2011 "Do Your Own Thing" KAL - All are welcome.

[mclendon1]

Shelley, thanks for the link on stopping a ladder and picking up stitches. I used bamboo needles on my scarf and they were indeed much easier to work with. I'll have to look at some wooden needles in smaller sizes for socks. Charity knitting group meeting on Valentine's Day and want to get at least two more hats completed by then so will start on one of those today.

 

I haven't ventured into the world of socks yet.... I'm told it's easy to snap the little wooden needles into. Just wanted to throw that out there.

[HomekeepingGran]

I haven't ventured into the world of socks yet.... I'm told it's easy to snap the little wooden needles into. Just wanted to throw that out there.

It is, yes. I snapped a (sob) Lantern Moon DPN once. But metals can slip right out of the stitches leaving them hanging in the air while you wonder what happened. It's a tradeoff whether you use metal or wood.

 

I finished my friend's chemo hat this afternoon. I took some pictures on the last hurrah of the batteries and will have to get more before I can pull the pics off the camera. Then I cast on for a knit felted hat after that.

 

Did I tell you about finishing my crocheted felted hat that I was working on?

 

LOL, it is a mess, a pure mess. I used a free pattern from online and it has way too much height for my short head. (I am 5' tall and my head is correspondingly small.) But... the width is kind of tight on me. This, in spite of the fact that my head is smaller in circumference than average. Then to top the whole crazy thing off, I wanted a larger brim and the heavy felt just hangs in my face so that it is impossible to see. LOL. It's wild. It either needs to be trashed or cut up for felt pieces. Oh well, I learned something. One thing I learned was to buy a pattern which has been well-used instead of grabbing a barely-made free one, that's what I learned. No doubt there are other lessons ahead, too.

[readstar]

Hey all, it's been awhile since I posted. I :finally: got the cowl to my mil, and she loved it, but I totally forgot to get a pic taken! Life's been crazy like that the last couple of weeks, I got a second job, so I've been adjusting schedules and such. Hope everyone's safe and sound inside during this latest round of snow!

[HomekeepingGran]

I finished the chemo hat for my friend Pat, who started chemo this week. This is Lion Brand Cotton, their version of kitchen cotton. Well, the red is LB. I think the black could be Lily Sugar and Cream but it has long since lost its ball band. The decoration was bought for another project which quickly became a UFO so I was glad to re-discover it in all my junk. (Ahem, stash.)

 

The pattern was off Ravelry and is Lisa Zingsheim's Floppy Brimmed Sunhat for Rav members. I added an extra few rows of knitting and an extra increase row to widen and enlarge the brim just a bit.

 

Special thanks to MizToolLady on Rav whom I shamelessly copied and who was kind enough to give me some tips about the brim.

[HomekeepingGran]

Here is another hat, felted this time. I apologize for not giving a link besides Ravelry. I don't know why the designer doesn't have this pattern on her website along with others. Color is most accurate in the first picture.

 

Pattern: Jenny Hat by Lisa Cruse

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool, worsted weight (held double)

Needles: size 10½

[cshell]

I'm knitting along, slowly. I am loving it. Right now on the needles I have a Noro Striped Scarf (with the new KP Chroma yarn), a feather & fan baby blanket for my 44yo BIL expecting his 1st child, & a cowl for my mom.

 

The only drawbacks I find for knitting compared to crochet, are speed, keeping up w/ my row count (bought some counters to help), & having to get to the end of a row before I can lay it down.

 

 

My drawbacks are identical to yours. I try to remind myself that crochet is easier because I have more practice with hooks.

 

Sounds like you have a lot you're working on. Hope we get to see some photos soon. How are you liking the Noro?

[cshell]

I finished the chemo hat for my friend Pat, who started chemo this week. This is Lion Brand Cotton, their version of kitchen cotton. Well, the red is LB. I think the black could be Lily Sugar and Cream but it has long since lost its ball band. The decoration was bought for another project which quickly became a UFO so I was glad to re-discover it in all my junk. (Ahem, stash.)

 

The pattern was off Ravelry and is Lisa Zingsheim's Floppy Brimmed Sunhat for Rav members. I added an extra few rows of knitting and an extra increase row to widen and enlarge the brim just a bit.

 

Special thanks to MizToolLady on Rav whom I shamelessly copied and who was kind enough to give me some tips about the brim.

 

You're fast Carla. The floppy hat is really cute, I'm sure it will be more than appreciated.

[HomekeepingGran]

Thanks, Shelly.

 

At the moment I am crocheting again. (I knitted a beret in Cascade 220 but am waiting on finishing a roll of film before posting pictures. Our little digital just isn't doing a super-good job and I guess I'm tired of it.) Anyway... I am attempting Josie Rabier's Tabletop Charm again. It's not that the pattern is so hard, it is that I have had serious trouble coming even close to gauge. Having been burnt on doily gauge before I wanted to at least get within shooting distance.

 

As far as knitting goes, I keep a granny dishcloth on the needles for when I am going somewhere and know I will be visiting. That pattern I can do almost with my eyes shut. I've got, what? Maybe about 20 of them done? I want to have a big stack and let the ladies in my Ladies' Bible Class each choose one at the end of this study season. AND I want to have extras so that whoever has to choose last actually has a choice, you know? I may take a pic of those because all together they make a dashing array, LOL.

 

What about the rest of you? What is happening?

[HomekeepingGran]

I hate to just let this KAL die even if I am crocheting right now. And we just got back the film with my beret knitted in February on it, so... sharing again. Sorry.

 

Details are on my Rav page which I have made public so all who are interested can see it. Pictures on the left are clickable.

[cshell]

I took a peek at your Rav project page and your doilies are gorgeous.

 

Your beret is really cute, thanks for taking the time to post the picture. I never get tired of looking at finished objects.

 

I, too, have taken to knitting up dishcloths. It's nice to finish a knit item in a day or two. Perusing the FO's in the Dishcloths R Us group led to finishing the dragonfly, springtime and shamrock dishcloths in no time at all.

 

My socks are 99% complete. I just lack a few rows of ribbing. I also lost my mind and started a 22.5 Degrees scarf.

 

I understand completely re; switching back to crochet. I'm more confident with crochet so it goes more quickly for me.

 

Happy spring everyone!