All Baby Blankets All the Time!

So since last we spoke, I was casting off the beautiful Akimbo blanket for a friend…I learned have also learned that there will be 5 new little ones by the time January gets here. So now it’s all baby blankets all the time!!

My sister-in-law is due first in October. I’m still deciding on what to knit for her little one. They are not going to find out if they are having a boy or a girl so I need to do something gender neutral and fun to knit. Here are the patterns I’m thinking about:

The Garter Rib Baby Blanket by Orange Flower Yarn
The Baby Shane Blanket by Tanis Lavallee
The Walt Painted Chevron Baby Blanket by Danielle Romanetti

But for now, I went ahead and cast on an Autumnal Equinox Blanket. I’m using some Lion Brand Yarn Ice Cream Big Scoop in the Lemon Swirl Colorway. I added my hand in for scale…there are 1117 yards of DK weight yarn here!!

The construction is really cool. I started by casting on in a corner and increasing on one side to create a triangle. After I knit the first triangle, I will pick up along the hypotenuse and knit another triangle. I’m interested to see how the striping will develop.

Also, its a free pattern on Ravelry.

After these two I’ve got to figure out what to knit for a set of twins due in December and another baby due in January. Hopefully my needles will feel speedy 🙂

Linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm & Craft On and Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along.

❤
Jenna

Weekly WIP #6

I know I showed you some very fun projects on Monday…the Turia Sweater  and my Foggy Sunset Shawl as well as a Harvest Cardigan in the planning stages, but I’ve really been trying to get over the heel bump of these socks!

They are from Lara Neel’s Sock Architecture (knit your library!!) and are the Strie Socks, Toe Up. I’m using some Zitron Trekking in this fantastic Tobago colorway.

First off, let me tell you this is my first pair of toe-up socks. I thought that if anyone could teach me something new in sock knitting, it would Lara Neel and her amazing book. This book is awesome! There are so many different combinations of heels and toes…she talks about how to get the best fitting sock known to mankind…she even throws in some history about where certain heel techniques originated. The book is a great read through, but on to the bonus time! There are patterns and most of them are written for both toe-up cuff-down construction.

Anyway, I started these bad boys a while ago. The Magic Cast-On went alright. The toe increases were easy. I knit a foot! Yahoo! Then came time for the gusset increases. I did them. Or at least I thought I did. I attempted to turn a heel. It was coming out wonky, but I persevered and had one finished…that took 2 tries…then I started on the second one. I got to the place where I was starting to knit the heel flap and noticed that the smallest part of the little turn was not centered on the foot…I ripped back, tried again…couldn’t get it right. I ripped back again. So I did what any reasonable knitter would do.

I put them in timeout! I’d been spending about 2 days worth of my knitting time wrestling with these heels and I couldn’t figure out why the second one was even more challenging to get right than the first. I thought that things got easier as you practiced! Then I had another reasonable knitter moment.

I counted. The second sock was about 8 stitches short…meaning I didn’t work the gusset increases long enough…I held up the first sock with a heel and had a lightbulb moment…this heel was off center too…probably because I didn’t have enough stitches to start the dang thing…

Here begins the mild swearing and unraveling of yarn…I ended up pulling out the gusset increases I originally did because I did one side in the wrong spot…

Needless to say this time I’m counting my rows. Like any reasonable knitter would do. Here’s hoping I get these finished soon! My friend Korey is working on a mitered square sock yarn blanket and is dying for my scrap!!

Linking up with these lovelies:
Knit Your Library with Emily at Snapdragon Crafts
Yarn Along with Ginny at Small Things
Keep Calm & Craft On with Nicole at Frontier Dreams

❤
Jenna

Weekly WIP #3 & a Quick Question…

So I like the little blurb about a WIP I’m dragging around with me until it’s finished. It brings a little focus to my world…keeps me from flinging myself head first into all the projects I want to cast on in favor of clearing off some needles, freeing up a few project bags, and ending up with a slowly expanding knitted wardrobe…except somehow all the little things I cast on are for other people. 🙂

I’ve been ticking away on the Who? hat for my niece Nora. I’m using Berroco Vintage in the lovely purple.

  
Those are some fun beads I found at Michaels. I wanted each owl-cable to have eyes because owls need eyes and I didn’t want to spend a thousand hours sewing on 16 eyes, so I hunted down some beads that look like eyes and slipped them onto stitches. A little tricksy but worth the discomfort on one row over sewing them all on individually.

Linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On, Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along, Tammy at Yarn & Life for Stitch Along Wednesday and Beth at iknead2knit for Whatcha Workin On.

Onto the question I mentioned…I’ve been slacking a bit on the Freshly Finished Friday posts. Mostly I don’t have anything finished to show off and it seems not many other bloggers do either. Perhaps it would be better to save it for a monthly post or do away with it all together? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments 🙂

Until next time.

