New Year's Eve!

I spent today mostly spinning and eating.  We usually make a bunch of appetizers and eat during the day.  I had to finish this skein of yarn so it wouldn't be on the books for 2015.  I have some projects I want to finish but I'll be lucky if I get time to knit on them tonight.  The girls want to play video games and a dessert is calling me.  Wishing you all a great 2015!!

Finally Finished my First Pattern!

My Fuzzy Gauntlets for my oldest.  I just need to format the pattern and put it up for free!

Cookies!

Sorry no yarn or fiber related post.  I did get some yarn in the mail today and bought some yarn from The Loopy Ewe.  Today was cookie baking round 2.

JulieSpins!!

 



I won yarn!!  JulieSpin is one of my favorite indie dyers.  She has great customer service and dyes the most beautiful yarn.  Her shop is here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieSpins She had a contest where if you buy the yarn or fiber during a certain time period and either knit or spin by Dec 25th, you had a chance to win the same yarn or fiber.  I won yarn!!  She will custom dye it too.  I was very excited and can't wait to see my custom dyed yarn!!

Merry Christmas

I got yarn!  It's a big thing cause usually hubby says "Buy some yarn" and then he just wraps it.  He knows I'm kind of picky about my yarn.  I've been wanting some of these since I saw them at Jo-Ann.  I know there isn't much I can make with them but they are cute.  The Christmas one I will be making tree ornaments though.

Now I Have a Horse Request!

It took me an hour to make this last night.  Good thing I know about how a shark looks to put the fins right.  I think the designer meant them to be knitted in the row but the instructions weren't clear.  I would have stuffed it earlier but was waiting for the instructions to say when.  I managed to stuff it while I still had 3 stitches on the needle.  It's done in size 6 with worsted weight.  Pattern is here:  http://mimulusknit.blogspot.com/2009/12/im-dreaming-of-great-white-christmas.html  I've been asked to do a horse next.  Off to search Ravelry for a pattern!

Test Knitting Again!

Test knitting some spa cloths for Sunset Cat Designs.  I've done a few test knits for her.  The grey yarn is for Angela Tong hat and I'm going to do a shawl.  I can't post any pictures or put up a project page until Angela says so.  Why test knit?  It's a chance to get a pattern I like.  There is a new pattern of Sunset Cat Designs that I want.  Before designers would just give you the pattern you test knit.  Now lots of them are giving you another of their patterns for free along with the test.  It's a nice way to get the latest pattern and to get patterns you like.

Trying To Wrap Things Up

I started this sock in Aug 7/13.  Socks usually take me a while especially fingering weight ones.  This one is taking me so long because of two reasons.  One, I started working last year after starting this.  Two, the person I'm knitting this for is still growing.  I had to rip out the heel and make it longer.  It's a bit too long but then again it might take me another year to get the second one done.  The pattern is here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/critter-socks  and the yarn is Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids & Quatro Colors.

Just Off the Mini Spinner

Just finished spinning 4 oz of Super Fine Merino from Woolgatherings in the colorway UFM04131405.  They don't give names to the colors.  Below is a picture of the fiber braid.  I love how soft the fiber is.  My youngest had to pet the fiber last night. LOL!  I hope to get close to laceweight.  We will see.  I'm going to try to chain ply it today.

The Shawl With No Rest Rows

I started this shawl Jul 27/14 and it will be at least 2015 when it will be done.  It's a shawl that you have to concentrate on because it has no rest rows.  What that means is the wrong side is usually all purl.  Not this shawl.  There are some complicated stitches on the wrong side.  It's very nice yarn Alisha Goes Around Panoply of Peacocks Fingering  80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon and in a color I don't normally go for.  I think I got most of it with a gift certificate.   The pattern is here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jaali-2

My First Felted Project!

They are still big but then again hubby has big feet.  I had to look up instructions on the Internet for how to felt in a front load washer.  I could do it by hand but it sound like a lot of work.  The key was hot/cold cycle.  I don't know if I would do the same cycle.  It said it was 99 min.  It was washing for a good 30+ min at least.  I might try a different cycle but change the spin and water type.  It's pretty felted with very little definition of the stitches.  Now for hubby to try them on and see what he thinks.  Again here is the pattern:  http://pilgrimpurse.blogspot.com/2011/12/knit-felt-slippers-for-adults.html

Blocking

The small floor space make blocking hard to do.  Here is one Christmas gift, a shawl I finished in Oct and sleeves I just finished.  Below is a picture of the purple shawl before it was blocked.

