Personal Security ~ Computer Virus

My PC has a virus. While hubby was on the computer, I thought my anti-virus program popped up showing tons of infected file. In a panic, I clicked on removes files...that was it. I download this terrible computer virus on my PC. For the past 24 hours, I have been frantic on removing this virus. While online, I saw some post on how to remove this program. I proceeded to download some of the programs, but I can't get any of them to run! My PC is now totally infected. I've admitted defeat and I will probably be taking my computer to an IT for repair. In the meantime, I'm glad I have my laptop! (I purchased it last year while my PC was under another VIRUS attack). I'm trying not to get too bummed out!

On the knitting front, I've starting another project. I'm currently knitting the knit cable hoodie from Lion Brand. I wanted an easy project to do. It's been a life saver really. While I've been waiting for some of the virus programs to load (from the previous 24 hours), I've been working on this hoodie. It's actually been relaxing in the mist of chaos! I've finished with the back and now I've started on the front. My goal is to finish this by my birthday but I think I'm being too unrealistic! Oh well, I'll just gradually work on this and see how far I get with this. Otherwise, this will be my New Year's Eve sweater.

On a positive note, I'm thrill to report that my daughter wore her Astronaut/Butterfly/Cowgirl vest today. She already had a different outfit on and I decided to put the sweater on her. She didn't seem to mind it too much so I thought I change her whole outfit and put on a green turtle neck underneath. To my surprise she didn't mind! I'm so thrilled, she's wearing the sweater I made her to school! I took some action shots but it may be a while before I can load any pictures.

Here's to wishing everyone Happy Holidays !!!!! :)

Felted Slippers

As usual, I'm pressed for time so I hope I can write this blog with minimum typos!


I wanted to make the French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernadi but I decided to try another slipper pattern. (Less sewing and on a large needle with only 1 strand of worsted yarn). The pattern I used is from Knit.1, winter 2007 Felted Slippers pattern. This was a very easy pattern which knitted up quickly on a size 10 needle. I used about 1 1/2 skein of Brown Sheep Wool Yarn. At first I was worried that the slippers would not felt to size, since the lactual length after knitting is 15 1/4" and the finished (felt) length, 8 1/2". After knitting up the first slipper, I decided to purchase the French Press Felted Slippers. I'm glad I did because in the pattern, there were good tips on how to felt since this was my first attemp ever! I checked every 5 minutes to make sure I didn't "over" felt. Around 45 minutes, it finally felt to the correct size! I was over joyed! Now that I know the first slipper felt to size, I was anxious to make the second slipper. I love how it made the slippers look! Next time though, I would put the slippers in a zipped pillow case so there wouldn't be so much lint/fuzz on them!


Here's a photo of how "big" the slippers are before felting:







Jasmine checking herself out in the mirror while modeling my slippers....




For the last few days, I've been trying to find my next knitting project. Quite honest, I've been feeling a bit discouraged about knitting. I thought about knitting the #99 Flutter-Sleeved Blousy Lace Cardigan by Sweaterbabe or the Vine Yoke Cardigan by Ysolda Teague but I wasn't sure. This morning, I got up at 5am. I decided to plug in the Christmas Tree and drink a cup of hot chocolate while looking through Ravelry. It was actually very relaxing and I finally found my next project! I decided to knit the Cable Luxe Tunic by Lion Brand Yarn. I always loved this sweater but I always thought it would be too hard to knit up...so 3? years later, I'm finally attempting to knit this! All the cables are very intimidating since I am so new at it! I know this will be somewhat of a long term project! Let's face it, with an active 4 yo, I'm not going to get much knitting done since I have to really concentrate on this pattern! Wish me luck!

On a final note, I was actually thinking of knitting/crocheting up little christmas ornaments for the children in my daughter's preschool class (16 in total). I thought maybe little candy canes, snow flakes or reindeer ornaments would be cute....I have a week to make these before her christmas party!

Happy Holidays ~

Busy Month of November

November just flew by! I was looking at the date of my last blog entry and it was back in October... I've been busy, or trying to stay busy. I decided that I needed more adult activity and I've attended a few MOPs meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers). I've also attended my very first Knitting Group. It was a long drive, 2 hours but I wanted to meet up with people who share my common interest in Knitting.



As far as my knitting projects, I've been steadily working on some new and not so new projects. I started on the February Lady Sweater. This sweater took me about the whole month of November to complete. I think it took so long because the lace is so boring and I decided to re-do the front band on my feather weight cardigan (more on that later). The yarn I used for my February Lady Sweater is Plymouth Encore. This was one of my very first purchase from the LYS. I think I always had this sweater in mind for this yarn. Unfortunately, I'm not too thrilled with the color and one of the skeins had so many knots, it was awful! I did manage to finish my sweater. The modifications I made are to the underarm area (to eliminate most of the puffiness) and adding length to the sleeves. It's a very easy pattern , just tedious!

