Freshly Finished Friday #27

Welcome to a link-up party for your Friday Finished Object posts! In an effort to connect everyone who creates and blogs about it here on the web, I thought providing a place to link up and share your freshly finished creations would be a great way to see what everyone is working on. Please feel free to share ANY of your finished crafty pursuits from knitting and crocheting to sewing and scrapbooking.

It’s finished! Catkin!

Except for the buttons…and the blocking…but the ends are all woven in and the light is bad…I’m so excited to wear it. I must, must get it blocked and must put buttons on it so I CAN WEAR IT! IT FEELS LIKE FALL…sort of.

It was up to 82 Fahrenheit today. But my office is freezing 🙂 Always somewhere to wear the woolens 🙂

To join in the fun, click the link up below to see all the others participating in a Freshly Finished Friday! It will take you away from this page, but don’t worry, you will always be able to find your way back. It’s especially helpful if the linked up blog has a link back here. Please add your specific blog post link and remember to link back here in your blog so we can all be connected 🙂

I do hope you’ll join us! & Visit our friends!

❤
Jenna

Weekends are Most Needed

This back to work thing has really, really made me appreciate my time at home on the weekend. My husband went out of town and I had the house to myself. I swept, mopped, dusted, vacuumed, laundered, cooked, drank tasty beer, and of course, knit a good bit while watching the Cardinals play baseball!

I’m sure you’d all love to see my cleaner house, but I’ll spare you. I’m sure you can look at your own lovely homes and see the freshly swept floors and the stacks of freshly laundered towels…but what you can’t see is my lovely projects.

This is all the yarn I have left…last time we spoke, I was still trying to bind off my Catkin shawl. Fantastic news! I’ve finished it, but I’m trying to decide if I should save it for this coming Friday so I actually have something to show for myself. I believe I will wait 🙂

So since I did finish something, I felt like I could start something new…or maybe a few new things 🙂

I’ve been dying to knit Stephen West’s Daybreak since I participated in a swap last summer. During that swap, I received the most beautiful Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace Yarns. It’s in these beautiful muted purples, blues, and greens with long color changes…I just know that it will look fantastic in the Daybreak pattern. I’ve held off this long to cast on and I can’t wait any longer!

And I may have wound up some yarn for this lovely Passe-partout in some Manos Silk Blend. The golden color, 300x, has been in my stash from 2012 when I visited my friend Brenna in Tuscon and picked it up at The Tuscon Yarn Company…and the soft gray is Dove I picked up yesterday at Knitorious…I’ve been keeping an eye out for about a year for the perfect shade to complement my golden yellow since I didn’t feel I had enough yardage to really make a big enough piece to wear. When I stumbled upon the Dove, I knew it had to come home with me.

Anyway, here’s to a wonderful week ahead full of work, volleyball, and (hopefully) lots of knitting! Any new plans you have for knitting?

❤
Jenna

Fall Cleaning?

I think it could be a thing 🙂 Since starting the full time job and coaching JV Volleyball at a local high school, my time at home has dramatically decreased. I’ve stopped playing in all but 1 of my volleyball leagues and tried to get back to the gym and knitting one night a week. All in all, it has made me more aware of my limited time at home and all the chores I need to do.

Anyway, the cleaning bug bit this weekend. Saturday, we ran errands and spent some quality time together. Sunday, we met Jordan’s brother for breakfast at the Original Pancake House and went to Mass. Then we came home and started putting away laundry and picking up. I was so inspired, I overhauled my entire closet.

I took out clothes I haven’t worn and didn’t fit. I hung up all my clothes. I organized my cardigans. I went through my handknits.

I put away my *cough*storebought*cough* scarves…

When I woke up this morning and went to my closet to get dressed for work, I opened the door and was met with a sense of calm.

I pulled out a few handknits I don’t wear and am planning to donate to my local knitting guild. They donate tons of hats, scarves, blankets, baby things to various charities in our area. I’m hoping someone will be able to wear these.

