Amateur Craft Mom

Authentic Asian Cooking (Taiwanese Ba wan Tips)

2011-10-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Normally, I blog about my knitting and crocheting. I have finished a few big projects since my last post but today's blog will be about cooking. Lately, I have been doing alot of authentic cooking. I think it started off with wanting to make some chinese curry pastry and that has snowballed into so much more. I have made steam pork buns, egg rolls, braised tofu, stir fry eggplant, braised eggs w/ beef, red bean filled mochi, soybean sprout side dish and radish salad.

Here are some great sites I found for authentic asian cooking: http://www.maangchi.com/, angiesrecipes.blogspot.com, onlinehome.us/taiwanesecooking/site, en.petitchef.com, and the you tube video "How to Make Mochi" in 30 minutes or less by Intelliot. Thanks to all these great sites and video.

After making all these dishes, I had a sudden craving for my aunt's Taiwanese ba-wan (meatball). Because I live so far away from a large asian community I have to make most of the food myself. Getting some of the ingredients were tricky such as the potato flour. After a few failed attempted to find the right flour, I ended up buying it on line. When the flour arrived, I was so excited to make it. My first experience was a disaster where the skin did not get hard.

My aunt had heard about my disaster and called me to give me a few pointers. She does not use "sweet potato" flour. Yes, potato flour and sweet potato flour are not the same. Instead, she said she uses tapioca flour. Great, tapioca flour is more accessible for me to get. (I discovered that there was a small asian market an hour away vs. the 2 hour drive to the larger asian market).

I purchased several bags of tapioca flour yesterday so I was ready to try again. After cooking up my ingredients, I was ready to make the meat ball again. This time, I thought I would only make 2 at a time to ensure the skin would get hard. The skin on these 2 ba-wan was much harder so I proceeded to make 4 more. I later realize that the skin was not quite hard enough and added 2 more cups of tapioca to the mix. The 3rd batch was better but after trying to remove the ba-wan from the bowl, it still fell apart. To my disappointment and 4-5 hours of work, I tossed the remaining batter and all but the last of the ba wan I made. I was discouraged.

This morning, I decided I will make only half the batch. I still have plenty of meat filling left so why not? One last try. Previously, I had been using the "glutious" rice flour but this time, I used "Mochiko" sweet rice flour. 1/2 cup of it with 2 cups of water. I brought it to a boil, stirring constantly. It gets to be very thick after a few minutes. I turned off the heat and added 2 cups of tapioca starch. The mixture gets to be very thick (see tip below). I then spread some on the bottom of the bowl, add meat filling, spread more mixture on top and steam for 10 minutes! Success at last :).

Here are the lessons I learned:

1. Use Mochiko sweet rice flour. It makes a big difference, not glutious rice flour in the green package.

2. The consistency has to be thick. How thick? Thick to where it's getting hard to stir. It's sticky yet thick. Harder than new playdo. Almost like dough, thick yet still pliable.

3. Water works wonders! A. When assembling, you can even spread this mixture using your fingers and water! It really keeps it from sticking. B. Let the ba-wan cool after cooking and loosen with a butter knife. Add a bunch of water to it and it will loosen up, come right out of the bowl without falling apart. What a great trick I learned! (Don't worry about adding too much water to the mixture, go ahead add water! It comes right off the ba-wan).

There you go, after much help from my cousin (Debbie), my aunt, countless website (some mentioned above), research and experiment, my ba-wan is a success. If I had known those 3 little things tips, it would of made it a lot easier. But would I had learned all these great lessons?

I hope these tips will be helpful to someone who is making this delicious dish! Sorry, I did not post the recipe.

My ba-wan without sauce:

I thought I would also post a picture of my mochi w/ red bean paste. These mochi are coated with potato starch instead of coconut flakes. So delicous!!!

Finished (knit) project

2011-06-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to knit this pattern for a while, probably since I first saw it in Ravelry 4 years ago? Has it been that long? Trying to find a pattern that I like and using yarn in my stash, makes it harder to find the "right" project.

The picovoli top is knitted on a much smaller needle than I'm use to, size 4. I made 1 slight modification which was to add about 8-9 rows to length the top. I opted to do the picot edging along the neckline only. I didn't like how it curled up. I also liked how the designer had added waist and hip shaping which gave it a really good fit. The cotton/linen blend yarn gives this top some ease that is needed! Overall, this was a very satisfying knit. Fast and easy to follow. I'm happy with this project. It's nice to finally finish a project and have it fit! :)

Here's a photo:

Since I'm feeling good about finishing this top, I've started on another project called the Olivia top. I'm a bit comprehensive because my last top from the same designer didn't turn out well. I really like her simple designs so I thought I give it try at another pattern. A big plus was the pattern was only $1! This time, the top is knitted in a fingering yarn on a size 7 needle! I have some fingering yarn in my stash so why not? Surprisingly, it's knitting up relatively fast - I have the first 7 rows of ribbing done and now I've done 5 sets of increases so it's going well. This project will be a good project to knit since it's mostly stockingnette stitch (again). I do love cables and lace but it's so time consuming, not to mention I really have to concentrate on what I'm doing.

There was another road race this weekend but I didn't run in it. I actually trying to set a goal for myself! I think I always had a goal but it was just to finish the race and maybe place in my age group. Now, I have a "plan" where I'm actually training. This includes doing speed workouts, lengthening my stride, long(er) runs, etc. I hope to really cut down my time, My next race will be on 4th of July.

I hope all the dad's out there have a Happy Father's Day!

Second Road Race

2011-06-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

This has already been a busy week so far but things are settling down.

I ran my second road race this past Saturday. The race was held in another town in conjunction with a Festival. I was excited to participate in another race and I hoped to run with a large group of runners. This year, there was also another race on the same day so the numbers of runners were down from last year. There were less than 200 runners that participated in this run. The race started at 7:30am so I had to be up around 4:30am. At 11:00pm the night before, I was still trying to download songs to my ipod for my race! Talk about last minute! At 5am, I was out the door and I stopped at the local walmart to buy an armband to hold my ipod. Yes, I'm a procrastinator but I got everything done and I made it to the starting time in plenty of time! It was nice to run in much cooler temperature and the course was relatively flat, with a few slight inclines. Running with headphones help me maintain my pace and also help to motivate me. I was able to run a minute faster than the last race! To my surprise, I did place 2nd in my age group. This is one time that I'm happy to say that there's an advantage to aging... I came home proudly holding my trophy!

Here's a photo of my trophy:

Because it's been a busy week, I have not been doing a lot of knitting. My latest project is a top that I can actually wear in this 100 degree weather. This top is from the pattern called Picovoli (Knotions.com). It's knitted on a size 4 needle using a DK cotton. I happen to have 4 skeins of the CotLin yarn from Knit Picks that I've been saving so it worked out well. Hopefully, that will be enough yarn to finish this top. Here's what I've done so far:

I'm sad to say that my last, the Kourtney top is in the scrap pile! My short rows for the arm straps came out all wrong and therefore ended up way too long! I attempted to correct this problem but then I realized that I wouldn't be happy with the fit anyways. The top was too big and it just didn't look good on me! Hopefully, I'll find another project to put the yarn to good use.

Road Race Report

2011-06-04T02:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I ran in a road race, the first one in a very long time. It seems that around every April, I get interested in running again. It's probably because of the Freihofer's Run for Women. It's a big race that held annually in Albany, New York. The race is actually today. I've ran in this race several times, starting in my early 20's. Unfortunately this year, I wasn't able to make the race so instead I opted for a more locally run race, hence yesterday's race. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make a race today (lack of baby sitter) so a Friday race seemed like a good solution.

Surprising, I wasn't really that nervous....not until an hour before the race. I left at 6pm and arrived around 6:40, giving me enough time to pick up my packet and get to the starting line at 7pm. It was a good turnout, maybe 200 runners. (I'm still waiting for the race result to be posted to get an exact count).

It was a really hot evening. Even at 7pm, it was still in the 90s. High temps for Friday was around 100 degrees. As I was running, I was thinking to myself why did I do an evening race? It was so hot! I imagine, a lot of the other runners were thinking the same thing!

I had a few goals. The foremost, is to finish the race. Finish at a respectable time and I hope to place 1st in my age group. Okay, I had really high expectations for someone who just started running in late April and I've only been running 2 miles instead of the 3.1 miles. I figure my chances of placing (for my age group) was a lot higher in a smaller group of runners.

I finished the race! I ran the whole 5K. As tempting as it was to stop and walk for a few seconds, I opted not to. I knew that if I had stop at all to walk, I would NOT want to start running again. After a long hiatus from running in a race, I've ran in my first race in quite a few years. I think the last race I ran in was the Freihofer's Run for Women 3 years ago?

I'm happy to say that I placed 2nd in my age group! Here is my plaque:

No live shots with me getting my plaque :(

Today, I'm going back to enjoy the Festival with my daughter!

Road Race on Friday

2011-06-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I sent in my entry form to run in a road race on Friday. It's a little scary since I've only started running about a month ago. I've been running about 2 miles at least 4x a week. This will be a 5k. It's also going to be an evening race, at 7pm so I hope it won't be too hot! Temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees on Friday. Wish me luck and I'll blog my experience next time!

I've started a summer project using a sports weight yarn. It's called Kourtney. Pattern found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kourtney. I started this on May 28th and I've been lots of progress on it already! I already have about 21" knitted! Stockinette Stitch goes fast for me and I've been a bit obsessive about knitting this thing! I'm currently working on the bust shaping and will be working on the straps this evening. I hope to have this done in the next few days. I thought this would be a cute top to wear during my vacation to Florida later this month.

Photo of my progress:

I had this pink yarn in my stash. I knew that I had 4 balls of a darker pink and 2 balls of the lighter pink. I thought that I could do the bottom band and the ruffles in light pink. As it turned out, I had 3 shades of pink! Luckily for me, I used the middle shade of pink for the bottom so I think it may be okay. I'm anxious to get this finish because I'm curious of how it will fit. I have not seen a photo of the top actually be worn on a (real) person.

So far, I'm enjoying my summer vacation. Already it's been hot but that's to be expected in this region of the country! I'm looking forward to doing some road trips this summer.

Fresh Fruit

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to take a short road trip. On the way, I passed several fruit stands. I couldn't resist all the signs that screamed out at me "Fresh Peaches, Tree Ripened." What better than a fresh juicy peach? So on my way home, I stopped and got a bag of peaches. I couldn't wait to bite into the peach but to my big disappointment, they were not sweet at all. I attempted to make a peach cobbler but I was a big failure. I used splenda which is not good for baking and also unsweet peaches. (In fact, splenda is not good for any type of baking, hence the last bagel disaster)! Next time, it's regular sugar for all my bake goods. Anyways, I have 3 peaches left and I'll slice them up and add them to my yogurt for a special treat!

Recently, we also purchased a 4 wheeler. My daughter loves riding on it. It's nice to be able to see our whole property. We discovered that we have several blueberry bushes along with blackberries! Last night, I picked a bunch of blackberries and I've been enjoying them by the handful! I may opt to try making a blackberry cobbler later.

I have not made a lot progress on my knitting. I have less than 10" done for my top. I had to undo several rows because my cables didn't flow. I probably still need to undo a few more and see where it goes. I may jump back to my anisette cardigan and seam all the pieces together.

This morning, the whole family went over to the park. There's a walking/running trail there. I thought it would be good for the family to get some exercise in. I ran 2 miles (3 times around the trail) and hubby walked about 1 1/2 miles with my daughter. It was good to get up early and get some exercise in for the day!

An update on my goats. I'm really enjoying them. I was thinking when hubby went out to buy them, they were going to be the minature ones but these 2 goats have really grown on me! I find myself going out to feed them corn and carrots. They are getting more comfortable with me where they will come up to me and take the carrots from my hands! I now have 1 dog, 20? chickens and 2 goats! I hope to add some sheeps in the future.

I'm BACK

2011-05-20T17:15:00.001-07:00

Wow, my last post was back in July of 2010. That's a long time. I guess I got busy with LIFE.

My little girl has graduated from Kindergarten! Her ceremony was this Monday. Thursday was her official start of Summer vacation. Where has the time gone? It turned into a great year where she had the best teacher and paraprofessional I could ask for.

My daughter is awesome with computers. We discovered a few years ago that she learns extremely well with computers so we've been buying different education games. When her teacher suggested that we buy her an ipad around Christmas time, I wasn't so sure. I had no idea what an ipad, ipod, 3 G etc were. After doing some research, I am now very familiar with all those items and terms. I bought my daughter an ipad then decided an ipod may work better for her. (She loves both). I have actually grown to love the ipad which we share. I've loaded a lot of educational and DORA apps for her while I surf the net and play games. I never thought I would be into gadget but I can see how useful they are. I find myself using them alot because there's such a wealth of information at your finger tips. The best thing is that with a touch of a button your on the net, no waiting. Instant gratification!

Today, we added 2 new additions to our family. We purchased 2 goats. We've been talking about getting them for some time now and finally we did. We have a big property for them to eat the shrubs! Hopefully, they will also keep the snakes away too! I hope to add sheeps eventually so I can learn to spin yarn!

Speaking of yarn...I still enjoy knitting. I must admit that my knitting has really slowed down. It's hard to believe that I use to be able to knit a sweater in 2 weeks, now it's a month or more. I though with my daughter being in school, I'd have more free time for with my knitting. I get busy or just plain lazy. I also find that I'm so much more pickier with my choice of patterns. My patterns are free or purchased online. If I have to buy a pattern book or magazine, most of the time I just skip it, all together. Maybe I'm just moving on to the next phase of knitting and I need to come up with my own designs or pattern? Anyways, here's a few of my favorites that I've knitted. (I've fallen in love with cables, they are currently my favorite things to knit)!

The green sweater is called Valpuri, the gray sweater is the Star Cross'd Love Cardigan and the Red Skirt is called Carnaby.

My current knitting projects are the Anisette Cardigan and a cabled top. I am done knitting all the pieces for the Anisette Cardigan. I just have to sew the pieces together and then pick up stitches for the front band. I started the cabled top today. I'm basically winging this one and picking out a cable design I like and adding/changing some things to it. Hopefully, it will turn out nice in the end.