I also managed to re-do the front band to my Feather Weight Cardigan. I had made this cardigan in the summer using a lace weight yarn. While pulling on the band one day, I manage to snap the yarn...so I decided that this was a good time to re-do the band. I needed a break from my February Lace Sweater. I didn't realize that when I had picked up the stitches before, I did not pick up every stitch around the neck area. This time I did. I also decided to go with stockinette stitch and just do some rows of seed stitch to finish off the band. I was hoping this would eliminate some of the "curling". I switched from a size 6 needle to a size 7 needle for the seed stitch and used a size 8 needle for the bind off. I'm happy with the front being longer but I HATE the neckline now! I've decided for now, I'm not going to frog it and keep it as it. I'll probably wash it later and just let the neckline roll! (Yes, it still rolls w/o blocking). Here's a photo with the cardigan blocked:








My final project for the month of November was the Cowgirl, Astronault, Cowgirl Vest for my daughter. I usually only make projects for myself but lately, I've actually been making projects for other people. (I forgot to mention that I also made a pair of leg warmers for hubby somewhere between the February Lace Sweater and the front band of the Feather Weight Cardigan). I was inspired to make a sweater for my daughter because of preschool. I was noticing the cute outfits the other littler girls were wearing and I thought to myself that I could make something cute, if not cuter for her! So with that in mind, I searched for patterns and found this vest. I wanted to make this vest in a variegated pink/red combo but I couldn't find any yarn in those colors I liked. Instead I decided to go with a green theme. I had trouble deciding on what color to make the band, but with help from fellow raveler's and hubby I decided upon beige. The bottom half of the vest went very quickly. I was excited and looking forward to getting this done way before my mother in law's visit.... I wish that the rest of the vest went as well, but I had to frog almost every step along the way...After the decreases for each front side and each back side, the stitch count would not match up! I had to modify the decreases to make the stitches come out to 12. It was very frustating and my poor husband had to hear me complain! I feel guilty because the person was nice enough to provide a free pattern and it it a very beautiful vest! After a lot of perseverance and frogging, I did complete this sweater in a week's time. I'm happy with my color combination and I hope someday I can get my daughter to wear i for longer than a few minutes! If not, I'll always have something to show her when she's older, that her mommy lovingly made this sweater just for her!





Me with Hubby's Leg Warmers (With "X" and "O" lace pattern):

And finally my daughter's vest: (I actually found some cute butterfly buttons)!!!

Ophelia Done

It's been a busy week. Jasmine has the whole week off and our friends from New Mexico came for a short 2 day visit. (I was a bit anxious but it turned out to be great). Our kids got a long well. We had 2 days of beautiful weather so they were able to get out on the lake and go swimming! We also went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast. We won lots of tickets and traded them in for candy and trinkets. We ended it all with a delicious meal, cooked mostly by hubby. It was sad to see them go.

I received a package from my mom yesterday. She said her friend had knitted some items for Jasmine. (I had previously sent her a package with some of the yarn in my stash so I was curious to see what she had made). Wow, when I opened the package I found a pair of leg warmers (for me), a child cardigan and a child hat. She is so talented. I'm so impressed with her knitting skills and how she was able to mix and match the colors together! I wish I could knit like her! Here are the some photos of what she made ~ all without a pattern, I might add! (BTW, the pictures do not do them justice)...

Leg Warmers & Cardigan with cables:

and the hat...

I did manage to finish my Ophelia this week. http://amingledyarn.wordpress.com. It was a wonderful pattern! (I had so much trouble during my first attempt because stress + knitting for me = disaster, no matter how easy the pattern is). I love, love this pattern. The pattern is beautiful and it's such a fun, easy knit. It's knitted on a worsted yarn on a size 9 needle so it's a quick knit. I only used a little over 2 skeins of the cascade 220 yarn in a small (32"). If I had left off the i-cord, it would of been ONLY 2 skeins! The small size is a bit small so I added another 3-4 rows of single crochet along the front and neck. I also added buttons to the lower half of the cardigan. The only other modification was adding about 1" to the length. In the future, I would length the cardigan by another 1" or 2" and perhaps decreased 3-6 stitches on each of the front pieces as other people had suggested. What a great pattern! I enjoyed it so much, I'll be making more of her designs in the future.

Another photo taken outside to show better details of the cardigan...

Vine and Leaf Hat

When I saw the fall issue of VogueKnitting, I had to buy it. I love the beret the model was wearing on the cover. The pattern is called the vine and leaf beret by Angela Hahn. It's knitted on a size 3, 16" circular needle. (I have not used a size 3 needle for a project before). The pattern wasn't all that difficult since most of it was following a chart. I did make a few slight modifications, but overall the hat turned out just like the picture. It was a bit big so I washed it and put it in the dryer. It seems to be a better fit now.

I think I'm done with my hat phase for a while so I've been searching for a new project to start. I really wanted to make the vine yoke cardigan by Ysolda Teague but I'm a bit intimidated by the pattern. For some reason, I'm worried that it may be too difficult for me and that it was beyond my current knitting level. After some thought, I decided to try to Ophelia again. I actually attempted to make the Ophelia prior to knitting the beret but I ended frogging the rows I had completed. The pattern seems very straight forward and easy to follow so far. I only have 3 skeins of the cascade 220 so I'm making the small. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will fit, if not I'll be making some modifications by adding a button band!

Here's a few photos of my hat:

Maple Street Cardigan and HATS!!!