Still working on whittling down a service to use for going my own way on the web. It’s between wordpress & squarespace. I’m leaning towards worpress since I already have an account and think the transition could be easiest here. I would hate to lose the previous 129 posts I’ve made here. Such a comfortable place, but I’m ready to stretch my legs.

Hopefully see you Wednesday for Yarn Along/Whatcha Workin On/Stitch Along/Keep Calm & Craft On so I can show off my nearly finished Catkin 🙂

❤
Jenna

Freshly Finished Friday #25

 

Welcome to a link-up party for your Friday Finished Object posts! In an effort to connect everyone who creates and blogs about it here on the web, I thought providing a place to link up and share your freshly finished creations would be a great way to see what everyone is working on. Please feel free to share ANY of your finished crafty pursuits from knitting and crocheting to sewing and scrapbooking.

I’m working diligently on getting a new site up and running & trying to wrap up my Catkin 🙂

No pictures 😦 If you’d like to see some inspiring finishes, click on the link up button and visit other wonderful blogs!1

To join in the fun, click the link up below to see all the others participating in a Freshly Finished Friday! It will take you away from this page, but don’t worry, you will always be able to find your way back. It’s especially helpful if the linked up blog has a link back here. Please add your specific blog post link and remember to link back here in your blog so we can all be connected 🙂

❤
Jenna

Suddenly It’s Saturday!

And August…all at the same time! Another one of those weeks where I wake up and wonder where exactly all my time has gone. I guess that’s what happens when you are back to working full time.

Anyway, I had the most wonderful Friday evening. My husband and I picked up pizza, had a few hoppy beers, and had our first real financial planning meeting. I think in all relationships, talking about finances is both incredibly important and very challenging at the same time. We’ve been married for 2 years and we dated for 7 years before that. I would like to think we know each other pretty well, but it seems that finances are not something we delved into during these last 9 years…don’t get me wrong, we have talked money before, but not too personal. Mostly about spending habits and credit card bills.

This meeting was different. We brought goals to the table…all sorts of goals, from financial to retirement to savings even all the way down to where I want to take this blog.

That’s where I’m really heading with this. But it felt so great to talk through everything I don’t want to lose the feeling of it. So I thought I’d bring a little bit here.

I’d like to make a move here with the blog. First off, I’d like to move to my own dot com and take the “wordpress” part out…

I think that would allow for a bit more freedom here and I would be able to host the Friday link up (that I missed yesterday) right on my page. It wouldn’t direct you to an outside page.

I don’t want to change the feel of my blog. I want to keep it about my knitting and little peeks into my everyday life. It feels honest that way without getting too bogged down with the tough things that could be going on. I love that I can come here and be lighthearted or deep or funny or silly or just be.

So in the next 30 days, be on the look out for that shift to a new home. I think I’m ready.

For your patience and willingness to read my thoughts, here’s tasty little morsel of knitting.

 

It’s my Catkin Shawl by Carina Spencer…It’s been on the needles since October of last year and I’m 20 rows from the finish 🙂 Just in time to add to my total for stash dash 🙂

❤
Jenna

Open Your Ears!

Each time I’ve climbed into my car alone to go all around town, I’ve turned on some of my backlogged episodes of The Knitmore Girls. They’ve kept me quite entertained lately. I’m inspired to knit (sweaters thanks to Jasmin and socks thanks to GiGi), participate in Stash Dash (with the Knit Girllls, I have declared for a 5K), start a small collection of kids’ knits, undertake my own CustomFit Featherweight (I’ve got the yarn), and just be knitting more all the time!!!

See! I told you I had the yarn for the Featherweight 🙂

Let me say that I was on episode 328…about 9 episodes behind, not counting the interviews. It has been so so so wonderful just to hear the chatter and feel inspired. I love listening to Jasmin & GiGi talk. They are a mother-daughter pair and they talk about all the knitting all the time 🙂 Plus, talking about Jasmin’s daughter Genevieve. It reminds me so much of how my mom and I talk about knitting. We don’t have nearly the pedigree of knitting years that these two have, but we are a little obsessed (slightly) with knitting and yarn. We don’t spin (yet), but we are definitely excited about knitting.

