"Turn the Beat Around"

I feel like my life is turning around for the good.

 I just opened my Etsy shop. I am doing a test listing first to see how everything works. I wanted to use something small that people might actually want. My first posting is lot of 25 Bach postage stamps. I really hope that it actually works out. Noah is going to be my searcher of all things and my shipping man, since he had done the whole Ebay thing.

I did finish knitting a new (to me) pattern. It is for a circle dish cloth. It really did not take that much time to complete. I think this will be my new "standard" pattern. On the copy that I have it says that it looks daisy like. I agree. The pattern is also a good stash buster, which is good since I have so many odd skiens left from other dish cloths that I had created.

I finally got the brick trim done in the backyard. Now I need to get a bunch of landscaping fabric and wood chips. This morning I added a few more plants into the arch. I planted seven clusters of Lilly of the Valley. I hope that they can help push out the Creeping Charlie that is in there. I want to plant a Blueberry bush or two back here. Does anyone know if I put some plastic trim around where I want to put the bushes will that keep the Lilly of the Valley out?

Feet!

Sorry about the time laps between posts. I have been having issues with my internet at home. During that time I did get some projects completed and sent on to their new home.


I did finish these guys. I still have the pink version of them to finish before I can give a pair away. I believe I will be keeping this pair and gifting the pink ones. They really were not to hard to knit. The hardest part was sewing the cuff to the top of the leg. I am sure that the pink ones will be much easier after these ones.

I knitted up this pair as an add on that my hairdresser wanted me to make for her brother. These are just a simple baby sock that is knitted on straight needles with baby yarn. I am very happy with the ease and improving quality of these puppies.

This is my first felting project that I have ever done. I learned so much from this project. Do not use white yarn. It does not felt up as well as other colored yarns.  Felting by hand during Wisconsin's Summer is not a good idea unless you have air conditioning, save hand felting projects for when it is cooler. Felting is a nice way to make some real sturdy garments. I might be making a few more felted items, maybe even for myself?


Right now what is on the needles are dish cloths. I am learning different patterns other then my same old basic that I use. My mother just gave me a bag of cotton yarn to make some for her to give to her co-workers.  I am still working on my "adult size" baby blanket. I was really hoping to have it completed by Christmas. Now I am not sure it will happen. Maybe it will be done by Spring for his birthday.

My first felting project part one and project updates

Last month I was asked to knit up some baby booties for my hairdresser to give to her brother and his wife. I told her about this pattern that I found at www.garnstudio.com. It was easy to knit up and they turned out looking something like this.  I still need to wash them to turn them into felt. I just hope that they turn out similar to what the photo in the pattern looks like. I have been told that felting projects is the best because it hides the knitters mistakes. I sure hope it does. I hope to get these felted while I am in Chippewa for my vacation. 

I now have about 12 more squares to knit for my adult baby blanket. I have run out of the base yellow yarn. I have switched to a cream yarn to fill in where the yellow stopped. I need to get some more different colors to do the other rows. The different colors are for the different people in the family of the soon to be owner of this blanket.  My game plan with this blanket is to have it completed by Christmas. I am 100% positive that it will be done before then. 

My mother has asked me to crochet as many dish cloths as I can by the end of May for her. I think that she is going to be putting them in a craft fair up in Chippewa for her work. I am not quite sure. But if they do not sell then my family will have a few new crocheted dish cloths. I now have two complete and I am thinking about different stitches I can use to make them go by faster. Projects like this are good stash busters. I have all this cotton yarn sitting around waiting to be used.
Dish cloths are one of my least favorite projects to do. I would rather try my luck in making sweaters or finishing blankets.

blankets and future projects

I now have many pictures of the chevron blanket. I was happy that I finally finished crocheting it. I was very pleased with how it turned out. I am now thinking about crocheting an afghan for Noah and I in this pattern, only with thicker yarn and a larger hook.  Maybe it will be bed sized? That project will be way at the bottom of my project list. I think I want to make blankets for all of my family members first, and before that I am currently working on blankets for Noah's family. I already crocheted a red tone one for his mother and a purple and brown one for his sister and her husband. I am currently knitting a bunch of squares for a patchwork blanket of sorts. I knitted a blanket for Noah's nephew. I just need to think of one more for his other sister. Then I can start on my own family.