I had been procrastinating on my Maple Street Cardigan for a while now. I was a bit reluctant to finish this because I was afraid it wasn't going to fit right and the front band had to be seamed. On Saturday, I was determined to pick up my cardigan and work on it. Unfortunately, there was a power outage due to a thunderstorm. So instead, I worked on another hat! I had to finish my hat first but I did finally work on it on Monday. Instead of knitting the front band, I decided to crochet the band. What the heck, if it didn't work out I could always frog it and follow the directions then. I was surprised at how much I liked the crochet band. I ended up crocheting 5 rows of single crochet (approx. 1 inch) on each side. This gave me the extra inch or so I needed to make it a better fit. I also decided to crochet 2 rows of single crochet around the neckline to prevent it from rolling. I'm actually thrilled with how this came together. Now I'm wondering why I was so afraid to finish this!

The pattern for this cardigan is from the Fall Issue of Interweave Knits Magazine. The photo actually showed a cropped version and I decided I wanted it to be longer. I increased the length to approx. 24" and lengthened the sleeves too. The other modifications I made are: knitting the sleeves on a size 6, 16" circular needles instead of DPNs and crocheting the front bands and neck. I also left off the ruffles. I really LOVE the ruffles but in the end I decided I would get more wear from this if I left it off.

In the last few week I was getting discouraged about knitting ~ so I wanted to knit up something fast and easy. I decided to make some hats. So what if I don't really wear hats...? I started on the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. I was thrilled that the hat was working up so quickly. I could finish it in 2 days of easy, no pressure knitting! How thrilling. And I was able to use yarn left off from my lush and lacy cardigan. I was hook. I immediately started on another one. This time, I made it a bit smaller since the first one was too slouchy. My third hat, I started during the power outage. It was kind of interesting trying to knit with a flash light! I decided to use the general pattern idea from the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat but add some lace to it. I still had the pattern from the #100 Little Lacy Vest so I used the falling leaves lace pattern. Making these hats were fun and I think it got me back on track to knitting!

Hat #1:

Hat #2:

Hat #3 (Not Blocked):

Ishbel DONE!!!

I should be working on my maple leaf cardigan but I've been working on a scarf/shawl called Ishbel. The pattern is by Ysolda. (I like her designs, the previous pattern I purchased was also from Ysolda called the Yoke Leaf Cardigan).

I've been looking at various shawl pattern for the last month or so. My mom really like shawls and I thought I'd make her one. I have not found a pattern I liked until I saw Crochetgurl's Ishbel. She can be found here: (http://www.crochetgurl.blogspot.com/). When I saw her Ishbel, I knew I had to make one for my mom...urrrr...myself! I am a selfish knitter, I admit! Being impatient, I found a skein of Berroco sock yarn in my stash. I have never used a black yarn for a whole project before. At times, I must admit it was hard to see the stitches without the proper lighting.

Before starting on this project, I tried to read up on the comments people have made on Ravelry. I'm happy to say that the pattern was easy to follow. I used mainly the chart and refer back to the written directions for the last few stitches after the pattern repeat. As usual, I obsessed about the shawl and worked on it a lot. I should of been working on my computer course! (I actually logged some time in today and got a few sections done already)!

I finished my ishbel yesterday and I tried to blocked it. I was disappointed that the blocking didn't take! I even attempted to block it today with an iron (yikes) but still, I could not get my edges to point out! Okay, maybe the third time will be the charm. I'm attempting to yet again, wet block this. (I think this is a nylon and wool yarn so it should block, right)? Anyways, if all else fails, I'll still have a beautiful fo.

The good news is that I started back on my Maple Leaf Cardigan last night. It's nice to knit with a worsted weight after working with a sock yarn. Hopefully, I can stay motivated on this!

I ordered some lace weight yarn from Knit Picks, I can't wait to get them! :) :) :)

(Sorry about all the typos folks, thanks crochetgurl for pointing out the wrong spelling of "Ishbel").

Almost Back to Normal

August was such a busy month. We took 2 vacations. We were away for a total of 20 days! We returned from our 2nd vacation this Sunday. The vacation was fun. It had been over 5 years since we've been to Las Vegas, my daughter's first - and her first time on the plane! The 10 days went very quickly! We ate at all our favorite restaurants, some were as good as we remembered and others not. We stopped by Chinatown several times to buy my favorite drink, boba milk tea. While there, I purchased a gold necklace with a jade and gold dragon pendant.

We didn't spend much time on the strip. We took our daughter to Circus Circus once so she could see the jugglers and play some games and go on rides. Other than that, we took our daughter mostly to the park to play in the water sprinklers. It was a very family oriented vacation even though we were in Las Vegas!

I didn't get as much knitting done as I thought I would. I did finish the body on the Maple Street Cardigan. I am currently working on the 1st sleeve. However, I did learn some new stuff on another craft ~sewing! My brother-in-law's sister's mother (there's got to be a better way to say that), taught me some tricks in sewing. She help me sew up a top and skirt. (I did do a little of the sewing but because we were pressed for time, she did most of the sewing for me)! We went shopping for fabrics and pattern which was a lot of fun. She helped me to sew and I helped her with knitting. It was a good combination!