 

 

No, It Really Doesn't Take More then a Year

I started this shawl Jul 27/13  The pattern is here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/building-a-reef  It's a lovely pattern and the yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere which is SO soft to work with also.  So what is the issue that its taking me so long to knit this up.  Well, I started this before I got a part time job with Jo Ann.  I started that job in Sept 2013 and while I was working, I did very little knitting and spinning.  I didn't work that many hours but I worked most Saturdays and going from stay at home to working was hard for me to adjust to.  I also got distracted by new crafts (like sewing, playing with duct tape and I even got some clay but have yet to play with it).  I don't know if this shawl will be done by the end of the year but I really hope to get it finished early 2015 at latest!

Finally Finished the Last of Christmas Knitting!

 

 

These still need to be felted.  It will be interesting since I have a front load washer.  I will have to do some research or figure out how to hand felt them.  Here is the pattern:  http://pilgrimpurse.blogspot.com/2011/12/knit-felt-slippers-for-adults.html

 



 

This just needs to be washed and blocked.  Here is the pattern for it:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/20-cornucopias-shawlette-or-scarf

Now to see how many of the 15 WIP I can finished before the end of the year!

Four New Stockings!

Yeah!  They are done.  I figured out why I don't sew as much as I knit or spin.  First of all there is all that ironing.  I HATE to iron.  In fact that was one of the things I told hubby when we first got married.  I don't iron.  LOL!  There is equipment to deal with.  The sewing machine has to be on a table.  Not like knitting or spinning which I can do out in the Great Room with the rest of the family.  I also had issues with the sewing machine and all the bottom thread kept bunching up and I had to rip it out and do it again.  It didn't work and I tried 2 more times and ended up changing thread before it would work right.  There is all that pinning.  You spend more time cutting and pinning then you actually spend sewing.

I need to plan to do at least one project a month sewing though.  I have a bin full of fabric that is future clothing for the family.

Braces

I have bad knees.  I got one of these in Nov and just got the 2nd one today.  It's the main reason I spin with an electric spinner.  I knew with my bad knees and not so hot back that a regular spinning wheel just wasn't going to work for me.  At least I got to go to a local yarn shop and pick up the following yarn!

Number Two is Done!

Here is the two of them.  I tried to keep all the seams invisible in the second one.  It sort of worked.  Sewing isn't my best skill.  I ended up doing goofy seams at the top.  It taxed my brain to try to figure how to work it so the seams didn't show.  I think I will go back to my first one and not worry about invisible seams.

Got One Done!

Got one of the stockings done.  Only 3 more to go.  I have everything cut out so its just a matter of sewing them.  I had thread issues.  The bottom thread kept bunching up on me.  So I just switched the thread.

Distractions

The problem with liking so many crafts, there are so many to grab your attention.  In the process of showing my husband the stocking stuffers I got for the girls, I notice that the youngest's stocking was in need of repair.  I got these fabrics last year when I was working for Jo-Ann.  The pattern I had bought was smaller then our present stockings so I had to make one up (out of a Chili's take out bag).  This is as far as I got but I hope to have them cut out and sewn in a day or two.

Last Two WIP for the GAL

 

 

I have this last pair of mitts.  Here is the pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/maroo-mitts

Here is my 2nd shawl.  I take a picture every 2 repeats of the pattern.  About 2 corners on the left.  Here is the pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pettine

The deadline for both is Dec 31.  I'll probably finished the mitts but I don't know about the shawl.

Writing it out and test knitting it

I finally started this.  I'm not going to be keeping the test knit.  I'm knitting it to make sure my written instructions match the picture.  I already notice that the books on the sides were missing part of their heads.  It's slow going since I need to count and write it out then knit it.  The yarn is leftover Bugga (sport weight).  The orange is what I want the blue needs to be brighter.  I'm going to knit the shawl in fingering weight.  Here is the pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/icehouse

Trying to Design

I got graph paper to try my hand and designing.  I need to make the pattern bigger in order to figure out the colorwork.  I have some orange and blue yarn to test knit the pattern first before I try come up with the shawl design.