The other part of this that I really enjoy about listening to this podcast is that I listen when I can’t knit. Mostly this happens when I’m driving since that would not be irresponsible (knitting & driving at the same time) or when I’m doing chores or cooking. It’s like knitting with my brain.

I’m particularly inspired by (and slightly envious of) all of Jasmin’s sweater knitting. I keep finding myself browsing Ravelry for sweater patterns, especially baby/little kid sweaters I want to knit for my cute niece Payton. Not that Payton would really even wear them right now because a) she’s growing like a weed and b) it’s averaging like 95 degrees Fahrenheit in Louisiana right now. No one is wearing wool down there right now unless they have their A/C cranked all the way up. But still, I am inspired.

I want to knit a Gramps cardigan by TinCanKnits for Payton. It would be a wonderful little sweater to knit and a great way to sample the pattern in a small way before knitting myself one because I want one…

But alas, I’ve got other things to finish or possibly frog. First up, I’m trying to knock out these two:

The first is the lovely Catkin Shawl and the second is the Skinty Stripe Scarf.

I’m participating in a UFO Wars competition with a local knitting group (Gateway Knitters) where you declare war on projects that were started before January 1, 2015 and are still unfinished. I had 4 in my projects as of the start May 2 and to be finished by September 5. The other 2 projects are:

The Colour Change Scarf and the FINISHED Technicolor Socks (victory #1). So a win is finishing those socks. And the Colour Change Scarf. Meh. Each time I pull it out and look at it, I’m less and less pleased with it.

• Pros:
  • I love the colors
  • I love the lace
• Cons:
  • I don’t like the colors together
  • I don’t like knitting it

So I think I’ll frog and find another use for the yarn. What do you think?

Linking up with these lovelies:
Keep Calm & Craft On
Yarn Along
Whatcha’ Workin’ On
Stitch Along Wednesday

❤
Jenna

Getting There

So we knit and knit and knit, but sometimes the things stay on the needles! I can’t understand why even after all the stitches (I think) I put onto these lovely Technicolor Socks, I still feel like I’m a few rows from actually starting the toe decreases on the right sock!! I think the left sock is ready.

 

Maybe I’ll blame it on my long toes. Or on the US 0 needles.

Maybe I shouldn’t blame them at all. It’s so nice to have a mindless knitting project to cart around in my purse that’s not huge (here’s looking at you Turia)

or doesn’t need a book to travel with it (Bootstrap Socks that are ready for the heel)

or doesn’t need to be really looked at every stitch (Curl #2 Cerise)

or isn’t turning out like I think I want (Colour Change Scarf)

or isn’t a general pain in the bum (Skinty Stripe Scarf) with a kitty supervisor

or doesn’t need a chart, pencil, row counter and complete silence (Catkin Shawl)…

That’s all the current WIPs and most of them are not travel worthy…maybe I should just finish these socks and turn the heel on the Bootstrap Socks so I can have more things to travel with and some empty needles?

Or the alternative…

I could start something new! Maybe keep it in line with my Love Your Library Challenge and work on a Curl or another pair of socks from Sock Architecture? I could go and check out all the lovelies at Keep Calm & Craft On for inspiration…

What would you do in this situation, keep your nose down and finish or venture into the stash for something fresh and new?

❤
Jenna

monday, Monday, MONDAY!!

Yep, you guessed it! It’s Monday and I just wanted to stop by and say hello. We’ve gotten a good amount of snow over the last few days. Maybe about 4-6 inches. No worries though, the city was prepared and the roads were clear! We had a few slippery moments when driving home from my brother-in-law’s house yesterday morning, but we made it all the same.

