Handspun Shawl DONE!

Needle:  Size 6 circular
Yarn:  PS baby alpaca/superfine merino roving TLS ROSE HIP JELLY, PS BFL Silk Bellissima, JulieSpins Roving: 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon Silver Maple and PS handcarded mixed fibre batts Bella
Pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diving-in-recipe

I almost had to get up in a chair to take a picture.  I still need to weave in the ends.  It's big and very soft!!

Hubby's Shark Scarf

This is my first double knit project that I started May 2014 and I hope to finish before winter 2015.  My hubby loves sharks so he is excited to get this scarf.  The problem is that in an hour I might get 3 rows done.  The pattern is very well written and once I wrote out the pattern for the repeat argyle pattern it went faster.  You have to knit the first stitch and then purl in the other color.  It gets more complicated when I get to end when it will say the same phrases in Chinese.

Pattern:   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/save-the-sharks-argyle-scarf

Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids & Quatro Colors in Steel and Marine

A Quick Knit!

Pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-fishermans-wife-knit-version

Yarn:  Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Solids in Glacier

This took me about 2 hours.  It was a clearance kit from Craftsy http://www.craftsy.com/supplies/fishermans-wife-cowl-kit-knit/4638  It comes with the yarn and a pdf of the pattern.  It's pretty simple but I've been wanting to knit it up for a while now.  It's going to be a birthday gift in March.

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

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

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.