All of Them

In an attempt to get control of, and use up, my yarn stash, I took all those odd bits of leftover cotton yarn and wound them into new assorted balls. Some people in the knitting community call it a magic cake, I think it's more of a magic onion because each layer brings a new surprise color. Some of the balls were completely random - I just reached over and blindly grabbed the next color. Others, like some above, were selected with a bit more thought, combining like colors or themes - ie, all muted colors, or all bright colors together. 

I knitted and crocheted a few dishcloths from these surprise balls and I love the fun, scrappy feel they bring to my kitchen. Some are hideous and some are pretty, but they all wash dishes just the same and they all used up a small part of my overflowing stash. I can knit a whole dishcloth out of a little less than one of these balls, so I just tie those leftovers on to the next ball and start all over again. I plan to keep going until I completely run out of cotton yarn and then comes the real fun - restocking! 

As I knit each new color section, I remember the original recipient of many of the original dishcloths - specific colors for specific people - moms, aunts, grandmas, cousins, friends... It's nice to think a little part of their kitchen is also in my home. These scrappy versions are very much like a scrappy quilt made with all the cherished leftovers and memories, which also happen to be some of my favorite quilts. 

I plan to spend my weekend knitting some more scrappy dishcloths while watching the Olympics. We caught a bit of the snowboarding qualifiers last night and it was so exciting to see the patriotism and competitive spirit in the athletes! I hope you have a great weekend and Go Team USA! 

Done Deal and Moving On.

I finished my watermelon socks prior to the weekend and took all day Sunday to rekindle my relationship with Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and start a new pair of socks.

{Pattern: My adapted version of Hermione's Everyday Socks | Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in Watermelon}

I'm head over heels in love with this new pair - not only are the colors fabulous, the yarn is lush, and the socks are fitting like a dream. 

{Pattern: My adapted toe-up, smaller-sized version of Jeck | Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Sock Yarn in Tiki}

That yarn would make an adorable baby girl sweater - I might buy some now while it's on sale and stash it away for the next baby girl to come along in the family. 

What are you working on this week?

Summer Socks

I have been knitting up a storm this summer, and I have a few new pairs of socks to show for it.

This pair was a very long work in progress. The socks are made from the little remnant balls of yarn left from other sock projects. I knit two different yarns at a time, alternating rows, then swapping out one color for another, creating a blend of colors. It was a huge pain the bun, what with carrying around umpteen tiny balls of yarn and weaving in all those ends, but I think it was worth it. The Scrap Vomit of socks, if you will.

The pattern I used is called Charade, which I modified to work toe-up in a narrower size.

Next up was a very quick pair of toe-less, heel-less socks, perfect for those nights when I want something on my feet but it's just too hot to wear full-on socks.

I modified these Yoga Socks so it's just a straight knit throughout and smaller fit.

The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Semolina *I think*

The yoga socks were really just a stash project to tide me over until a package arrived with new yarn. Included in the package was a couple skeins of Imagination - one of my favorite soft & squishy yarns. I have another pair in the Frog Prince colorway from years ago (now discontinued), and I couldn't wait to start knitting with this gorgeous Unicorn colorway.

I dove right into some late night bed knitting, as well as a few unusual spots.

The toes and feet were knit while waiting in line to see Ed Sheeran perform in Nashville. We waited outside in 90+ heat for about four hours. Needless to say, I got a lot of knitting done and the show was a-mah-zing.

The last half of these socks were knit in the car on our way to Gatlinburg, as well as while driving and hiking through the Smoky Mountains. The pattern in my own design - a simple lace in toe-up. I kept these anklets because I only had 219 yards of yarn :)

That brings me to my latest project, which is still on the needles:

The yarn is Stroll Hand Painted in Watermelon and the 462 yards goes a long way on my tiny feet. My plan was to knit until I ran out of yarn, but I think I might end up with weird knee socks if I do that.

I think I'm about ready to start the cuff, which will give the socks another inch or two and then I'll call it good.  

Congratulations! You made it to the end of this post about socks! Go pour yourself a cold one and get someone to pat you on the back. 

Handmade Holidays

You guys, I have been so busy preparing for the holidays, you'll have to forgive my bloggy absence and just believe these photos are proof that I have been sewing and stitching my fingers to the bone lately. More details after all the Christmas/baby/friendly presents are finished, I swear!

Are you making any holiday gifts this year? 

Sending and Received (Part 2)

It was my grandpa's birthday a week or two ago and I was sending a package their way anyway, so I wanted to include something for him. I decided on a nice cable hat, and used this pattern. If you check Ravelry, there are obvious issues with the decreases. I didn't even bother reading the pattern at that point and just decreased as I saw fit. It turned out pretty darn cute and hopefully he will enjoy wearing it in the coming months. It's not super warm, but I think it will be the perfect hat to wear during the fall and early winter. Maybe for Christmas* I will make him a nice fleece hat to take him through the bitter Michigan winter.

I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby and US7 dpns. This yarn is cheap and soft and perfect for quick, simple projects like this.

For my grandma, and my grandpa too, I suppose, I included a crocheted dishcloth and scrubby.  I used this pattern, here it is on Ravelry, with Sugar n' Cream yarn. The pattern was quick to crochet, easy to memorize, and should prove to be a good scrub because of the texture from the tulip stitches. The scrubby was just two crocheted circles stitched together for some added omph. If you ask me, one can never have too many handmade dishcloths.

For my secret pal last year, I knit 12 dishcloths, one for every month of the year. I think they are a perfect little gift, especially with the matching srubby. Not to mention I have cotton yarn coming out of my ears.