There is something about this cold weather that just makes me want to curl up with lots of coffee and knit. Sometimes, I will read blogs or watch tv or catch up on audio or video podcasts while I knit. Especially since the things I’m knitting are pretty simple as of right now. I do have one challenging piece to work on.

It’s my Catkin Shawl I started back in September for a knit-along at Knitorious. I love the yarn. It’s Madeline Tosh Merino Light in the Fig (brownish/purplish) & Thyme (minty green) colorways. I was a little hesitant to use a single ply yarn because they tend not to wear as well for me. I love the stitch definition I’m getting but in the past with singles I find they pill quite a bit. But I couldn’t resist these colors! And it’s been just fantastic to work with 🙂

I also love the pattern. I love that it is showcasing my yarn so well and I’m enjoying the construction. It’s going to end up being a giant square shape with the “opening” cutting through one of the corners. I think it will be super wearable. I just have to get knitting on it!

You’re probably thinking, Jenna, why don’t you just knock it out if you think you’ll love the end product so much? Well, remember that part about not knitting on it with visual distractions? How am I supposed to catch up on my tv shows or blogs or video podcasts if I’m too busy watching the chart and my knitting? I bet I could do it. I don’t even watch that much tv, just a few episodes of Intervention, First 48, and random weight-loss transformation shows. It’s not like its episodes that are linked up to tell a story each week like a Homeland or Walking Dead or The Good Wife. I watch documentary types. I find them fascinating.

And I’m distracted by my other knits…

Turia

Technicolor Socks: I bought a scale and started turning my heel!!

Skinty Stripe Scarf

I really want to start this Curl, Cerise in some Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Glitter Sock in a OOAK Jewel colorway.

And that cozy looking 3 Color Cashmere Cowl in my Smooshy & Paradigm.

As I sit here and gaze at my yarn cabinet, I’m getting more ideas!

And there’s one more shelf below that with 3 sweater quantities on it So much to knit and yet Ravelry still tempts me to buy patterns and indulge in new yarn! I’m a bit weak willed when it comes to this it seems.

Oh well, I guess there are worse things to spend my time and money on.

Are you tempted by any patterns or yarns right now?

Until we speak again (hopefully soon!).

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Wrapping It Up

Or at least I’ve really been trying to!! Jeez! I’ve been on a crazy bender trying to wrap up as many projects on my needles as possible and I finally caught up reading my backlogged blogroll. I didn’t realize how much I missed while entertaining family. No worries, I’m all caught up and so excited to read all the wonderful posts people have been writing.

I’ve read lots of posts where people are like me, feeling the urge to finish up their projects in preparation of the new year and new projects. I’ve made a good effort, and I’ve waited a few days since the first to really sink my teeth into those new projects.

I thought as a good way to stay accountable and fight the urge to cast everything on I could share a few more of the things I’m trying to finish or frog…

I’ve got 2 pairs of socks going. One I’ve been knitting on for a few days (Squishy Socks) and one I’ve put into hibernation until I can weigh the yarns (Technicolor Socks).

I’ve also got 3 scarves/wraps going. The first is a lace pattern (Jabes’ Flurfy Scarf) in some Silky Alpaca Lace. The second is a diagonal sparsely striped one (Skinty Stripe Scarf) also in Silky Alpaca Lace. Last is the Never Ending First Project with some Artful Yarns Vineyard.

There is also the Catkin Shawl I started in some tasty MadTosh Light during a KAL at Knitorious. I love this thing and I am excited to have it finished (eventually) but the rows are getting longer and it takes a good deal of attention. Translation: Not suitable for TV watching or conversation knitting and is thus limited in the time I choose to work on it.

Last project on the needles is that crazy Copper Twist Vest I started so I would have another garment to wear to Vogue Knitting Live back in October. I’m using Inca Gold by Berroco. I started this in a frenzy and it went pretty quickly. I was having some reservations when I picked up the fronts/neck and it looked small. On a great suggestion by a reader, I put the thing on waste yarn and tried it on. Just as I suspected, it’s smaller than I would have liked. I think it could grow a little with blocking but I did not knit a swatch and wash it to find out. Bad knitter. So I’m considering frogging it.

