Block a Month- February

44. participate in and complete BAM challenge for 2009



Vickie and I met up on Wednesday night along with my mom and Tracy for our monthly Block dinner/visit. Tracy graciously hosted and we had a lovely dinner of whole wheat pasta, meatballs and sauce, along with some garlic bread and wine.

Vickie and I settled in to work on our blocks while Mom and Tracy sat on the couch mocking us. It was business as usual.

Here is my finished February Block, it's a bit wonky but I'm hoping once I join it, it will stretch out and lay flat:



Pattern: Two- Tone Square
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver- Orange, Some really old Yellow Yarn that Vickie had in her bag
My Ravelry Project Page

Dishcloth Dozen

So I must have really wanted to make dishcloths this month. I only needed to do 1 for the swap and yet I ended up with 3 in a matter of speaking.

I give you what started out as my February cloth for the Dishcloth Dozen Swap:

Pattern: Be My Dishcloth

Yarn: Winter Berry

Needles: US6 Circulars

My Ravelry Page!

I love the pattern and think it is super cute but the variegated yarn just did nothing for it. Off to the frog pond it went. I'll try again with a solid.

I then decided to go with a repeat from last month. The Grandmother's Favorite. But either I can't read or subconciously chose to disobey the pattern because I only did K1 YO for all of the increases instead of K2YO. I ended up with half that had 2 stitches around (the top in the photo) and half with 1 stitch around (the bottom half) and I just couldn't send it out to someone as a gift. I'll still use it and love it even though it's lopsided.

Pattern- Grandmother's Favorite

Yarn- Cotton in Winter Berry

Needles- US6 Circulars

My Ravelry Page!

So I used what was left of the Winter Berry and decided to try a new pattern from my Lily book called Kitchen Kolors! I knew I wouldn't have enough for the entire thing so I brought in the sage green and since snelson says she loves green I thought it would be a nice contrast. It was my first time working something in this manner with leaving stitches unworked and I found it to be repetitive and easy to remember.

Pattern: Beach Ball Dishcloth

Yarn: Winter Berry and Sage Green

Needles: US6

My Ravelry Page!

Addiction

Man, people weren't kidding when they said to be careful when knitting socks- that they may become addicting. I'd say I'm an addict now. I worked on my sock again on Monday at Lambikins and finally reached 7 inches for the leg. Onto the heel flap.

No problems here back and forth back and forth. I finished it on Tuesday at lunch and went on to the heel turn. Major problems. Okay not major but I was unhappy with the fact that I miscounted and didn't follow directions so I ended up with some spacing issues. I frogged the heel turn last night and redid it. Onto the gusset. No issues here only I've found that on my one side where I picked up stitches I've got these straight lines of color. I don't know. I'm sure I probably picked up in either the wrong spot or only picked up 1 loop. It looks fine and I'm going to chalk it up to a personality quirk of my Happy Socks.

Here is what we are working with as of today:

(Please ignore the chubbiness of my ankles/calfs... this was an eye opener for me! Thank goodness I've started going back to the gym...or I'm hoping it was just an unflattering angle... but I'm going with no on that one.)

Swanky Knitting

After realizing my mistake of mis-referencing the lovely handspun finn in my header I found that Amy (aka midnightowl) has a blog of her own called Swanky Knitting.

She posted an entry regarding her inspiration for the yarn which she named Bollywood Nights.

I think it's wonderful- you should go check it out.

New Header!

See that new header up there?!?! That delicious yarn, my friends, is a handdyed/handspun yarn by *MidnightOwl! Now I'm by no means a connoisseur of fine wines, fine food, or fine yarn. But I know a yummy yarn when I see one- and THAT is yummy yarn! When I saw the picture I knew it would be perfect to liven things up here at craftybuckeye.

Now speaking of gorgeous handspun yarn- Joanne at Shunklies! has some equally intoxicating yarn herself.

Joanne is a "a traditional craftswoman based in the countryside of Yorkshire, England." according to her etsy bio and she knows what she is doing! She has a wonderful shop and offers a variety of things from hand crafted yarns, to clothing and bags of her own design.

Now my yarn stash is measley compared to some of the intense collections I've seen on Ravelry. And since I'm new to the crafting community I feel I still have time to make wise decisions on fibers for my projects. I love acrylics, yes I said it. I do. They are cost effective, washable, pretty much indestructible, and they are what I learned with- So I'll always have a place in my heart for them. But after being exposed to such beautiful yarns in my LYS and looking at the fabulous creations from independant dyers and spinners such as Joanne, I am finding myself coveting a lot more natural fibers now! When my stash is able to grow yet again, I'll definitely be looking to add some of her handspun merino!

