Amanda Done, Mitt-ies in Progress!

Ah, the upcoming expiration of the Photoshop trial gave me a few days reprieve from the computer and I spent a little bit of time catching up on my much neglected knitting work.

I completed the Amanda last night with a few differences including a little ring fobby thing to hold keys and a cellphone in a holder (I always use the label in my store-bought bags and thought this would be useful.) My friend has decided that she wants to felt it herself so I will write up the instructions to give her and let her go to town with. ( pics coming)

I finished my baby hat (for the mint set) tonight as the little one rolled around the floor. I kinda used a pattern and then did my own thing with that and the hat kinda looks cute - instead of the hearts I did garter st. like the jacket. (pics coming)

And I'm still working on my March Charity Challenge (35-40 items).

So a little progress.

No sign of easing!

So the new obsession has taken over my life with no signs of easing up.

I'm at 20 layouts with only 8 days left of my free trial of Photoshop Elements 4.0 and I gotta say there is no question I'm hooked. My dh compared me to a junkie - I can't seem to get enough of it! LOL!

My knitting and crochet projects haven't fallen by the wayside though, like I said the computer is slow. I feel remotely guilty about ignoring them, but life with an infant and an almost 5 yr old and a scrap addiction is well kinda difficult to focus on more things! LOL!

This month's goal is to finish up the projects I've got on the go and get on with my to do list. So here is the list in black and white.

UFOs
1. In Progress - Heartghan for friend (Seam - 1.25 of 3 strips done) .... couple months old
2. In Progress - 35 charity items (28 33 of 40 items) .... March goal
3. Amanda Backpack for Friend (10 more rows, strap and felting to do)
4. - Outfit for Aunt's Great Gran (jacket needs buttons, booties done, working on hat and need mitts)
5. In Progress - 52 Digital Scrapbook layouts (20 29 done waiting to print)... 2006 Goal.
6. Ducky print#4 on Embroidery quilt (3 of 12 done) .... Feb goal
7. Sampler quilt. .... Dec goal
8. Bunny print#5 on Embroidery quilt (3 of 12 done) .... New goal
9. 35 Charity items .... April goal

A New Obsession

A new obsession has been born.
I've now added Digi-Scrapbooking to my list of hobbies.
Addicted like a junky, I managed 6 LOs in 4 days... and set a goal to one baby's full set done by the end of the year or at least 52 LOs! :) SO I guess I'm well on my way.

The sad thing is my computer is so slow that the knitting hasn't gone by the wayside, I can knit 2 short rows or one long row between additions! LOL!

Marr Haven is Hitting the Needles

I just got a stash of 100% Pure Wool... what a nice soft yarn... (its spoken for I think)

But for now the Marr Haven is on the needles readying itself for a panty style soaker... by Fern and Faerie.

Also on the needles is another Amanda in Cascade 220 in a trio of blues. (20 rows into the bag portion.)

Also on the needles is the Mint set for my Aunt's great-grandbaby. It's about 1/3 into it... and such a pretty piece.

I think I'm going to add to the sidebar my fancy yarn stash.

Booties

In case you missed it here is my first pattern

Booties

Perfecting a Pattern & Longies Done

I'm working on getting a Charity pattern up here for some booties inspired by Bev Qualheim's Very Easy Bootie pattern.

It should be ready in a couple days.


I also just finished a pair of Longies in Lion Wool... nice yarn but I don't like the fact that I now have blue hands (blue dye from the Ocean Blues print yarn)

The Hoodie is Done

The hoodie is done. I'm still in love with the colours. And oddly am obsessing about maybe making a pair of longies in a yellow wool...



And after the initial kermudgeon about knitting with cotton, I seem to like it. As a result have added a few more 'cotton' projects to my list. Woe Nelly, I need to slow down with that darn list and work on the projects I've already got yarn for.

2 balls of purple 220
4 balls of KnitPics Wool of the Andies.
4 balls of Lion Wool (in Sea Blues)
4 balls of Lion Wool (in Floral?)
2 balls of Marr Haven (in Green Heather)
4 balls of the Treliske.
1 ball of pink 220

(Darn I didn't realize I had that much yarn! LOL! Nelly needs to get back to her knitting now! LOL!)

A Little Break

Now that my 'official' Olympic project is done I decided to take a little break last night and work on a Dishcloth. I need more, so I've joined the Monthly Dishcloth Knit-a-long.

Tomorrow it will be back to the Childhood and I'll keep my nose on that one til it is done.

I also absolutely must put the afghan together. So that will be the next big project.

It' Fixed, It's Done, It's Beautiful

Alright, so I didn't tink or frog it, but while sleeping I came up with a way to fix it. SO I fixed it this morning, took before felting pics and will take one when its dry (cause dd won't touch it wet! LOL!)



I gotta say I love it.
I will make it again, but next time I won't felt it so much.

Add-Lib-ing Due to Screw Up

So the Amanda is all knit up and I'm not happy with it.
I've messed up somewhere on the pattern and I ain't tinking or frogging it, so I think I'll fix it my Grumpy-esk way. But that will have to be tomorrow... tonight I will settle for weaving in the ends - and I'll sleep on the changes I shall make with my two miniscule balls of yarn that I have left.