Here are some pics of my projects:

top:

skirt:

Maple Street Cardigan:

I was so inspired by Crochetgurl's ishbel http://crochetgurl.blogspot.com/ that I decided to make one too! I have been wanting to make a shawl for my mom (or me?) but up until now, I have not found a pattern I liked. So between working on my online class (which I started yesterday) and trying to finish up on my Maple Street Cardigan, I'll be working on my ishbel too!

Ishbel (what I have so far...):

Happy ( belated) 4th Birthday, Vacation and Knitting

I been so busy, I thought I'd take a little time to relax and write a short blog! I got home yesterday about 12:30pm from vacation. We had been on vacation for about 10 days so it was nice to be home!!! I was able to get some laundry done, dishes, grocery shopping, (some) unpacking, hanging up clothes, and getting Jasmine ready for her 1st day back to school today! I'm happy to report she had a good day at school!

Vacation was a bit stressful, especially toward the end. It always is stressful running around trying to spend as much time with ALL our families and friends. We had several get together for Jasmine's birthday and we even took her to a playland. She got to ride her first merry-go-round, which she loved!

My latest FO is the Bamboo Cable Top. I took the bamboo cable pattern from the "READY SET KNIT CABLES" book and made it into a sleeve-less top. I decided to make this into a v-neck and kept the 2 garter stitches around the neck line. The back was done all in garter stitches too. I'm a bit disappointed with my seaming though. It's noticeable but next time, I'll knit this in the round to eliminate that problem.

Here's a photo of my top:

Lace Hem Topping Shell

I usually don't blog this much but July has been a busy month! I seem to be on a roll with finishing my fast and easy knit projects! Talk about instant gratification!



I started the Lace Hem Topping (Shell) after I finished my vesty. The pattern is from the July, 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. I was looking for another easy tank top project. I decided to go with some worsted weight yarn in my stash. (I have since added to my stash and I will probably use some of new new yarn for one of my upcoming projects!)



I wasn't really motivated on this project but after starting and finishing the little lace vest, I decided to finish this. (I hate to have too many unfinished projects!) I wanted to make lots of modifications, such as changing the neckline and adding sleeves. I did modify the neckline to add a bit of the lace pattern. I even attempted to pick up stitches to add some sleeves but it looked too bulky. In the end, I decided to just leave out the sleeves and keep it as a sleeve less shell. It will be good for layering in cold weather to come!



I ended up really liking this project. It was fun "attempting" to make modifications and best of all, it was such a fast and easy knit. I watched several movies while knitting this shell. Here are some movies I watched! El Torino with Clint Eastwood (good movie though it's not something I'd normally rent. It ended up being a good movie after the first 30 minutes). The Watchmen, didn't really like it and finally, (part of ) Pride and Prejudice. I love that movie!


Here's a photo of my shell:

#100 Little Lace Vest and MORE Yarn!!!

My friend called yesterday and said that the LYS was having another great sale. Hubby said he'd watch our daughter while I went yarn shopping. I walked away with lots of new yarn and pattern book. It's an older pattern book called Designer's Choice book 8 by Elsebeth Lavold. I love her designs! Here's what I bought:


The yarn:



















The book:




















I finished my #100 Little Vest by Sweaterbabe. When I saw this little vest, I knew I wanted to make one. Hubby helped me pick out the color from my stash. He thought the vest would look best in a feminine color. I was considering making this vest in a purple or green but I decided on pink. This was knitted up on a size 9 needle using ONLY 2 skeins of Cascade 200 in flamingo.



I had spent all my free time and then some in the last 5? days knitting up this vest. After the first few rows, I was worried that the pattern may be too complicated. But, once the pattern was established it was easy to understand. I only had a couple of minor questions on the pattern but it worked it self out. It was overall a really good and thorough pattern. I enjoyed knitting it. I made very few modifications to the pattern. I knitted a little over 9 inches before starting the arm holes. (I probably could of added a few more inches still). To account for the extra length, I will be adding a 5th button.





Though this is a really cute pattern, I don't think it's a flattering fit on me. I think the photo makes it look "better" than what it really is. I'm taking into account that a different top would make a difference. This vest would look best on a bustier person with a long torso. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled to have completed this project so quickly.


Here's a few photos:














AND...more casual

Not so Sexy Vest

I'm going to try and write a quick blog this morning! It's already been a very busy morning. I'm trying to get the laundry done, clean house and make breakfast before we have company in about an hour! I better type fast!

Last night, 7 minutes to midnight I was able to complete my Sexy Vest by CanarySantuary. This was overall an easy pattern though I wasn't really sure if I had started the arm increase in the right spot! I hate that. Why am I pattern challenged sometimes?

I used 2 skein of cotton yarn in pink. I knew from the beginning I probably wouldn't have enough yarn to finish so that's why my vest is 2 toned. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out. I really like the 2 colors together. I used a size 5 needle for the vest and a size 4 for the arm/neck ribbing.

If I was to make this vest again in the future, I would add more length to the overall vest. I would also eliminate the arm increases, otherwise the arm area would of been waaay too tight. ( I did add a little over 2" making the arm area a perfect fit)!

I'm always happy to finish a knit project. I decided to call this vest a Not so Sexy Vest because with the colors I used, it looks more causal to me. Now, I'm off to cleaning & cooking....and of course dreaming of my next knit project! ;)

Yarn!!!!

