Saturday, March 28, 2015

Stash Saturday

So I mentioned awhile back that I joined two new groups on Facebook...Addicted to Sock Knitting and Addicted to Indie Dyed Yarn....and well it may have been a mistake....since all I knit now are socks....and I see gorgeous yarn roll across my screen relentlessly....so, what's a girl to do?

Neeley's Knits...A Day in Stars Hollow....I live in Connecticut, how could I not get yarn inspired by the Gilmore Girls....

and

Groovy Hues Fibers....Viral Dress.....is it blue and gold or black and white? Because I thought this was brilliant and hysterical!

They were both limited editions.....

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Stitch Along Wednesday - Week 12

Good morning, good morning!  Today I am at professional development all day....can't wait to see what the classroom looks like tomorrow....some substitutes are wonderful...some play on their phone all day....I will take a project with me to fill in the downtime today.....I rarely take projects to school...as there isn't any downtime....and there is always something that needs to be done...

Books:  I am on the third book of The Lunar Chronicles, really enjoying these....they are sci-fi takeoffs of fairy tales...Cinder = Cinderella, Scarlet = Little Red Riding Hood, and Cress = Rapunzel..

So it's socks again for me....although I did pull out my Baktus during The Walking Dead on Sunday...it's pretty mindless....
And so I still have two 1st socks done and am almost done with 2 others....someone asked me why I have so many...well it's because I get bored...I can rotate.....also when I might be going somewhere and think to bring a project...many times I just grab a new skein and cast on a vanilla-y type sock..it's small, portable and I don't really have to think about it....

So what about you?  Do you carry projects with you? (I don't typically, since I drive...I usually don't have the time, but occasionally)  Do you work on projects during your downtime..when you know you actually "working?"

 So join up and share with us this week....please provide a link back from your blog...thanks!




Sunday, March 22, 2015

Year of Projects - Week 11

Good morning, my fine bloggy friends!  It is still dark here and I am up very early on a Sunday morning....my sleep was all screwed up this weekend....

and...it snowed here again yesterday!  We were suppose to get flurries to maybe an inch...it snowed almost 24 hours and we got a couple of inches....but then the sun came out and melted most of it away.....I'm hoping this is the last hurrah!
So the crocus picture I posted on Wednesday?  Same spot yesterday...

So onto the fibery things....it's socks..all the time now...it's all I want to make....when I decide I need a go to project, I start a new pair....but I'm also playing around with them...see the first several pair I made were too big....so I am making many more (cough, currently 7 pair on needles) but am trying to figure out how to fit them to my foot...I have strange feet....and I'm sorry, they are too much effort to gift to anyone else at the moment.....they are mostly a vanilla pattern, but I'm playing with heels and cuffs, etc...I just did a short row heel..and plan on doing an eye of partridge for the next pair....I have two first socks done...and two more close to being done...then to cast on the second socks....I'm leaving notes on my Rav project pages...
Speckled Eggs, sock 1
Far Side of the Moon and Adele socks...sock 1....Now the FSOTM socks were for a KAL...however I got stuck on the heel..Fork in the Road, which called for a provisional cast-on...well I figured out how to do that, but I had a lot of yarn between my caston and the where I needed to knit....I couldn't figure it out...and even went to my LYS for help..and she wasn't sure either...so I scraped it and made a short row heel....but the hazards of knitting with black yarn...
Can you see that?  I somehow knitted a round...but I have extra yarn at the start of the round...so I knitted four sides and that yarn on my finger is from the first side.....so I have to tink it back and take up the slack...I've done this twice now....

The Adele socks are old...and crinkly, as they were very big when I first started them...I have frogged them and restarted them...I'm going to do a eye of partridge heel on these, as I did on Hermione's socks...

Since I have SO MUCH beautiful stripy type yarn...I'm good with vanilla socks....plus they really are helping me practice my sock knitting abilities....I also have a pair of toe-up I need to put some effort into this week...