Here are some pictures of the chevron blanket in its completed state with me holding it up. There is a blue trim all around the blanket to give it more of a boyish look to it. My cousin announced what her and her husband were having after I had put a month of work into it and I refused to start over. This way if they have more kids the blanket can be used if they have a girl.

I am currently working on knitting some slipper socks for my sister and I. We are going to have matching slipper socks. I have decided that I need to have them done by the end of this next month. So far I have one slipper done and three more to go. I also want to make a third pair for my other sister. I just want her to pick the color of yarn for hers. The yarn that I am using is from Drops. And the pattern is from them as well, it is called Moon Socks. They are made in two pieces, one being the sock and the other being the cuff.

I finished it!

I finally finished my chevron baby blanket. I did not have my camera with me when I finished it. I am waiting on the pictures being sent to me. I believe it ended up being a little over a yard long  and maybe a foot and a half wide. I did a blue trim around it, since the blanket was for a little boy and there was a bit of pink in it. I wanted it to look more boyish, but at the same time gender neutral.

Now I am working on knitting some slipper socks for my sister and I. I almost have one foot completed. This picture is from last Sunday. Right now I am working on the cuff that is sewn on to the foot. The pattern for the slippers can be found here.  They are called Moon Socks. The foot knitted up pretty fast. The part that is taking the longest for me is the cuff. That part I feel should be the easiest to knit.  I am going to make a grey pair and a pink pair. I hope to have them done by the end of next month when I am on vacation and at my sisters apartment for her to pick what pair she wants.

finished!

I completed the cowl that I was knitting. I think it only took me a few days to complete. The main issue that I had with the pattern was that I would lose myself in it. I would forget where I was in it. I used yarn from Yarn Pirate the color is Killer Bees. I really like how the yarn knit up. I got the yarn from Noah a few years ago and he kept bugging me to make something with it. I just did not have a pattern that I was sure that I would like to use such nice yarn on. 

 Now that I have completed an item for myself I can get back to working on my blankets. I really have not gotten any farther since I last posted. I have been sick for the past few days with a gross cold. I have been trying to not do too much knitting or crocheting, because my mind wanders and I would get lost in the patterns.

 For Noah's father's blanket I have maybe ten squares completed. I think I need at least double that to have a dent in what I will need. This is what I have so far. I am not quite sure how much wider I want this to go, maybe five or six squares wide. I really need to get cracking on this blanket. I have until April 11th to have it finished.

The last week of April my younger sister wants me to teach her how to crochet a blanket that she found online. She does not remember how to crochet, so I need to put her through crochet boot camp. I do not think it will be to hard to re-teach her. I will have to make sure to bring the camera along for that week.

This past week I have been going through all my yarn and trying to get it all in one room. So far I have gotten it out of my bedroom and in the living room. The only yarn that I am going to be keeping in the living room is stuff that I am using for a project. From the living room I am going to get the yarn into the spare bedroom. I did throw away a few projects that I have no idea what I was doing. I was able to save some of the yarn from the projects.

conflicted

I am currently conflicted on whether  or not to close this chapter of my life and stop my blog Things of Yarn. The more I think about it the more I can't do it yet. I know that if I do continue blogging I will need to be a little better about putting new entries on here.

I am currently working on an afghan for myself. This is just on square of it. I want to make this blanket large enough for a twin size bed. The square that I am working on now is all reds and pinks. The small individual squares are all granny squares that are crocheted with a size H hook. This afghan is staying with me. It is pretty much my back burner project that I have.

I also have another blanket going. It is a baby blanket that I hope to give to my second cousin's little boy. I am halfway done with it as of now. When I started it they did not know if they were having a boy or a girl, so I have both pink and blue represented in the blanket evenly. This blanket is also crocheted I think it is with a size G hook. I have to finish this beauty by March.