*sigh*

Olympic Days # 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Complete

Okay, so I've been a little lax in updating the journal and I've taken a few days off in the knitting of the Backpack, but I have made progress. I have the main portion of the bag done and only the two i-cords left to do.

I've also made progress on the Childhood Hoodie for a friend - 2 sleeves and a back done, with the first front on the needles. I plan to have both finished by Feb 26.
Pics will follow when we get closer to the day.

Olympic Day #6 Complete

Another successful, gold medal hopeful day! I made up for lost time I didn't put in last night.

As the end draws near I find myself very aware that I only have 10 more days to complete my challenge. I'm looking at the 26 inch I-cord that needs done at the end of my project and say GAAAAHHH save me, I'll never get there. But I guess when you start putting the cart before the horse its easy to feel overwhelmed. Hang in there, step back and finish your tasks as planned, a few rows a night, you still haven't even finished the main portion of the bag. Finish that and take it at hand.

Imagine an Olympic athlete, say in a skating competition watching an opponent twirl and flit and suddenly realizing that they're up next and wanting to start at the end.... ah who knows perhaps its performance anxiety!

In any event, we have made some success in getting on speaking terms with the circs now... I will no longer shy away from them - though I haven't mastered them, I'm definitely on the dominating side of them! *grin*

A Knitting Ignoramous!

In almost 30 yrs of knitting (27+change) I had never knit with wool until about 2 yrs ago - and this past week, I've just gone APE over it. *sad I know* but most of my stuff was done as Baby stuff and soft wash and wear acrylic seemed the best suitable option...

Well now I hang my head in shame and say that in all those years, I have NEVER knit with cotton. He he, well here I am - taking a 5 minute breather from a 7 inch stretch of knitting to tell you that I'm knitting with cotton and damn its very different to work with. At least today's acrylic has an almost wool feel - the cotton I'm working with does not.

My knitting is usually very even, very neat, I'm just not getting that with the cotton, its taking some work to get it even. What I thought would knit up firm is flimsy and floppy. Is this what I want? The gauge for the pattern is right but I'm just not impressed.

For those who have knit with cotton before is this normal will it just take a little getting used to? Did you find you have to pull it harder than you normal do with wool or acrylic?

So many questions! LOL!

From an apparent knitting ignoramous!

Olympic Day #5 Complete

No progress was made on the backpack last night. Sometimes life requires some sacrafices and last night I needed to finish the last 2 squares of an afghan for a friend so it could be seamed up and ready at her request. Now progress was made in that area and the afghan is ready to seam. I didn't realize how long these things take to make - especially when you are easily distracted *sigh*

Besides the Games

For five days, I have done nothing but speak of the olympics as though there is nothing else happening on my crafting plate, but alas that is never the case. What crafter do you know works on one lone project at a time? Olympics or not.

I have just completed a pair of Tiny Birds Wool Soaker Pants in Cascade 220 color 7801 (its an obnoxious pink.) She needed pants and I wanted to work with some real wool for once instead of acrylic. I haven't done much with real wool in all of my years of knitting, my mum swore by wash and wear. So the first pair of longies is done and the next will soon follow after a brief interlude on the Childhood Hoodie for a friend.

(image to come)

Olympic Day #4 Complete

A few more rows = another successful day in Olympic land - would that be Olympia?

(pic to come)

The circs and I are forming a better relationship - I like the marginally more than I like my MIL! On a positive front, my mother's method of knitting is efficient for working with the circ - maybe I'll get dh to get a pic of my hand position tonight as I work on my Olympic event. I'm hoping to accomplish 10-15 rows tonight, though I have promised a friend that I would have another item done by the end of the Olympics for her as well.

Olympic Day #3 Complete

Day #3 is complete and I almost decided to sit this day out, but with 75 rounds at least to go plus the shaping and the strap.... gads I think I'll save the off time for when I really need it.



I'm down the equivalent of one ball of yarn with 2 more to go. The end is no where in sight yet. I'll get there - at least with this being a challenge, I have incentive to finish. Its not difficult work just slow.

On the upside, I have perfected my tension holding my needles the way my mum taught me 20+ yrs ago before I slipped into 'my method' of holding them.

Olympic Day #2 Complete

Olympic Day #2 is complete and a few more rows were done.




The work is slow. The progress is slow. This reminds me how much I hate circs. I much prefer dpns. I may just upgrade my needle set so I have 8 of each size - that should be big enough to cover almost any project!

Olympic Day #1 Complete

Well the first day of the Olympics was a success.

I've cast on my Amanda Backpack and made some progress. 10 rows + the bottom done - I'm happy with the progress and my colour choices.



While Knitting thoughts: My mind keeps wandering on the idea that I could actually felt some Longies - I wonder if it is possible. I think I'll play for a little bit before I actually do something with an entire skein of expensive yarn! LOL!

Now I've Gone and Done it!

I don't commit to challenges real well... but I just signed up for the


I've committed to the Amanda Backpack from Black Sheep Bags

I figure holding a new born and having only 16 days to do this - it oughta be a challenge and we won't mention the other projects that are always on the go! LOL!