2015 Completed Projects:
White mittens - 1/10/15
Quick Crochet Cowl - 1/12/
15
Stripes Cowl - 1/22/15
Frosty, the Snowman - 1/24/15
Head Wrap - 1/24/15
H's Everyday Socks 2/7/2015
Stepping Stones 2/17/15
Ita's Shawl 2/18/15

WIPS: Crochet:
Mission Falls Poncho: (Started 2006)
Round Ripple: (Started 2006 (?) Aiden)
Around the World Afghan: (April 2010): about ¼ done


Betty Shrug: I don’t know how long I’ve been working on this, but it only has an arm and a border to go.
Sunrise Sunset Afghan: this has been hibernating awhile, 6 squares done.
Tis the Season (11/10/13)
Tabard Tunic (NW Diss 2/1/14)

 Knit:
Learn to Knit Afghan: (started 2010): 3 squares done
Light in Shadows (1/14/14)
Garter Path (6/1/14) 
Turtleneck Capelet #2 (8/12/14)
Willow Fields (9/6/14)  
Shark in the Woods (11/27/14)
Olivia Owl (12/14/14)
Hawk Baktus  (1/19/15)
Bedrock (2/23/15)

Socks:
Kai-Mei: (April 2012)
Faces in Wallpaper (Sept 2013)
Adele Socks (April 2013)
Johnny's Socks (Jan 2013)
Irish Tea (Feb 2015)
Those Socks (2/27/15)
Speckled Eggs (3/2/15)

 
Scarves/Shawls:
Splashy Flowers: (May 2011)
Larry Stashbuster Scarf (2012)
 
Bags:
Beach Bag: (started May 2010)  Just needs lining sewn in
 
KAL/CAL:  
Fire and Blood (5/4/14)
Outlander MKAL (8/8/14) 
Zuzu's Petals (1/1/15)
Downton Abbey (1/4/15)
Far Side of the Moon (1/16/15)


Misc:

Sunflower: (August 2012) Need a back and to felt  

 Projects in Mind - I have the pattern and the yarn  - this list is remaining about the same...I could add a ton to it...but I'm not going to at the moment...I think when I move one of these projects to the WIP category, I will add another project to this list...I like seeing it all laid out..and it is not overwhelming to me..because it's my list and I can follow it or not!

Gifts/Charity: 

Owl for Rose
Hats for friend's babies (ongoing)
Hats for students (ongoing)
Kimberly Skye's tunic

garter for Caitlin
Two Elsa doll/blanket things

Sweaters:
Test Pattern Sweater
Car Coat
Cowl Vest
 
Shawls/Scarves/Cowls 
Rockefeller
Wholehearted
West End Scarf 
Gathering Leaves
Alhambra
Petal Edge Scarf
Filippi Scarf 
Firefly Scarf 
Fraxinus 
Danube Cowl
Simple City
Fire and Ice
Multnomah
Leylines 
Holden Shawlette
Daybreak
Trellis Shawl
Bedford Springs Shawl   
 
Hats and Mitts
Hermione Hearts Ron
Nehalm Hat
Felicity
Stellar
Cabled Headband
Fetching  
Cayunga Hat and Mitts set
Preposterous
Ruffled hat and mitts
Evergreen Gloves
Sheepy Cuffs
Twisted Rib Mitts and Hat
 
Socks:
Memento Mori
Rubus
Siren Socks
Savory Lace Socks
Autumn Flame

Firebird
Rescue Me, Chin Boy and Show Me the Stars
Twin peaks
 
Bags:
Sarape Shopper
Pleated Purse
Circular Felted Bag

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Stitch Along Wednesday - Week 11

Good morning my stitch along friends....someone asked what could be linked....any project that is a work in progress....