Tomorrow I will send the hat, dishcloth, mitts, socks and messenger bag in one big package, and they can find their way from my grandparent's house. 

Today my DQS7 came in the mail all the way from Greenwood, Ind. I had to laugh when I saw that- my best friend lives there and our last home was about an hour away from Greenwood. The quilting world is such a small circle when you get down to it. 

Look how cute this butterfly is, Jamie did such a nice job appliqueing and quilting it! So cute, now I have to figure out where I want to put it :-)

I'm slowly finishing my Hedgerow socks (link here). I turned the heel on the second sock and have made it about an inch or two into the foot. I was feverishly working on these during Feedback weekend and made some great progress. I've been working on them between other projects and in bed before I fall asleep. They will be finished by the time the cooler fall weather comes around and I actually need to wear them. This pattern is quickly become a favorite of mine and I will most likely knit another pair in the future. 

*I'm trying to start making my handmade Christmas presents right now so I will have them all ready by the time Christmas rolls around. I'm thinking lots of hats, mittens, scarves and mini quilts. Things that aren't huge undertakings, but still cute/useful and hopefully appreciated because they were made with love by me :-) 

What are your favorite handmade gifts for adults?

Finished Objects

And one not finished....

My Doll Quilt Swap 7 is finished. I stitched on the binding to the back and added a label. Now I just have to send it out in the mail :-)

I really like adding quilt labels, yet I've only done it a couple times. I'm definitely going to go back and add a couple to the quilts I have laying around my house.

Fingerless mitts for my cousin, to go with the socks below. She sent me two skeins of Paton's Kroy Sock yarn and there was almost a whole skein left over from the socks, so obviously I had to make some cute mitts!

I used this pattern, Mitt Envy on Ravelry.

Hard to see in these pictures, but the little cables are so cute. And I am officially addicted to cables, can't wait to make more hats and mittens experimenting with new cable patterns.

Here are the "yoga socks" for my cousin. She does color guard at her school and wanted something to wear while practicing that would provide a little warmth while still being able to move around without sliding.

These turned out really well, but possibly on the big side. I hope Kaitlyn doesn't mind the little extra space, because I think they are pretty comfy and will be well-suited for dancing around in. Next time, I will only cast on 52 or so stitches so the ankle is a little tighter. For other modifications, check here.

This is my recession hat - I am using all stash yarn left over from socks, hats, mitts, and everything in between. It's all Knit Picks with one exception (leftover Kroy sock yarn from the yoga socks). There is Knit Picks Palette, Imagination, and fingering weight Bare that I dyed. You can really tell what my favorite knitting-color scheme is from these leftovers and I love the way it is coming together. All that's left is continuing decreases to the top. I've been working on it here and there while watching TV and relaxing at night and it's come together quite quickly.

The only con to this project? All those loose ends inside... ugh.

I also took some time the past few days to super clean my sewing area (which is also our living room space) and now it is so gorgeous, I just haven't taken pictures yet. I'll be sure to snap a couple and post about my space on a later day.

Tonight Curt and I are going to a little concert downtown. A friend from work is preforming and I'm looking forward to seeing all my co-workers outside of the restaurant. We probably won't be able to stay late (Curt has to get up very early to lifeguard) but it will be nice to get out of the house.

What are your plans for Wednesday night? I don't think there's anything great on TV Wednesday nights.. that's saved for Thursdays. On a completely random side note: Some shows I am really looking forward to premiering this fall: Glee, Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Community.. that's all I can think of right now, but I am so sick of summer programming, fall is my new favorite season.

Feeling Green

Warning: This post contains unholy amounts of green. Can't say I didn't warn you...

After a very successful completion of my last Gwen Slouchy Beret, my cousin Heather commissioned me to make another for her, in green, blue, or black. I had the green Palette that I dyed, and thought it would be the perfect shade for this beret.

I can't stress how much I love this beret. The lace pattern is easy to remember, it knits up so fast, and is the perfect hat to take us into the fall months (as much as I hate to consider the fact that summer is quickly fading...)

This dyed yarn has more diversity than the yarn I used for my beret, but I love the effect and I think the dark splotches give it a lot of character.

And because I can never sent just one thing in a package, I had to make a few other simple additions. For the kids, I made "knucklebones" or "five stones." I found this tutorial and thought it would be the perfect little game for them. It's pretty much jacks with a set of rules to complete.

A little basic and old fashioned perhaps, but I tend to think these games are often the most entertaining and allow for plenty of imagination. Each "stone" is palm size and filled with rice. What kid doesn't like bean bag toys?! I used Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop scraps and made a little drawstring bag to keep them in.

Here's a picture of the beautiful family:

Don't you think they'd love to play knucklebones or their own made up variation?

Finally, Heather is a book-lover, so a little something practical and pretty: a fabric bookmark made with scraps of Anna Maria Horner glued & sewn onto thick paper. Simple, quick, stash-busting, and useful. What more can a girl ask for? Oh, how about a dishcloth. No picture, but a sunny yellow knit dishcloth is also in the package. I knit these when I get bored and have a stash of finished ones for myself or others when the need arises.

I also completed my topographie hat using the same green yarn. I love love love the end result and the dyed yarn worked perfect with all those dark specks! Perfectly slouchy and a great pop of color, I will definitely be wearing this a lot!

I'm still thinking up options for my DQS7 partner. I drew up a plan and think I picked the fabric out, I'm going to start stitching options together tomorrow and see how I like it. And I may just have to run to the fabric store and get some white fabric- I think I'm running low! White fabric is officially my new quilting necessity, as it matches everything and makes all fabrics *pop* against it's bright background. If I make good progress perhaps I'll post some snapshots tomorrow.

Until then, happy crafting!