Well, I think that's it for now! Hopefully, I'll start to blog a little more regularly now and I'll be able to catch up on other people's blog too! :)

Tappan Zee Cardigan

2010-07-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

Since my last project, I have been having a hard time deciding what project to do next. I finally decided on the Tappan Zee Cardigan from the summer issue of Knitty Magazine. The pattern seems easy enough and I always like to knit cardigans. Looking through my stash yarn, I decided to make this in a dark purple. It's definitely for a cool winter day or cold autumn night.

This project took over 3 weeks but it could of been a fast knit. With the scratchy yarn it really slowed down my knitting. There seems to be so much other things going on my life that knitting was not a top priority. Maybe after my daughter starts school in a few weeks, I can make knitting more of a priority again!

I decided to make some modifications to this pattern. I really like the yoke on the cardigan. After the 1st diamond pattern, I decided to add some cables. I borrowed the cable pattern loosely from a DROPS pattern. Finally, the bottom cable/lace pattern is from the book Ready, Set Cable. I was having fun trying out different patterns to see how it would turn out. It makes it more interesting! Maybe someday, I'll be brave enough to knit up a top or cardigan without a pattern!

Anyways, here's my cardi:

Front:

Back:

and

In other areas of my life, I doing the last preparation for my daughter before she starts kindergarten. I want to purchase a few more tops and that will be all! She starts school 2 weeks from today! I can't believe summer is almost over...but not the hot summer weather.

I'm happy to say that I finally have DSL! I've been on dial up for so long (DSL was not available in my area) that it's so exciting to have a fast running Internet! What use to take me hours and hours on a particular site (and I'm not exaggerating), now takes me 30 minutes to surf through the site. I'm saving so much time! Life just got a bit simpler. :)

White Lace Tank

2010-06-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

June has been such a hot month so far! After 11am, it's just too hot to go outside in the blazing hot heat! I've been trying to keep cool the best I can by staying in and getting some knitting done. The other day, I was admiring my past projects and wishing for cooler weather so I can wear some of my tops and sweaters. I'm really proud of knitting projects, I feel such a sense of accomplishment and pride when I look at them.

My lastest knitting project is from the August 2008 issue of Knit N' Style. The pattern is called Cream Lace Jumper by Melissa Leapman. I was looking for something "different" (than my usual cardigans) so I opted to make this. I knew from the beginning, I would be making modifications. For starters, I didn't want it to be a jumper/tunic. It's not something I normally wear and I wanted it to have a different neckline. Casting on 91 stitches for each side seem too much to me, especially on a size 6 needle on worsted weight yarn. Though, I was close to getting gauge, changing to size 8 would make this top too big! Instead, I decided to knit this top entirely in the round and cast on 141, knitting this entirely on size 6 needle. I added waist shaping after knitting 6 1/2". I bo 4 stitches on 2 rows, working both the front and back separately. I then decreased 1 stitch on both ends EOR, 4 times. Finally, I bo 33 stitches in the middle for the neckline shaping. Done!

I'm glad my modifications worked out for this top! I was a bit nervous since I made so many changes to the sizing! I was unsure about the total numbers of stitches to bind off for the armholes but I used another top as a template. My only regret is that I didn't plan the waist shaping better and my decreases are not as neat as I would like! Fortunately, it's not as noticeable since they on the sides. These are all valuable lessons for my future projects. I'm always amazed how I keep learning from my knitting projects! I didn't realize that knitting was so complicated, there's always something new to learn. A new technique, a new stitch, etc...

I decided to rework my Juliet. It's too pretty to sit in my frog pile! This time around, I ripped out all of the lace and about 5 rows of the garter stitches. I probably could of taken more of garter stitches out. I did not do any increases this time for the lace but rather did a few decreases so the numbers on the lace pattern would match. This was really a fast fit. I'm glad that I made the changes! Now, I can proudly wear my Juliet during those cooler months.

For the last week and a half, I have poison ivy/oak rash! My wrists, parts of my hand and some of my ankles were covered in a blistery rash! No fun! The first 4 days were miserable since it burned and itched. I also worried that I would give it to my daughter! I'm happy to say that the rash is so much better now and no one else in the family got the rash!

In the last several weeks, we picked a bunch of blueberries from our friend's house. I've made several blueberry pies and are they delicious! I've also made some fried yellow squash (from a friend's) and sweet white corn. The corn were purchased from the farm where it was picked that morning! They are the most delicious corn I ever had! I am so spoiled by all this good food! It almost makes me feel guilty complaining about the hot summer...well, almost! ;)

My new and improved Juliet:

Graceful Top

2010-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've been busy knitting! I managed to complete 3 Emmaline tops! I made one of the Emmaline top into a dress. I even made my last top in a worsted weight yarn instead of the bulky. It was fun experimenting with this pattern. I also finished knitting the Juliet Cardigan. Unfortunately, the cardigan is way too big. It was very disappointing! I have since decided that one day soon, I will redo the lace part. This time I will leave off the increases to get a better fit. My current project, which I finished today, is the Graceful Top. This pattern is from the Lion Brand website. It uses mostly charts. It was a bit intimidating but I knew I was up for the challenge. I took my time knitting this and it probably could of been done in 3 or more days. Once I completed the back, I was confident I could do both the front pieces. This pattern has given me a lot of confidence in reading charts! I still do prefer having a pattern with BOTH charts and written directions!

The Graceful top is knitted on a size 10 1/2 needle using a worsted weight yarn. The pattern called for a thicker yarn so I had to adjust for the gauge. I use only 2 skeins of Paton wool yarn.

I did not make any modifications to the pattern. In the future, I would add waist shaping to this top.

Here another photo:

I'm happy to report that I made it through the graduation ceremony. It was held at a "hugh" baptist church near Atlanta. I was glad to see my niece graduate from High School. After the trip, I was sick for about 5 days. I don't think I've been that sick in a long time. I was so sick, I didn't even want to knit. I'm glad to report that I'm back in perfect health!

Today, it's 95 degrees out. It's the start of a hot, humid, scorching summer for us. Though I don't love the hot weather, I do love summer. I love being able to pick fresh blueberries and buying sweet corn from the farm. I'm also looking forward to eating some fresh vegetables from my garden. :)

Last Day of School and Knitting Projects

2010-05-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today was my daughter's last day of preschool! Wow, these last 2 years of preschool went really fast and she'll be embarking on kindergarten next school year. How time flies! We will have 2 months to enjoy the lazy days of summer! We'll be swimming, shopping and taking mini trips to amusement parks or Chuck E. Cheese!

We sent 4 days in Disney World last week. We stayed at the All Star Music Resort. This was our first trip to Disney. Though Jasmine did enjoy Magic Kingdom, I think she liked hanging out at the pool better!

I currently still have unfinished knitting projects. The featherweight cardigan (in lace weight) and Juliet from here: http://www.zepherstyle.com/. I had purchased 4 skeins of the classic elite sprout yarn to make the Emmaline (from here: http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTemmaline.php. I attempted to start this project several times during my trip at Disney but I finally decided to use the yarn for Juliet. The temperature being in the 90s, I couldn't picture making a top in bulky yarn, even if it's cotton! Since I've been wanting to make the Juliet, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do it! I've actually made good progress on my Juliet and I'm now at the start of the lace portion of the pattern. Wouldn't you know it though, Emmaline kept calling me! For some reason, I really want to knit this even though I don't like having more than 2 projects at once, I cast on! The only bulky yarn I had in my stash was Brown Sheep. Honestly, I never liked this shade of blue (periwinkle). I've looked at the yarn several time and always thought to myself what a weird shade of blue! As I was knitting this project, I came to enjoy the yarn and color. I now think the yarn was perfect for this project, even if it's more of a fall/winter top. I used a size 10 needle for the neckline (since I couldn't find any 10 1/2 needles in 16" length). I switched to the recommended needle size of 10 1/2 just before the first eyelet. I knitted the top just below my bust and did the 1 row of purl. I also did 2 sets of decreases instead of 3. I was afraid it would be too tight otherwise. I then did 2 sets of increases. After the increases, I knitted 9 additional rows, instead of 1 3. It seemed like a good length and I bo using a size 11 needle.

This was a very satisfying project! I confessed that I worked on this late into the night several times. I really wanted to finish this and I'm so glad that I did. I finished most of the knitting late last night and redid the bo this morning! I'm thrilled with the color, fit and design. Next time, I would use a lighter weight yarn so I could wear it all summer long!

I hope everyone a happy and safe summer!

Beach Party Dress

2010-05-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make myself a dress to wear to a graduation. I'm not looking forward to it, sad to say and this will give me an incentive to go! After searching through the patterns and looking at the types of yarn I have in my stash, I decided to go with the Beach Party Dress. The pattern is from the July 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. It seems simple enough, only a little lace! I fell in love with the magazine version in a pretty coral color. Looking through my knit picks catalogue, I realized that they no longer carry this color! Oh well, I decided that I would use the Plymouth Fantasy yarn I recently purchased from the LYS. I had some concerns about this dress. First, I didn't want it to be too tight because it looks very form fitting. I hope that using the 100% cotton yarn would eliminate part of the problem. Second, I had only 6 skeins of this and I did not want to go back to the LYS to buy more. I decided I'll just knit and buy more yarn if I have to.

I rarely check gauge so it's no wonder that after getting about 1/2 way through the bottom skirt, it was hugh! I did try it on as I go but I only put half the stitches on another needle so it wasn't a "true fit". I figure I had made so much progress on this dress that I did not want to frog! I was determined to continue and do some major modification as I go. I made a ton of decreases throughout. This time, I slipped the stitches to scrap yarn and tried it on. I kept making decreases through out until it was a good fit. When I finally got to the waist, I use the seed stitch and knit about 1 1/2 inch for the waist. To make this a fast and easy knit, I opted to leave out the ribbing for the top half of the dress. This may save me from having to buy additional skein of yarn! When I finally knitted the dress to just about the arm area, I ended it with 3-5 rows of seed stitch again. I omitted the casing and the elastic. With all the decreases, I did not need to use any elastic. The sleeves were tricky for me. I knew I wanted more coverage but should I kept it as a garter stitch or a seed stitch to match the dress? After a lot of trial and error (with various stitches and needle sizes), I kept the garter stitch using a size 9 needle for the lace, size 7 for the garter and back to 9 for the bind off. I also decided to close the button holes for the straps. ( Hubby didn't like how it looked).

This was really a fast project. My goal was to knit 1 skein a night, which I did. I worked on this project a lot and I'm real proud that I was able to make the dress fit in the end. Not to mention, that I stayed within the 6 skeins of yarn I had originally purchased. I'm thrilled with my modification and I LOVE the color of the dress. I've decided that this dress is going to be my Mother's Day present to myself!

As you know, I didn't have the best experience at the LYS but I decided to go again. (In the end, I didn't need the extra skein I bought for this dress). I'm happy to say that I had a good experience this time. There were new people working there and they were very nice and friendly! The one person even talked me into buying the recommended yarn for my next project, Emmaline! I ended up purchasing 4 skeins of the Classic Elite, Sprout in green. I'm looking forward to starting that project next, along with resuming the Feather weight cardigan.

This year will be my 25th High School Reunion! Yes, I'm that old. I know most of my classmates have grown children, in college and they have already finished up school. It's funny because my daughter's 4 and she'll be turning 5 this summer. She starts Kindergarten in August! I'm also thinking about going back to college this fall when she's in school. I seem to have things backward. I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life but I'm also scared that my little girl's going to school full time! But...in the meantime, I'm looking forward to our vacation. We'll be taking her to Disney World!

This Sunday, of course if Mother's Day. It's the "hardest" job, but most rewarding job I ever had. It's probably the one I'm MOST proud of. The love I have for my daughter is incredible and the joy she brought into my life is priceless. To all you Mother's out there, Happy Mother's Day! You/We deserve it! :)

Alluring Lace Cardi

2010-04-26T02:42:00.000-07:00

My latest fo is the alluring lace cardi from the current issue of creative knitting. I made this cardi with a sports weight yarn in my stash. I made a lot of modifications to this. The lace was changed to a dayflower lace (using the double lace scarf pattern found on ravelry and the lace pattern from the dayflower camisole). I really wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go with this. I made the bottom half (of both front pieces) in all lace, and only did 1 dayflower lace pattern up the front. I had intended for it to look somewhat similar to the original design ~ even though it doesn't! It was a good experience making changes to it and trying to figure out what to do next. I'm happy the cardi is complete but I'm not happy with all the changes I made (because I didn't account for the extra stockingnette stitches+1 extra stitch in garter). I realized too that I still need a lot of work in the seaming department! One day I'm going to have to take a class on seams!

I have 2 knitting projects I'm current working on. I have always loved the feather weight cardigan I made last year. Last summer? I put it in the wash and the cardi felted! I was very sad so I always intended to make another one. I finally started on this last week. I'm using (again) yarn in my stash. The yarn is a lace weight called Shimmer in Spice from Knit Picks. It's more fall colors but I thought it would go with one of my dresses. The second project is called beach party. It's a summer dress from the July 2008 issue of Creative Knitting. (Yes, I do like Creative Knitting Magazines)! I'm using the yarn Plymouth Fantasy I recently purchased from the LYS. I intend on finishing this dress by the end of May for a family graduation party.

I went to Stitches South on Friday with my friend, Carolyn. It was fun! It was a long ride, about 2 hours & 15 minutes. It made it nice that Carolyn drove so I didn't have to deal with the Atlanta traffic. I didn't attend any classes (next year), I just walked the market place. I got a chance to look at all the different yarns, patterns, etc. I ended up buying about 10 skeins of yarn. For lunch we went to a mongolian beef type restaurant which was delicious. It was a fun day and I got home around 4:30!

Lately, I've been feeling a bit heavy! I decided to start on a diet about 3 weeks ago. I've cut out most of the sugars (splenda is ok), and keep it low on the carbs. I can have all the salads I want w/ low carb dressing. I'm eating mostly proteins with some vegetables. I love sweets so I've made macaroons without flour and (regular) sugar! I also made some cheesecake yesterday, which are very low in carbs. It's not the real thing but it's still good. I'll probably keep experimenting with different stuff to keep the diet interesting. On a real positive note, I've actually lost a lot of belly fat which I'm thrilled! My jeans are no long super super tight! I can actually fit into some of my jeans from last summer... :) I'm also feeling better, I think cutting out the the starch and sugar keeps me more alert!