Well we have had a nice few days here in Connecticut and look what we noticed in the yard yesterday...
Things are popping up...I think they are crocus....I asked the Hubs...he's the one that planted them..and I believe that is what he said.....He also uncovered the blueberry bushes he planted last year...but they don't look like much....BUT the s-word has been mentioned in the forecast for this week again...so we'll see....

On the stitchin' front, I participated in #bedinburghyarnfest on Instagram this weekend....since we could not attend the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in person....it was a lot of fun....but not really so different than most my weekends...only I happened to be sharing it....

If you are on Instagram....I am graceysgoodies....I don't have a twitter account, but I do love Instagram....I love pictures and taking them and sharing them....

Anyway, so during #bedinburghyarnfest, I worked on socks....I finished sock one of Those Socks!  Which are made with Zauberball (it's a dark photo, it was late)

And almost finished sock 1 of  Speckled Eggs
My friend asked if I only knit socks now....I am on a sock kick..and yeah, they seem to be the only thing I want to knit now....

How about you?  Please link up and share....and please if you link up, link back to the blog from your post....I do try to visit everyone who links and leave a comment...I did not last week......I also upgraded, so now I am paying for the link up...and would appreciate a link back...thank you....








Saturday, March 14, 2015

Stash Saturday - Clubs

Oh, its been awhile...but I do have a few new skeins, all club yarns...

from MadColor, her Star Trek themed club...here is Resistance is Futile
The pop of green is awesome!

Also from MadColor..and the Sunnydale DizzyColor club is Bored Now...
I adore those reds...

Nerd Girls this month was a favorite...It's Scaring Time, from Monster's Inc...on Zen, which is a mixture of merino/silk/yak...yummy...


I also received a Monster's Inc inspired color from Holiday Yarns...this one is merino and nylon base..called Sully...

When I showed the one from Nerd Girl to the Hubs, he said, "I'd expect it to be brighter." But with that base, it's a more flat color....and actually I'd be more inclined to use that one....The bright blue of Sully is just not for me....but I'm sure I can fins someone who loves it...

The two Monster's Inc together...
Sorry for the flash picture..it's early here and still dark out....

So that's my new stash acquisition....and I decided I'm a Yarn Acquisition Expert, as Stephen West says....are you a fan?  I think he is hysterical and just watched his new videos on youtube....I get that he is not for everyone...he is very over the top....but the second video..at about 7:15, he gives you some excuses for acquiring yarn...I can't seem to embed the video...but here's the link...

https://youtu.be/ZkHfRY-xvMM



Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Stitch Along Wednesday - Week 10

Good morning!  we are finally warming up here in the Northeast...things are melting...but we expect snow again this weekend...will it ever stop?

Yesterday was a sad day at work....one child revealed that her father had died on Sunday and we found out that another child has a brain tumor......

But we are not here to be sad, we are here to find out what has kept everyone busy this week....as I said on Sunday, I've not done much...truthfully...the change in time has made me tired...and everyone else...we had so many late kids to school on Monday....

anyway I have done lots of reading...I finishes Cinder and started the next book in the series..Scarlet...it's interesting....

I have worked a bit on some of my socks...I'm on the foot on Those Socks, the green Zauberballs, and put a couple inches into the leg of the Speckled Eggs ones....no new pictures yet...so how are you doing?  Please join us...and link back too...so others can join in....







Monday, March 9, 2015

Buried Until June

The snow has been crazy this year...anyone who has read my blog over the past month know that we have had weekly storms...

What is crazy is that this all pretty much happened in February!!!!  we had a couple of frigid days...and we had some snow that didn't amount to much, just an inch or two...but in February, we were dumped on every week!

So I've shown you pictures around my place...I went out to the inlaws this weekend...they live a bit northwest of us...the next county, but really only about two towns over...about a 30 minute trip....

so their yard...
Right now?
The top picture is just a little more to the left...those are the same trees.....I am a bit over five feet (1.5 meters)...this snow is almost up to my shoulders...

I was on that little porch to take the next picture.....

