About That Hat...

So, about that hat I knit my husband for Christmas.  I mentioned before that I gave it to him and that he wore it everyday.  He loved it!  Leave it up to me to lose it.  UGH!  He had it for less than a week before I lost it somewhere in the house.  To top it off the temperature has been in the single digits the past few days.  Right now, it is 1 degree Fahrenheit and the wind chill is in the negative teens. What's a girl to do?  Well, I'll tell you...knit another hat, that's what!  Andi from Untangling Knots just released a new free men's beanie pattern.

An Easy Beanie by Andi Satterlund

Talk about perfect timing!

Christmas Knitting

Ahhh, Christmas knitting... A term that always seems to strike knitters with a bout of stress filled anxiety.  This year I finally wised up and limited my Christmas knitting to gifts for my husband.  This way, if I didn't finish them, eh oh well, he would totally understand!  I knit him the hat recipe by the Yarn Harlot from her book "Knitting Rules."

Me modeling the hat pre weaving in the ends

I also decided to finally finish the sweater I had knit for my husband.  Oh god, I just saw the date of my last post for this sweater...have I really been working on it THAT long!?

Sewing the half zip on Christmas Eve morning!

I am happy to report that I did in fact finish both projects in time and my husband loves them both!

On a completely unrelated note, can you believe that it's almost time for another Ravellenic Games?!  Will you be participating?  If so, what team are you planning on joining?

New Projects

I'm super excited about a couple new projects that I have in the works.  Sadly, I don't have any finished projects to show off.  I'm STILL working on my yellow Featherweight.  I'm on the sleeves now, so it's just a matter of time before I can show that baby off!

Now onto the new projects!  One of my besties just had her third baby, yay!!!  For some reason I didn't think about what to knit for this baby until the very day that she was born...I am a total slacker.  Now that she's born, I've decided on the adorable baby sweater, Sweet Pea.



I'm thinking of knitting it in either Cascade 220 or my usual default baby yarn, Plymouth Encore.

Next up, I'm starting a tatting project!  I can't say too much about this, since it's going to be a surprise, but here is the pattern picture...

The pattern is called Fairy-Tale Doily and is from the book Traditional Tatting Patterns Edited by Rita Weiss.  Based on my educated guess, I'll be done in about 5 bagillion years.

I'm Loving...One Sheepish Girl Blog

Have you stumbled upon the blog, One Sheepish Girl?  If not, I highly recommend it!  Seriously, check out this icord knit ampersand!  Life doesn't get any better than that :)



She has a bunch of super cute yarn-y tutorials (all of which I want to do ASAP) and lots of fiber eye candy!

Tour de Fleece 2013

Lately, I have been in a complete spinning funk...I've lost my spinning mojo.  Since December (oh god, has it really been THAT long) my spinning wheels have been gathering dust, languishing in the corner.  That's not to say that I haven't done any spinning whatsoever.  I finished plying some singles (since they were a Christmas present) and spent an hour or so "practicing" before I went to my first spinning guild meeting!  God forbid I would go to the meeting rusty on my spinning techniques...I'm sure people would gawk and stare at my lack of long draw ability.  Other than those two times, I haven't done any spinning, nothing, nada, zilch.  So this year's Tour de Fleece probably couldn't have come at a better time.  I really need to get back into my spinning grove, after all, what's better than spinning and hoarding gobs and gobs of yarn?

For this year's Tour, I've decided I needed a new challenge.  I am re-learning how to spindle spin and am going to spin 6 ounces of Falkland wool, trying to keep the single a consistent thickness.

Without further ado, my progress:

You may be saying to yourself "Dear God, Mary, what in the world HAVE you been doing if you haven't spun since December?"  See below.

Paint it Black...Errr, White

I have taken "somewhat" of a knitting/spinning/sewing hiatus.  I say "somewhat" because I'm still doing all of those things, just not at my normal speed.  Why, you say?  Well, another one of my obsessions has struck!  WHITE PAINT!  Yes, paint!  I'm totally obsessed with painting EVERYTHING white!  Anything I can get my hands on its turning white.  I am so obsessed with painting that the Rolling Stones song "Paint it Black" has been my theme song for the past few weeks.

I see a red(natural) door(baseboard) and I want it painted black(white).
No colors anymore I want them to turn black (white).

Ugly baseboards...

BAM!  WHITE!

(Please excuse the mess and fuzzy picture)

Hideous uneven fake wood shelves...

Don't get me started on the lamp!

Now waaaaay more tolerable

Also, more evidence of baseboard painting.  Oh, and the forced air vent too...it used to be brown.

Last, but not least, our new patio set.

Nick and I found this table and four matching chairs for sale on the side of the road for a steal!  I wire brushed it to get the rust and loose paint off and am now painting it none other, but white!  

On the spinning front...I'm joining a local spinning guild!  It's called Common Threads and I'm soooooooo excited!

Elsa Jacket

Andi Satterlund has just released a new crochet sweater pattern that is absolutely adorable, the Elsa Jacket.

Super cute, right?  Well, guess what?  I got to test crochet it!!! Crazy cool, huh?!  I ended up using the recommended yarn, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport.  Personally, I thought the yarn was ITCHY!  I won't ever buy it again.  You live, you learn, right? But as for the sweater pattern...it was great!  When I say great, I mean a-maz-zing!

The sweater is a zip up with buttons at the sleeve cuffs, bottom band and neck band.  Obviously, I haven't put those on yet...but you get the idea.

I highly recommend this sweater for anyone..even beginners who have never made a sweater.  It was straightforward and good for mindless crocheting while watching TV or at a friends house.  The textured stripes keep the crocheting interesting so you don't get bored!

I think I'm going to make another one, this time in Knit Picks Shine Sport.  The yarn is cotton and modal, so it definitely won't be itchy on my super sensitive skin!

Shine Sport