handspun cowls

I love knitting cowls because they can be so simple but can be so beautiful depending on the yarn you choose!

I knitted a basic stockinette stitch cowl out of my grapevine yarn

This ribbed cowl is knitted out of the purple beaded yarn

what i am working on

I was so pleased with how the beaded yarn turned out I wanted to make sure I had the perfect project for it. After letting it sit for a couple weeks I finally decided on a basic ribbed stitch cowl. The simple stitch shows off the beads.

learning to knit on circulars & dpns

I have tried and tried to learn to knit on circular needles but I just wasn't getting until a few weeks ago it just clicked. That seems to be how I learn things. I just keep trying until it works.

I had this banana fiber yarn for about a year now with no idea what to do with it. I finally decided to just make a simple cowl using it. I used size 15 circular needles. I love the drape it has using that size. It was fun yarn to work with but I always had blue fingertips every time I knitted with it!
I bought a pair of size 10.5 double pointed needles (dpns) from GlenEchoDesigns on etsy. I really wanted to learn to knit using dpns. I started by practicing with baby hats. I have been on fire with making these adorable little hats! My favorite was the hat I made using baby alpaca yarn. Wow! That yarn is so soft!
I also crocheted a chiefs hat for my son. My husband loved it so much I made a royals one (not pictured) for my son as well! My husband is a huge KC sports fan so now we can represent both sports!

igloo cowl

I ordered the igloo colorway from SpunRightRound on etsy. I know I have said this before but I love this shop! Her products are always great quality! I nplied this yarn to make a bulky yarn then knitted it using size 15 needles into a cowl. I love these colors!

aquarius gloves

I finally got around to taking decent pictures of the fingerless gloves I knitted out of the corespun yarn. I love wearing these around!

I tried corespinning for the first time this past week. I wasn't sure how I would like it but wow! I love this technique so much! I love spinning it, I love the look of the yarn & I love how the yarn looks when knitted up!


I bought the Aquarius batt from Dawning Dreams on etsy. It really was dreamy! It was incredibly soft and so beautiful!





I spun around a size 10 crochet cotton thread in teal. I ended up with about 64 yards with this 3 oz. batt.



I am hoping to get a pair of small fingerless mitts out of this yarn. I have already started knitting them and I just love watching the colors and textures coming together!

headband wip

pattern: Simple & Bulky Garter Stitch Headband

I'm using this simple pattern to practice slip stitching the edge for a cleaner edge. I'm using some super bulky yarn I spun up before Christmas. Hoping I have enough to finish!

spindling

Just more practicing plying on the spindle. I tried the navajo ply on the wheel but had a hard time keeping up with it and not letting it over-twist. I feel like I have more control plying on the spindle. It is actually quite relaxing on the spindle!

navajo plying

It is funny how once I got my spinning wheel I actually use my spindle more than I did before. I bought some fiber and once I received it I realized it was going to be a pretty rough yarn so I thought this would be the perfect chance to practice navajo plying. I am spinning singles on the wheel and plying using the navajo method on the spindle. Once I feel like I have the hang of it I want to try navajo plying on the wheel.

As a crocheter the navajo method is really fun. It is really just making long chains and spinning it to make a 3-ply yarn. It's really fun on the spindle and I can't wait to try it on the wheel!

zombie scarf

Simple Garter Stitch scarf. BFL Handpainted wool top in Zombie by Spun Right Round on Etsy.

a gift for my pumpkin

My son will be turning one real soon and we will be having his party at a pumpkin patch so a very lovely friend of mine surprised me today at church with this adorable pumpkin hat for him! Thank you so much Rosemarie!!

wip: hot pink & purple cowl

This cooler weather has me on a knitting kick lately. I finished a pair of fingerless mitts with the wool I bought  this past weekend but I still need to take a good photo of them. I started on a cowl last night using some scrap yarn I had. The pink is Caron Simply Soft and the pink/purple yarn was an unlabeled yarn I found at a thrift store a while back. I'm using the Some Sort of Scarf pattern by Caitlin ffrench but I don't think I am doing it quite right. It doesn't look like the picture but oh well. I like the texture it is making anyway.

cozy knitting

I woke up to the temperature being 67 degrees outside so I grabbed a sweater, my needles, and new yarn & went out on the porch swing to do some knitting this morning! It is a drastic change from the 100+ degree weather we have had all summer!!



hooray for cooler weather!!

new yarn

Yesterday was my husband & I's 4th anniversary. He surprised me with a trip to Osage Beach to a wonderful Bed & Breakfast. It is the same one we stayed at on our honeymoon! It's so wonderful!

Today we visited the yarn shop here called The Yarn Basket. I bought a couple very pretty yarns that I can't wait to start working with! First is a skein of Knit One Crochet Too 18 Karat. The blue is so beautiful! The second skein is Manos del Uruguay Maxima. I think I may try to knit some fingerless gloves with the wool for the fall.


beautiful aren't they?

knit night

I finally got the chance to go to a knit circle here in town. I had been wanting to go for a few weeks but something was always going on. Panera just opened up in town and they started meeting there. I worked on a light crocheted spring scarf but mostly admired the amazing work of the other girls! I really enjoyed myself and loved meeting some other yarn crafters!

When I got home Seth had already gotten Blake to bed so I got to continue crocheting. I started an adorable fuzzy bear hat by Alli Hyer of Alli Crafts. It worked up really fast and I think it turned out adorable!

I also used the same yarn to make a few simple coasters.


And today I used some scrap yarn I had to make a cover for a can using Rachel's of Cornflower Blue pattern.

yarn-y pretties

I noticed how pretty my coffee table was looking with all my yarn-y projects going on this afternoon. I tend to have 4 or 5 projects going on at once. I like to work on a project for awhile and then take a break from it to work on another. It keeps my attention better. Do you like to work on multiple projects or do you need to work on only one at a time?

recently finished project

Seth modeled the first adult hat that I knitted. I made this for my brother-in-law for Christmas. I knitted it on straight needles & it only took 1 skein of Lion Brand's Hometown USA. I really want to learn to knit on circular needles now!