More Hats!

These are hats # 4 & 5 - Adult-sized in my typical Brioche hat pattern. I needed some samples for the class I'm teaching at the end of the month, and these really are super-quick.

I was struggling to find super-bulky yarn... so the hat on the left is made with a couple of handfuls of left-over bits (blues and greys) of worsted, held triple. If I ran out with one ball, I just grabbed another. Super-bulky is faster and easier than dealing with three strands of yarn, but, it sure does feel good to use up some of the odds and ends basket yarn instead of always adding to it.

The hat on the left was made with Lion Brand's Jiffy-Thick & Quick - a nice, soft, super-bulky yarn. The cost is right for charity hats. The content is 100% acrylic (which is right for my allergies). The weight is nice, the yarn is great for showing stitch definition. BUT. It only comes in highly variegated colors. No solids. And really? Only about a half-dozen variegated color options at that.

Review? Highly sold on the yarn. Not high on the color options and this is not going to be a yarn I purchase much of in the future as a result.

My favorite for these WAS Lion Brand's Wool-ease Thick & Quick . But now that my allergies have worsened, I break out in hives if I work with that yarn. But, a shopping trip last night got me on the trail for another alternative. I'll do a review after I've used it, which might not be until March... but I'll let you know.

First FO in February

I finished the 4' alligator (officially). This was ALMOST done in December, but with one last yarn end to weave in.

Nine yr old added for scale!

February Planning

OWL

Keep working on the Stained Glass Afghan - goal will be to have 20 blocks completed by February 28.

BROOM

Cast on Chocolate Passion Cardigan with Knit Picks Brava in dark brown (need to find buttons!).  Get to 50% done by February 28.

CLASSES

Flying - Bunny Buddy Baby Blanket (half plushie, half baby blanket)
Charms - Charity Brioche hat
DADA - Brioche Scarf
Muggle Studies - February Cabled Square
Herbology - Dishcloth

Quidditch
two baby hats - one cabled, one crocheted with an i-cord & flower

January - End of Month Wrap Up

OWL
I'm at about 20% complete and wanted to be at around 25% complete (10 blocks). I still haven't finished the last five blocks. I plan on working on it again next weekend and hope to finish those five blocks to get me to 10 done. But I was hoping to have gotten half-way through the next five by this weekend, which isn't going to happen. I'm a little behind, but am hoping that I can make up the time during Feburary.

BROOM
Chocolate Passion Cardigan - I plan on casting this on this weekend.

CLASSES/Quidditch
I got a little closer to the crazy train than I wanted.

1. Penelope the Empathetic Monster - by Rebecca Danger DONE

2. Small baby blanket from Lion Brand DONE (though I messed up the dimensions.

3. A blanket square of some sort -DONE

4. A hat - DONE times 3

Not planned, but also completed
Beaded Ribbon
Necklace

Not turned in for the cup
Stitch Markers

So instead of four smaller projects, I completed 9 smaller projects - AND my OWL suffered for it. Hmmm... this is just proof, again, that getting excited about the smaller projects hurts me on the bigger projects. AND now? I've got two bigger projects to work on for next month. And, as I'm typing this I'm also looking at my plans for next week. Which is a bigger list. I need to get things to a manageable level.

Wooops - FO, but not a good FO

I finished the baby blanket. But it's going into the charity pile instead of going to my co-worker. I should know better by now that if it's a pattern I do, and it's log-cabin style? That something is going to go wrong.

This is not square, not rectangular, not diamond-shaped either... more trapazoid. sigh.

It's pretty though. I liked the colors and the play off of them. but the upper-right hand corner started off un-square... and it got worse with every row. Since I had two edges 'on the needles' at all times, it wasn't something that you could see until it was almost finished. By that point, I'd put 1200 yards of yarn in and spent three weeks on the project. But, it'll work for a charity gift.

If nothing else? I know my cat likes it.

Sticks n String - Second Day

I took three great classes.... first stitch markers...

I learned a couple of tricks to simplify the process and was quite pleased with the results!

Second - a crocheted necklace. This particular piece of amazing craft is unbelieveably simple. Combining ladder yarn with a large crochet hook and simple chaining and out comes something that you can take a LOT of pride in.

This picture is a little dark - but it's a combination of different shades of gold/bronze/silver black cords and is incredibly sparkly and cute!  I can't wait to make some more of these!

Third, a beaded pin. I haven't worked with beading and knitting before (a pre-sequined yarn doesn't really count). And I while I could have used a smaller needle to get this a little 'snugger' and I probably could have made it shorter as well - I still think it turned out pretty good.

I got to enjoy a great chair massage (very relaxing!) but sadly for some reason I seem a little stressed today - not sure what was up, but I felt on 'edge' all day... so the massage probably could have done better if I could have just relaxed a little more... but it was still amazing.

And I was one of the lucky ones to get a door prize. My prize was two skeins of purple yarns (link isn't working at this time, but hopefully will be up with a website soon)... and a skein of something that was merino blend and while gorgeous - it just didn't make sense for me to keep it with my wool allergies - so I swapped it with another door prize winner at my table to double my take of cotton yarn. They aren't my favorite colors - a bright-ish pastel green and pink. But, it's yarn I can use versus yarn I would have had to find a new home for - so I was thrilled to make the swap. She was thrilled to make the swap. That works for me!

Sticks N String - Friday night

Sticks & String is a local knitting retreat, and this is my third year attending.

I didn't get to stay long tonight as my youngest had a pool party. So I dropped him off at the party - ran in and knit a little while until the vendor fair opened... did a little shopping, and then raced back to the pool to pick the little guy up.

I found some GORGEOUS blue alpaca fiber (as if I actually knew how to spin - ha!), as well as two skeins of DK alpaca from C & M Acres.... lovely stuff. I keep collecting lots of shades of their alpaca - with some thought to using all natural alpaca from darkest to lightest in graduated colors to make either a shawl (which I'd probably never wear - sigh) or some sort of cardigan. My favorite bit is that every skein has the name of the alpaca who provided the fleece for the skein!

I found an amazing leather/metal handcrafted bracelet from Fishlips3 Beads & Blues (a local artist) - and if he's back tomorrow and I find any quiet time, I'm going to ask if he's the guy offering classes through the community education program I teach for, would love to chat about his classes as I was thinking I might want to try to take one. I was seriously tempted by a brown leather/copper bracelet.... but behaved myself and bought a red leather and silver bracelet for my daughter-in-law.

I also saw, but did not buy some 100% silk, beaded, laceweight jewel-tone blue and green yarn.... I don't enjoy working with laceweight yarns as it is.... but it was really pretty..... but it was also $50. Um. Yeah. Not in my price range after all.... but it sure was pretty.

AND then I custom-ordered two zipper pouches.... they'll have custom embroidery on them - the selling point was that I saw someone come back with a zombie one.... and I was sold. They didn't have anything that 'quite' hit my happy place... but she was taking custom orders - so I put in my order. I'll be back to post some pics and links when I get them. It might be a while, I told her to put my order on the back burner and fill the other orders she gets first. I'll be happy with them when I get them, even if waiting a little bit.

And then, there's also the Goodie Bag!!!!

First the bag itself - a simple, branded tote. Lion Brand bags were used last year as well, only last year they were enormous. I didn't think I liked them that big, but they actually came in useful for storing finished charity hats last year... but this size is a good size.

And then the yarn - due to my wool allergies, they were kind enough to provide 50% cotton/50% acrylic - and it's a nice yarn!  Plus the cutest mug and zippered pouch.

The pouch is from Darn It! Sew What? -- which is the vendor I ordered my pouches from!

And then look at all this other loot!