Day 4: Where are they now?

Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.


There are a lot of different aspects to look at when looking back at a knitting project and it can make for interesting blogging, as much of the time we blog about items recently completed, new and freshly completed. It is not so often that we look back at what has happened to these items after they have been around for a while.


How has one of your past knits lived up to wear. Maybe an item has become lost. Maybe you spent weeks knitting your giant-footed dad a pair of socks in bright pink and green stripes which he then ‘lost’. If you have knit items to donate to a good cause, you could reflect on the way in which you hope that item is still doing good for it’s owner or the cause it was made to support.

I've decided to talk about 2 projects or knitted objects and where they are now. One is a scarf that I knitted for myself and have gotten quite a bit of wear out of. The other scarf is one that I knit for a good cause...

(1) Dipped Infinity Scarf (pattern by Laura Chau)

I stumbled upon this pattern because Dani over at Sunshine Yarns (you do realize my obsession by now, right?!) started dyeing yarn for these kits. She has created various color schemes and sold the yarn, along with the pattern, as a kit. I ended up buying the Secret Garden color scheme and I just love the way the colors blend together. The pattern was very easy to master and a quick knit!

I have worn this scarf many a time (although for some reason, I don't have any pics of me wearing it)...it really goes great with a lot of different outfits and it keeps my neck SO warm! Here are some pics of the scarf, which definitely showcase the amazing colors:

What do you think? Aren't the colors gorgeous?! I imagine I will continue to get lots of use out of this one!

(2) Red Heart HeartScarves (designed by Treva McCain)

"HeartScarves provides handmade red scarves to members of our WomenHeart Support Networks and to women undergoing cardiac procedures. The red scarves offer comfort; support and encouragement for any woman with heart disease and become a part of her healing journey. For every kit purchased Red Heart will donate $3 to WomenHeart." ~ Red Heart website

I bought this kit last Spring, knit it up and sent it off with a hand-written note. I really hope it found its way to a woman undergoing cardiac issues and provided some comfort and support to her through the difficult time.  

Day 3: Tidy mind, tidy stitches

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organized? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organized at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organized, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organized stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

Unfotunately this post is going to be an epic fail!! :( So, you can see the topic for Day 3 above (and I even checked out the "wildcard" topic to see if I could go with that one instead...but no)...and unfortunately I'm not going to be able to show you how I keep my yarn/knitting organized. Since I just recently moved, I only got to take SOME of my yarn (yes, you can all gasp now), therefore it is literally all in one storage bin. And it's really not even worth showing. The rest of my stash IS coming to me soon though, via the hubby!

I have great plans (someday down the road) of having a fiber room...yes, a whole room dedicated to my yarn, knitting and crafting supplies! I can't wait!!! And I'm hoping to at least get to the point here in my new apt. where I can dedicate an area of the bedroom to my stash (all in neat little bins...maybe, sorted by color)! :) Doesn't it sound lovely?? Like this...

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Haha...okay, so my stash isn't that big, but OMG, it's awesome, isn't it?!

Whenever I do get organized, I'll make sure to re-do this post and showcase it all!

Day 2: Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Well, I wouldn't say that I have really increased my skill level(s) much since this time last year. Unfortunately, I've just been moving all over the place this past year, so there was a lot of time in which I haven't been knitting (I know, crazy huh?!). I will note a few things:

• This time last year, I had just begun to learn to crochet...and although I still prefer to knit, I did crochet a few projects and learned a handful of stitches, before I left Monterey. Why you ask before Monterey, well one of my good friends there is an avid crocheter, so I had a go-to person that I could ask a million questions to. :) Thanks Jenn! Pics of a few crochet projects:

Turtle that was given as a baby gift:

Another baby blanket:

• I typically have "single sock syndrome" which means that I have no problem finishing 1 sock, but that second sock always gets me. I get done with the first one and just can't seem to find the motivation to start (let alone, finish) that darn, 2nd sock! ;) So, I learned how to knit socks 2-at-a-time over the past year...but to no surprise, I haven't come anywhere close to finishing the pair! Hehe...

