the prayer shawl is DONE! September 30, 2008

last week, i was freaking out about whether or not i would be able to complete a prayer shawl for my grandma in time to take down to her house for my great-aunt’s funeral. the answer is YES. apparently, i can knit much more than i thought. when you throw schoolwork to the wind, anything is possible! ^^

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did i mention that grandma loved it? ^^ i added the heart to a basic prayer shawl (my rav page) and i do think it really adds something. if i do it again, i will probably position the heart a bit lower, because the heart didn’t like to stretch out very well. on the way down to grandma’s, we stopped at a LYS and found the gorgeous shawl pin (and some yarny goodness, of course!). there was this one part where i dropped a stitch and, in my hurry, didn’t notice until fifteen inches later, but, with the help of lovely ravelers, i was able to fix it without a major problem. overall, the whole thing turned out well; i was very pleased, grandma was pleased, and mom has requested one for Christmas. i will be sure to start on hers earlier, though! ^^

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p.s. the heart is definitely centered on the shawl even if it doesn’t appear to be. it has a larger wingspan than i do, so it was harder to center for the pictures. ^^

boxers!! September 23, 2008

so, i was reading the yarn harlot’s blog the other day as she was announcing her new book tour, muttering to myself that nothing ever comes to florida, most especially not my part of the state, when i scroll down and behold that the yarn harlot is coming to jacksonville (my hometown). not only is she coming, but she is coming when i am already scheduled to be at home. how very exciting!! i am already looking forward to that visit home… what yummy icing on the cake!

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i am going to preface these pictures by saying that i took them at 2am on the night i finished the boxers. i intended to take better pictures during the daytime, but i couldn’t figure out how to take good ones without having a second person around. my camera has a terrible self-timer.  so anyway, this is what you get. ^^

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i absolutely fell in love with this cloth at the fabric store. i still have a little bit left, so i am sure that you’ll be seeing it around again. i promise that the boxers aren’t as tight as they look… the elastic is especially stretchy and doesn’t cut into me at all (even though it looks like it’s for a little kid!). the pattern for these was also in the sew everything workshop, except i cut the first five inches or so off the top to make them much more fitted and suited to me. *squeals* i really like these! i went shopping for a lime green cami to wear with them and it took me foreeeever to finally find one. i did, though, and that’s the important part! ^^

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i am currently sidetracked from the socks i mentioned last post because i started working on a prayer shawl for my grandma (the sister of my great-aunt). the problem here is that i will most likely be seeing her this weekend for my great-aunt’s funeral (she died yesterday). i don’t know if it is even possible for me to knit a prayer shawl that quickly; i suppose i will just have to wait and see. i really dislike going to funerals (but then, who doesn’t?).

socks galore! September 19, 2008

… to be honest, i would really rather be showing you my latest sewing project, but I am getting further and further behind on blogging about my knitting. it wouldn’t be fair to my socks not to show them off, too! ^^

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i knit these with the yarn leftover from the cinderella slippers i gave mom for mother’s day (crap! i never blogged about those, did i?). these are knit with moda dea washable wool, so they’re sure to be warm in the winter. the toes are two different colors, but the heels are both aqua. i only had about twelve inches of purple left when i was done, so i’d say i did a good job! : )

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well, these are the cinderella slippers i just mentioned. this pattern is knit on straight needles without seams… you do funny little joins every few rows to connect the sides. however, i am not afraid of circular knitting, so these were really a lot more work than they needed to be. things would have been much simpler using magic loop.

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i just finished up these little ankle socks last week. i really love the yarn; it’s from green prairie fibers (i won it in a contest quite a while back). i only had one skein with about three hundred yards in it, but i made these ankle socks AND another pair of ankle socks that i don’t think i ever blogged about. i am a terrible slacker.

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this is the other pair of ankle socks. i knit this pair up quite a while ago, using this sock pattern. after i made these, i started using that basic formula for all of my socks… ~52 stitches on size 3 needles with short row toes and heels. i really do prefer the short row toes/heels and i mostly wear my socks around the house, so i am a bit less concerned about wear and tear. i actually have these socks on right now. ^^

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i sure hope i am caught up on my sock knitting now! i am working on another pair of socks, but it might be a little while before they are finished. i’m excited about them, so i hope to blog about them when i do finally finish!

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on a separate, sadder note, please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as it looks like my great-aunt is in her very last days. we would all really appreciate it…

the big reveal! September 12, 2008

the suspense is over! ^^ i know, you were waiting on the edge of your seat, right? i finished up the sewing project that i alluded to last week and i am very excited to show it off. i really think that it turned out well… there are only a few things here and there that i think could have been cleaner and better. it was my first project and i am very proud of it! i used the sew everything workshop book and pattern and i have nothing but good things to say about it. very clear and useful. my next project might be a pair of boxer-type shorts, unless i get sidetracked! i haven’t forgotten my knitting, either. i just have to do the final kitchener stitching on a sock and i’ll have another pair done. yay! but, without further ado, my bag!!

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a sewing preview! September 6, 2008

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i made this little pouch to test out inserting zippers (the zipper foot?! you baste what where?!) and i have to say that it was much easier than i thought. the corduroy stretched a bit more than i expected, so i will have to be sure to pin things down better on the bigger project… yup, i happen to be in the middle of a much larger project that requires these same fabrics and inserting a zipper. and that’s all i’m saying about it. ^^