❤
Jenna

Praying for those who are affected by the tragedies all over the world, specifically in Beirut & Paris, by those who have chosen to turn away from God.

Hat Distractions…

Oh My Goodness…I’m still going on the sweater, but I keep getting swept up into hats.

Tiny hats. Medium hats. No large hats, but large shawls.

All of these things go quickly and are nice little fixes to my “WANT TO FINISH” all the knits all the time.

So I’ve put some rows on my Passe-Partout out of Manos Silk Blend. What a lovely single ply yarn…the pattern is the perfect mix of texture & stockinette. Keeps me interested, shows off the yarn and on size 9s…it’s flying! Maybe I can buckle down here shortly and end up with something perfectly snuggly before the weather gets snowy.

The tiny hat I started and completed on Saturday. I wanted to start it for a Gateway Knitters meeting I attended. The group has been working on baby knits for Nurses for Newborns…of course I’m behind the happenings since I haven’t been to a meeting since spring, but I wanted to try and contribute. I didn’t finish the Barley at the meeting but I was at the place to start the decreases by the end of the meeting. I wrapped it up waiting on dinner at my niece, Nora’s house. She’s 5 and loves to “help” me knit. We did a bit together, and I had her thread the last stitches thru with the darning needle. Then she wanted to sew…I guess I need to come up with some sewing cards for her…hello Christmas present idea!!

So of course, she wanted one too! I started another Barley right then…but it’s looking small. And I’m not so sure I will have enough yarn to finish her size. This one may become another charity knit.

I can’t leave my darling Nora with cold ears so I dug out some lovely Berroco Vintage in this sweet purple to start, what I thought was another Barley. As I got going, I realized I am not so sure I want to make another one just yet…that got me thinking about what to do. I tinkered with color work or a swirly pattern, then I came across the Who? pattern by Sara Amoroso. The tiny owl cable would be so cute…now I need to find buttons/beads for eyes.

That’s what my needles are busy with as I take a “short” break from Turia…don’t worry I’m not ready to give her up. I can’t want to! I want to wear it!

Linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm & Craft On and Ginny at Small Things at Yarn Along and Beth at iknead2knit for Whatcha Working On Wednesday and Tammy at Life & Yarn for Stitch Along Wednesday. Click on over and see what everyone is working on 🙂

❤
Jenna

Barleys for Everyone!!!

Hi!!

I’m here!

I’m still knitting!

It’s been a few days…weeks…almost…a month? Perhaps?

I feel like October has come and is almost gone before I even got used to writing the date. Volleyball season kicked into high gear, I traveled to a wedding, and overall, things have been pretty non-stop. Until Monday, the 19th, I had been ending every night very late after very full days…

But I’ve felt like I’ve been missing you guys! In the Knitting Blogosphere!! I haven’t been reading or commenting…my inspiration has been waning…and what a shame as its FALL!! The season of knitting.

So I thought I’d ease back in. On a Wednesday. With a little WIP update…

It’s a Barley hat for my neighbor, a charming free pattern from Tin Can Knits 🙂

I whipped up one for his darling daughter who is a little past her 1st birthday and had outgrown the one I knit her for her arrival into this world and I thought, hm, wouldn’t it just be fantastic if their whole family had matching hats?

I can see you shaking your head yes, and I am too! So I pulled out some Berroco Vintage Chunky in a lovely khaki that I’ve been hoarding, er, holding onto in my stash for a while and cast on for the largest size.

I made it about 4 inches and slipped it over my head. Now, I don’t have a large head, but this thing was huge!!! So I ripped it back, cast on 12 fewer stitches and have been merrily clicking along.

With any luck, I’ll have it finished soon and I can start on one for his wife 🙂 I’m stuck trying to decide on a color for hers…

What do you vote for?

Perhaps I’ll stripe it a bit…

Linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along & Nicole’s Keep Calm Craft On & Beth’s Whatcha Workin’ On?

❤
Jenna

Along for the Yarn

 

It’s been a day or two since I’ve connected here. I’ve been knee-deep in preparing a 7th grade math lesson for a job interview this week. Prayers, good vibes, and crossed fingers are all welcome 🙂

On to the yarn!

I’ve been working almost exclusively on my Cerise Curl, trying to finish by today for the KAL…obviously I didn’t quite make it. I’ve also been working on my Technicolor Socks. Just decreasing on the gusset. It’s taking a while because I’m using US size 0s and after picking up gusset stitches, I had 98 stitches on the needles and need to get down to 72.

I’m still reading some. I finished A Severe Mercy. A wonderfully moving story about loving a partner and loving God. Beautiful. I picked up Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light. I did not realize how little I actually knew about Mother Teresa and her amazing life.