I thought I would make a quick blog entry. My friend told me today about an awesome sale the LYS was having. Hubby baby sit while I ran into the LYS to browse the yarn. I'm happy to say that I walked away with a bunch of cotton yarn. I also bought some fingering weight yarn for a project I have in mind. I've been putting off making a big purchase through the Internet and I'm glad I did. My stash is pretty limited on cotton yarn so I'm glad that I was able to add some yarn to it!

The progress on my Sexy Vesty is going slowly. I'm on the armhole shaping/divide for the front & back. It's a fast and easy knit but I've been preoccupied with other stuff. Hopefully, tonight or tomorrow I'll be able to make more do more knitting on this.

As a final note, I like to thank all the wonderful people that read and add comments to my blog! I'm so thrilled to have you as my friends. I feel really guilty that I don't read/add comments as often as I like. I still have dial up (and hope that someday, DSL will be available here). I spend too much time on the computer WAITING for a page to upload. Sigh.! I really enjoy reading all your blogs and I'll try to keep up as much as possible! Thanks again :)

Lacy Ribbed Top

Yesterday I went to the farm with my friend, Carolyn to buy some fresh corn. Yum. There's nothing like sweet corn picked that day! With the corn we bought, Carolyn taught me how to make cream of corn. I didn't realize how much work that is. I can now proudly say that I can make cream of corn! I still have close to 50 ears left, so I'm be making some rounds today and giving corn away to friends!

I've been talking about running for the past week now. Yesterday, I finally went for my run! I had carbo load the night before (a big bowl of pasta). It was a good run, considering it was my first in a long time. I was able to run for about a mile and a half, which I did stop once to tie my shoe lace before going up the hill! I was pretty proud of myself.

I have not been doing any crocheting. I started the avalon top a while back but I have not picked it up since I finished the motifs. I don't enjoy crocheting as much as I do knitting. I have since started on the sexy vesty by CanarySantuary. It's an easy and fun knit. I'm enjoying it so far. I'll probably have to do something different for the neckline and armhole ribbing because I don't have enough yarn.

My latest FO is the Lacy Ribbed Top. When I first saw this top in the July 2009, Creative Knitting Magazine, I fell in love with the top. There are a few things I'd change about this top. The size of my yarn overs (p yo k vs. k yo p) and the noticeable line during the increases on the shirt and the sleeves [which is part of the design after futher examination]. I was hoping that I would be able to fix the different size holes of the yo by wrapping the yarn all the way around, making a very loose yo and blocking but everything that I tried failed. For the noticeable increases, I think in the future I would do 3 rows of straight K and P before continuing the P3 together, yo. I think this might make the holes on that particular row less noticeable, therefore making the line less noticeable too? Hum...

I used 3 skeins of the Caron Spa in coral for this top. The yarn has a nice sheen to it but it does tend to split easily. Overall, I do like the yarn and it's so affordable, so I can't really complain! :) I used a size 5 knitting needle to do the whole project. I thought I had changed to size 6 needle after the neckline but later realize it was a 5. No wonder it looked small. Fortunately, with a good blocking I was able to fix the sizing issue.

This was another good pattern that was easy to understand and knit!

Here's a photo of my top:

Layout Summer Top

Hubby said that I need more "balance" in my life. He's got a good point. Since I picked up crocheting and knitting, I've been obsessed with it. I thought this phase would pass pretty quickly but it hasn't. Lately, I have not been spending every minute knitting/crocheting. My projects will get done, just a bit longer.

My latest finished project is called the Layout Summer Top. It's a free pattern from the Berroco website. What appealed to me about this top is the neckline. I didn't like the stripes because I don't think it would be flattering on me! I opted for a solid color with another color for the neckline. Using a size 5 needle, this project actually worked up pretty quickly. I added waist shaping after reading some of the comments on this top. I'm really glad I did! I had to redo the front arm/neck area because the top was too short. I also added 2 rows of sc in an attempt to tame the (rolling) hem!

I really wasn't sure how this top would turn out. Honestly, I was worried that it would not come together after my 1st try on. After sewing the straps on, I tried it on. It's a perfect fit! I may end up making another one of these tops in the future.

Crochet ~ Swingy Summer Skirt

After a long hiatus from crocheting (a whole project), I did a CAL with Krystal, crochetferretlvr. I pretty much been knitting, except for adding crochet for the finishing. I received my Crochet Today! magazine in the mail earlier in the week. While I waited to pick up my daughter, I browsed through the magazine. The Swingy Summer Skirt caught my eye because it looked like it would be a quick project and I could easily buy the yarn at the local discount store. I wouldn't have to travel over a hour to buy the yarn!

I must admit though, I've always been intimidated by Doris Chan's pattern. Maybe it is her foundation chain, (which I had no problem this time) or those intimidating intricate lace patterns. I remember starting a few of her projects from her book but never quite getting that far before I gave up!