Easter Egg Hunt & New Yarn

2010-04-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

My daughter's feeling better so we went to the egg hunt at the Arboretum. This year the crowd was smaller since there are 2 days of egg hunt this year and some of a schools are still in session. Honestly, I'm thrilled with the smaller crowd! My daughter picked up some eggs and she had a fun time with her Mommy and Daddy. The day was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures reaching in the high 80's later today! I am sad to report that I did not take any pictures. :( I remembered my camera but I was missing a battery! Oh well, I'll still be able to treasure this special day!

Yesterday, I was able to get hubby to babysit while I went yarn shopping. I know I was trying to be good but I wanted to reward myself for 1) not buying yarn since January 2) finishing the sundrop cardigan 3) Easter gift for myself. I was on the hunt for some DK-weight yarn. I had some trouble finding the LYS but I finally found it. (WARNING: VENT ALERT). To keep my self from sounding too whinny, the service was terrible, I almost walked out. What made the experience even worse is that when I asked if the yarn was a DK yarn (just before winding the skeins) , I was told that it was DK or even sport. As it turns out, it's neither. The yarn is a worsted weight yarn. I should know better right? Poor hubby had to hear me vent for a while. On the plus side, the yarn is nice and it will be great for another future project. I also found some "forgotten" DK weight yarns in my stash AND this will give me a good excuse to "stock up" on yarn at Stitches South. I feel better already....

Sundrop Cardigan Done!

2010-04-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to say that I completed my Sundrop Cardigan. I really wanted to finish this in time for Easter. I wanted to make this in white but since I'm trying to stick to yarn in my stash, I went with Lion Brand Cottonease in Pink. I used 3 full skein and a partial skein for a previous project.

The pattern is from WEBS designer Kirsten Hipsky. I used a size 8 needle for this project. I was a bit nervous doing this project because of all the lace. It's been a while since I've done one with an overall lace design! I was a bit obsessive about getting it correct so I was using stitch holders for every set and counting to make sure I have the right numbers of stitches! This process was really slowing me down! After about 1/2 way through the back, I've decided to abandon that and just do it. I'm thrilled to say that for the most part, the lace came out great. This project has giving me a lot more confidence in knitting lace!

This was another great design from Kirsten Hipsky. The pattern was very straight forward. Here are the modifcations I made to this cardigan: instead of the rib pattern for the front band, I used a garter stitch. I also added 7 button holes instead of 3. 7 seems like the magic number for me lately. I added so many buttons because I was afraid it would be too small and with only 3 buttons, I didn't want the cardi to bulge! I reversed the button holes by mistake! I lengthened the body to 14" and added approx. 3" to the sleeves. For the seams, I decided to try something different this time. I picked up stitches around the shoulders and armholes and did a 3 needle bind off. It was a lot more work but well worth the effort. (I'm very very happy with how neat the seams look). I did a "light blocking" this morning and now it's done!

Stitches South is this month. Hubby has those days off so I'll be able to go one day. My friend, Carolyn will be going with me which will make it a really great day! She's also into knitting and crocheting and we can indulge in our love for yarn. She'll be driving since she's familiar with the Atlanta area. I'm really looking forward to being able to touch and feel the different yarns. I can't wait to add some DK yarn to my stash, which is much needed for all the spring/summer projects I want to do!

My daughter's still has her cold. I'm hoping that she will be feeling better by tomorrow. Tomorrow will be "our" annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Arboretum. This will be our 3rd year and hopefully, her daddy will be there too (normally, he's working)! I love watching her "carefully" pick the eggs. Most kids are busy filling their basket but she's happy picking only the eggs she wants - especially if it's a red colored egg. It's so cute! I like that she's not greedy and she's happy just being there and getting some of the eggs. Anyways, I hope to get lots of pictures tomorrow.

Happy Easter! :)

I'm Back!

2010-03-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been so long since I last blogged. Thank you for those that inquired about my blog.

In the last few months, I have purchased several new patterns that I would like to knit. Several of them are from webs. They are: Lily of the Valley Pullover by Kirsten Hipsky, #276 Hosta Leaf Cardigan (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this) by Cheryl Burke, Tarconic V-Neck Pullover by Jen Ronning, and #301 Oriel Lace Cardigan by Kirsten Hipsky (which is my current fo). I also purchased the pattern, Cherry By Anna Bell. I hope to make this cardigan as part of my summer must knits.

What's currently on my needles is the Sundrop Cardigan by Kirsten Hipsky. I'm using Cottonease for this project. I really wanted to make this cardigan in white but since I'm trying to stick to my stash, I'm knitting this in a pink color. It will actually go well with a pink dress that I have. I'm hoping (keeping my fingers crossed) that I will have this done by Easter. A little over 5 days...sounds possible, but with my daughter on spring break and with her cold, Easter Egg Hunt and Bible Study, I may not complete it in time.

While surfing through Ravelry, I noticed that Stitches South will be in Atlanta from 22-25th of April. I wasn't sure if I was going. After checking with Hubby's work schedule, I realize that I probably will be able to go one day! It will be a 2 ~ 3 hour drive but it will be worth it. It's a good excuse for me to buy yarn since I've been itching to buy some DK yarn for some of the projects I plan to do! It will be exciting to around all that yarn and yarn fanatics. Maybe I'll even recognize some of the people from Ravelry. How cool is that?

Thanks for thinking of me, emailing me and leaving comments on my blog! (I'm sorry I didn't reply to some of the comments and I'll have to translate some of them because I can't read Chinese).

Have a great day everyone!

Here's my current fo:

Also, I took this one day when it actually snowed here! It's hard to believe since we get snow like every 7 years....my daughter was enjoying the snow. :)

Personal Security ~ Computer Virus

2009-12-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-09-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-09-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-07-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2009-07-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

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: h ttp://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

2009-05-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-04-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

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:

Garter Yoke Cardigan

2009-02-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've started going to church at the beginning of the year. I've been talking about it for so long that when my friend, Carolyn invited me I decided to take her up on her invitation. The church is over an hour away but I don't mind the drive (especially with hubby working on Sundays). Why go to a church over an hour away? Mainly because Carolyn goes there. I've known her for a few years now. I also admired her as a person. She is not judging, kind, sincere, warm and has great family values. Everything to admire in a person. Church has turned into a good thing for me and also Jasmine. I get to enjoy hanging out with Carolyn, make new friends and at the same time get "something" out of the sermon. As an added bonus, Jasmine likes the nursery/daycare there and that's a big plus!

You may be wondering why I even brought up church. It does have to do with my Garter Yoke Cardigan. My goal was to finish my cardigan by Sunday and wear it to church. (Though people are very "dressy" at this church, I figure what could be better than wearing a sweater I made with love for myself)? I'm happy to report that I did finish my sweater last night around 9pm.

The Garter Yoke Cardigan is from the winter issue of Knit.1 magazine. It's an easy knit but I did have trouble on one part of the direction. I just wasn't sure if I was interpreting the directions right. Anyways, it was a pretty fast knit. This was also the first time I used double pointed needles to knit (the sleeves). I'm very happy with the way this sweater turned out. Here's a photo of me I've taken this morning before church and a photo of my beautiful Jasmine in her new dress!

me:

and my beautiful daughter:

Update on my lacy ruffled cardigan. I did remove the cuffs/collar and ruffles on the bottom. I also shortened the length. I like it a lot better now. I ended up giving it to my mother-in-law while she was visiting. Here's a photo of the final cardigan:

Lacy Ruffled Cardigan

2009-01-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, I must admit defeat. I attempted to make the Lacy Ruffled Cardigan from the January 2009 issue of Creative Knitting. It looks cute, form fitting. I thought it might be kind of a flattering cardigan to wear on special occasions. I had been dragging my feet on this project because there was so much sewing involved! The sleeves, sides, collar, cuffs and ribbons all needed to be sewed together. I hate sewing because my seams always looks so sloppy so I had been putting it off but I finally force myself to do it. (And on a positive note, my seams looked a lot better)!

I was very excited to try it on. It was not a pretty sight! Hubby said it looked terrible! He's always so supportive of my knitting so I knew when he said it looked bad...it's bad!

If I had seen this sweater at a store, I might be tempted to try it on. The design is nice but it's just soooo unflattering on me. The cuffs are way too big and the collar is too puffy. Oh well, you can't win them all! Now, I can finally move on to my next knitting project!

Here's a photo, and no I'm not wearing it! ;) Happy Knitting!

Happy Chinese New Year and Mrs. Darcy Cardigan

2009-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Years everyone. I must admit that I'm not cooking anything special today. With hubby working such long hours, I decided we'll just do a simple dinner. Otherwise, I would of made him take me out for a great chinese dinner. Oh well, I'll have to take a rain check!

It feels so good to finish a project! I finished my Mrs. Darcy Cardigan. It's from here: http://ndieknits.wordpress.com/patterns-2/patterns/. I had to knit this because I LOVE the movie, Pride and Prejudice. It's one of my favorite. Anyways...I really enjoyed knitting this. I guess I'm kind of a simple girl. I like sweaters to knit that are simple. I like projects I can knit that relaxes me and not add more stress! I followed a fellow Raveler's modifications mostly (dharmabum), with a few modifications of my own. I didn't like how narrow the front was so I did 3 less decreases on the neck line. I also added one more button as an afterthought. I'm thrilled with how it turned out and it feels so warm! The sleeves are a bit long but honestly, I like it. It's a great sweater for a day like today ~ drizzly, 50ish degree day! (That's one of my pet chickens in the picture with me).

Happy New Year!!!!!

Ribbed Cap

2009-01-13T03:49:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to try the NORO yarn. I finally bought a skein with my order with the yarn I needed to finish the shalom cardigan. I received a free pattern from Vogue Knitting that require 1 skein for the ribbed cap. Perfect! I casted on a few days ago and went to knitting. Half way through, I started to wonder if I would have enough yarn to finish. My gauge is probably off, since I rarely check gauge. I decided to go the 5" instead of the 6" before starting the shaping. Following their directions, my ribbing would not line up so did some slight modifications. It's a very easy hat. I think I would of prefer to do it in the round. The fit is disappointing, too small for me. However, it fits my daughter just fine. I love how the different colors play out on the hat.

Shalom Cardigan

2009-01-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize that it's been over a month since my last post! December was a very busy month. We visited our families in New York. It was a short trip but during that trip, we saw a ton of snow. I had to drive during one of the snow storm! Boy, was I nervous. It's been YEARS since I've driven in the snow, or seen that much snow no less! Thank god for 4 wheel drive! I even got stuck going up a small hill but putting in low gear on the 4 wheel drive got the car moving again. Being such a short trip, I didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time with all the family we have there.

When we got home, I came down with the dreaded stomach bug. It was a terrible way to spend my Birthday throwing up and feeling so achy, just plain lousy. By the next day (Christmas), I was feeling better! I even put up the Christmas tree.

Jasmine went back to school today, after 2 1/2 weeks off! The teachers said she had a great day. I was very excited to hear that. She truly is such a blessing! I received these photos of her today. They were taken sometime in November at her preschool. I thought the photographer did a great job.

My knitting has been on the back burner. I don't get to knit as much. Some days, I even go without knitting, which is unimaginable for me! I finally finished the Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane. It was a very, very easy knit. The yarn was a bit hard on the hands. I used a size 10 needle and 4 skeins of the Brown Sheep bulky yarn. It would of been finished sooner but I ran out of yarn. Our LYS doesn't have the bulky yarn so I was able to order it from WEBS. I'm happy to report that it arrived fairly quickly. The weather has turned cool again, so I'm happy to report that I may get some wear out of it yet!

I showed hubby my cardigan and he said "wow, that's really nice." I was thrilled that he gave me such a nice compliment! ;)

Happy New Years!

Finally Finished and New Hat

2008-11-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm finally finished with the Lush and Lacy Cardigan from Sweaterbabe. I honestly don't know why I dragged my feet on this. After an discouraging start, things started to go smoother. Then, I think I got bored with it and started a few projects in between. I finally decided to pick it up again only to find out I don't have enough yarn to finish it. I called the LYS but they didn't have the right color! Darn, but wait...don't I have another skein in my stash? Yes, I do! So, my goal was to finish it by Thanksgiving but I'm a day over. That's okay. This cardigan is sure worth the wait. It's absolutely beautiful and I love it. It's a good fit and I love the color and design. I used a size 9 needle to knit this cardigan and a little over 3 skeins of the Cascade Superwash in violet. I wish that the photos came out better! Here's a few more photos:

And the back:

On my short road trip today, I decided I was going to "crochet" a hat for Jasmine. Something quick and easy. I measured her head and with my size N? hook in hand, I started to crochet away. I basically did what I felt like it and ended it when I thought it would be big enough. I'm glad to say, it was a success! It actually fits her.

And....

Now...I have to search for a new project to do! Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

My Winter Beret Finished

2008-11-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

I thought I was making good progress on my lush and lacy cardigan. I'm having trouble with the decreases on the sleeves. I can't get the right stitch count. Anyways, I realized that I don't have enough yarn to finish it! So close! I just need to get over the the LYS to get that one more skein. Hopefully, they'll have the color in stock. In the meantime, I thought I start on a simple beret. This beret is from knitty.com called spring beret. I used a worsted yarn from my stash with a size 8 needle for the ribbing then changed to 9 for the lace part. Overall, a very easy project. I didn't have to use DPNs or cable needle. It took me about 3 days to do. My daughter decided she wanted to try it on. She's so adorable! Okay, I'm a bit bias I know!

