girl, based solely on my own personal choices of yarns that have pink and purple in them. There has been no firm decision yet, but I'm pretty sure even if this doesn't work for baby, it'll work for someone else another time. I have many other more neutral options open to me. 

 

I really enjoy the sock blanket as a project, though, more than I thought. A quick knit for me, though still not up to speed just yet. The project as a whole may take a while, but the little squares will come together fairly quickly. It makes me want to start another crochet block project.... But I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

 

It's a happy Friday today, for me at least. Many things are getting finshed- both cleaning and crafting, we celebrate the sacrifice of Christ through his crucifixion, and Sunday we celebrate his rising from the dead. Overall, a good way to end the week.

Socks and Needles and Birthdays

This week, I actually have more of a variety, as I am trying new things to make the best use of my stash. Confession: I love sock yarns. They come in such a wide range of colors, are nearly always machine wash and dry, and the skeins come in a size perfect for a quick project. Problem: I don't knit socks. I mainly crochet shawls and scarves, with a tiny bit of knitting thrown into the mix. So this new project is a bit out of my zone of comfort. I've started the Sock Yarn Blankie. So far, I'm going no where near the speed that the designer, Shelly Kang, says she went (20- 30 minutes per square), but I'm finding a small, extremely portable project something I need right now. And there is the more instant gratification part of the project too. I can knit one small square and still feel mostly accomplished.  

My selection of sock yarns at 6 am.

I'm not neglecting the crocheting front in any way, I'm just at the awkward, non-portable point of my current hooking project. My sister's birthday gift needs to be finished before the weekend, and I'm hoping to finish tonight after I get out of work. I'm really loving the Stroll for this project- extremely squishable! (See also-- I'm using sock yarn for crocheting. Again!) And the color really fits the name of the shawl- Shallow Waters. This really is one of my favorite shawl patterns- a soothing repetitive pattern, with excitement at the end with the border. My sister is more petite than I am, so I'm thinking only one or two more rows before moving on to the border. She will definitely wear this as a scarf too, so I dont need to worry about making it bigger for shawl purposes. 

A nearly completed gift

My younger sister's birthday is tomorrow, but due to drive time, work, appointments, and Holy Week services, I am not going to see her until Easter Sunday. Even though I hope to finish tonight, I do have a bit more wiggle room with this project. 

I'm still reading the Scott Hahn book from last week, as it is written to be read in bite-sized chunks. There is still the hope that I can find a good novel to read, but it would probably be better if I wait until summer.

On the moving front, my husband installed the new gas stove this weekend, so we are nearly at the point where the new apartment is livable. Also, all the old, junky, left-behind furniture has been removed, so we can really start to move in as we want to. The next few months will definitely be a time of slowly transferring the winter clothes, the unused books, and similar things out of our old apartment and into the new one. I will be grateful to be out of the old one, especially since we have a deadline (the lease expiring) for this move. Any later moves will be as gradual as the first-- slowly moving things to a new place (hopefully, God-willing, a new home) from the current place. 

Yarn-Along

WIP Wednesday

Exploring Wednesday

A Shawl, A Book, and a Scarf.

I'm exploring a number of things this week. First, I'm adventuring into new book territory- theology!! The book is Signs of Life, by Scott Hahn. Before my marriage, I read a book by Kimberly Hahn, which I really enjoyed, so I'm hoping her husband is as skillful a writer as she is. Even though I'm nearly done with my stint as a religion teacher, I'm hoping that this book will give me some insight into the material I'm teaching, just on the off chance I teach it again. 

My second adventure this week is another self-designed pattern. I couldn't find was I was looking for in a rectangular stole pattern, especially something crocheted, so I am totally winging it. The heart motif is from a scarf I made for my sister a month or two back. During the crocheting of that scarf, I toyed with the thought of adjusting it, but felt that adjusting in the middle of a piece would look funny. So here's the start of the results. The yarn is Knit Picks Gossamer Lace, in colorway Sunrise. It is a discontinued line, but I find it very similar to Shadow Lace, except in the coloring. As I watch it develop, I've been brainstorming ways to make the FO more versatile, and I think this may be an experimental FO dye-job. I really love the colors, but the blue seems to pop out too much for my tastes. However, I am open to opinions and suggestions. :-)

Third in my adventuring is a previously used pattern with a new type of yarn. Shallow Waters, by Anastacia Zittel, is perhaps my most worn scarf/shawlette. When I first crocheted it, I used Shadow Lace in colorway Summer Blooms. My subsequent attempts have been in Felici, but the striping always seems to turn out funny. This attempt is in Stroll Fingering, colorway Blue Topaz. The plan is to have it done before next week, as it is meant to be a birthday gift for my sister. However, because I know myself really well, I did buy a back-up gift, just in case.  

I'm still contemplating baby items to make, though I do have a few on my list. Large (or what seems like large to me) quantities of Bare Wool of the Andes in Worsted and Bulky weights seem to be hiding out in my stash. Those skeins might get some experimental color so I can get started on a few of my projects. If only there was such a thing as a weekend for teachers...

WIP Wednesday

Yarn-Along

My Weekend in Photos

I had a busy weekend! I take lots of photos, and never share them properly, so be prepared for some crazy stuff :)

Work-in-Progress all weekend

Practical birthday gifts from Mom & Dad- mugs, coffee, contact solution.

More practical, but also fun. Birthday phone from fiance and new wallet from sister.

"Birthday" Lunch- Chinese buffet is one of our favs.

Can you tell that fiance's food was "less healthy"?

Dad took me & sister out for dinner on my birthday- birthday beer!

I love Applebee's appetizer sampler.

Mom knows I love buttons for my craft show hats. I don't think I'm going to run out any time soon.

WIP shown with Birthday yarn. Brother #1 actually listened when I said I wanted Candy Skein yarn!

As you can see, lots of goings on.
I'll be back on Wednesday for more WIPs.

Sunny Summer Shawl

I just love alliterations! Yeah, I'm a teacher like that. This week, I've slacked off quite a bit here, mainly due to a full work week-- a co-worker's on vacation, so I worked every day. (the only sadness to that is working on my birthday, which I will celebrate with my family tomorrow).

It has given me time, though, to crochet. I tested a shawl pattern for Anastacia Knits, and I wanted to have it finished to show off today.



I've also been working on some shawl pins, one of which is featured in the above photo. I haven't blocked the shawl yet, but I think it will just bring out the edging more, so the photo is a fair representation.

Linking up with Tami for FO Friday!