Linking up with these wonderful communities:
Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along
Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm & Craft On
Tammy at Life & Yarn for Stitch Along
Beth at iknead2knit for Whatcha Workin’ On

❤

Jenna

 

Yarn Along

An online “yarnie” community I love being a part of is created by Ginny of the Small Things blog. Each Wednesday she invites everyone to share what they are working on and what they are reading on her Yarn Along link up post. She’s recently expanded to include those on Instagram using the #yarnalong .

I love being able to post my little button there and then visit all the wonderful people out there who have also linked up. I get so many new ideas for projects to start. I even make notes about what books people are reading and what they say about them when I’m ready to pick up a book again.

Until recently, I haven’t really been reading many books. I spent my time reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and the occasional audiobook (Game of Thrones is sooooo long). I was talking with my husband the other day and expressing some frustration over not knowing more about “things.” These “things” were money/investing & Catholicism. The money “thing” is something I feel I should know about because I am an adult. The Catholicism “thing” is something I feel I should know about because my husband is Catholic and it’s something I want to understand and one day, find my way towards.

Jordan suggested I read up on these things in my free time. So that meant cutting back a bit on reading blogs but I think it will be for the good of my brain and my relationship and my adulthood in the long run.

I am still working on my Cerise Curl. I realized the deadline for the little KAL running in Hunter Hammersen’s Ravelry group (Violently Domestic) ends April 15 for this one, not to mention another was started on March 15, totally missed that. I’m finally feeling the rhythm with the pattern, but I have to watch what I’m doing most of the time. I also started reading A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. It’s about a couple’s journey to finding God. It’s been beautiful and thought provoking so far. I think I read about this book on Ginny’s blog? I also read Mark Shea’s This is My Body: An Evangelical Discovers the Real Presence. This got the ball rolling around in my mind.

Anyway, here’s to a lovely Wednesday and hoping you are all finding yourselves well.

Here’s the link to this week’s:
Yarn Along post with Ginny.
Keep Calm & Craft On post with Nicole.
Stitch Along post with Tammy.
Whatcha Workin’ On post with Beth.

❤

Jenna

Running Behind

Technically, I’m not really behind on anything except maybe housework and reading my blog roll. It’s funny how just taking a few weekend trips really racks up the backlog on those two things!

But I have made some progress on my Squishy Socks.

They are coming right along. I’m knitting just the basic sock pattern from a Paton’s book using some Regia Adventure 6-ply on US size 2 needles. I have had a few little snags…like when I started my toe decreases too soon because I really want to wear them!! Just a little ripping back and I’m back to knitting the foot a little longer.

And my first Curl from Hunter Hammersen’s new book.

It’s Caesious. I’m using Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport. It’s 100% Merino in the Montrose colorway. I picked it up back in December when I was visiting Louisiana for my brother’s graduation. I love the colors, a grayish blue, almost cornflower blue, a light brown and a springy yellow. I love how it is growing so quickly and I don’t have to count! Yahoo!! And it means I’m Loving my Library 🙂

Last project getting some love is this Manly Scarf for my friend Sam.

A moment of confession: You haven’t seen this yet, mostly because I’m a little embarrassed I bought yarn for this after the new year. Let me justify. After our fist trip to Memphis for my birthday, my husband’s friend Sam admired my husband’s Cozy Warm Man scarf I finished for him back in October. He was saying just how much he would love to have one so I had to make him one. I’m using some Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in a dark brown held with some Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Addiction in the River Bank Grass green colorway on US size 7. And technically I didn’t buy the yarn, my husband did 🙂

Linking up with some great people:
Emily for Love Your Library
Tammy for her Stitch Along Wednesday
Ginny for Yarn Along
Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On
iknead2knit’s Whatcha Workin’ On Wednesday

See you again soon!!

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Crazy Sock Knitting

Since it’s Wednesday, I thought I’d share one of the things I’ve been diligently stitching on every day, my Squishy Socks. I’m using the Schachenmayr Regia Adventure Color 6 ply on some US 2 (3.00mm) Addi Sock Rockets. I’m working off of the Paton’s Basic Sock pattern from a booklet I bought a few years ago (loving my library). If you think back to maybe a few posts ago, they looked like this:

They may have even looked a little longer. I posted some of their progress over on Instagram (@hardknitlife) and I really love how they are coming along and I love that I was working them two-at-a-time style.

Confession: While I have worked 4 of my 6 completed socks two-at-a-time, I have never done so ON THE SAME NEEDLES! Previously I have used either two sets of double-pointed needles or two sets of two circular needles.

Well this time, I braved sticking them on the same two circulars and everything was buzzing along just fine. I knit the leg. I knit the heel flap.