I do have a third blanket that I am working on. It is knit using the pattern that I use for my dish cloths, starting in the corner working your way out and back in again. with this blanket I am using different colors to represent different people in the life of the person that I intend to give it to. When I sew the squares together I am going to have them turned on the diagonal and maybe make some tassels for the corners. I still have many of these squares to knit.  I have to have this one done by April. I really need to get cracking on some knitting.

A few years ago Noah bought me a skein of fancy merino wool for Christmas. I put it away because I did not have the right project for the yarn. A few days go I found the pattern. I am knitting a cowl. The pattern is called chestnut Cowl I found it on Raverly. I am excited to finish the cowl and have a nice well worked piece of wool to keep me warm.

Sorry friends

I'm sorry friends. I went on a long blogging vacation for over a month. I have been working on a new project while I was away. I made my very first mitten! With the weather being all messed up, I started on a cold weather project. Here in Wisconsin we had two months of 90+ temps and now it has been down in the mid 70's, perfect weather for thinking about Fall and everything it brings.

I am still working on crocheting the afghan. I have now a little less then one month until I need to give it to them. I'm pretty worried that they aren't going to like it. I have about a foot left to crochet and then I will be done! Its going to be very heavy as well. So far it is over three pounds. I'm guessing when I am all done it will weigh about four. I am thinking about putting fringe on the ends of it to make it even longer. I guess I'll have to wait and see how much yarn I have left.

Blankets!

I have finally finished my baby blanket. It took way to long to complete, about five months! It was mailed out this last Thursday and made it to its final destination, Chicago, yesterday. This is me holding up a corner of it. I am very happy with how it turned out. I am also very happy that the mother loves it and was already using it.

I am also working on crocheting an afghan for a couple of my friends that got married this year. This blanket is a big contrast from the baby blanket. I  have used over two pounds of yarn and I'm only half way complete. I have a little more then a month until I need to have it ready to deliver. I am sure that it'll be done with plenty of time.

I have one more blanket that I need to make this year. I haven't really started it. I have to knit an adult baby blanket. Noah's father wants one. He loves the one that I made for his grandson and wants one just like it. I'm sorry to say that it isn't going to be just like it. For his grandson I did the same pattern that I use for dishcloths, knitting from the corner to corner. I think I'm going to make a few squares for Noah's father and use yellow and blue squares, compared to one giant square that I did for his grandson's.

Projects finally!

I finally have some projects that are complete or near completion.

A week or so ago I found out that another of my aunts have had a hysterectomy. So, I set off to crochet a uterus for her.  I was sent the pattern a few months ago when everyone was upset about Male politicians making decisions about Female body parts. The plan was to create a bunch of these little guys to send to the politicians. That way they would have one of their own.  This pattern can be found here. It was very easy to crochet. The hardest part was the loop stitch, but once I found how to do that stitch it was smooth sailing to complete it.

Another project that I have been knitting, for what seems like forever, is a baby blanket for one of my friends that I used to work with. It really was not that hard to knit. It was pretty much fitting it in with all my other projects that I have been doing. The pattern can be found here. I still have a ways to go on getting it complete. I have to finish the side boarder and then do the top and bottom boarders. I really like how this blanket has been turning out. I almost want to keep it for myself. But there is no little one of its way in my family. So, the blanket must leave.

I have one more project that is close to completion. I am crocheting an afghan for two of my friends for their wedding present. I have about 1/3 done. With something that is this far from done I figure taking a picture of it would be the "kiss of death" to the project and I won't get any more of it done. Lets just saw that it is purple and brown double crochet in "clusters" of three. It is going to be over 60" long once I have it finished. Right now it is 23" in length.

Wishcasting Wednesday

Today Jamie asks us, What belongings do you wish for?

Some of the landscaping that I have done so far this summer.

I would wish for more plants for my yard. Lately I have been doing some landscaping in the yard, and I have grown fond of my plants. I would like more flowering plants to bring some bees and humming birds to my yard. I would love to have my own little oasis in the city. 