And me with my beret....I think she looks much cuter! :-)

My (Green) Simple Elegance Cardigan Completed

2008-11-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

I started yet another project in the mist of knitting the Lush and Lacy Cardigan! This time, I'll try NOT to start another project until it's done. I was needing a cardigan for those cool morning so I thought I'd make one for myself. Besides, I've been wanting to making something in green for a while now but still haven't until now! This cardigan is from the spring issue of the Creative Knitting magazine. It took me about 11 days to do. That's pretty good considering I just don't have the time to devote to knitting as I use to. I had some trouble with the decreases but I think I was having a hard time concentrating. It had been a stressful week! I'm not 100% thrilled with the seaming but I think it's something I could live with. I used a single crochet to seam the shoulders. I think it look the neatest of all that I tried. I used a size 10 1/2 needle for the whole cardigan instead of switching to 10's for sleeves and trim. I also, lengthened the sleeves. Overall, I'm thrilled and very happy with this cardigan. It's a great fit, easy knit and I love the color!

Preschool and Gifts for myself

2008-11-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that we both made it through my daughter's first week of school (short week, 2 days)! I think I was having a tougher time than her! She LOVES school and being around other children. On Friday, both daddy and I took her trick or treating with her class. It was her first time ever and she did great. At first I was going to dress her up as a pumpkin but hubby didn't really like it . So...I decided to buy another outfit. We put her in a Georgia Cheerleader outfit. She looked adorable. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures! Here's one with her trying out a red baseball hat at preschool:

As a reward for making it through the week, I decided to go on a brief shopping trip. I had a hour to myself so I bought myself some jeans and 2 sweaters. They were so cute and inexpensive to boot. I couldn't make them for the price they were being sold for. So nonetheless, I decided to splurge on two. I can't wait to wear them. I have to admit though, it's put a damper on my knitting. With the amount of money and time it takes for me to knit a sweater, I could easily buy one for a lot cheaper (and sometimes nicer)! I'm a bit discouraged but I know it will pass. I love knitting too much to stop!

Update: We decided this preschool wasn't right for my daughter so she no longer attends this preschool.

Count Down to Preschool and My 3+ hour sweater

2008-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

My daughter is starting her first day of preschool tomorrow. She was signed up over 2 weeks and during that time, I've been a wreck! School was cancelled on Monday because they didn't get the permit from the Fire Marshall. So tomorrow, bright and early I'll be bringing her to preschool! Did I say I was nervous? It will be the first time she's "really" away from me. With our family being so far away, I take care of her 24/7. We're very attached to say the least!

So for the past few weeks, I've been teaching her some discipline, playing computer preschool games and trying to potty train her! She's a champ and a quick learner. It's all going well. She's very sharp! I'll probably blog more about her adventures in preschool later!

I also need to complete a 6 hour course for my Broker's license. I've been too busy lately to even start. I have a few months, so I'm confident I'll get it done way before then.

I'm still working on my lush and lacy cardigan from Sweaterbabe. It's a very pretty pattern. After (of course) another slow start and countless frogging, I finally got the pattern. Once I did, it started to go pretty smooth. I finished the back pretty quick. I started the front and somehow did too many repeats and it got to be too long. I ended up frogging some and decided to start on another project. I've been itching to start something else and I finally did. I wanted it to be quick, a hat maybe? But I found a sweater pattern, called 3 hour sweater, 1940ish? (pattern downloaded from Ravelry). Of course, it took me well over 3 days... I used a bulky yarn instead of the recommended weight of yarn. I also used a size 10/12 and 11 needle instead of the 15. I like the concept of the sweater but it's not a great fit. Mostly because of my gauge because I had no idea on the sizing so I guessed. The ribbing on the top and sleeve didn't quite match up! I also had a hard time seaming the arms, it looked terrible. I finally settled for a crochet seam. It's still not perfect but something I could live with, instead of tearing the whole thing a part! I also did a single row of crochet around the neck line. It's a cute sweater, just needed to make it a bit smaller. Here's a photo (not blocked):

Now I can get back to my lush and lacy cardigan. Wish me luck tomorrow! Did I mention it was also Hubby's Birthday too?

Waves Hem Skirt

2008-10-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

I finished my crochet skirt today. I really wasn't sure if I would finish this. After finishing up on the bell curve skirt, I was ready to start my next project. But...seeing my unfinished skirt, I decided to concentrate on it for the last few days. I'm happy to say, it's finished. The pattern is from the march issue of Crochet, Today! I made it in a small/medium size with some modifications. I did random decreases once I started the waist. I also left off the elastic and did 3 rows of half double crochet instead.

The skirt is a little big still and I don't think the fit is very flattering on me. Next time when I make a skirt, I think I'll go for a less of the A-line look and a straighter skirt.

HOT HOT DAY & FIRST KNIT SKIRT COMPLETE

2008-09-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today started out really nice. I picked some veggies in our garden and I really enjoyed the nice morning. I brought my daughter to the park around noon and by then it was a scorcher! It's hard to believe at the end of September, the temperature was in the 90s! It was so incredibly hot, I thought I was in the middle of summer! I'm glad to say that tomorrow is suppose to be a lot cooler. Yeah, I'm ready to wear more of the sweaters I made! During the cooler weather a week ago, I actually wore my fall eyelet top and shell top. I'm starting to appreciate the things I made and I'm looking forward to wearing more of the items I made. Here's a photo of me wearing my shell top last week! (I'll probably revamp this top and add some long sleeves)!

I finally finished my bell curve skirt today. The pattern is from Knitty.com. It is a great pattern. It's my first skirt and I'm really glad I finally made one. I was a bit nervous because I'm between size small and medium. I opted to make the medium. I used about 5 skeins of the Lionbrand Woolease in Burgundy. The waist band was knitted in a size 7 needle and the rest of the skirt was done in size 9 needle. This skirt seemed to take forever! The star stitch, though very pretty is very hard on the hands. Half way through, I started to knit really loose the row before the star stitches and that made my life easier! I did get a bit discouraged in the beginning because it was taking so long that I started another skirt project but in crochet. (That by the way, is also on hold). I also finished the baby outfit for my sister in law. I'm glad I didn't get discouraged and decided to concentrate on finishing this project. Overall, it was an easy pattern to follow. My gauge is slightly off so the skirt is slightly longer. The skirt is a bit big on me but with the added elastic waist band, it's a good fit. I would of prefer a less of a flair on the bottom too. Hubby said it looks good so I'll take his word for it! It's such a pretty skirt. I'm still in the process of blocking it as you can tell! The bottom was curling up so I wet it down. I got too impatient that I had to have hubby take a picture of me in it ~ wet or not! I'll post another picture when it's dry! :)

Finally here are photos of my skirt fully blocked:

Crochet Baby Outfit

2008-09-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

For the last 3 days, I've been working on this baby outfit. The pattern is called Aunt Jen's Sweater. It's for the sweater and cap. I also made the bootie today, which is from here: www.ebecountrycottage.com/bevsbooties2.html. It was such an easy crochet and fast! It was done about an hour. The bootie was kind of an after thought to completing the outfit. I had not intended to crochet anything for my sister in law. I told myself that I was not going to make anything and just send her some money. (She's due this month). When I spoke to her, 3 days ago she suggested that I make her something. So, I searched the internet until I found an outfit that was easy and quick. So here's my end results. I used 1 skein of the Bernat Softee and 1 skein of the Red Heart Baby yarn for the outfit, cap and bootie.

The outfit:
The booties:

On my 2 skirts, I've been crocheting and knitting like crazy trying to make some progress on both. I was not enjoying myself at all! I was putting this undue pressure on myself to get it done. Hubby said that I have a love/hate relationship with my knitting/crochet. It's like a race. It's true, I like to hurry up and get it done because I enjoy the satisfaction of a finished project! After a day of joy, I'm searching for the next project! So, it was probably good that I took a break from my skirt to make this baby outfit. For tonight, I'll just enjoy the rest of the night without any knitting or crocheting!

I'm BACK...to crocheting

2008-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

After what seems like a very long hiatus, I've picked up my crocheting hook and I'm back to crocheting. I've been knitting a skirt called the bell curve but I was getting bored and the "star" stitch was hurting my fingers so I decided to put it hold temporary while I search for an appropriate project. After pouring through my magazines and various websites and patterns, I decided upon the waves hem skirt. It's from the march issue of Crochet, Today! (Okay, I was suppose to making something green but I got distracted...sidetracked. I wanted to make a skirt and I didn't think a green skirt would look good on me)! I'm using yarn from my stash so I hope it turns out okay. I'm using a tweed color for the body with black for the waves. It's a really interesting pattern so far and I'm actually enjoying it! No pictures yet! I'm a bit nervous about the skirt because I'm a "pear shape" and I'm between 2 sizes. My gauge is off since my yarn is thicker than the recommended. I've decided to make the small and maybe do some modifications for the waist later. Skirt is worked from the bottom up so I can try it as I go. I love that I don't have to put my stitches on scrap yarn to try it on because I'm just too LAZY!!! I hope my crochet project will be a success!

I'm back to making more jellies. I'm having a lot of fun with it. I made 5 jars last week but it's not thickening up like I hope. I'm may have to re-cook this batch yet again. I don't understand why it won't thicken up on the first try. I cook the heck out of it to get it at a thick consistency before I actually ladle it into the jars. Any canners out there, I love to hear any trick of the trade!
Hubby gave a jar away to friends and they really enjoyed it. It really made my day knowing they liked it!

I was in Walmart shopping the other day and saw a nice knitted sweater for under $15! I was admiring the beautiful cables and the ribbing around the neckline. I looked on the inside of the sweater to see how it was put together. You can tell that it was hand made by the ridge from where the knitter had picked up the stitches around the neckline. I can't believe such a nice sweater could be produced in such high volume at such a low price (okay, hubby said sweat shop :( and it also made me sad that it takes me more than $15 just to buy the yarn and all the time and effort I put into making one! Yes, it's the satisfaction of knowing I made it and picked out the yarn lovingly. I understand why people today do not bother to learn to crochet/knit/make jelly, etc. They can buy it faster and cheaper. But...I am glad that I can and do have the abilities to do these things and pass them on to my daughter.

Ravelympics Vest and Summer (Fall?) Eyelet Top Completed

2008-09-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I finished my vest for the Ravelympics over a week ago. The pattern is from the magazine Creative Knitting Fall issue. It was an interesting pattern. I made this using a size 9 knitting needles and 4-5 skeins of the Paton SWS yarn. It took a little over a week to complete. Honestly, the vest is cute but I don't think I would ever wear it. It's too "busy" for me. It was fun to knit.

The Summer (Fall?) Eyelet top is from the spring issue of Knit n'Style Magazine. I have been eyeing this top for a while. I'm glad I finally got around to making it. It was such a FUN pattern to knit. The lace pattern was easy but the arm and neck shaping was a bit of a challenge. I extended the length of the top by adding some rows of ribbing. (Idea borrowed from a Ravelry member). This was made using a size 9 knitting needle and 2 skeins of Caron Simply Soft in purple. I love the color! The pattern called for some picot edging around the neckline but I opted to leave it out. I like the ribbing around the neckline. I also added a single row of crochet to the arm to prevent it from rolling. I took my time in completing this project because I didn't know if I wanted to make it into a vest. This is one of my favorite projects because it's such a cute top and an easy lace pattern!

Lately, I've been totally obsessed about the color green ~ the bright shade of green, that is. I have recently purchased about 7 skeins of the worsted shine in grass from Knit Picks but I'm on the look out for more green yarn! I have a few projects in mind but nothing definite. I'm not even sure if I would like the color on me! Green has always been one of my favorite colors...my car is a mint green color! Hopefully, when I finish with my Bella Curve skirt I will find a suitable project for my green yarn.

Hubby has been doing a lot of canning this year from the vegetables he's grown in the garden. I think it's rubbing off on me! I've been making muskadine jelly. I've never made them before. I searched the web for a recipe which I slightly modified. On my first attempt, the jelly did not thicken so I had to re-cook it. I added some lemon juice which I think helped. I was eager to try out the jelly, which I'm happy to report is delicious! The best part is that I made it!

Here's a few jar of them:

Jasmine's 3rd Birthday

2008-08-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Today is my precious daughter's 3rd birthday. Reflecting on 3 years ago, I tried to have a home birth. My water had broke on the 10th around 5:30 (right before leaving work). No major contractions that night or most of the next day. Then that night (11th), the mid wife though baby might of been breached so hubby rushed me to the hospital. A record time of 15 minutes when it should of took over 30 minutes. We didn't want to know if it was a boy or a girl, but I had a "feeling" it was a boy. Well, as you know it's a girl. The last things I said before I out from the drugs was asking the doctor if he was sure it was a girl and that I didn't having anything pink! I woke up shortly after 11:30pm and held my beautiful girl in my arms. It's been such a great journey with her so far. I'm looking forward to seeing her grow up. What a great joy she is!

For her 3rd birthday, we decided not to head up north to visit with family. We were there in May. We decided to do a nice family thing, small and intimate. We brought her to Chuck E. Cheese. She had a blast. She loves to run and she had a great time playing the machines and going on the rides. Just the smile on her face really made me happy. For a cake, we got her an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. We've finished the day off with her outside enjoying some pool time. It's been a perfect day for us! :)

My Autumn Hey Teach Sweater and Ravelympics

2008-08-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

I finished my Autumn Hey Teach Sweater yesterday. This is a free pattern from Knitty. I downloaded it from Ravelry. When I saw this sweater, I fell in love with it and I had to start on it right away. The bottom half was easy to do. I had a lot of trouble with the top bodice on the back because of the lace and the shaping. It was mostly following the chart and on row 7, I just couldn't get it to work. I realize about 4 days? into the project that I didn't like the yarn color I was using and my s2k was wrong. What to do? I decided to re-start using a different yarn and needle size all together. On August 1st, I re-started my project using a teal colored yarn. I had 7 more days to complete this before Ravelympics! Once again, I was stuck on row 7 of the pattern but I finally got the back bodice done. Thanks to fellow Raveler's, I knew there was an error in the pattern so I reversed the 1st set of stitches with the last set for both the front and left. (Front left said to k 3, follow pattern then k 6 instead I: k 6, follow pattern and knit the last 3). It made the pattern look more like what the designer had done in the photo. Next because there wasn't enough stitches, you were suppose to omit the yarn over. It wasn't coming out right. What I did was still follow the pattern and for the last 2 stitches, I slip 2 and knitted them together. This way, the pattern flowed and looked like what it was suppose to! I was happy to say that the right side was a piece of cake!