Hang Tags

I got a wonderful logo done by my friend Jeanne.  You can get one done too if you are an individual in the handmade industry:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/207741410/logo-design?ref=shop_home_active_1  When I had my jewelry business I had a concept of a logo that had been added to along the way and trust me it cost me a lot more then $100 to get something polished off the idea I had already.

I got a couple of custom stamps made too.  Here is the one you can get of your logo:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/129511807/custom-logo-rubber-stamp?ref=shop_home_active_6  I had been hand writing my care instructions and decided that a nice stamp would be easier to read then my scrawl.  I have a "handmade by Lilie" stamp so I've been hand writing a few care instructions already.

I didn't realize how light index cards were getting.  I had bought a bunch of blank ones but then had to go to Michael's to get this 110 pound card stock.  That star is HARD to punch through 110 pound card stock!

Spinning WIP

Here is my current spinning project.  It's JulieSpins Targhee in the colorway Cinderella.  It's 5.9 oz and its very soft and spongy.  I can't wait to see how it will n-ply (Navajo or chain ply).  I tend to run out of yarn when I split the yarn and try to 2 or 3 ply it.  You can find JulieSpins yarn and fiber here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieSpins  She has a contest

Purchase any yarn or spinning fiber from the JulieSpins shop between now (10/17/14) and December 1 and complete a project with it, post a picture of the FO by December 24th, and you could win a custom-dyed skein or braid of the same yarn or fiber.

 http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/juliespins/3048848/1-25#20

Knitting Process

I have a tendency to use a lot of index cards.  Lost of times there is no need to print out a pattern.  If its short I can just write it out on an index card which goes right into the project bag.  Here is one.  I write the needle size so I can remember where to return it.  Some are so well used that the needles doesn't have the size on it any more.  I also write down how many rows and any changes so I can note it down on my Ravelry project page.  I helps me if I do the same pattern and a few people have found it helpful seeing my notes.  This pattern didn't tell me how many decrease rows so I wrote it down.  I also noted the hours so I can figure out my rate to price my handknits.  Here is the finally project.

Here is my project page:  http://www.ravelry.com/projects/AtPlayWithFiber/blank-canvas
Here is the pattern:  http://emmasanimalcreations.weebly.com/1/post/2014/05/free-pattern-blank-canvas.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a link to some great fiber/pattern sales for the weekend:  http://www.marlybird.com/black-friday-cyber-monday-deals-2/

By the way here is the pattern for the turkey:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiny-turkey

Squirrel!! By That I Mean Distractions

"Squirrel!" gets yelled out at our house.  It refers to Dug the dog in the movie "Up".  He's a dog and squirrels distract him.  I'm very much like Dug when it comes to crafting (or my husband would say "life in general").  I should be focusing on finishing Christmas gifts as I have probably said in the last few posts.  I also spend too much time on Ravelry.  Anyway, one of my favorite publishers Cooperative Press is doing a KAL (knit-a-long).  http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/cooperative-press/3078452/1-25#19

She has a free pattern up and the deal is that its basically a pattern for a scarf.  Free pattern here:   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/icehouse

Now she would like people to knit it up but you can knit it up as a cowl, hat, double knit or any way you like.  A shawl came to my mind and below is my idea and a page of the pattern (its like 3 or 4 pages long!).

Finished GAL Objects

When I should be finishing Christmas knitting, I joined the GAL (gift-a-long).  It's basically a knit-a-long that is done with patterns by designers that gave a 25% discount on their patterns.  They have been giving away patterns with trivia questions, picking people who post on Ravelry and asking people to reply to posts.  I won one of the random pick and answered the trivia question right!

I do plan to give some of the items I've knitted as Christmas stocking gifts.  Here are some of my finished objects.

Work In Progress (WIP)

 



To say I have a "few" WIP is an understatement.  I have over 20.  Now some are going to be WIP for a while.  I have 2 leftover blankets.  One for me and the other for my youngest.  They are made out of the really nice yarn that I have leftover.  I started some cardigans and then had to rip them out since I've lost almost 40 pounds since I started them.  Me and cardigans don't get a long.  I had finished one last year and just got to weaving in the ends and putting buttons on it.  It's pictured below.