I picked up 4 skeins/balls of the Peaches and Cream yarn. The last skein was of a different dye lot, a darker red. I was not really worried, I figure I'd make it work! I used a size "I" hook to get gauge and I started crocheting. I found the pattern to be really confusing. After a couple of false start and getting almost 1/2 through the skirt, I started over. Honestly, I was getting frustrated and realized this is why I don't crochet. I wanted to just scratch the pattern but I couldn't because I'm doing a CAL with Krystal. She was helpful in giving me some insight into the pattern and keeping me motivated! This time, starting from row 2, I followed mainly the chart and ditched the directions, for the most part. I spent a good 4? hours crocheting and realize I was making good progress and it looked right! I was trying to finish this as quick as possible and the following day, it seemed to be coming together. That afternoon, I was able to finish up the skirt! Hurray!

The 3 skeins of yarn was just enough for me to crochet most of the skirt. I used the last skein (darker red) for the final shell row and the waist band. I didn't make any modification to the chart.

When I started out making this skirt, I didn't think I would ever wear it. I figure it would just hang in my closet. The more I look at the skirt, the more pleased I am with it. It's really growing on me! Hubby said it was really nice too. I'm thrilled to have finished this skirt. It's got me wanting to crochet again! I actually started the Avalon Top, another Doris Chan design! But...I'm not giving up on knitting, I have the Layout Tank (from berroco website) to finish. Now I just have more options and an excuse to have more than 1 project going at the time...one crochet and one knit!

Prosperous Plum Tank

Lately, I've been totally obsessed with my knitting. I think it's because I'm addicted to knitting! Hubby has been nice enough to watch our daughter yesterday while I finished my project.

I started the Prosperous Plum Tank by Joanna Cohen (a download from Ravelry) last week. I used 6 skeins of Shine Worsted in terra cotta (yes, orange) from Knit Picks. I had originally bought this yarn for my hey, teach! cardigan but frogged it after knitting the sleeves and body. I was worried that I would not have enough yarn to finish my tank but in the end I had more than enough! I have 2 skeins left and I have 2 more on order. This yarn was easy to work with and it had a nice sheen to it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the pattern easy to do! There were some cables, which I had never done before. The cable and lace pattern were very easy to follow. Knitting with the worsted weight yarn made the pattern work up pretty quickly, which I love!

The tank was made in a size 28" bust. I had originally wanted to make the 30" bust because of suggested 4" negative ease. When I discovered I had made the xxs size, I decided to proceed and have a "try on" later. As it turned out, even at this size, the tank is still very big. Maybe the yarn gave it too much drape and there's too much stretch to it. I'm not sure. I'm glad that I did another fitting around the bust increase. Instead of the 5 increases suggested in the pattern, I only needed to do 3. For the front and back straps, I made them 7" long. I opted to skip the crab stitch on the sleeves because they made the arm feel awkward and tight. I did a single row of crochet around the neckline and hem. I forgot to mention that for the hem, I did not do the picot edging per pattern and I added a few inches to the length.

Overall, another great pattern. Easy to follow and understand. I did my first "cable" project and it turned out good. I think that if I were to do this again, I would make the pattern mirror itself on both sides though. Other than that, I'm thrilled with this tank!

Front :

Back:

Feather Weight Cardigan

I'm happy to report that darling daughter is over her flu! I was really worried. I'm getting over my eye infections (in both eyes). They've been burning, itching and watery. I'm happy to say that no one else has got the eye infection...and I hope they don't! Through it all, I was still able to get a lot of knitting done. Nothing was going to stop a woman on a mission...and that was to get my Feather Weight Cardigan done!

I started on the Feather Weight Cardigan sometime this month. Pattern here: http://knitbot.com/knitbot-patterns/. I had purchased those 2 skeins of malabrigo lace weight yarn for a different project but when I saw this cardi, I knew that this was the one I was going to knit. At first, I thought I was crazy knitting a project with such a "thin" yarn. After the first initial row, it was okay. I knew it would be slow going but it really wasn't that bad. The raglan increases went quite smoothly. I put the sleeve stitches on scrap yarn. The body of the cardi went well and I did the last 2" in a moss stitch. I really like the look of the moss stitch and I had never used it before. I thought the sleeves would go quickly but I was wrong. It turned into a big headache and I almost gave up on this project!

Metal DPNs and lace weight yarn are not a good combination! It took me quite a few days just to do a few inches. My stitches were falling off the needle! The needles were awkward to maneuver and my stitches looked so sloppy! If only I had a LYS or even a craft store near by where I could buy a size 6 needle, 12" needle. I did find one in my stash but it was 16". I was going to use it because I was at my wit's end! I figure if the sleeves turned out big it would be okay. Once I slipped the stitches off the DPNs and onto the 6" circular needle I was so much happier. It was a relief because now the knitting was going so much faster and I was back on the right track. I actually finished both of my sleeves in 2-3 days.

The final piece of the cardi was the collar. I always knew I wanted to do something different. I wasn't sure what. At first, I was going to do an all lace pattern but I decided against it. I saw this stitch, Fagoting Rib in the August issue of Knit n' Style. It reminds me kind of like an "eyelet" pattern. It was simple enough ~ K, yo, K2together for pattern. After picking up the stitches (which was easy enough), and working 2 rows, I started the fagoting rib. I then added 3 pattern repeats of the garter stitch with stockingnette stitch in between and ended it with the fargoting rib. At first, I was going to just do stockingnette stitch after the fagoting rib but I needed to add some contrast to it. It just didn't seem to flow! I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but there was no turning back. I hoped for the best! Finally, knitting done! I have the 3" (instead of the 3 1/2") for the collar. I bind off "very loose" especially around the 2 front edges so it can be stretched during blocking. After a light blocking, the cardi is a good fit. As an afterthought, I made a crochet i-cord to tie in front. Finished!!!!!

