Monday, March 25, 2024

Podcast Episode #2 is Live!

 


This month's podcast is now posted and ready for your viewing pleasure :) This month I'm showing and telling about:
I also had a Joann fabric haul that I show and talk about the ups and downs if you're into haul videos :) I've been having a lot of fun with the March Challenges I'm participating in as well. Lots of things in March! Head over here or click the video below to hang out with me and talk about making things.



Friday, March 22, 2024

FO: Ishbel

 

What is it about February that makes me want to knit shawls? This seems to be a trend for me every year and I don't really know why that is. This project was more of a case of a yarn I really wanted to use and I had ear marked this pattern for it. 2 weeks later, I had a finished shawl, lol, which feels incredibly fast for me.
This is the notorious Ishbel pattern by Ysolda Teague. I've had the pattern for years in the Whimsical Little Knits book but I had never bit the bullet. I've made 2 other Ysolda patterns, but never a shawl, so something about that just felt right when I was hunting a use for this yarn. The yarn was given to me when I friend gave me 2 huge buckets of good yarn, but sadly this one had no button band so I have no idea what it is. A burn test showed that this is sock yarn - it feels like a merino nylon blend to me - but it just had the most beautiful tonal pink color. 
I wanted a nice lacy pattern that would shine in this mostly solid colored yarn and I think this project was just the ticket. I did run into trouble simply because I was mindlessly knitting the top stockinette section and didn't pay enough attention to the yarn overs at the edges. I missed 3 yarn overs, which made my stitch count off by the time I needed to set up for the lace. I had to redo the first 6 lace set up rows seriously like 4 times. This had to sit in time out for a few days I was so frustrated, but I finally realized what I needed to do for it to line up and then it was smooth sailing ... until I reached the last row. I was knitting merrily along and I thought I would have enough yarn, but I ran out about 6 inches from the end and still needed to bind off. I was able to tink back about a foot and use a smaller needle for that last row, which enabled me to just barely squeak out that full row, then I dug in my stash for a complimentary yarn I thought would work for this. I settled on Knit Picks Stroll in Jack Rabbit Heather, which I think actually makes me like the shawl even more. It's a nice frame for the edge and is still neutral enough to go with whatever I want to wear this with. 
So that's my Ishbel Shawl! I had a lot of fun making this, despite the small set backs, and I still really love this yarn. It's too warm to wear this now, but I look forward to having it next time it cools off :)

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Video: March Challenge Planning

 


There are a lot of fun challenges circulating online right now, and I've decided to jump in on 2 of them :) This video is me going over my plans to participate in #CrochetFlip as well as #SewFrugal, so if you are interested in either of those projects click here to give me your input.



Friday, March 15, 2024

FO: Hockey Socks

 

It feels like a miracle to be typing this, but I finished my hockey socks at long last! This poor neglected project sat around in my sewing room a year and 2 months, but now they are finished and I can stop feeling guilty about them, lol.
This is the Jaywalker pattern by Grumperina, which is free on Ravelry. I've made this pattern once before, but those do have some issues that I set out to correct with this version. I love this pattern for self striping yarn because it just makes those chevrons stand out and look very impressive. This yarn is Premier Yarns Fruits in the Dragonfruit colorway, which is 100% acrylic, but I just couldn't stay away from the fun print. I used this yarn for my Watermelon Socks as well and it's held up great, so I wasn't worried about using it again. 
The story of these socks makes them probably the least planning for a project I've ever done. I was going to a Solar Bears hockey game at the arena and I wanted to bring some knitting, but I didn't know how particular they would be able bringing in knitting needles plus they have a bag policy. I had less than 10 minutes before I  had to leave to pick a project and grab the supplies, so I grabbed a pattern I already had printed out and had used before along with some cheap dpns and this yarn. I stuck the needles in my small purse and put the yarn in my pocket and went on my way. I cast on at the game and got just beyond the cuff done, then I quickly lost interest in the project because I had others I was more excited about at the time. This year, I decided I wanted to make myself more socks, but being the responsible individual I am, I couldn't just abandon this project and start yet another. So I set out to get these done, which took a whopping 2 weeks to complete. Craziness.
When I started the first sock, I just wanted the pink at the top edge. Once I got to about where the heel should begin, I noticed I was just starting the pink again and I could get it to line up just at the beginning of the heel flap, so I went back a few rows to make that happen. I knit the heel flap and as I reached the end, I was absolutely shocked by how the stripes in the yarn lined up around the gusset and foot. The first time I made this pattern, I changed the heel to an afterthought style because I wanted to make extra sure the stripes in my self striping yarn lined up. This time I deliberately threw caution to the wind because I've learned that heel flaps just fit my feet better, so I was willing to accept that the pattern might be thrown off after the heel. Lo and behold! It lined up so well that I couldn't have made this happen if I actually tried. There is no extra spacing on the top of the sock and the heel is framed perfectly by the pink and yellow stripes. Absolutely amazing lol.
It seems that my second sock came out a smidge shorter than the first one, which is odd because I really thought I started the toe in the same spot. By that time, I was just wanting to finally be done and it's just the toe so I really didn't mind it enough to go back and change anything. In the end, I do wish I had used a smaller needle for the cuff at the top as they kind of bunch up since this yarn is acrylic and have no natural spring. Lesson learned! I will still wear these and think they are ridiculously cute.
So that's one more sock project for my drawer - just in time for it to be too hot to wear socks, lol. At least now I am free to dive into other socks that I want to make without these making me feel guilty. Love that for me!

Summary:

Yarn: 2 skeins of Premier Yarns Fruits in Dragonfruit - $11.67

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina - Free

Time: 1 year 2 months