 

I “turned” the heel. I even picked up my gusset stitches. Here is where the tricky part began. I fiddled a bit with the craziness of all those stitches on the two circulars, but I just couldn’t figure out how I was going to actually KNIT! So I wandered over to my bag-o-needles and pulled out some double points. Luck must have really been on my side because I found two sets!!

Doing what any sensible knitter would do, I used them both and transferred each sock to it’s new needle home. I started knitting on the left one (using bamboo needles) and thought that they felt a little smaller than my Sock Rockets. I picked up the right sock (using metal needles) and thought the same thing. So I pulled out the packaging of all three and noticed while each set of needle is labeled as a US 2, the Sock Rockets are 3.00mm while both sets of my DPNs are 2.75mm.

Oh well. I guess that will make for a nice firm fabric in the heel!

You may find yourself wondering where all those other planned WIPs are. Don’t worry, they are still floating around in their little bags, just waiting to be worked on. I have just been feeling the sock mojo lately and I was amused by my adventures using double points. Aren’t they just lovely?

A contributing factor to wanting to work on socks? Knitting Sarah just finished up her year long KAL last week called Socks with Sarah. I didn’t come across the knit-along until maybe November, but I really love that it’s main goal is to promote daily sock knitting. How many socks could you knit in a year if you did a little each day? Even though the KAL is over, Sarah is still keeping the group open on her Ravelry group. I know I set forth some goals a few weeks ago and I’d like to add daily sock stitching to it. Maybe this is just the kick start I need to get my sock drawer into shape!

Linking up with some great people:
Emily for Love Your Library
Tammy for her Stitch Along Wednesday
Ginny for Yarn Along
Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On
iknead2knit’s Whatcha Workin’ On Wednesday

Until Friday 🙂

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Truthfully, it’s not Tuesday

What’s new. I’m a day late and a dollar short.

You know another cliche could apply here. The best laid plans of mice and men…

I could go on.

So let’s be real. I can’t really contain myself. I planned not to cast on anything new until I finished 4, yes FOUR projects on my WIP list, but I did. I cast on an Array Cowl for my (hopefully-future-sister-in-law) Lyndsay. I love the colors. And I couldn’t take my curse socks to the game last night and risk a loss! (I took them to 2 games before and the Cards lost both) So I spent last night at the game casting on the 320 stitches and get going on this awesome project.

I’m using Malabrigo Rios in Teal Feather and Liquidambar. I was hoping the Liquidambar wouldn’t be too muted. I have a skein of Arco Iris on hand just in case I get a few more inches in and don’t like it.

I’ve also been working on my (cursed) socks. If you remember, I started these on those tiny 9-inch US 0 needles. I really tried with those. Truly I did. But every time I would knit on them for longer than 5 minutes, my hands would ache! I initially thought it was the stitch pattern I was using, passing a yarn over over 2 stitches can cause a little stress on the hands doing the knitting.

So I switched to some delicious Knitter’s Pride Karbonz DPNs. They are so smooth and wonderful it almost makes me forget how much I don’t love working on DPNs. I digress. The only problem is I like doing socks 2 at a time so I don’t get second sock syndrome and things end up being the same size like the length of the cuff or the heel or the toe or whatever. If I only work on 1 sock at a time, who can guarantee that they will be the same?? I may pick up another set of these, but they were a little pricey. I’ll knit a few more inches and see if I’m really, really in love with them enough to buy another set. Or maybe I can just do one sock at a time. It seems to work for the Yarn Harlot 🙂

How cute is this project bag? I found it in my stash and thought it would be a fun new home for the cursed socks.

Also, I’m not really breaking the rules too bad in terms of starting a new project since I did finish something…what you ask???

It’s Jordan’s scarf!! I finished it on Friday the 3rd…just 2 days late 🙂 Sis is standing guard. I love the way this turned out! It’s definitely long enough to wrap around comfortably or double and pull the ends through. I am hoping that with a cold winter it will get a lot of wear. I still need to block it.

I also went by the library here and got a card. Something about fall makes me want to read too! I picked up Quiet Dell by Jayne Anne Phillips. I’m only a few pages in and enjoying it.

That’s really all that is being “actively” worked on. Mostly in the last few days. Except I worked on Whispers. And tonight is my class at Knitorious for the Catkin shawl. I did do an inch or so of the first chart, so that’s growing. Plus I need to finish up the Twist vest so I can wear it to Vogue Knitting Live!! That is only 15 days away!!!!!!!

I feel like I have knitting project attention deficit disorder. It doesn’t help that I am knee-deep in blog posts to catch up on reading and podcasts to catch up listening to! If I’m not careful, the sheer number can overwhelm me!! I do love knowing what is going on out there in the knitting world and it does keep me inspired to keep knitting.

Anyone else get a little behind/overwhelmed by all the wonderful blogs out there about knitting???

v’s & bumps,

Jenna

Linking up with Tami, Nicole, and Ginny.