I wanted to make this sweater slightly different, with a little bit of me in it. I decided to rib the sleeves and do the trim in black. I wasn't sure how it would look. After knitting the trim in black, I decided the neck line needed more black, so I did 3 rows of (single crochet) sc. I also did 3 rows of sc on both sleeves and 1 row of sc on the bottom. Then it's sewing on the buttons and weaving in all my ends. Boy was there a lot of ends to weave in! I have to add that this was one of the best seaming job I've done! :)

Ravelympics started at 8am on Friday. I was suppose to start my vest for the vest vault. I am making the modular vest. It's cool looking, knitted in miters. I SHOULD of been working on my vest on Friday, but I spent all of my time on Friday trying to finish the hey teach sweater! I did finally start my vest on Saturday. I haven't devoted too much time to it yet, but I'm confident I'll have this done in time!

Anyways, here are a few more photos of my Autumn Hey Teach sweater. I'm very proud of it!

My Camp Perry ~ Leaf Tee

2008-07-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm naming this tee after my trip to Camp Perry, Ohio. This tee was started on the day we left for the trip. This is another free pattern from Ravelry called the Leaf Tee. I LOVE this pattern.

It is so easy to follow. Only 1 lace repeat and the rest is simple stockinette stitches. This was done on a size 6 needle using a DK weight yarn. I used 5 skeins of Elann Sinota.

I pretty much followed the pattern. It was the right size for me. I finished with 3 rows of ribbing as suggested to keep the bottom from curling. I also added 1 row of sc around the neckline using a size D hook.

I really love how this top turned out. It's a great fit and I love the lace on it. The pattern was so simple to follow, I didn't need any help with trying to decifer the directions! Now I can concentrate on my current project which is the Hey, Teach cardigan (bella is on hold again). I hope to get it completed before the ravelympic which starts on August 7th. So my goal will be to finish the cardigan by then. I'm really looking forward to the ravelympics. I have a new friend which I will be making the modular vest with. It's so exciting!

Knitted Minisweater

2008-07-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

This project had been put on hold while I started and finished my talia vest. The minisweater/boobholder is a free pattern by Stephanie Japel. I downloaded this pattern from Ravelry.

I liked some of the modifications made by other Ravelers. I followed mainly the pattern and basically extended the length and joined in the rounds. It was a very easy pattern. I used exactly 6 skeins of Berroco Softwist using a size 9 knitting needle. This yarn was very soft but kind of "splity". I would not recommend using this yarn for any project using any needle smaller than 9. If I was to make this again, I would add some waist increases. It's a bit snug even with the yarn over bind off.

Overall, it's a fun and easy project to do. I'm pretty happy with the results! Now I'm on the hunt for my next project. I may do a skirt as a future project...

Talia Vest

2008-07-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say my knitted talia vest is complete. I took part in a KAL with the Sweaterbabe Group on Ravery. I had originally bought 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride, Brown Sheep for this vest. The color was called brown bear but I didn't really like the shade of brown. I ended up using 3 skeins of Lion Brand Wool in Winter White from my stash. I bought an extra skein just in case but it took exactly 3 skeins to make the size small. This was done all with a size 9 needle.

I have to say that this is the most difficult knitting project I've done so far. There was a lot of lace and I really, really had to pay close attention to the directions. This project was the most difficult knit project for me. I had to pay really close attention. I had trouble with some of the directions, my wrong side/right side wasn't matching up so it kind of confused me. (Thanks to some fellow ravelers they helped me to get back on the right track). The neck shaping also gave me some problems so I finally decided to leave the pattern out all together but I think it turned out fine. Once I decided to do that, the project went much smoother for me and I was actually enjoying this, without stress! I might add that for the sleeve bind off, I used the yarn over bind off to get a loose fit. It was too tight otherwise. This was also the first time also I picked up stitches (around the sleeves and neck). It didn't turned out to be too difficult. I ended up blocking this vest twice to ensure a good fit.

Overall, I'm happy with this vest. I'm excited that I was able to complete this project. I will probably knit another talia vest in the near future! :)

Here's another photo with me wearing a dark shirt to show the finer details of this vest:

My Favorite FO

2008-06-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

This has got to be my favorite project by far. I finished the Coquette tub top from the book Fitted Knits. I used 3 skeins of TLC cotton~plus w/ knitting needles in sizes 5 and 7. I took my time on knitting this because I wanted the stitches to all be even. I was a bit nervous about the fit after reading other knitter's comments. I made this in the xs and hoped that it would not be too big! I used the sewing bind off for this top to get a very loose edging on the bottom. I'm very excited to say it's a good fit. It's still missing some ribbons or an icord for the top but that'll come later. I could not contain my excitement, so here's a photo of top!

And here's a close~up of the lace:

I have so many projects that I want to do. Wouldn't you know it, after posting my photo on Ravelry, I stumbled upon another top that I just love. It's called the Celia Cruz strapless top. It's similar to this top I just made. I had to order it immediately! It's downloaded and now I just have find the perfect yarn to start on that project! I hope to be done with that before the first of July so I can start my KAL on the talia top!

Monte Rio Shell

2008-06-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

I finished this crochet shell yesterday. It's from the current issue of Crochet! Magazine. It's a very easy crochet. I rarely check gauge, so of course the gauge was off. I used 3 skeins of Omega Sinfonia cotton yarn in pistachio using a size I hook. I worked on this project along with a knit project, the Coquette Tub Top (Fitted Knits). It was nice switching back and forth, when I got bored with one ~ I switched to the other. I realized at the end, I was getting antsy so I made myself finish this shell. The Tub Top is coming along nicely, the only problem is that I'm running out of yarn. I'm hoping the yarn will be here by Saturday! If not, I'll have to "force" myself to start another knit project. I have too many projects in mind!

Adopted Cat

2008-06-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

I took this photo yesterday. It's our neighbor's cat but she hangs out here most of the time. Yesterday, I saw her sleeping in our cooler! Smart cat, she was trying to stay cool in the 90+ temperature! She's sooo adorable. The neighbor's selling their home so I'll miss her when she moves.

We went blueberry picking yesterday. I really enjoyed myself. Hubby dropped me off while he had an errand to run. It was already hot hot hot at around 10am but I didn't mind. It felt so good to be outdoors and picking blueberries. It was great! Hubby got back 30 minutes later and my daughter and I walked around a bit. She even picked a few berries before she got stuck with some briars. After that, she was done and wanted me to hold her. I picked a few more berries holding her and then we hung out in the car waiting for hubby to finish picking his berries. I forget how much fun it is. I love eating food that are organic and buying fruit/vegetables from farmer's market or the farm. I hope the corn will be ready soon so I can buy a bunch from the farm.

I've started another crochet project. Still keeping in the theme of tanks/summer tops. I'm crocheting the monte rio shell from Crochet! Magazine. It's an easy crochet. I think I tend to make things harder than they are. Of course, I had to rip a few times because it didn't look right to me. I was actually doing it right but in my mind I was thinking it should look different. I tend to do that sometimes, over complicate things. I'm glad to say, it's coming along nicely.

I know I said that I don't like to start another project until I finish the last but...I did. I'm allow to change my mind! I also started a knitting project and it has some lace in it! I don't have enough yarn to complete the project so I went on line to order more. Go figure, JoAnn no longer carries that color! I did find it on ebay! I may have to put that project on hold and yet again start another if the yarn doesn't come in on time.

Crochet Shell Top

2008-06-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

I am crocheting again! My crochet has been kind of put on hold while I've been doing a lot more knitting. My shell top done! This is originally a dress pattern but I made modifications. (The baby doll dress from Interweave Magazine is on hold until I can buy the yarn I need). Here's the original pattern for this dress:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000510141442/http://www.cei.net/~vchisam/groovy/v-14.html

The pattern is from 1970. I had intended to make the large size but even with the large, the neck line was too small. It didn't help that I did not check the gauge. Oh well, I figure I'd just wing it from there on. I made some increases along the way, under the arm area. Then I realized that I was not going to have enough yarn to make it into a dress. Just as well, because I don't think I'd wear it as a dress. I had to decide how long I wanted to make the top so I stopped just around my hips. I wanted to add straps and I did sc around the arm area. I'm so excited how this turned out. I added ribbon around the waist area to give it some shaping. I'm so thrilled how this turned out. I really had no idea what exactly I was going to do with this. It almost ended up in the frog pile! I used 2 skeins of Caron simply soft heather in a deep teal color. This was all crocheted using a I hook. A very very simple crochet, done mostly in 2dc and 2sc shells. I did a 8 dc picot instead of the recommended 9 dc for the bottom edging.

Here's a photo:

Summer Funnel Knit Top

2008-06-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

I completed my Summer Funnel Knit top today. I must admit though, that I didn't get much sleep! I was up approx. 1 am and my daughter was up around 4 or 5am. It gave me more time to work on my knitting. While we had breakfast, i finished seaming up the sides and the straps.

I used 2 skeins of the Bernat Satin yarn for this project and a size 9 knitting needle. I bought this yarn on clearance in a pink color called maitai. It's super soft and shiny. I honestly did not like this yarn, the color and sheen to it. I almost put the project on hold but decided that I was not going to start another project until I completed this. I ran into a little snag because the funnel neck was not working out. It's for the best because I don't think I'd wear it at all with a super high neck line. Too hot to wear a turtle neck in 100 degree, Georgia weather! What I decided to do is keep the high neck line, sort off and add some straps. I crossed my fingers and hoped that it would be a good fit. With great satisfaction, I'm glad to say that I really like this top! I even ended up liking the yarn. It's super soft, softer than Caron's Simply Soft and the color is actually nice. I'm so glad I didn't give up, once again! Now I can start my next project...I'm really leaning towards a crochet project, yes crochet! I am so inspired by Crochetgurl's baby doll that I may have to make one for myself. I LOVE the way her dress turn out!

So far so good on the work out fronts. I was sooooo sore after my 1st work out doing Tae Bo. I ran the next day and did Tae Bo again yesterday. I'm not as sore today so that's good. I'm going to keep up with working out regularly and eating a little less! I really like to loose about 5 lbs, at least and be more trim and fit. I'm keep you all posted on my progress! That way, it give me motivation to keep working out!

Hot Days of Summer

2008-06-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a scorching 100 degrees today! HOT HOT HOT. I bought a little pool for my daughter which we put on the porch. It's so cute to see her playing in her little pool. We really enjoy being on the porch, watching our daughter and looking out on the lake. Hubby and I use to get out of work early and get on the jet ski or the pontoon boat. Soon enough, we'll be able to take our daughter with us on the jet ski!

It's hard to believe I've been home for over a week, almost 2? Wow. I didn't get a chance to run in the road race but that's okay. I had a cold the 2nd day I was on vacation and it kind of put my running on hold. Besides, I think we were to come home. Next year, we'll plan for it and I'll have plenty of time to train for it.

I worked out for the first time in a long time this morning. I did about 30 minutes of Tae Bo. I had been doing some running (but sometimes life gets in the way, lazy or just busy). I need to get back into shape. Being pregnant sure does change your body! But, it's been almost 3 years since I gave birth so I can't use that as an excuse any more. No more excuses, I have to work out and get back into shape. I can do it! I have to stay motivated!

I lost some steam in my knitting. Maybe I'm feeling a little burnt out. I've been knitting so much. I'm still in the middle of a project though, I'm making the summer funnel sleeveless top from here: http:///www.girlfromautie.com/patterns/clothing/summerfunnel/summerfunnelphp.

It's a cute top, I think part of it is the yarn. I realized that I don't enjoy using acrylic yarn anymore. Of course, I ordered a bunch of cotton yarn from JoAnn's. I think 5 colors in all (14 skeins). I also have some cotton yarn in my stash and some that I ordered from Elann's to try out. I want to jump into a new project but I know if I do, I will not finish my current project. I do not like to have unfinished project! So I'll force myself to finish this current one before I start the next. While I'm on the topic of knitting, when I returned from vacation I decided I wasn't happy with my lelah top. I think the elastic made it look too tight on top, so I ripped the elastic off. I still wasn't happy but I couldn't decide what to do. After almost a week, I decided it was time to finish it. I by-passed the straps and put 3 rows of ribbing on top. Now it's a perfect fit. I'm very very very pleased with it. It is so much better because I didn't' give up after countless try of trying to get it right! Anyways, here's my re-worked top!

Back From Vacation

2008-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

We had a good vacation. The weather was cold up north. We came home to 80 degree weather!Our garden was doing well and the tomato and squash plants are getting big! We lost about 10 chickens because the hose busted and they couldn't get any water! It was a good thing we came home early! My daughter had fun hanging out with all her grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins. She really had a great time.

While away, I was able to finish my Sarah tank top. Pattern was a free download from Ravelry. I made it using about 3 (or 4?) skeins of Lion brand cotton ease in berry. I used a size 9 knitting needle. A wonderful person, ThatOtherRedHead, helped me tremendously with the resizing of the pattern. I had decided to switch yarn and start over but I forgot to re-check the gauge, so the top was turning out to be too big! I caught it about 1/3 through the top and made several decreases. I probably could of made the top slightly longer for a better fit. I'm really happy with the results.

I finished the lillian tank top today. (Pattern also found on Ravelry). I started this a while back but I put it on hold because I couldn't get the lace to work out. I figure since I had done a lace top since I would able to do this one. No luck so instead of scratching the whole top, I decided to make it without the lace. It seems to take forever. It's done on a size 6 knitting needle using 2 skeins of Caron's Simply Soft in Red. I did about 3 to 4 rows of single crochet around the neck and arm area for the trim. (It seems like forever since I last crocheted)!!! I was worried that it may look strange but it actually came out fine! The top is a bit tight, I think it's because I've gained some weight from over indulging during my vacation! It's a cute top and I may try again in the future, if I can get the lace to work!

Here are my two newest top: Sarah Top and Lillian Tank Top

Lelah Knit Top

2008-04-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

I made this top as part of a KAL on Ravelry. I started last week and finished it this evening. This is a free pattern off Ravelry again. This was knitted using a size 10 1/2 needle on the bottom and a size 9 for the top. I was nervous making this top because I have never done any lace pattern in knitting before. I used scrap yarn to mark off every few sets of stitches to make sure I was doing the pattern correctly. This took a lot longer but it was worth it. I was afraid the holes in the lace would be too big but it came out fine. I used just a little over 1 skein of Caron's Simply Soft in soft blue.