I will say though, that I enjoy this method and I believe that once I pick this project up again, that I will successfully complete 2 socks at the same time and jump for joy! :P (P.S. The socks above are knit with Sunshine Yarn, and for all of you Twilight fans, the colorway is called: Edward's Volvo!! It's so lovely)

Honestly...that's all I got! I know, I feel like a slacker...but I have high hopes for this next year, in terms of learning more skills and gaining knowledge on my craft(s)!! :P Here's a list of things I want to learn:

• Double-knitting
• Intarsia
• Socks - toe up!
• Mastering the...SWEATER!
• Fair isle

***Wish me Luck!***



Day 1: A Tale of Two Yarns

Topic: Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Well, the first yarn that I am going to talk about has been mentioned MANY times before on this blog. Anyone that has read my knitting/yarn-themed posts, has read about my obsession with Sunshine Yarns!! This yarn is hand-dyed by the super talented Dani and she sure knows how to dye yarn! She uses luscious base yarn (not sure what kind it is) and combines colors that just scream amazing. She also creates themed colorways, such as for characters in the Twilight series (Alice's Porsche, Esme Island, Jasper), Harry Potter series (Lupin, Slytherin Green), Alice and Wonderland (Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter), etc. It's so fun to see her interpretations of these colorways and I always check back for new items that I can't resist! :)

This is just some of my Sunshine Yarns stash!

The second yarn I'm going to mention is a new yarn that I just started working with...Mirasol Sulka. It's 60% Merino Wool/20% Alpaca/20% Silk and it is so lovely to work with!! I am currently making a cowl out of the book Mirasol Mini Knits that I picked up from a LYS. It's so soft, easy to work with, and comes in an array of beautiful colors...I highly recommend picking up some of this for your next project!

Mirasol Sulka in Snow White

Upcoming: Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

Stay tuned...

 

For Japan With Love...A Day of Silence

Current Obsessions

Anniversary flowers from the hubby (my favorites: roses & lilies)

Amazing book...am loving it so far!

New Alpaca yarn from local yarn shop for a new cowl pattern

New bar stools for the apt. from Target

A new friend in my apt...my owl candle holder (I heart anything owls!)

Yummy Middle Sister Moscato wine (they have cute, cute labels)

Born This Way...Operation Beautiful Style!

Went over to Healthy Tipping Point, one of my favorite blogs which is also associated with

 Operation Beautiful and found this:

An amazing video from Peter Hollens (from NBC’s reality hit The Sing Off) featuring Operation Beautiful!! Help this video go viral - Email, Facebook, Twitter and/or blog about it! :)And I love that it's a Lady Gaga song

Get Your Rear in Gear

So, I started off Saturday morning by running my first 5K...well, technically I have ran one before, back in Southern Illinois. But I don't really count it because I ran it "on a whim", hadn't been running regularly at the time and ended up having to walk a lot of it. This one went a lot better!

It was the Get Your Rear in Gear and supported the Colon Cancer Coalition. I love this message listed on the site:

Get Your Rear in Gear is bigger than just a message for colon cancer; it is a message for all of us to take action, lead longer healthier lives, go to the doctor regularly, to listen to our bodies when something isn’t right and to get the right answers, regardless of age.
~Kristin Tabor, President & Founder

I found out about the race about a week ago, figured that it was (1) for a good cause, (2) would get me outside and running with other people, and (3) it wasn't too far from where I lived, so easy to get to! Here's a post-race pic (believe me, I am quite embarassed to post this pic...but it's the only one I got):

I ended up finishing in 30:35 a new PR for me!!!! And I had a 9:50 pace :) It was fun and I can't wait to run my next one...there are a few coming up in April and May, so be on the lookout for more race posts!

The rest of my weekend included:

 
Rented "You Again" from the local Redbox...thought there were definitely funny parts. I mostly just enjoyed Betty White's role and I've always loved Jamie Lee Curtis, she was pretty funny in the movie.

Made a run to Borders and picked up this new read...I can't wait to see the movie too!

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Tried out a new local breakfast joint...amazing!

And went and saw The Adjustment Bureau....I really enjoyed it. I am a huge Emily Blunt fan, ever since The Devil Wears Prada! :) But overall, I thought the movie was really entertaining! I recommend.

Well, I'm off to enjoy my Sunday (although it's rainy here - boo!) and run errands before the week begins.