Picture from Furniture Designs

Some old metal patio furniture would be nice to have as well. That way I can have guest over and we can sit and enjoy my little oasis. Have a Barbecue/picnic if we would like. 

These are some belongings that I wish for myself.

Come see how much of a crazy cat lady I am!

Yesterday, Noah, Kara, and I went to go feed the ducks. It was a very toasty day, so I felt that my cat needed to come along and get some fresh air. When we got there a couple had their dog. Kara had to wait until they left. But once she got out the ducks moved away from Noah and I about 5 yards. Kara didn't want anything to do with them. She was content with lurking in the grass. There was also a family fishing off the bridge. They came over to pet her. Kara was putty in their hands. She did not want to leave.

I haven't been doing a whole lot of knitting/crocheting this week. The weather has been beautiful and I have been working on my landscaping project. It is finally starting to look very nice. I've been digging, dumping, and planting. I'm digging a trench to stand my bricks up in to divide the yard and add a little of visual excitement. I finally got about halfway and I still need many more bricks.



This is opposite the fist picture. I dumped about 600 pounds of red granite. I plan on getting some large border rock/brick to edge it. I don't want to have rocks all over the yard. I hope that these rocks kill most of what is under them.

There is a vine that has taken over the whole yard that needs to go. If anyone wants some Creeping Jenny, I'll give you a piece for FREE! It does bring in some bumble bees, so its not all bad. I would be fine with it if it were better contained.  Once I'm done with the yard I might even keep a vine of it. Until then it can be gone.

I am now knitting an afghan. The pattern is called  a Wedding Afghan. I hope to have it done in time for this fall. I have a reception for Noah's sister and I want to be able to give it to her and her husband. I am using brown and purple for the colors. Hopefully by the end of the week I can get a foot or so of it done.

Once I finish this one I have another that I want to have done in time for Christmas. Noah's father wants me to knit him one like I did for his grandson. I used the pattern that I usually use for dishcloths, start in the corner adding a stitch as you go. He wants it to be adult size. I think I'm going to make many squares and sew them together to be one big checkered blanket. Once I finish this blanket I think I'll retire for afghans for a while.

It feels like forever since I've posted anything on here. I have been a very busy lady with different projects.

I have made a few different hats off of straight needles. This is one that I gave to my brother for Christmas. It is being modeled by Michelangelo.

I have been knitting different bracelets. I have these scarf rings from work that I have been wearing as a bracelet for years. Now I have added some fun color to them to turn them into an accessory to give an outfit that homemade touch.




One of my co-workers had a little boy this past winter. I am still working on knitting up a nice light weight blanket for him. It is also practice for me in lace knitting. Lace is something that intimidates me so much. I would almost rather do a garter stitch for the whole blanket and not worry about it.


I also tried my hand in making a sweater. Here I am wearing my Three Hour Sweater that took me about a month to knit. I hope to make a few more sweaters for myself.

Baby projects

Last night I finished knitting my first cardigan. I finished it just in time for the baby shower this afternoon. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I did mess up the sleeves. I hope that it fits the coming little boy.

Longtime to type

It has been way too long since I've been on here sharing my creations. Here are a few items that I have made over the past few months.
I crocheted this hat out of some of my Dead Lady yarn to give to a friend. I put a pom pom on top of it and it ended up looking a whole lot like a pineapple. I hope that she likes it.

 I ventured into making clothing a little bit. I made this shrug. It is knitted with, what the author calls, Ostrich Plume lace. I downloaded the pattern onto my computer and the link is not bringing anything up on my computer anymore. I made it for myself to wear to work and now my company is changing its dress code. So I ended up giving it away.

During this past summer I started making a lot of different bracelets to see if I could sell them. I made a few different styles and colors. None of them have sold yet. I'm going to try venturing into different items this winter, like ties and purses.  