The driveway


On Saturday, from a little farther down...
Crazy amounts of snow! I think they may have snow into June lingering in parts!






Sunday, March 8, 2015

Year of Projects - Week 10

Hello....and another week of not much crafting....this week I was just tired....so I'd come home and veg in front of the tv and then go to bed early....so not much was worked on....I am anemic and I was taking antibiotics this week, so was not taking my iron regularly...and one of the effects for me is extreme exhaustion....I am done with the antibiotics and have been taking my iron for the past two days, so hopefully my energy returns too...

Did put some effort into Irish Tea...I read up on the Ravelry group to see where others had difficulty...and I put another couple inches on it...I'm ready for the weird arch expansion...I'm gonna trust the pattern, although the sock already is too big....

Also ripped out and started new heel flap on Those Socks, as the Zauberball was too thin...

Also worked a bit on my Bedrock, but some how I have too many stitches and it doesn't look like the picture....I love Stephen West's designs so much, but have yet to finish something from him...

The Far Side of the Moon socks I'm stumped on, until I can get some face to face help...I can take them to my LYS and she'll help me...but just have not had the energy this week...looks like I never entered these as a project on Ravelry...will have to do that...eta, just did....

I also updated my stash on Ravelry...was going to do a stash post, but found out I broke my camera...so pictures did not come out....will do one next week....

and that's it for me...see you all next week...

2015 Completed Projects:
White mittens - 1/10/15
Quick Crochet Cowl - 1/12/
15
Stripes Cowl - 1/22/15
Frosty, the Snowman - 1/24/15
Head Wrap - 1/24/15
H's Everyday Socks 2/7/2015
Stepping Stones 2/17/15
Ita's Shawl 2/18/15

WIPS: Crochet:
Mission Falls Poncho: (Started 2006)
Round Ripple: (Started 2006 (?) Aiden)
Around the World Afghan: (April 2010): about ¼ done


Betty Shrug: I don’t know how long I’ve been working on this, but it only has an arm and a border to go.
Sunrise Sunset Afghan: this has been hibernating awhile, 6 squares done.
Tis the Season (11/10/13)
Tabard Tunic (NW Diss 2/1/14)

 Knit:
Learn to Knit Afghan: (started 2010): 3 squares done
Light in Shadows (1/14/14)
Garter Path (6/1/14) 
Turtleneck Capelet #2 (8/12/14)
Willow Fields (9/6/14)  
Shark in the Woods (11/27/14)
Olivia Owl (12/14/14)
Hawk Baktus  (1/19/15)
Bedrock (2/23/15)

Socks:
Kai-Mei: (April 2012)
Faces in Wallpaper (Sept 2013)
Adele Socks (April 2013)
Johnny's Socks (Jan 2013)
Irish Tea (Feb 2015)
Those Socks (2/27/15)
 

Scarves/Shawls:
Splashy Flowers: (May 2011)
Larry Stashbuster Scarf (2012)
 
Bags:
Beach Bag: (started May 2010)  Just needs lining sewn in
 
KAL/CAL:  
Fire and Blood (5/4/14)
Outlander MKAL (8/8/14) 
Zuzu's Petals (1/1/15)
Downton Abbey (1/4/15)
Far Side of the Moon (1/16/15)

Misc:
Sunflower: (August 2012) Need a back and to felt  
 
 Projects in Mind - I have the pattern and the yarn  - this list is remaining about the same...I could add a ton to it...but I'm not going to at the moment...I think when I move one of these projects to the WIP category, I will add another project to this list...I like seeing it all laid out..and it is not overwhelming to me..because it's my list and I can follow it or not!