I enjoyed this cardi. The pattern was excellent, easy to follow and understand. It's so nice to not have to struggle through a pattern!!!!! The yarn was nice to work with and my first lace weight project is now complete! :)

Stress

Today, I feel out of sorts. Perhaps, it's my daughter's last day of preschool (which she missed) or that she's been sick since last Thursday with a fever on and off or lack of (extended) family relations/support or a stupid crochet magazine that promised me a free subscription to another magazine if I renewed but they don't have a record of it or that I may be coming down with the flu myself! I know, most of it sounds petty but I'm feeling kind of blue and everything that normally is just an ant hill turns into a hugh mountain! It doesn't help that for the most part I've been cooped up alot and I finally went out today for a short while. Sometimes I just feel blue...

On a positive note, I have had more time to knit. I started on the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig last week. I bought 2 skeins of the malabrigo lace yarn that I've been saving for a project and finally decided this was the perfect project for the yarn. I was hesitant on knitting with such a "thin" yarn but after the initial cast on, it went okay. The yarn is soft and lovely to work with. The progress is slower than I like because the stitches are so small! Honestly, I've been thinking about starting my next project in a worsted weight yarn already!

I've completed the raglan increases on the cardi and I'm about 7" into the body, so a few more inches to go before I end it with 2" of either ribbing, seed stitch or some type of lace? I'm still undecided, it may come down to what ever is easiest to do! When that's done, I can start the sleeves and finally the collar. It's a good design and the pattern is easy and clear to follow. So for now, I'll just keep plugging away at it and eventually I'll have this whole thing done. I can't wait. My first lace weight cardi! Thank goodness for knitting AND (best of all...) hugs from my daughter! I feel better already :-)

Here's my progress so far:

Mother's Day & Molly Ringwald Top

I had a GREAT Mother's Day. Hubby took us out to one of my favorite restaurant. I got a nice card and present (so I can buy more yarn). I was treated to ice cream afterwards from Dairy Queen, I love their dip cones! I also got to purchase 3 skeins of wool yarn at .99 each and I bought 3 yards of some nice fabric. (I'm going to try sewing again and see if I can sew up a couple of shirts for myself). It was really a terrific day. I must not forget that the best part of all is that I have a beautiful and HEALTHY little girl.




I finished my Molly Ringwald today. I decided NOT to start the another project until I was finished with this! This was an overall easy knit. The issue I had with this top is the sizing. Even though I was able to get gauge on a size 5 knitting needle, the top still turned out about 4" too big on top. I had to do a lot of (crochet) decreases to get it to fit right. It's a good thing I can crochet, thanks to my mother in law! I used 6 skeins of Elann Sonata in Jade. This pattern was purchased through Ravelry byMichelle Rose Orne.





I love the length of this top and the overall design. The pattern was fairly easy to follow and I'm glad that I finally made it. If I was to make this top again, I would make it in a smaller size and really keep my stitches super tight around the ruffles.




I'm undecided on which project to do next. I'm a bit reluctant to start the feather cardigan. I'm worried that it's going to be a hard knit because it's done with a lace yarn. I have never knitted anything with lace and I'm worried that it will take forever! I like projects that are quick and that uses a worsted or bulky yarn. In the Spring/Summer, it gets so hot here so it's not really feasible for me to make a sweater or else I'd be making sweaters all year round! Anyways, I'm sure that I will probably start a project tonight if not tomorrow. I just love to knit!

My Knitting Adventures Continues

After 5 long months, hubby's finally off his crazy, insane work schedule. 7 days a week/12 hour days with maybe 5 days off total for my daughter's doctor appointments and company! Whew, it's been a long time! Hopefully, my life can get back to normal. I can sleep normal (no more getting up at 3:45am) and more time to knitting!

Looking through my yarn stash, I realize that most of my cotton yarn were green, various shades of green. Don't get my wrong, I really like green but 75% of my stash is green! For my next project, I am knitting the Molly Ringwald top by Michele Rose Orne. I'm about 70% done with the front. I have to say that I am not really enthused with it. It's not the pattern but rather the color of the yarn. I'm not thrilled with the green (jade) I'm using. I like the color but I think a different color would be a better choice for this top. So, I've been looking around for another project. (I know that in the past I would not start a project until I've finished the current one but for a while now, I've decided to abandon that idea)! I purchased the Day Flower Cardigan/Dress by Angela Hahn, which I LOVE. Unfortunately, I have not been able to download the pattern! I really wanted to start on this but I'll just have to wait patiently to hear back from the designer on why the file cannot be downloaded. I then decided to purchase the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. I'll be using the 2 skein of Malabrigo Lace Yarn I purchased a month ago.