Look how pretty!

*Edited to fix reference

Dishcloth Dozen

I joined a group that specializes in swapping Dishcloths. They are great fun projects that are quick and actually useful! The group is fantastic because it doesn't matter if you knit or crochet or sew or do magic! all are welcome to participate. I've participated in the Round Robin and the Mystery Swap and am now an active member of Dishcloth Dozen Group A!

How does it work? There are 12 of us. Each person is assigned a month (I'm July!) Each month you make a dishcloth and send it to that person of the month. Then when it is your month you receive 11 beautiful handmade dishcloths from the group. It is such a great idea and I'm happy to be a part of a group that is full of such positive and talented people.

I was however a slacker for January. Unfortunately I had my cloth finished long before the end of the month but I didn't send it until last week. I would blame the snow, but I can't since it didn't come till the end of the month.

Anyway, here is the cloth for saclements in January.

Pattern: Grandmother's Favorite

Yarn: Sugar N Cream Ombre- Country Side

Needles: US5 Circulars

My Ravelry Project Page!

Thermis

Now that I think about it, I never shared what I've done with Thermis. As of now it is still a UFO, but only because it needs to be seamed and buttons added. Oh then blocked. Of course, the blocking.

Anyways, She looks great- Don't you think?


Too bad it's now 60* so she may not get worn until next winter but I'm still proud!

Happy Socks

Lisagh over at Grosgrain Garage makes the cutest socks! Naturally I want some too!

Since the first attempt was teeny tiny, I started my first "me" sized sock last night at Lambikins. I'm using my Trekking and praying that I don't srew it up and ruin the gorgeous yarn! I'm sticking with just 1 strand for now but if I can get good at this I would love some 2 toned like Lisagh did :)


I am using Yarn Harlot's Basic Sock pattern from Knitting Rules! Cast on 64 stitches and though I was worried about it fitting I tried it on last night and it fit! I only did a little over an inch of the 2x2 rib since I am so slow at it and just couldn't take it anymore. But once I started on the leg it was going MUCH quicker :)


After 2 hours of knitting at Knit Night, and another 30 minutes or so at home. Here is what I have so far:




Doesn't it make you Happy?

First Sock!

So that sock I mentioned that I worked on in the last post? It's finished!

It's a mix of a couple different patterns as I was just trying to learn construction. This sock will never have a mate. Methinks it will become an ornament for our Christmas Tree or for a family with a new baby girl for her first Christmas. :)

Knitting a sock was not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be. It was surprisingly easy if you put faith in the pattern. As I was working on the heel flap I gave looks of concern to the women at the table and they assured me, just keep going, it will be like magic. They were right!



Yarn: Patons Stretch Sock in Sugar
Needle: DPN-Crystal Palace US 2
Started: 1/31
Finished: 2/8

Socks and a Trip to LYS!

So I've decided I want to try socks! I went to my LYS Lambikins Hideaway for the first time on 1/31 with the intent of trying socks. I had some Patons Stretch Sock yarn in Sugar that I really liked and needed some double point needles and a little direction. I found Lambikins tucked away in a cute building about 8 minutes from my house. As soon as I walked in I was in love. There were women chatting and knitting around the table and yarn OH! THE YARN! was everywhere on display for me to admire. I was recommended a set of Bamboo US2 DPN's by Crystal Palace and I was ready to go. I was welcomed to the table and as I cast on and the women realised I'd only been knitting a short while they were surprised yet very supportive of my undertaking. Working with the DPN's was difficult at first but once I got a few rows in I got comfortable and was a-ok. I got the ribbing done and starting on the leg by the time I had to leave. As I was packing up to leave I fell victim? to an ENABLER! Mary was lovely enough to show me some gorgeous red yarn that Leslie was buying and then led me to THE BOX! of sock yarn. I grabbed a skein and didn't let go. Thus is how I purchased my first. ever. "good stuff." sock yarn.


I give you Trekking XXL in colorway 165.


I will be making my "Happy Socks" with this.

It's been too long!

Wow, it has been far too long since I've been around these parts. But have no fear! I've been knitting like it's my job. I'm completely enamored with my needles and yarn and unfortunately my crochet hooks have taken a back seat. They do get some love at least once a month with my BAM challenge and every now and then I pull them out to keep pluggin away on some older projects.

I've got a couple of updates coming up soon!