Gifts/Charity: 
Owl for Rose
Hats for friend's babies (ongoing)
Hats for students (ongoing)
Kimberly Skye's tunic

garter for Caitlin
Two Elsa doll/blanket things

Sweaters:
Test Pattern Sweater
Car Coat
Cowl Vest
 
Shawls/Scarves/Cowls 
Rockefeller
Wholehearted
West End Scarf 
Gathering Leaves
Alhambra
Petal Edge Scarf
Filippi Scarf 
Firefly Scarf 
Fraxinus 
Danube Cowl
Simple City
Fire and Ice
Multnomah
Leylines 
Holden Shawlette
Daybreak
Trellis Shawl
Bedford Springs Shawl   
 
Hats and Mitts
Hermione Hearts Ron
Nehalm Hat
Felicity
Stellar
Cabled Headband
Fetching  
Cayunga Hat and Mitts set
Preposterous
Ruffled hat and mitts
Evergreen Gloves
Sheepy Cuffs
Twisted Rib Mitts and Hat
 
Socks:
Memento Mori
Rubus
Siren Socks
Savory Lace Socks
Autumn Flame

Firebird
Rescue Me, Chin Boy and Show Me the Stars
Twin peaks
 
Bags:
Sarape Shopper
Pleated Purse
Circular Felted Bag

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Stitch Along Wednesday - Week 9

Good morning my friends.....and I do say that meaning "friends."  My sister-in-law had to write a paper recently about "online friendships" and how being in online communities can be detrimental and make people more lonely.....and the professor was adamant that this was true....and while I can see it being true for a percentage of the population...I really believe that online communities have opened our world...but they should not be your only social interactions....people need to have some type of social life in the real world with real people, whether it be at work, at school, support groups, craft groups, etc...

So on to our crafting support online community!  This week I started another sock...yes, yes, I know...I now have 7 pair of socks on the needles....so why am I stopped on them?

My oldest pair is Kai-Mei, a Cookie A design...I absolutely love these and actually bought the yarn used in the pattern for them.....but when I started them, I hadn't really learned anything beyond the stitch/purl combination and the lace panel on the foot gave me pause.....and I just haven't gotten back to them...
Then I have Johnny's socks, which were a kit I bought at Stitches a couple years ago....it helped raise money for heart disease....these are intensive, as the pattern changes quite a bit...I've already frogged them once...but they need a lot of concentration...
My next pair are a straight vanilla pair....made with GnomeAcres Rolling in the Deep yarn...hence my name of my Adele socks...as I can't work on them without the song playing in my head...I have frogged  these and restarted them, as they were too big....I am back to the heel flap...
Next were the socks when I joined a KAL...they were the first ones and I never finished them...they are also down to the heel....I'm a little lost in the pattern on these...so I may need to frog them...
Then we have my Irish Tea socks, which were the next socks in my Love Your Library book...however I'm stuck..it's a toe-up (Darjeeling by Cat Bordhi).  It's already too big and I'm suppose to increase the foot more for the special construction....so not sure what I'm going to do...
And then the green ones I started last week...I'm on the heel...
And then the ones I just started...they will be my Easter socks...don't they look like speckled eggs?
It's just a basic vanilla pattern...
Whew!  I had a hard time uploading this morning, as my computer decided to do some updates in the middle of it!  So how are your projects coming along?  Link up with us, and provide a link back from your blog...

As for reading, I'm still working on Cinder....and it snowed again last night, so we have a 2 hour delay this morning...and it's snowing again tonight into Thursday, so a possible snow day tomorrow...










Sunday, March 1, 2015

Year of Projects - Week 9


Good morning!  I haven't finished anything this week and only worked on a few things...But I did start two new projects....I decided I needed a grey hat, so using the Woolfolk yarn I purchased in November, I cast on Bedrock by Stephen West....and coming home from school on Friday, i decided I needed some new green socks for Monday....so cast on a pair of vanilla socks with Zauberball...although I thought they'd be more stripey and they aren't...and they are really dark...so we'll see how they turn out...

Inside the sock is a nifty little tool called The Sock Ruler, no need to keep pulling the tape measure out...