I casted on 121 stitches for the top. I was almost the number of stitches for my "oh so easy tank top". I did not do any decreases as the pattern called for since I figure with the bigger needle on the bottom, I would get a little bit of a flare. I also added an extra set of pattern for the bottom to make the top a little longer.

This is a great pattern. I am probably going to make another in cotton so I can block it. I'm happy with the fit, though it could be a tad looser on top. I love the way it looks! This top has given me more confidence to move beyond the easy patterns!

Busy Knitting

2008-04-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in a while. I finished knitting this boatneck tank a week ago (pattern from the summer 07` issue of Knit Simple Magazine) and I was looking for another project, either to crochet or knit. After several discouraging attempts, I decided to try the Coachella, a knitted top. It looks really cute and not extremely difficult. It was rated "tangy" but I figure I'd give it a try. The pattern from a free download on Ravelry.

I'm always a bit nervous when starting out a new project, especially in Knitting. I'm such a beginner at knitting and I know only the basics. This pattern is an intermediate. There are lots of shaping! I have done so many new stitches with the pattern that I had never done before. First off, I used a circular needle (okay no problem but I never and knit in the round). I also did knit in the back, M1, ssk, kfb all which are new to me! I wasn't sure on one part of the direction which a very nice person on Ravelry clarified for me. I also did some research on this pattern to see what other members had said about the pattern. It was suggested to make the top longer and to rib the bottom for more stretch. I'm soooo glad I did, I absolutely LOVE this top!!!!

I started almost a week ago and my goal was to finish it today, which I did. I must add that I worked on this a lot! As a beginner, I don't think this was a really hard pattern to follow. I would highly recommend making this top, it's a fun top.

I love Ravelry. It has become my favorite website of all times. I've made some new friends and have found tons of ideas for both knitting and crocheting. As an added bonus, there are also a lot of free patterns. Not to mention all the wonderful helpful people on the site who will answer any questions/problems I have~as with the Coachella top. The wonderful person answered my question in only a few minutes so I could of quickly resumed my knitting! It's great.

I'm so proud and happy of my top, so without further delay ~ here are the photos!

I've been tagged (again) and Crochet vs. Knitting

2008-04-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged again! Thank you Gina. I was tagged before by a very nice person the first time but I decided not to participate. I really don't like the ideal of having to tag 1o other people! With dial up, my computer's been running super slooooooow! So, I'm going to do what I feel comfortable with and that is list 10 things you didn't know about me and I'll let other people link to me, if they choose! Here we go:

1. I'm an introvert. I'm very quiet and shy.

2. I've lived in Las Vegas for over a year and I realized that "home" is really where you make it. With all the glitz and glamour there, I still wasn't happy. I found that happiness comes from within not out.

3. Birth of my daughter really changed me. I have not had a drink since I was pregnant with her.

4. While I was a police officer, I did several presidential detail where I protected Bill Clinton. I also met Hilliary. She went out of her way to say hi to me while I was working her protection detail. It gave me a lot of respect for her that she took the time to say hi w/o cameras around.

5. I'm also married to my high school sweetheart (like Gina).

6. I have to have some type of project (either crocheting or knitting) going on or I feel lost! I love to work with my hands now.

7. Okay, I'm running out of things...I'll have to think real hard! My grandparents basically raised me because my parents worked the evening shift.

8. My favorite flower is gardenia. I LOOOVE them.

9. I'm a super fast typist!

10. Okay, I'm digging deep, can't think of much else! Finally, I have to work hard on staying positive!

Okay, feel free to link yourself to my blog so I don't have to tag anyone!

Now on to my latest projects! I finished another elegant shell in a dark blue. It's made in a sports weight which makes it much more appropriate for the spring/summer time. (Check out my photo on ravelry). I've also been on a swimwear kick. I tend to go a particular theme (summer wear/tanks, children's wear) now it's swimwear. I've been searching for easy patterns. I found one which I made in knit (check out my photo on ravelry). It's really cute and I like that it was with a bulky yarn. I then wanted to make one in crochet. Crocheting one is so much faster and easier than knitting. The 1st one I made was the one in pink/green/blue. I finished my 2nd crocheted bikini early this morning. The red and black trim bikini took about 4-5 hours to complete. Talk about instant gratification!

The pattern from the crochet bikini is here:

http://www.supernaturale.com/articles.html?id=53.

I'm having so much fun making these, I'll probably start on my next one tonight!

Crocheted Toddlers Dress

2008-03-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

I finished weaving in all the ends early this morning. This is the pattern from: http://hometown.aol.com/crochetmaryellen/page19.html.

Essentially, it's the above pattern. I didn't know what size the pattern was for. My daughter is a 2T-3T. I used a K size Hook using RH Super Saver Yarn in Peach. After starting on the arm area, I realize this was going to be too small so I made the arm area bigger. For Row 5, I hdcs in next 6 Vst, then skip the next 10 Vsts at each end. I also did 2 increases, 1 at each end for the next 3 rows. The increases were made in the arm area. I also did extra rows of 2hdc prior to color change and also after the color change. Finally, for the arm and bottom trim I did 4 dc into the Vst (for arm) and into the hdc for the bottom. For the trim around the neck, I switched to a smaller hook, size I. I added a bow and flower to my dress.

I didn't tighten the stitches after the start/end of each row which made it a bit uneven in the back. I probably could of made the dress even longer for my daughter too. These are good lessons to learn for my next dress! :D Overall, it was an easy crochet. Best of all, the dress looks adorable on my beautiful daughter!

My Daughter's First Egg Hunt

2008-03-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

I took my daughter to her first egg hunt this morning. (It was for children ages 2 to 4 which is perfect for her). It started out a little cool but by the time we started the egg hunt at around 10:30am, it had warmed up nicely. It must of been in the high 60s. I wasn't sure if my daughter would enjoy herself but she loved it! I gave her the easter basket. She was holding it and playing peek a boo with it. So cute. When they led us to the field, and the kids went after the eggs/toys. My daughter picked up her first egg and threw it! After that, she got the hang of it and picked up 3 to 4 more. I tried to get her to pick up a toy but she just looked at it so I picked up it up for her and put it in her basket. Okay, so I cheated a little but why not! It was a hugh success. I was so glad my friend showed up too. She helped take some great pictures so I can remember this wonderful day!

Here's a photo me (very proud mom) and my beautiful daughter picking up one of her first easter eggs!

HAPPY EASTER!

Spring Wardrobe

2008-03-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the spring theme, I crocheted another elegant shell. This was made using the "I Love This Yarn" in coffee. I used 2 skeins with a size H hook. Very fast, a total of 3 days but could of finished it in 2 - left off a row so it messed me up on doing the arm part. Spent an evening and some of the morning trying to figure out what I did wrong. Another lesson re-learned, do not try to do crochet project while I'm tired and frustrated! (Unless I'm doing straight mindless crochet w/o shaping)! I took a short nap and then figured out I left off a row and got the pattern to work. Back on the right track... I loved the yarn I used. So soft and sooo inexpensive.

I made the long trek with my daughter to Hobby Lobby on Saturday. It was about 1 1/2 each way. I finally bought some I love this yarn (in coffee , 2 skeins of RH in peach and 3 skeins of sinfonia). I was looking for cotton yarn for my next project. I must say that I was really happy with the I Love This Yarn. The consistency of the yarn was great and it's so soft. Not to mention the price. I was very impressed with this yarn. I may go back again this weekend or next to buy some more. I liked the color selection too.

I'm still putting off my orchid top. I'm going to make yet another Oh so easy, beginner's tank! This time I may try it in a cotton yarn from my stash. I'm a bit nervous since someone else is trying out my pattern. I hope there's not a lot of mistakes in my pattern!

I'm taking my 2 year old daughter on an easter egg hunt on Friday! Her very first, I'm so excited! (I wish my husband could be there but he's working) . It's at the lockerly arhboreum. It's a beautiful place and I'm sure there will be lots of flowers in bloom. The egg/toy? hunt is for children ages 2 to 4, which is just perfect for her. I can't wait to see my daughter hunt for easter eggs! I'll post all about my adventure next time! Happy Easter!

Knit Tank, Take 2

2008-03-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

I finished my second Oh so easy, beginner's tank today. I made some slight modifications on this. I made the shoulder straps slightly shorter and ribbed the bottom and neck. I was going to crochet the edges but decided against it. I'm pretty happy with the fit. It was such a beautiful day today, mid 70s - I probably could of wore my tank out today!

RIBBING DIRECTIONS IN ADDITION TO PREVIOUS PATTERN

To add ribbing: Rib the first 4 rows. To do this:

Row 1: Cast on 60, K1, P1, K1, P1... all the way to end.

Row 2: K1, P1 to end

Row 3: K1, P1 to end

Row 4: K1, P1 to end

Row 5: Work Stockinette Pattern for 14 inches. Knit 1 row, Purl the next row...

To rib the neck area:

Follow directions for arm shaping from PATTERN on previous post until AFTER you finish the 1 decrease on each end. Then:

A. Purl Next Row

B. Knit 10 stitches then put stitch marker start of next stitch. (Rib) K1, P1, K1, P1...for the next 30 stitches, put stitch marker on the last stitch (#30), then knit the last 10 stitches.

C. Next Row, Purl 10 stitches to marker, then K1, P1, K1, P1 to last marker, then purl last 10 stitches.

D. Repeat Steps B and C one more time!

E. Knit first 10 stitches, remove marker and bind off next 30 stitches. Remove last marker.

Knit last 10 stitches. ****** PLEASE MAKE SURE THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 10 STITCHES ON EACH END OF THE NEEDLE*********

Now continue with directions (on making straps) from the Oh so easy, beginner's tank.

THESE Patterns have not been tested. Again, I'm not a designer (yet) so any problems please contact me and I'll try to help you. Thanks!~

**I can email you the "oh so easy, beginner's tank pattern" for easier printing!

I've been putting off my orchid top. Maybe I was trying to figure out what I yarn I was going to use to crochet this top. I have decided to use a size 3 crochet thread in a bridal white. Now it's off to do calculations and a swatch before starting my top!

Pattern for "Oh So Easy" Beginner's Tank

2008-03-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

I was looking for an easy beginner's knit tank top but I couldn't find one easy enough to do. After some trial and error. I came up with this. It's very easy. Best of all it's done in a worsted yarn and a size 9 needle so it's a pretty fast knit!

Pattern is for a size small/medium only. Small will be a little loose while medium will be form fitting!

Oh So Easy, Beginner’s Tank

Questions or problems, contact me at Ravelry or Crochetville under Jasmom! Good Luck.

Size 9 circular needle (I recommend, easier to use) but you could use a size 9 straight, 6-7 oz. of worsted weight yarn (I used 1 skein of Red Heart Super Saver), needle

Stitches used: Knit, Purl, Binding Off, and Decreases in Knit (Put 2 stitches on needle and knit as 1).

Gauge: 16 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches (done in stockinette: K 1 row, P 1 row)

( CORRECTION ON GAUGE DONE ON 3/20/08)

Directions:

Front and Back are identical. Make 2 then sew together.

1. Cast on 60 stitches on circular needle (do not join) or straight needle. Knit the first row and Purl the second row (Stockinette Stitch). Continue until piece measures 14 inches, ending with a purl row.

*Ends will curl. You can block with a cool iron later to smooth the ends. You may rib the first 4 rows to prevent the ends from curling. (To rib, K1 stitch then P1 stitch to end for each row, start next row also with a k stitch and then p the next stitch for a total of 4 rows). For this particular tank I made, I did not rib.

2. Start of arm shaping: On the next Knit row, bind off first 2 stitches on each end. For the next purl row, also bind off 2 stitches at each end.

3 Knit the next row, and purl the next row.

4. On the next Knit row, decrease 1 stitch at each end.

5. Continue with stockinette pattern until piece measures 2 inches from start of arm shaping ending with a purl row.

6. On the knit row, make sure you have a total of 10 stitches done in knit then start your bind off (#11 stitch is the one that is actually start the bind off), bind off until you end with the last 9 stitches on your right needle. You will have 1 stitch on your left needle from the bind off - now knit those last 9, giving you a total of 10 stitches total on each end of the needle.

7. Purl the first 10 stitches and attached a separate piece of yarn here for the next 10 stitches and purl the last 10 stitches.

8. Continue with stockinette pattern until piece measures 6 inches from the beginning of bind off (straps).

{Again, you may want to lightly block with a cool iron because ends will curl AND you can make the strap shorter if you prefer, 5 or 5 1/2"}.

Now do the same for the back piece!

9. Sew shoulders and side seams. Weave in all ends. (Optional: doing a single row of single crochet to make the neck and arm area). I did not for this tank.

Measurements:

Straps: 6 inches (you could make it shorter if your prefer)

Arm Shaping: 2 inches

Length of Tank: 14 inches from below arm to bottom of tank

Width of Tank: 16 inches across

My Cupcake Top

2008-02-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

This was not what I started out making . I was looking for a crochet or a knitting project to use my new yarn that I had purchased but ended up using something else all together. The few patterns I tried, I just couldn't get it to work. Wrong gauge, way too big, etc...so I searched through my books/pattern for some ideas. I decided on the cupcake top. The pattern is from the book, Happy Hooker - Stitch n' Bitch. I used just over 1 skein of the Bernat Softee Baby Yarn in pink.

The recommended hook was "I" but I only used that size for the shells for the trim. For the top, I crocheted it using a size "K" hook. At times the stitches look a bit sloppy due to the large hook.

I also had trouble with getting the right gauge on this top but with the K hook, I felt comfortable with the starting chain length and thought it would fit. I think it's a bit tight for my liking but I still like this top a lot. I worked on it quite a bit these last few days because I wanted to finish this quickly. I want to start on my next project, the Orchid top by Lily Go. I have been admiring her work and I finally decided to buy the pattern. It was pretty inexpensive comparing to some of the prices of patterns out there. I hope all goes well on that top.