Or I could finish it and gift it. This is something I think is right up my mother-in-law’s alley style-wise and I think she would like it. I don’t know.

Hopefully I can wrap up some of these by this next week and then I’ll share all the things I want to start 🙂

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

WIPs on WIPs on WIPs…

You guessed it! It’s WIP Wednesday. I was worried I wouldn’t have time to do this post because it’s my husband’s 30th birthday!! But I have been wanting to show what I’ve been working on.

First up:

Since it is Jordan’s 30th birthday, I thought I would try to finish up this scarf for him. I started it back in the spring sometime. It’s made out of Mountain Colors Twizzle in the Harmony Softrock colorway. I’ve used up 1 skein and am a good ways into the second skein, which I bought simply for emergencies…emergency averted 🙂 I’m using Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s One Row Handspun Scarf pattern. I keep having him try it on so it’s long enough. I have about 9 more inches to go 🙂

s

You may be asking yourself what this is and why this is the first time you are seeing it. Well, a few weeks ago I saw this pattern for a “fried egg” potholder. At the time, we were trying to buy rugs for our apartment which has all hardwood floors. Lightbulb! I could make a cool rug for the kitchen that looked like a giant fried egg! I used a full-size yellow bed sheet, then 1 queen-size white bed sheet. That wasn’t enough so I bought a king-size. I blew through that. Man, does crochet eat up some yarn! So I bought 2 more king-size bed sheets to cut into strips to finish this thing up. I totally love it and it is really squishy!

This should look vaguely familiar. It should also look relatively stagnant. It’s the Whispers top I’ve been “working” on. We’ll say working is a loose term here. Mostly it gets shuttled from one place to another for me to knit a round or two on. The stockinette has become boring. But I want to finish it so I can wear it in Chicago at Vogue Knitting Live!

This should also look vaguely familiar and also stagnant. It’s the back of the Twist Vest. I did a “provisional cast-off” to hold the stitches at the neck and I should be picking up around this to make the sides, armholes, and collar. Instead, it’s been languishing. I think it’s like the Whispers top in that I’m close to switching to another ball of yarn on both projects and I just haven’t picked them back up. I know there is such a thing as “Second Sock Syndrome”…is there a “Starting a Second Ball of Yarn Syndrome” as well???

And there is this lovely, soft, fuzzy beauty. It’s the HPKY Bias Shawl I started knitting. I’m ignoring a portion of the pattern about only doing a certain number of rows alternating the 2 colors and I did more so I could use up more of the yarn and make a bigger shawl. I hope it is big enough to wrap around my shoulders. I will be sorely disappointed otherwise.

Finally, here is my Catkin shawl. I’m at the place to start Chart 1 and I had to place markers to mark the quadrants and the chart repeats. I placed said markers only to encounter I have 4 stitches too many. Knowing that to solve this problem will require some brain power, it has been hibernating for about a week. I have been working on brainless things, like the scarf for my husband, instead of sitting down to do a little problem solving. I think I’m just going to “place” those extra stitches where I am supposed  to do increases on the first row instead of ripping back or doing any sort of decreases. I just need to determine the right place for those and do it.

Finally, looking out over my landscape of WIPs, I’m feeling like I should be knitting instead of typing! I am also realizing that several of my projects are in a similar place…about halfway. I am not completely sure what my hesitation is. I do enjoy working on them, but I think I would enjoy them as finished pieces more than I like working on them. I also want to start a few new pieces and I’m going to Chicago for the Vogue Knitting show which is sure to be filled with inspiration. All I know is I better get knittin!

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Linking up with Tami & Nicole.
You should head over to their pages to see other blogs where people are participating in Tami’s WIP Wednesday & Nicole’s Keep Calm & Craft On.