I spent this morning trying to unravel the Malabrigo yarn ~ almost there! Note to self, buy a yarn winder! This will be an interesting experience since I have never knitted with a lace weight yarn. (I have crocheted with a size 3 thread but not knitting). I think the finish cardigan will be nice and soft! It's always good to try something new, to keep me interested in knitting! Wish me luck. ;)

Kelso Lace Cardigan DONE DONE DONE!!!

I finished knitting the Kelso Lace Cardigan on Monday. The cardigan was a bit small so I really needed to fully block it. I anxiously waited 2 days and finally my cardigan is ready! I'm so excited. This is by far the hardest pattern I've ever done. I started this sometimes in the beginning of March. I did not know that doing 5" of the neck shaping and attaching sleeves would take so long and be so difficult. I think it was really hard for me because I had to figure out when to do the decreases, especially trying to get the right and left front to match. Honestly, I'm a lazy knitter. I like pattern where everything is spelled out for me. I want to be able to zone and watch TV while I knit. But...I don't always choose the easiest patterns. I just simply love lace and I have to work at it. It's well worth the effort and I'm proud to be able to actually knit this!

As always, I'll be trying to decide what my next project will be. I already have a few in mind. It will probably be the Molly Ringwald or the Path Cardigan. I realize that I have quite a few pattern I purchased and I need to use them! I'm also trying to use up the yarn in my stash before I purchase more...but we'll see how that goes. I'm already itching to buy more yarn!

Here's a photo of my kelso cardigan: (You can see the lines from the shell underneath...I probably should of wore another shell but the color was a perfect match)!

Easter and Knitting Slump

It's been well over a month almost 2 since I last made an entry into my blog! Where has all the time gone? Easter was good. My mother in law and nephew were here. Jasmine and I had an Easter party with her preschool. We also did the annual Antelleum Easter Egg Hunt. She did fabulous this year. Last year she picked up about 5 eggs (with some help from MOM) but this year, she had about 2 dozen eggs! With her being older, she understands now that your suppose to pick up the eggs and put them in your Easter basket! It was a blast for us. I love spending time with her and doing fun things like that.

I've been in a slump with my knitting. I started the Kelso Lace Cardigan (a pattern purchased from Ravelry by Suzanne Frary) in the beginning of March, March 3rd? I knew it would be a slow project because of the lace. I'm always to careful with lace because I have this fear that I'm going to leave out a stitch! I always go back and count my stitches after a set of lace to make sure I have the correct amount of stitches. What I didn't realize was that this was going to be such a hard pattern. I would of never imagined that the 5" of neck shaping would give me so much trouble. After a few times of frogging what I've done, I do what I normally do! Start another project. I decided to make the little lace cardi from the April 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. Little did I know, I would have so much trouble with that too. I think my confidence was down so I was having a harder time. I had to write out the pattern because there were soooo many decreases and I was getting confused with decreases I've done! I'm happy to say that there is a happy ending to this and I actually finished it last week.

It was a great feeling to actually finish a project. With my confidence up, I decided to pick up the Kelso Lace Cardigan again. (By the way, the designer was great when I emailed her with questions about the pattern. She also had suggested using a life line). So, even though I was still unsure of if I was doing it right, I decided to proceed. I didn't want to bother the designer again. After another few rounds of frogging, it just kind of made sense what the pattern was saying! I finally get it! Wow, I put in more life lines and plunged ahead. I've made some modifications along the way but I'm almost done with the neck shaping. I'm so excited and thrilled. I just had to take a photo and post my progress. I'm glad that my perseverance is paying off. I can't wait to finish this. This is by far the hardest project I've ever done!

Snow and The Cap Sleeve Tee

On Friday, it was 70 degrees. What a beautiful day so on Saturday when hubby said that it might snow on Sunday, I was skeptical. On my way home from church, it started to snow, and at times it was so heavy I thought I was back in New York! It was very beautiful and I didn't mind driving in it since it wasn't slippery at all. I had to take a picture because snow is very rare in Georgia!

After finishing my Garter Yoke Cardigan, I was looking for an easy project to do. I wanted to make something in turquoise. I saw a beautiful top at the mall in that color and I knew my next project had to be that color. So, I used the yarn that I had bought as a valentine's day gift to myself. I had purchased this pattern last May, it's called the Capped Sleeve Tee by Sirdar. The pattern is fairly easy. It actually went quite fast until I started the neckline. For some reason, probably stress, it took a lot longer. For me stress +knitting usually = disaster. That's what happened here. I had to redo and tear out the neckline countless time. Finally, I thought I was doing it right but it wasn't. I ended up going with the rev st st instead of the garter st as the pattern indicated. I also had a really hard time trying to get the gauge. I figure I would rather have it less "clingy" but even in this size, the top is still very clingy! You can see every bump! Humph! When I thought I was finished, I tried it on. Ugh, it was horrible. The neckline was hanging off my shoulders. It was going into the ugh pile. After a day away, I thought I try to make it work. I decided to do more rev st st and do some decreases. After approx. 7 rows of decreases (with purls between the decreases), I was happy with the results. The neckline has a ruffled look to it which I think it gives it some character. One draw back is that it is form fitting and you can see every line and bump in it! I'm still very happy with the end results and I'm glad I didn't give up.

Here's a photo: