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

[HomekeepingGran]

Grandson's hat and scarf sets. The brown/green/gold is for Josiah (5) who asked for camo colors and the blue/black/grey is for John (3) who is still too young to care. The sets are soft and feel good. Hope they keep the little boys warm! I apologize about the photo colors. Josiah's, especially, is very beautiful compared to this faded out picture. I kept taking shots and changing settings and just never could get the yarn to come out pretty in the camera. John's looks a little better though still not nearly as vivid as the colors really are.

[readstar]

I have the perfect project for this KAL. My Christmas present from my sister was a set of bamboo knitting needles from PurlsandStitches, and I already had a skein of Hometown in Denim, so I've been playing with patterns and stitches. I think I've settled on a basic pattern, so I'll keep you posted

[wiz3283]

Good Morning everyone. Hope you are all having a great day so far. Woke to a very chilly house here again today. Nothing like hot chocolate and some knitting to warm me up. Right now I am trying to finish a very simple fan and feather baby blanket. I will post some pictures when it warms up a bit.

 

Carla - Great winter sets. I bet the grand kids love them.

 

Readstar - Welcome. What a great gift. The DH bought me some Knitpicks double points for Christmas. I think that was a hint to start knitting socks for him. I can't wait to see what your fingers stitch up with your new toys.

[cshell]

Hello and Happy New Year everyone-

 

It looks like it's official, so I will cast on "All the Math" in Zombie BBQ and hopefully will have a pair of socks by the end of the month.

 

Carla, those sets look awful cute from here. Now, how goes the sweater? And have you decided on a next project?

 

Tammy, the bag you're working on is super cute. Sounds like you have quite a few things going already, it will be great to see your progress pics. On a side note, could there possibly be anything worse than moving? Turns out there is, it's thinking you're moving and then not. At least you already know where everything goes.

 

Charlene, I hope to see some of your beautiful socks.

 

Readstar, congrats on the new needles. It's always fun to get new tools.

 

Enjoy the day everyone!

[HomekeepingGran]

Meh, the sweater and I are in deep trouble, Shelley. My own fault, totally. I did not (sigh) WASH the swatch I made, ignoring the general advice of most good knitting gurus. Unfortunately, once I did wash last night I discovered that the stitch will grow, and grow, and grow. I'm way off gauge — so far off that the next step is to frog back to nothing and start swatching and washing. I tell 'ya, this yarn and I have not gotten along from the get-go. I will say that once washed and conditioned a little with my own hair conditioner it got nicely soft from being somewhat scratchy to start with. But starting over again? — Good grief!

 

 

I'm discouraged.

[readstar]

I did not (sigh) WASH the swatch I made, ignoring the general advice of most good knitting gurus. Unfortunately, once I did wash last night I discovered that the stitch will grow, and grow, and grow. I'm way off gauge — so far off that the next step is to frog back to nothing and start swatching and washing. I tell 'ya, this yarn and I have not gotten along from the get-go. I will say that once washed and conditioned a little with my own hair conditioner it got nicely soft from being somewhat scratchy to start with. But starting over again? — Good grief!

 

Urkk, I have more experience with frogging, or tinking as I call it, than with knitting! I wholeheartedly agree with the frustration, but at least you get to experience the fun of having it grow again!:cheer

[HomekeepingGran]

Urkk, I have more experience with frogging, or tinking as I call it, than with knitting! I wholeheartedly agree with the frustration, but at least you get to experience the fun of having it grow again!:cheer

 

I think I will and then let the yarn sit for a few hours. (You will note here that I still have done nothing with it. It is in a Doomed Time-Out, aka The Dungeon.) Maybe it will feel "fresh" that way. At any rate today I am too busy to mess with it much. Even frogging will take a while. Thanks for your encouragement, readstar. I sure need it.

 

By the way, which pattern did you choose for your Denim Hometown? And how is it going? I need to hear that others aren't fighting their yarns!

[wiz3283]

Hi Ladies. Oh Carla I am so sorry to hear you are going to have to frog the sweater. I too have made this mistake more than once. You think I would have learned the first time.

 

I may not be here much the nest couple of days. I have been fighting a bad head cold the past couple days so not much up to anything right now. Feeling a bit better today so I think I will take it easy and snuggle up to knit a bit. I promise to post pics of a few of my started projects soon.

[DesertCrocheter]

I made myself the Splendid Triangle shawl from the Lion Brand website over the New Year's weekend, using Paton's Divine. What a fast and easy knit, although I did have to watch the pattern repeat (7 rows) so I wouldn't mess up and have the increase row in the wrong place. As soon as I get a photo, I'll post it. It's been a while since I finished a knit project, much less one for me, so I'm ridiculously happy with it. People were petting it at work today, it's so soft and fuzzy.

 

Patty

[cshell]

Oh no, Carla! Well, sounds like you're resigned to the fact that you're starting over. I'm so sorry for you. But since the gauge is fresh on your mind this may be the best time to give it another go. And let me be the first to say, I have learned a very valuable lesson from you. If I ever make a sweater, you can bet I will swatch.

 

Hope you're feeling better soon Tammy. It's a drag when the hostess isn't feeling well.

 

Congrats on finishing something for yourself Patty!

 

I'm happy to report only smooth sailing with my sock which means impending doom is probably in my very near future.

 

Take care everyone-

[HomekeepingGran]

Oh dear, Tammy. I hope you feel better soon. There is a lot of crud going around. Take it easy there, friend.

 

Patty, I can't wait to see your Splendid Triangle! I looked up the pattern and it's so pretty.

 

All the Math looks like a cool sock pattern, Shelley. I am unfamiliar with Zombie but am eager to see your warm feet then you are done!

 

Shelley, I swatched but I did not wash my swatch before measuring it. It grew enormously once wet down. I knew if I kept knitting and EVER washed my sweater (as in blocking it when it is new) it would be far too big for me. That's why I frogged this afternoon. So the moral is to swatch and wash your swatch. THEN check gauge.

 

I'm probably going to change patterns. Not sure where I'm headed with this yarn. Other than crazy...

[readstar]

My pattern isn't so much a pattern as me messing around with it, and finally finding something that I like the looks of. I started out with a free pattern off etsy, for a mountain scarf that is a simple knit and slip pattern, but it never looked quite right. I frogged that about 20 times before I decided that it just wasn't for me and this yarn. I cast on ten stitches, and knit about 20 rows, then the next 10 rows I purled five stitches and knit the rest. Then knit 20, and 10 rows of 5 knit, 5 purl. It looks cool, because the knit and purl curl into each other, but the garter straightens it out, and widens it too.

[HomekeepingGran]

I frogged that about 20 times before I decided that it just wasn't for me and this yarn.

 

Isn't it funny when the yarn doesn't want to "be" something you have in mind?

[readstar]

Most yarn, it's just happy to be made into something, anything. But some yarns, I don't know, they have minds of their own!

[Needle Arts]

Finished a knit baby blanket and had a little yarn left. Decided to try to learn knitting in a tube (think double layer scarf) with four to five DP needles. Five to many for a beginner and switched to four. I'm getting the hang of it but always have a needle poking me somewhere. Not bad for a first try sample but sure slower than crocheting and makes my upper arm and shoulder sore.....back to my crocheting but at least I know I can do it with lots of patience.

[HomekeepingGran]

LOL, it takes a little while to get the hang of DPNs. Once you do it's not too hard; just feels kind of like knitting with a porcupine sometimes, Darlene.

 

Tammy, are you any better? Missing you on this end.

 

Well, on the knitting front: nothing. The yarn and I continue to fight. (I searched for reviews of this particular yarn and did not find a single negative review. What am I missing?) One of the last times I knitted with it my hand started itching like crazy. At this point I'm putting it down, backing away and... well, I'm not sure what to do with it at all. I'm just not happy with the products I'm getting and have considered felting it into placemats but that would still involve handling it.

 

Good grief.

[DesertCrocheter]

Here's a bad webcam photo of my shawl, which I'm wearing here at work over my new chevron cardigan. I'm so warm and cosy, it feels like I'm still in bed! patty

[Needle Arts]

Sorry, but it nice to know their are other frogs in the pond....been there too. DH watched me try out new patterns the other night as we watched a movie. Frogged four times and he finally asked me if I could wear out the year. Reached over and sniped off what I had been working with. Into the scrap bag it went for my "coat of many colors".

 

Mmmm warm socks in the making, made my toes wiggle. The shawl is beautiful too. I checked out your sweater pattern and watched the tutorial on the tubular cast on. Love the look of the sweater. When I see all these ideas and pictures of projects my mind goes off in too many directions. I'm sure I have printed off more patterns than I can use in my life time but it is sure fun to thumb through my notebooks. Keep the pictures coming everyone.

 

Think I'll keep going on this sample and make it into a scarf. It is growing on me.

[wiz3283]

Hi everyone. Sorry I have been kind of MIA the past few days. Still fighting a really bad head cold so not up to anything but drinking tea and staying in bed. I promise to be back real soon. In the meantime here are a few pics for you. The first one is of the parts I have completed or almost complete for my Monk's tote. I just have to make one more pocket and the front of the tote then I can block and start assembling. I used a tan for the gusset and strap, a coco brown for the side pockets and a variegated for the main parts of the tote. The second pic is of a simple fan and feather baby blanket I am making in SS white. Bad pics but at least you get the idea of the colors for the tote and a bit of the pattern of the blanket.

 

Patty - Love the shawl. It looks nice and soft and cuddly.

 

Darlene - What yarn are you using? I kind of like that.

 

I will try to come in a little more often as I am starting to breath a bit better. Hopefully I will be over this soon.

 

Happy knitting everybody!

[HomekeepingGran]

D.C., your pretty shawl makes me think of amethysts! What a lovely color! It looks fast — and warm.

 

Only four frogs, Darlene? LOL, ain't it awful? And your scarf looks like it will be toasty. I have one pair of handmade wool socks; when the weather gets really cold out they come. Deliciously warm!

 

Tammy, I was hoping you would feel better by now. So sorry this is still with you. Better soon, I hope?

 

I think I'm officially giving up on the Ella Rae wool. Just don't like it: it's rough and a little scratchy even after washing. My itchy hands were so unhappy and I am wondering if my sensitive neck can take it at all. In the meantime I placed a bid on some yarn off eBay. It's mainly cotton with a little wool thrown in for bounce and I have knitted with it before. It's quite nice. We'll see what happens on that.

 

Knit on everyone. I'm going to pull out a UFO and start back. Maybe a picture of where I am with that later.

[wiz3283]

I updated my last post with a few pics for you. I hope to be back this weekend.

[Needle Arts]

Tammy the yarn is Bernat Softee Baby in Garden Ombre. It is so soft and I bought multiple skeins on sale....one of those situations where you wonder why you got so much because you are getting tired of it....will I ever learn? For the scarf, even with the double layer, it is so soft and snuggly.

 

I love the creams and browns you were working with too. I have an oyster, taupe and black ripple hiding out from two years ago. Think I may have to play hide and seek for a few more weeks before I can officially add it to the WIP CAL.

[HomekeepingGran]

Pretty pictures, Tammy! Love the beautiful earth tones and fan and feather is always perfect for babies. Can't wait to see them finished...

 

Darlene, I may sing that same song about too much of the same yarn if I win this eBay bid. It's for 11 skeins and will add up to over 2,000 yards! I told myself that red is always good, especially with eight grandchildren. I get a red sweater (maybe) and then there should be tons for hats or a couple of children's sweaters. I have to say the price is terrific. Regularly $9 per skein at less than $2 on eBay. Sounds good to me! Hope I win.

[cshell]

Patty, your shawl is lovely. It looks perfectly soft and snuggly from here. Wondering what's up next for you?

 

Darlene, I have pet Bernat Softee baby so I can imagine that scarf around my neck! Can't wait to see how your "sample" works up.

 

Tammy, I'm lovin' your Monk's tote. I will be looking for the photo of your finished object. Hope you're feeling better soon.

 

Carla, that's a bummer about your scratchy wool. We're waiting patiently to see what's going to strike your fancy next.

 

I have a sneak peek at my sock. I need to get the second sock started while I'm still gung ho.

[DesertCrocheter]

I'm knitting a scarf for the Knit Your Bit campaign, as I have 3 skeins of yarn that I have no other plans for. This is to keep me busy until I can get some yarn for the Hudson Bay crochet blanket I'm designing in my head for Project Linus. I have a LOT of aran colored yarn that would be perfect for a teen-sized blanket, but not enough yellow, and maybe not the right green.

 

patty