Socks take me a good 1.5 months when I'm focused and a year when I'm not.  I tend to get distracted by test knits and my other crafts.  I tend to get bored too if its a bunch of just stockinette so I usually have a bunch of WIP.  Sometimes the pattern is complicated so I can only do a bit of it at a time.  I tend to keep my knitting bags and needles busy.

Finished Object

 

I managed to finish this test knit shawl.  I haven't been able to do much because I managed to get a lung infection.  It's making me very tired so hence nothing to really post on the business front.  I really like how this shawl turned out.  I ended up using 4 different yarns.  It was suppose to be a 2 color shawl.  It's got bits of sparkle too that you can't see in the picture.

Indie Gift-A-Long

Prepping for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from tons of indie designers!

What is Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear!

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 2 month long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From Thursday, November 13th at 8:00 pm US EST - Friday, November 21, 2014 at 11:59 pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 4 - 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. Use coupon code: giftalong2014. You can read all about the details in this post: click here.

Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, we encourage you to join a relevant KAL/CAL! (For instance, if it is a cowl, please join the cowl KAL/CAL.) To join, simply write a post in the KAL/CAL thread you want to join, including the pattern name you will be knitting and a link to your project page. KAL/CAL participants are eligible for lots of lovely prizes but you gotta post to win!

KAL/CALs will run from Thursday, November 13 at 8pm (US-EST) through our New Years Eve party, Wednesday, December 31 at midnight (US-EST), plenty of time to knock out all your holiday knitting and crocheting. We have games, tons of prizes, great conversation, and a lot of fun, so pull up a chair and join us!

On your mark…get set…. GIFT!!

Despite the fact that I have a test shawl that needs to be done by the end of the month, lots of Christmas knitting and a hat to knit in exchange for a banner, I've casted on 2 projects for this Gift-A-Long.  Both of them are for me!

This is my shawl entry.  It's http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/curvaceous done in my own handspun from JulieSpins Roving: 50% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Silk in December Dusk and Ice Eye.  I've really fallen in love with knit with my own handspun.  I keep wanting to see the color change.  It's going from light to dark.

This is my second entry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spiced-cocoa in Cephalopod Yarns Traveller (Teffen).  I'm still very sad that Cephalopod Yarns closed this year.  I've learned a new way to do a cable stitch with this pattern.

I hope you will join me in the Indie Gift-A-Long.  I might have also bought some patterns with the discount too. :)

Knitting, Weaving, Spinning, Desiging...Oh My!

First of all, this arrived in the mail yesterday.  I look forward to getting a closer look.  It's got some great general ideas for patterns.  Like what size to knit for a man's hat.

This is on my loom right now and I'm sad to say I haven't weaved any more since this picture was taken.  I need to finish it up.

I'm happy to say that I finally finished this cowl which was 11 inches of the same 4 line pattern.  I get bored easily so I tend to have a lot of WIP (works in progress) so I can switch it up.

I just finished spinning this yarn.  Now I need to n-ply (Navajo ply or chain ply) it.  I tend to run out of yarn if I 2 or 3 ply it.  I tried to ply it from a cake but it kept getting tangled up.

I should be working on my business plan and getting stock ready for the Etsy site.  I have lots of rolags but need to weave some scarves and knit up some baby items for the shop.

Designing!

I've actually used 2 of my design books!  The top one is ideas & sketches.  The bottom one is info on a project I've started to knit.  It reminds me to put in info about needle size and gauge information.

Winnings!

My check for Arizona State Fair!  The way it works at State level is that I had to pay $1 per entry to enter the State Fair.  First prize is $5 and I got 3 of them.  Not bad but the ribbon is better.  Now the pressure is on to repeat my first place next year.

Cochise County Fair doesn't require entry fees.  The first place winners get $4 each.  So my total winnings for both fairs was $27.  Again I need to repeat my placement for next year.

Books for Design Ideas

I have dreams of designing knit wear.  I got this knitting journal from one of the knitting ladies yesterday.  We meet up usually every Saturday.  I don't have a need for a knitting journal since I pretty much keep all my knitting stuff up on Ravelry and my knitting blog.  I thought it perfect to organize my thoughts and keep swatches for knit designs.  The purple one is just a blank journal which I've started to jot down some ideas.