Here's a photo of my cupcake top:

Back to Crochet

2008-02-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

I'm still on a 1 or 2 skeins kick, easy projects...so I decided to crochet this "elegant shell". I saw this pattern before but I really didn't like it. Maybe it was the color? I really liked the ones on Ravelry so I though decided to crochet one. I used yarn that I had intended to use for another project. It took under 2 skeins of caron simply soft in a light blue. (H size hook). The pattern is free from the Lion Brand website.

This is a very easy and fast pattern. I was a bit unsure about the fit but with the finishing (2 rows of sc around the edges) it was a perfect fit! I LOVE this! This is something that I would actually wear a lot. I am thinking of making another one in a different yarn/color. I'm not sure yet. I may even alternate between knitting one project and then back to crocheting !

As a reward to myself, I stopped in a LYS today. (It's the 2nd time I've been there but the first time I just looked around). I bought myself some cascade yarn in a green color and some plymouth yarn in a purple variegated color. (I'm anxious to try out these yarns)! Enough to make 2 more shells.

Today was such a beautiful day, it was in the 70s! I probably could of worn my elegant shell out!

Now I'm going to take my daughter out to enjoy the great weather!

My Week and Shrug This #4

2008-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

My mother in law was in town with us all week. It was great to have the company and someone to talk to. I really enjoyed her visit. She got a chance to bond with my daughter and we even worked on a knitting project together. I was trying to finish my shrug and she was starting on a shrug which she finished. It turned out beautifully, she used 2 skeins of homespun in blue. I wish I had taken a photo of it before she left. It was also nice to show her all my crocheting and (some) knitting projects. She was so positive about all the things I made. I think she liked the short n' sweet I made for her too.

I finally finished my "shrug this" yesturday. This is my 4th knitting project and again, I made the shrug (practice makes perfect). I used a pair of metal knitting needle this time in a size 11 instead of 10 1/2. I noticed with the metal needles, my stitches were not as tight. I used 2 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn in Red. I really loved the way this turned out. After a light blocking, it was a much better fit than the other 3. I like the color too. My next knitting project will probably be a fitted tank top. I'm actually going to try a different project. (I still need to try out my harmony needles that I purchased)! For now, I think I am going back to crocheting. I actually started crocheting the elegant shell today. I'll proably be able to wear it when I'm done - today the weather was just beautiful!

Valentine Short n' Sweet

2008-02-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

I finished this last night. It took a little over 10 days. Crocheting really has not been a top priority where every free minute is crocheting. I usually crocheting in the evening when my daughter is setting down and getting a movie or two. I was a little nervous that I may not finish this on time. Yesturday, I crocheted both the sleeves and weaved in the ends last night.

It feels good to get this done. I'm glad that I'm not stressing today to finish this. Normally, my M.O. is to wait until the last minute but not this time. I even started cleaning the house a week ago and just doing some cleaning every day! Change is good. Anyways, my mother in law will be in later this afternoon. I sure hope she likes it and it will be a good fit!

This is made with 1 big skein of red heart super saver in cherry red. (I wanted to use a different yarn but I didn't like the selection of red colored yarn at Walmart). Later, I ordered some red yarn (and my new harmony needles) from Knit Picks but I decided to just go ahead with the red heart. This is crocheted using a size H hook. I had some trouble with the 1/2 shell increase on the front but I printed the diagram which really helped! Crocheting this the second time around, I was able to pick up the pattern pretty quickly.

Here's a photo of my Valentine Short n' Sweet, maybe I can get a photo of my mother in law wearing it later!

My Sleeve-less Mini

2008-01-30T03:18:00.000-08:00

I finally finished this last night. I have been putting my crochet and knitting aside for the past few days (and even longer for crochet, a few weeks). I think I got bored/unmotivated with my crocheting. Besides that I find crocheting and knitting takes so much time away from my daughter! This has been a month long project. It probably could easily be done in less than a week.

There is no pattern for this mini really (I tried to take some notes while I was crocheting this). I was inspired by 2 of the clothings I made previously. I like the rib look from the side to side cowl sweater and the stitching from the circular shrug, so I kind of modified and incorporated the 2 items into this. I knew when I started out, I wanted this to be an easy and fast project. So instead of all hdc for the cowl sweater, I used all double crochets. For the middle, I wanted it to be different too so I modified the V stitched used in the circular shrug. Instead of 1 hdc then a sc, I used dc and sc into one stitch. I made the neck (cowl) part shorter, left off the sleeves and added length to the sweater and made it into a mini.

The yarn used for this project was Carons simply soft in pink heather. I had originally purchased this yarn to make a short cardigan but decided against it. It took a little over 2 skeins.

This was done with a size K hook. Easy. It was meant to be a project that would work up fast, using a large hook and mostly dc.

I took a photo of me in my mini yesterday. It was getting late and I couldn't find any black tights or stockings but here's a photo:

Shrug This #3

2008-01-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

I finished this today. It took about 4 days. I was trying to get it done because I have a crochet project in mind. I seem to be doing better every time I knit! I actually got the ribbing done around the collar, sleeve and bottom this time! I had to frog the ribbing 2xs on the bottom because the 1st slip stitch threw me off so I just decided to skip it and do the knit, purl rib. I cast on 52 stitches instead of 53 for easier ribbing and it made the sweater too small. I have yet to block it, hopefully it will fit better. I used less than 1.5 skein of Bernat Softee Chunkee in Grey Heather. I really enjoy working with this yarn. The yarn is easy to work with but I wish there were more varieties of color. I may have to try another type of bulky yarn. For now, I think I will put the knitting on hold. Honestly, I think I'm a little burnt out! I've knitted 3 of these things in about 3 weeks! Not bad for a newbie in knitting. I'm proud of myself though! For now, I will be going back to crocheting.

There's a dress I want to make in the new issue of Crochet! Magazine. It's a dress by Doris Chan. I'm really excited. It's so pretty and best of all, it uses one of my favorite yarn, Caron's Simply Soft and only 3 skeins! I'll have to start on it today or tomorrow. It always seems like I'm in the mist of a project. Which I am, I feel kind of lost if I don't have a project to do!

A day to REMEMBER and 2nd Knit project complete

2008-01-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

This is the day my grandfather passed away many years ago but I always remember this date. My grandfather was the one who really raised me. He gave me lots of love and I wished that he could be alive to meet my daughter. I really miss him. Today is also my nephew's birthday. It's kind of ironic because he's one of my favorite nephews...

Today, I finished my 2nd knit project. Pretty good for only "really" knitting for over 3 weeks!

It's the same pattern, as shrug this. I extended the length to make it into a shrug-cardigan. I'm not sure if I really like the color of the yarn but I love how it turned out. I used a total of 2 skeins of yarn.

Here's a photo of the finished shrug-cardigan and one of me wearing it:

Shrug This!

2008-01-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Finally, here's a photo of me wearing (very proudly I might add...) my first knit project called Shrug This! I'm so proud of my finished work! I love this yarn, Mod dea (tweedle dee). The color is beautiful! Best of all, it's done in only 1 skein.

Thanks for looking!

Two Finished Projects

2008-01-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

I finished these on Wednesday and Thursday (12:05am) . I probably could of finished the Side to Side Cowl Neck Sweater in a week (instead of 2 weeks) but I got bored with it. It's a very simple pattern, done all in hdc. This is a free pattern from the website, Lion Brand. I used 3 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver in Aran using the J hook. Overall, I do like this sweater. Next time, I would definitely make the cowl neck smaller.

While on break from this sweater, I dabbled in knitting and started my next project. I wanted to make this in knitting but it's a bit too advanced for me right now. I may try again though! I was so excited when I found this pattern done in crochet. The is a free pattern from Craftster: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?action=topic=64889.0. I LOVE this capelet. I used only 1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun in Ocean. For the collar I used a size "K" hook and then switched to "P" hook for the rest. It was very easy and fast. Best of all, it was custom made for me! This could easily be done in 1 day.

I know I will be making more of these in all sorts of different colors. I really, really LOVE this capelet. Here's a photo:

Crochet, Knitting and YARN

2008-01-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

I should be in bed but I just finished up on my 2nd project of the year a few minutes after midnight. I had been dragging my feet on the Side to Side Cowl Neck Sweater. I got bored with it and then I tried knitting for a few days. Finally, on Tuesday I sewed up the sides and on Wednesday I finished the sleeves. Today I weaved in all the ends and washed the sweater. I'll post a photo of the sweater tomorrow w/ details. In the meantime, I also started a new project on Wednesday evening. (I bought more yarn AGAIN, this time I bought 5 skeins of the Homespun all in different colors)! I'd been obsessed about learning to knit a wearable and I saw this pattern called the interpretation of Anthropologies's Caplet. I LOVE this caplet. It is super cute. I set out to knit this but it's too beyond my capabilities right now. I was discouraged but I was not ready to give up on the Caplet. After some looking around, I found someone had done a crochet version of this! Yeah, I was so excited. The pattern is from : www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?action=topic=64489.0. I hope I have the correct link.

Thanks to that wonderful person for posting the pattern! I'll post more info. tomorrow.

Here's a photo of my finished caplet:

Lately, I've been on a yarn shopping spree! In one week, I have purchased a LOT of yarn. I have replenished my stash and then some. I have been buying different yarns and some just one skein. I'm on a one skein kick...I want to make wearables w/ only one skin. Simple and fast projects. Just like this one I just completed. I've also purchased several knitting books and of course, 1 of them is called 100? one skein projects. (I'm still waiting for my book, Every Day Crochet). I'm not giving up on crocheting. I LOVE crocheting and find that I've learned so much in just over a year of crocheting (its brought me so much joy, fulfillment and satisfaction). I want to expand my horizons and keep learning and growing as a person :)

One of my New Year's Resolution

2007-12-31T16:16:00.000-08:00

I've been admiring all the knit sweaters in magazines that I've decided that I'm going to learn to really knit and make some wearable. I started yesterday trying to knit and purl. Today I went out and bought another pair of needles (size 11), a learning to knit book, a knit gauge and of course a bunch of yarn. I bought about 8 skeins and 6 of the skeins in variegated colors. I want to make a shrug. I LOVE the wearable called the Reversible Winter Caplet but it's too hard for me right now. I know it said it's "easy" but it's beyond my skill level right now. I am an absolute novice. I know how to knit and purl (I have to cheat and keep looking at the directions) and that is about it. In the meantime, I'll keep practicing and look for a beginner pattern in some type of wearable.

There is no new progress on my side to side cowl sweater. It's done in all hdc and I'm so bored with it. I have to sew the sides and finish crocheting the 2 sleeves. I may go back to my crocheting tomorrow and finish it sometimes this week.

We'll be staying home this New Year's Eve. It will be a nice and quiet evening for us. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! :)

Adding to my yarn stash

2007-12-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

While browsing through JoAnn's yesturday, I noticed one of my favorite yarn was on sale again! I love Lion Brand Wool-Ease. It was soft and easy to work with. It was free shipping so I had to spend $35. The hardest part was deciding on the colors. I ordered 7 skeins of it in burgandy and 7 skeins in a light pink. Now I still had to choose some other yarn, so I decided to buy 3 skeins of the Red Heart Symphony in blue. I have never used this yarn before so I thought why not. I just hope I can find a sweater pattern using only 3 skeins. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know! :)

My current project is the side to side cowl neck sweater. I know, there's a common theme here. My last few projects all have a "cowl" neck. It wasn't planned this way. The ironic part is that I don't really like the cowl neck look on me and secondly, it doesn't get too cold here in Georgia for me to wear it. Today was probably in the 70s again! I had a turtle neck on and hubby had to turn on the a/c in the car! Back to project...it's coming slow. It's done in all hdc. I really love the look of the sweater on some of the people who made them on Ravelry. I didn't care for it when I first saw the pattern a while back on Lion Brand but maybe it was just the color. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

Denton bible media and Yarn

2007-12-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

I purchased a set of CDs for Christmas from the Denton Bible Church Media Ministry. Last year a friend give us 6 months subscription and I have to tell you it's one of the best presents we ever received. Tom Nelson, the pastor is awesome. I love to hear his sermons. It's not like he's preaching and he's sooo down to earth. The CDs I purchased are the sermons on Ecclesiates. I have to say it's our favorite and Tom Nelson does such an excellent job on them. Sometimes during dinner, we'll put one in the CD player and listen to it while we're eating. I'm not usually one to preach but these are really awesome. You will not be disappointed. I just can't say enough about it!

Now on to yarn...I received B'day and Christmas money (my request) so I could buy yarn. Since my yarn stash is very very low, I've been doing a lot of browsing! I have not really purchased any sigificant amount though. I just purchased what I needed to finish my last project and caron 1 lb. yarn in blue. I've been looking through books, magazine, internet to find my next project. I found some projects I'd like to do but I couldn't bring myself to spend $100 on yarn for a single project. I'm too frugal and this is suppose to be my "inexpensive" hobby. Yesturday, I did finally find a couple of projects I'd like to do using Simply Soft and RH Super Saver. So today, I spent about $13 in yarn (4 skeins in Simply Soft and 2 skeins in Super Savor for 2 projects -not counting the 3 skeins I have in my stash). Not bad for 2 projects. With all the money I saved, I can buy a lot more yarn and not feel guilty. Maybe someday I'll splurge and buy the really expensive yarn but for now, I'm happy buying the more affordable ones!

My daughter on Christmas opening presents :)

My birthday present to me

2007-12-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

I finished my lush cowl neck sweater today. I finished the last row of crochet and weaved in all the ends on my way home from my birthday lunch. Lunch was delicious and I even got to stop in at Michaels to buy some yarn. (A very nice lady gave me a coupon for 50% off but I didn't use it - I passed it on to another shopper). What a wonderful day :) Hubby even made my favorite birthday cake this morning - strawberry whip cream. Yum! I can't wait to have some after dinner!