I also worked a bit on my Far Side of the Moon socks...they look great, but the heel is a new construction called "Fork in the Road" and it needs a provisional cast-on (my first) and I did it, but I have all this extra yarn in between the stitches, so I don't quite get how to do it...I may just do a different heel and move on...I just bought the Fish Lips Kiss Heel pattern...and I also worked a bit on my Adele socks...again..I'm at the heel.....

2015 Completed Projects:
White mittens - 1/10/15
Quick Crochet Cowl - 1/12/
15
Stripes Cowl - 1/22/15
Frosty, the Snowman - 1/24/15
Head Wrap - 1/24/15
H's Everyday Socks 2/7/2015
Stepping Stones 2/17/15
Ita's Shawl 2/18/15

WIPS: Crochet:
Mission Falls Poncho: (Started 2006)
Round Ripple: (Started 2006 (?) Aiden)
Around the World Afghan: (April 2010): about ¼ done

Betty Shrug: I don’t know how long I’ve been working on this, but it only has an arm and a border to go.
Sunrise Sunset Afghan: this has been hibernating awhile, 6 squares done.
Tis the Season (11/10/13)
Tabard Tunic (NW Diss 2/1/14)

 Knit:
Learn to Knit Afghan: (started 2010): 3 squares done
Light in Shadows (1/14/14)
Garter Path (6/1/14) 
Turtleneck Capelet #2 (8/12/14)
Willow Fields (9/6/14)  
Shark in the Woods (11/27/14)
Olivia Owl (12/14/14)
Hawk Baktus  (1/19/15)
Bedrock (2/23/15)

Socks:
Kai-Mei: (April 2012)
Faces in Wallpaper (Sept 2013)
Adele Socks (April 2013)
Johnny's Socks (Jan 2013)
Irish Tea (Feb 2015)
Those Socks (2/27/15)
Scarves/Shawls:

Splashy Flowers: (May 2011)
Larry Stashbuster Scarf (2012)

 
Bags:
Beach Bag: (started May 2010)  Just needs lining sewn in
 
KAL/CAL:  
Fire and Blood (5/4/14)
Outlander MKAL (8/8/14) 
Zuzu's Petals (1/1/15)
Downton Abbey (1/4/15)
Far Side of the Moon (1/16/15)

Misc:
Sunflower: (August 2012) Need a back and to felt  
 
 Projects in Mind - I have the pattern and the yarn  - this list is remaining about the same...I could add a ton to it...but I'm not going to at the moment...I think when I move one of these projects to the WIP category, I will add another project to this list...I like seeing it all laid out..and it is not overwhelming to me..because it's my list and I can follow it or not!

Gifts/Charity: 
Owl for Rose
Hats for friend's babies (ongoing)
Hats for students (ongoing)
Kimberly Skye's tunic

garter for Caitlin
Two Elsa doll/blanket things

Sweaters:
Test Pattern Sweater
Car Coat
Cowl Vest
 
Shawls/Scarves/Cowls 
Rockefeller
Wholehearted
West End Scarf 
Gathering Leaves
Alhambra
Petal Edge Scarf
Filippi Scarf 
Firefly Scarf 
Fraxinus 
Danube Cowl
Simple City
Fire and Ice
Multnomah
Leylines 
Holden Shawlette
Daybreak
Trellis Shawl
Bedford Springs Shawl   
 
Hats and Mitts
Hermione Hearts Ron
Nehalm Hat
Felicity
Stellar
Cabled Headband
Fetching  
Cayunga Hat and Mitts set
Preposterous
Ruffled hat and mitts
Evergreen Gloves
Sheepy Cuffs
Twisted Rib Mitts and Hat
 
Socks:
Memento Mori
Rubus
Siren Socks
Savory Lace Socks
Autumn Flame

Firebird
Rescue Me, Chin Boy and Show Me the Stars
Twin peaks
 
Bags:
Sarape Shopper
Pleated Purse
Circular Felted Bag