This is one of the "flowers" from a blanket that I am crocheting.  It is made up of different circles that, to me, look like different flowers. The link to the pattern is here.  It really isn't too hard to make so far. I just have knitters ADD.

 

 This is the latest project that I have made and completed. They are baby booties. They are NOT a sign of this to come in my life. I just wanted to see if I could make them. Now that I did. I think that I'll have it out of my system for a while.

365

Kara was being difficult with getting her picture taken
 so I caught her off guard. 

There has been a lot going on in my life recently. There was Christmas at my boyfriend's family, finishing up the Holiday season at work, an infestation at the house, and My boyfriend's installation at his different Masonic lodges (one is later this week). 

I was given a book from my younger sister for a Christmas present. It is 365A Daily Creativity Journal, Make Something Everyday and Change Your Life!

I am excited to use this book everyday for the year.

I decided that I wanted to get back into being creative again. I am very happy with this gift. I am going to be posting pictures of what I've made once a week. That way I can, if I have time, write other entries. In the book they talk about picking a motif that you are comfortable seeing a lot of, or something that you collect. Since I collect yarn and needles/hooks. I can 't really use that. I decided to use something that is really dear to me. My Cat! Kara is going to be my muse for this year. Everything that I am going to make will be cat inspired in some way. 

For the first day the book prompts the crafter to make something that will fit into the palm of your hand. I crocheted a green cat that is around three inches tall. I stuffed it with buttons since I don't have any stuffing where I live now. 

early christmas for me!

This year I had an early Christmas. I think this is the one that I got the most things that I actually wanted to get. This past week my boyfriend and I went up to my parents' house. We dropped off our presents for everyone and collected ours.  I got a Fiesta butter dish in their peacock color. I feel so grown-up having an actual butter dish.

I also got a pair of hand knit mittens from my grandmother. They match the hat that I made for myself. I sent her the pattern asking if she would make them for  me. The pattern I found at one of the blogs that I used to follow. I can't find the link anymore, but the mittens are similar to those from the movie Twilight, that Bella wears in one of the scenes. I really like the knit/crochet wear that the actors wear in the movies, even though I haven't seen any of the movies.

I then got myself a few items that I've really wanted to buy for myself for a while. I got a set of vintage Pyrex nesting bowls.  I bought them from the antiques mall that my boyfriend has a booth at. The print on them is the Early American pattern. I'm happy that I got them at the mall, because on Etsy there is a set of three, were I have the full set of four. I wanted a set for a while. I got them while I was buying my boyfriend his Christmas present, to hide what I was getting for him.

I also bought for myself a Fiesta pie pan in their Shamrock color. Now I have my very own pie pan that I can experiment with different types of pies and what nots. Last week I made a spaghetti pie that was delicious. Now I can try different things.

On a sad note, my phone has died. It is now in two pieces. Last night it fell two yards to its death. I'm guessing it just couldn't stand life anymore being partially broken. I hope that where ever it is that its enjoying a better life.  I'm now phoneless for the next two weeks, unless Verizon will help me out.

snowed in?

This weekend there was a really bad snow storm that covered the whole state of Wisconsin. Up where my parents live, Northwestern Wisconsin, there are some major snow drifts that are almost six feet tall. While down where I live, Southeastern corner of the state there might be six inches.  This is a picture of my front yard. The plow went through this morning. There was a little bit of wind that blew some of the snow around. I went out to shovel the drive way and sidewalk to make snowing when the storm was finished easier. It was supposed to snow for 24 hours down here.  I am very happy that I had this weekend off from work. I'm sure that if I had worked I would have had to drive through the worst of it. From what I've read on Facebook everywhere else in the state is very yucky out and has much more snow then what we have.

I'm about half of the way finished on my scarf. I just have a little bit more I want to do on it. I would have to say it is one and a half arm lengths. I want it to be at the very least two and at the most my arm span in length. I think I have a few more days left until I need to have it done to wear at work.

I still have to finish one dish cloth then I'll be done with pretty much all of my presents for Christmas this year. I still have to think of what to get one person for Christmas. I have no idea really what to get him.