Anyways, back to my sweater. This sweater is from the book Fabulous & Flirty Crochet by Katherine Lee. The pattern called for a light weight mohair yarn but I made it with a chunky weight yarn. This was my first time using Patrons. The yarn is called devine. I love the softness of it. It wasn't as difficult crocheting with it as I thought it would be. I got use to crocheting more by the "feel" of it then seeing the stitches. I love the red I used but after finishing the back and front, I felt it needed something (looked like a big ball of red fluff) so I decided to make the cowl neck black along with the trim on the sleeves. I did make some modification on the sleeve trims. Since it's such a bulky yarn, you can't see the stitches so I decided to do 6 rows of double crochets instead of 27 rows of sc in back loops. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it saved time from having doing all those single crochets! You know how I love them sc :0( !!! I used a total of 6 skeins. 4 in the royal red and 2 in the sky black.

It pattern was easy to follow and I really like the look of the sweater.

I'm not crazy about the fit only because of the bulky yarn I used. It was a fun sweater to make and it worked up pretty quickly.

Anyways, here are photos of my birthday sweater:

Count Down to Birthday

2007-12-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my birthday. Yulp, Christmas Eve baby. I'm kind of looking forward to it. Hubby is going to take us out to a nice dinner. Then it's Christmas, it seems to come up so quick!

I was going to try to finish this sweater, the Lush Cowl Neck Sweater. My goal was to have it complete by my birthday but I'm not sure if I will get it done. No sense in stressing myself out.

I used Patrons Devine yarn in making this sweater. It's a very bulky yarn, the pattern actually calls for a lighter weight mohair yarn but I decided to go with this. This is the first time using this yarn. It is a pretty yarn. There are good and bad w/ this yarn, the good being it's so soft (hubby said it looks like a big ball of cat) and the bad, of course it's hard to see the stitches (and the design of the sweater. I still need to weave in all the ends and crochet the cuff for both sleeves. As you can see, I decided to add some black to kind of give it some definition, instead of a big red fuzzy sweater.

Here's what I have so far:

Circular Shrug

2007-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a great day. My husband took us out to a great lunch and then Michaels afterwards to buy new yarn! My husband watched my daughter while I was alone in Michaels looking at yarn! :D When I got home, I finished sewing up the ribbing on the sleeves and weaving in the ends. I've been dragging my feet on this project (I get bored with single crochets!) but now it's finally done! Yeah!!!! I'm always very happy to finish a project!

The circular shrug is from the book Positively Crochet! by Mary Jane Hall. I used 1 skein of Caron 1 lb. in sage. It was crocheted with a size K hook. The pattern was easy to follow. I had to redo one sleeve because I forgot to do a sc after each round. When I get distracted or too tired during crocheting, I tend to make mistakes. I had trouble keeping the right tension? because I have several little holes in it (I tried to sew most of them up)! I'm not too crazy about the color I picked but it's a good pattern and a good fit.

Here's a photo of my new shrug!

My Current Finished Crochet Wearable

2007-12-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

This is my current finished project. It is called the Lush Lace Pullover. I started this while I was (and still am) working on the Circular Shrug. I had purchased this yarn, Wool Ease, to make another frou frou but decided against it. This is the first time I used Wool Ease, and I just love it. It was soft and easy to work with. I wanted to use a pattern specifically for this yarn. This is from a free pattern from the lion brand website.

I used 5 skeins of the Wool Ease in wheat. It is crocheted with the J hook in a size xs. My guage was off, so it's actually a size small. I was a little intimidated by the pattern at first because it was an "experienced" pattern but it's a fairly easy pattern. The were only a few minor changes I made. For the cluster, I did not use the last loop of the triple crochet and I only made the funnel neck 6" instead of 8".

I'm happy with the fit and it doesn't feel "too" heavy. I probably would of wore this out today but it's in the 70's today but feels like it's in the 80s! Sorry folks - to those who are in the cold country!

Here's a photo of me in my new pullover:

Life

2007-12-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

It's been a fairly busy week. Thanksgiving is behind us and my Birthday and Christmas is right around the corner. I have not started Christmas shopping yet but I will probably buy most of the gifts on line!

My computer was down last week! Yikes! I'm so loss without it. We bought a new computer but ended up returning it! It took a long time to load up a page. The program in it is NOT really compatible with dial up. (There is no DSL in this area and we were considering satellite internet). I love this computer so I decided to get it fixed.

Crochet has been put on hold for most of last week. I have 2 projects I'm currently working on. The circular shrug and the Lush Lace Pullover. I can't seem to get motivated on the circular shrug. Maybe it's all the single crochet stitches. I only have to sew up the sides and make the 2 sleeves! I've been slowing getting back to the Pullover. I'm about 75% done! I love the wool ease I'm using and it's an interesting pattern. I'll write more about it on my next blog post.

Here's a photo of my daughter in one of her Christmas outfits. She's soooo cute!

Shroat

2007-11-23T04:58:00.001-08:00

I finished this on Thanksgiving. I'm in the middle of working on my circular shrug and found this. This is a GREAT project. It was super easy, done in all double crochet - and fast! I started it on Tuesday and finished it on Thursday.

I love this pattern. The fit is great too. This is from the DIY network called Shroat. (Go into the DIY home page and search for shrug or shroat). It is done in 3 segments. 1st is the shrug then it's made into a jacket (callled shracket) then finally the shroat. It's fun to see how it turns out in the different segments. All 3 are really cute and it's worth making all three! I really enjoyed making this piece. The only change I made to this was leaving out one row of the bell sleeve. I made this using 2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver in Dark Orchid using a P hook.

And a photo of me wearing my new shroat:

Update on my frou frou: I washed it several times to soften it up. It now has a much nicer drape and fit. I like it even more! :D

Frou Frou

2007-11-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

My Frou Frou is complete! I was up really early this morning (around 3am) and I finished sewing the sleeves and sides today. I worked on it quite a bit today trying to get the trim done. Finally, it's finished. This particular one took a little over a week but it seemed so much longer. This was kind of a pain to do. Right from the start, I frogged this 2 other times. I also ended up frogging the collar, which turned out to be correct! It just didn't look right to be, the collar was so thick and bunchy. I re-did it the 2nd time thinking that maybe I had followed the wrong directions. Wrong, frogged it and 2 days later ended up where I left off....oh well. With the fronts, I couldn't get it to decrease following the directions of doing 2 ch then sc so I did sc decreases in the first 2 stitches .

Overall, it's not a hard pattern but I found myself having a lot of trouble with it. Interpretation maybe? I just wasn't clear on the directions for example: am I putting the stitch marker in the right spot, where's the decrease - it's the same direction as the granite stitch pattern, and I had to re-read the directions on where to crochet the 30 sc. Okay, it says right front but reading the directions confused me. It really helped looking at other people's frou frou on Ravelry and Craftster. The people were helpful too and help clear up some questions I had.

I really do love the look of this cardigan. It's so pretty but it fits me terribly! I'm so envious of the people who's frou frou look so great on! All along, I was a bit nervous on it being too small. Switching to a size N hook definately did the trick. The gauge and measurements were right on! If your making this be sure both are correct. The 2nd one I frogged, the gauge was correct but not the measurements!

I used Red Heart Super Saver and a total of 4 skeins in brown. Brown is not the color I wanted to make this in but it's the color I ended up using. I actually bought some Wool Ease to make another one but with the fit, I'll end up making something else with it.

I'm disappointed in the fit but size is perfect. It's bunchy in the front and the arm area. It may be the yarn I used which does not gave it a great drape. Still, I feel a great sense of accomplishment with having sticking it out and finishing this project. It really is pretty.

My current project

2007-11-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a sweater or coat to make and I decided on this. This is from the SnB, Happy Hooker called frou frou. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I decided it would work.

I started out with black yarn, then re-start with beige (gauge looked correct but too small) so I tried it again in brown. 3rd times the charm! I also switched from a K hook to N hook. The gauge and schematics are finally correct. Yah. It really helped looking at other people's frou frou in Ravelry and Craftster. I realized that the previous one I was working on was too small. I actually ended up really wanting tomake this. It might of been the color in the book that I didn't really care for. I fell in love with this in gray. (I started this on Nov. 7th). Anyways, here is what I have so far.

I'm really looking forward to finishing this and see how it will look! I have a long way to go but I'll keep on crocheting!

Luxurious Lace Sweater

2007-11-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

I finished this last night. This is from the book Total Crochet Fashions by Gayle Bunn. I've been eyeing this book for a while and when it went on clearance, I bought it. It has some nice things in there. The pattern I made is called Luxurious Lace Cowl Sweater.

I started this project almost 2 weeks a go. I used yarn in my stash left over from the Empress Baby Doll Top. The yarn is Bernat Softee Baby in Lilac. I used a total of 3 skeins but if it was the same dye lot, I would probably only need 2! After finishing the back and 1/4 of the front, the next skein of yarn was a different color! Too late, I thought I'd make the best of it. I left it a lone for a day and then continued with this sweater. I was able to find another skein of yarn w/ the same bright, shiny purple. I thought I'd mix it in to another part of the sweater.

This is all done in a very easy shell pattern. Double Crochet and Single Crochet. The back piece was a breeze. I had trouble on the sleeve cap (and cowl). The sleeve cap took me about 3 days to do. The directions were a bit confusing to me. I didn't know if I was following the directions right because I couldn't get it to work out. Then I would frog it and try it the other way and still it wouldn't work out. I must of frogged the sleeves cap 4 to 5 times. Finally on the 3rd day, I just made some changes to the pattern and made it work. I followed the direction same for rows 1 -3 then instead of repeating last 4 rows again, I repeated rows 2 and 3 only once then follow directions for: All sizes next row (WS) and Next Row (according to directions) but did those 2 rows twice. And finished w/ size 2 and L only, work 1 row even of pattern. In case anyone is making this pattern!

I was excited to start the motifs for the cowl but started having some trouble again, so I decided to scratch it all together. I'm not sure if I was already too frustrated with it.

I really ended up liking the sweater, even w/ the different color yarn. I think it look a LOT better than the photos. The flash really brings out the 2 color tones but in person, it's more subtle. It fits well and I would wear it. In fact, I'm looking forward to wearing it. I think the cowl part of the sweater would only get in my way! I can see my daughter tugging at it. I was even considering making another one but all in yarn of the same dye lot! I probably won't because I have purchased a new pattern book and I'm slowly, very slowly working on the sweater, frou frou from the book Happy Hooker.

And of course, another picture of my beautiful daughter playing in her sand box. In the back ground is our neighbor's cat who adopted us.

Tie Front Sweater

2007-10-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

I finished this sweater today. I started it last Tuesday. I took my time and still finished it in less than a week! I was looking for another project and I thought this would be both an easy project and it would work up fast! This is again from the book, Positively Crochet! by Mary Jane Hall.

The first one I attempted, I used the H hook using Red Heart Super Saver in a purple/blue varigated yarn but it turned out to be way too small. I'm glad I didn't give up, I decided to try again. This time I used the same type of yarn but in a red/burgandy/pink color. I also used a larger size hook, size "K". A total of 4 skeins.

I didn't make any real modifications to this sweater. The sweater fit perfect on top. I left out the flared sleeve ends and it was still too long (probably because my gage was a little off). Overall, the instructions were easy to follow.

I have to say that I am surprised by how much I like this sweater! I like it a lot better than I thought I would. It actually turned into one of my favorites! My other favorite is the Pale Shade of White Car Coat.

Here are photos of my new sweater:

I love this top so here's my blissful top revisted....

Whiter Shade of Pale Car Coat

2007-10-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is my latest finished project. I finished it tonight. I probably could of finished it a few days ago but ended up re-sewing the collar a few times.

I started this project on Sunday, Oct. 7th. I finished the back on Sunday and crocheted the front on Monday and on Tuesday finished the sleeves. On Wednesday, I sewed all the pieces together then on Thursday, I crocheted the collar. I spent yesturday and today on sewing the collar on so the "edges" wouldn't show too much! I think that was the hardest part for me! I ended up using needle & thread in the end. I also had to adjust the length of the collar twice, it just wasn't long enough to go around the whole coat!

I knew I wanted my next project done using Bernat Softee Chunkee Yarn (weight 5). I had a bunch of this yarn in my stash from when I had frogged a previous project. I searched the net and books but couldn't find anything that used this yarn weight. I had seen the "whiter shade of pale car coat" from the Lion Brand catalog and I liked this coat. Pattern here: http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/70004A.html. They used Wool Ease Thick and Quick Yarn in a size 6 weight. I figure I would try it anyways using the yarn I had. I had the schematics so I figure I could crochet it to the size indicated and if I didn't like it or if it wasn't working out, I would just frog the project.

I used a size "K" hook and I wanted to make a size small. I had to make some changes to make up for the difference in yarn size. I followed the size for medium and added 4 more rows for the back to equal 18" total for the length. For the top half of the back, I added 2 more rows to get it to equal 8 1/2". For the front, I made the same adjustment. The sleeve was a little more work because I wanted it to look right when I added the extra rows. Rows 1-5, per directions then I repeated row 5 again. Next, the directions said for rows 6-13, repeat the last 4 rows, for 3 sets. At the end of each set, I repeated row 5 again. That gave me the extra length I needed. Total of 18 inches. I thought I needed to make the sleeves longer but it ended up being too long so I frogged the extra rows. Finally, I crocheted the edging and collar and sewed the collar on!

This was an "easy" pattern. I thought it worked up really fast! I used 5 -6 balls of The Bernat yarn in Medium Sea Green. I didn't like the collar as much, maybe because I had to sew it in. To me, I can see the seams :( Next time, I may leave the collar out and do a different edging around it.

I really do like this coat. It's not too heavy which means I'll be able to wear it during our mild winters! I'm really happy that I could make this coat work with the yarn I wanted to use!

Thanks for reading the details of my project! Now here's a few photos: :D :D :D

Easy Shrug

2007-10-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

I finished this today. I started this project while I was doing the Not so Tangerine Top and after that the pineapple and shell skirt. I used Caron's Simply Soft in Autumn Red again. This shrug was as done in all single crochet in the back loop. It was "easy" as the name suggested. It went pretty fast considering it was all single crochet. I used a size "K" hook and only 2 skeins of the simply soft. This shrug is from the Positively Crochet book by Mary Jane Hall.

This was crocheted into a "T" shape and then sides are sewned together. The sides I sewned together are not according to directions! I'm happy with the results, it just makes it different! My shrug is more squared off at the bottom, where Mary Jane's rounded. I'll just have to make another one and this time, I'll try using a varigated yarn!

Here are some photos: