Work in Progress Wednesday 194

 Hi everyone. I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was nice, despite staying close to home. My husband has been working a ton lately, so it was great just to hang out with one another. I got a little knitting time and finished my Frais hat that I hope to share soon. 

I'm not usually a big hat knitter, but right after finishing the Frais hat, I cast on a Sockhead. A few of my friends are making this hat, or about to start it so I thought I would join along. I'm using my good friend Rijel's yarn, Black Market Wool is her company. This is Milo Twist Sock in colorway No Use for a Name. Gorgeous, right?! Check her out at blackmarketwool.com. I am changing the pattern slightly, as a lot of people have complained that it ends up too big. I'm using a size US 2 needle instead of a US 2.5, and I also cast on 136 sts instead of 144.

 That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of your week and if you live in my part of the world, stay cool!



For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier! 

Work in Progress 193

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and are having an even better week. I have a new project to talk about today! Seriously, I need to stop starting new stuff and focus on finishing, but alas...

I started this hat just the other day. It's the Frais hat. I'm making the 21" which is what I normally make, but it's pretty big, so that's a little disappointing. I like my hats snug but comfy. I'm still having a great time knitting it, and am learning new thing. The brim of this hat is doubled over and seamed to itself! Pretty cool and the first time I've done this. It's a pay patten, so can't go into details, but you'll have to check it out. I think if it was going to fit a little snugger, I would love it, because I love my ears nice and toasty.

Some of you might be wondering what yarn that is, or colorway anyway. It's a new colorway to the Candy Skein line, and this particular version is in Savory fingering. The colorway is called Candied Licorice and is light pink with areas of black, white and purple. Cool, eh?  I sold a few skeins of it on Sunday on the website, but will have more in both Savory and Yummy fingering Thursday. Be sure to check Instagram and/or Twitter for the latest breaking Candy Skein updates. :)

That's it for me today! I hope you have a great rest of your week.

FO Friday 170

Happy Friday and happy Valentine's Day! I am so glad the week is over. It's weirdly been a hard one to get through and I'm happy to get some R&R this weekend.

As I showed you over the past few weeks, I was working on a stranded hat pattern, From Norway with Love. What a perfect project to finish the day before Valentine's Day! It's like I planned it (trust me, I didn't). I'd highly recommend it and it is a free pattern on Ravelry. I'd definitely make it again. I will say, it is a little tight through the first two row of hearts. I'm not sure if it's because I was getting used to using two colors and knit tighter, or just due to the floats. I used Blue Sky Alpaca Sport, which I bought on our trip in 2010 (I believe) up the California coast where we stopped at many yarn shops and tiki bars. Some of you who have been around here that long may remember that! Needless to say, it's been in my stash a LONG time, so I'm glad I was able to use it and for something so fun.

Since it is tight just at the bottom (but not the ribbing), I wanted to stretch out the last two row of hearts, so I put it over an upside down pot from my kitchen. It totally seemed to help. It's still a little snug, but won't keep me from wearing it. I hope to get a picture of me wearing it this weekend when I have someone to take the picture of me. I finished it when it was dark, so will get a better FO picture of it, too.

I also wanted to let you know, Candy Skein is having a Valentine's sale now through 11:59pm PT today. Just enter code CANDYHEARTS during the checkout process at Candyskein.com to receive 15% off your entire order.

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great and safe holiday weekend (happy President's Day in the US too!)

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 181

 Hi everyone! I hope your week is going like you want it to. Since I last "talked" to you last week, I have been knitting crazy. Funny enough, it's not exactly from what you'd think.

 

You see, I'm addicted to my new project that I started last week, the Sock Yarn Blanket. Insane, right? I started this last Wednesday night, so it hasn't even been a week. Not only have I made these squares you see, I have also made two more not pictured, as I made them after I took this (and I wove in the ends).

 

I can't remember if I've shared this hat yet, but it's the From Norway with Love. I've been wanting to knit this hat since I started knitting and never got around to it. I've had this yarn in my stash for several years, when I bought it on vacation in northern California. It's Blue Sky Sport 100% alpaca. So far this is a very fun knit.

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great rest of your week.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 122

Happy Friday and a big happy birthday to my sister! I spoke too soon on the weather, as it's getting colder and is supposed to rain for the next 4 days. I'm not complaining as I LOVE rain, especially on the weekend! Thanks for all the kind words on my Color Affection shawl! It's coming a long great, as I've been working on it the past few nights. I can't wait to show the progress Wednesday.

I finally finished my hat! I still need to block it, but not sure what's the best way to go about it. This is my first slouchy hat, and right now it kind of looks like a condom on my head, or makes me look like a cone head. Do any of you have suggestions on ways to block it so it's more slouchy and wider up top? I do love the way it knit up and love how the colorway worked with the pattern.

Materials used:

Pattern: Hinagiku Hat

Needles: Size US 6

Yarn:  Candy Skein Juicy Sport in Robin Egg Malt Ball

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Work in Progress 125

Seriously? It's Wednesday again!!?? How did that happen? I feel like I just panicked a few days ago about almost forgetting a post due to a holiday. LOL I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's celebration. I just got finished with my New Year's Day dinner of prime rib, baked potato and peas. MMmmm, it was fabulous!

Since last Wednesday, I started a hat! Actually I started last Wednesday. It's the Hinagiku Hat from Ravelry. It's super easy, but tough at the same time. It's the Daisy stitch which I've never done, and let me tell you, it's hard to knit three together and then knit those SAME three together again! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way this is knitting up. It's a new Candy Skein yarn base called Juicy Sport, but I'll have more on that soon. I'll be releasing the new yarn Thursday and let me tell you, you'll want to check it out. This might be my favorite base I carry as far as the Merino yarns are concerned. Oh, I almost forgot! The colorway is Robin Egg Malt Ball!

One of my favorite podcasts, the Yarniacs, is having a Self Indulgent KAL that starts January 1. You can make anything, as long as it's for yourself! How great is that? I decided to start my Color Affection shawl for the project. I'm using another new yarn (coming) to Candy Skein in the next few weeks called Sweet Fingering. It's a 50/50 merino/silk base and so so soft. It has the same twist/ply as the Delicious fingering. The colors I decided to go with are Pumpkin, Fudge Brownie and Brain Freeze (which looks bluer in the picture than it actually is. It's more of a teal).


That's it for me today! I hope you have a great rest of your week!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 55

Happy new iPhone preorder day!...oh, I mean Friday! Today is a big day for me, as I set up my first booth for my first fiber festival! I'm so excited, I can't even explain to you! LOL I feel like a kid looking forward to the end of the school year and it's taking forever for that final bell to ring. I just want to start the festival already! It's supposed to be beautiful weather here this weekend, which is a blessing considering it's been cold and rainy here most of the week. I'll be sure to get a few pictures this weekend and can't wait to meet a few of you that can make it out!

Now on to FO Friday!

I actually have something to share this week! As you know, I've been working on a hat in Candy Skein Ripening Tonal. I wanted to try it before selling it, making sure the quality of it was up to my standards, as well as a sample for the show! The pattern was fast, easy and fun. I decided to change it a little, as I didn't want a slouchy hat, so I didn't go up a needle size for the main part of the hat after knitting the brim, and I kept trying it on, stopping when it was how I wanted it to fit. The great thing about this pattern, it's actually reversible! Funny enough, I like the inside better than the outside!

As far as the yarn is concerned, I really enjoyed knitting it. It really took the dye beautifully and was soo soft. I've worn the hat this week, since it's been cold, and the yarn is warm but didn't make me sweaty. I have really sensitive skin, but it didn't make my forehead itch at all! I'm not sure I would use the yarn for a sweater, as it is a single ply, and they seem to pill faster than plied yarn, but it's perfect for hats, scarves, cowls and the like. I had about half of the skein left!

For those of you who are interested in this yarn, I'll have a few skeins of it at the show this weekend, and depending on how it sells, could have some on the site as soon as next week!

Materials:

Candy Skein Ripening Tonal in Blackberry
Pattern: Intuitive by Julia Zahle
Needles: US Size 6

Sorry for the scary pic of me, but I was home alone and couldn't get a better pic! LOL

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Work-in-Progress Wednesday 59

Hi everyone! Happy WIPW and a HUGE happy birthday to my mom!!! I hope everyone is having a great week and had a lovely weekend. We have a great time at Disneyland and it was much needed. I feel like I've been doing non-stop recently, which sadly doesn't lead to much knitting time and which also leads to not much to share for WIPW. :(



You may remember this hat from last week. I'm using this pattern, which is so easy and fun. It makes the hat reversible (which is awesome) and funny enough, I like the inside better than the outside. Here's the outside shown above. I don't have too much to do left. I'm going to add one more row of the pattern and then start the 8 row decrease. The pattern is for a slouchy hat, but I didn't really want it slouchy, so I didn't go up the needle size for the lace pattern part, and I'm going to stop before it gets too big at top. So far, so good. For those who missed it last week, I'm using Candy Skein Ripening Tonal in Blackberry, which will be on sale soon.


That's it, you ask? Well, yeah, sad isn't it? I only get to knit at knitting night to be honest. The rest of the time is doing this:



That is a HUGE tub of Candy Skein yarn in all different weights and fibers. The ones on the top not in bags need to still be tagged. Pretty soon, I'm going to have to get a new tub, as this one is almost full. I have 17 (yes 17) more skeins that are in the process of being re-skeined and 8 drying right now. I won't even tell you how much I still have to dye between now and the Vista Fiber Fiesta, or maybe I don't want to know! I've been averaging about 10 skeins a day though (as far as the dyeing is concerned) so that's the good news! I'll try and take some better pics this week of some of the fun new skeins!

That's it for me today. What are you working on?


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 58

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday. I don't have much to say today, because I'm beat. I'm on a dyeing frenzy for Candy Skein since the fiber festival is just around the corner and I'm having to make up for lost time from the blackout/boil water restrictions. In 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday, I dyed 17 skeins of yarn. Wowzer! I'm not looking forward to the time I'll spend re-skeining it all, but I do love the dyeing process. I can't wait to share it all with you soon.

I haven't had much time to knit (I'm sure you can guess why), but I did start a new hat! I wanted to try the single ply yarn that I ordered for Candy Skein before putting it up for sale. I'd hate to sell a yarn that isn't up to standards. I have to say, I freakin' adore this yarn. I'm a huge fan of single ply to begin with, but the combination of baby alpaca, wool and silk gives this an amazing soft and strong yarn base. What I was most impressed with was how it took the dye. You may remember, I tested that out in the gradient yarn I shared with you awhile ago. I wanted to put it through the huge test, and dye a skein of Blackberry.





Isn't it GORGEOUS!?! In person, it just GLOWS. It's downright breathtaking, in my opinion. I'm making the hat (pattern here...thanks to whoever linked to it last week! I'm sorry I forgot who did!) with magic loop, so I was able to try it on. Some wool/alpaca type yarns bother my skin, but this was so soft and didn't make me itch one bit! I had to give you the close up of the picture just so you can see the stitch definition and the halo of the yarn. I'm calling this yarn Ripening Tonal and the pink to red one will be the Ripening Gradients series. They will both be available soon in store, I promise! If you're really dying to try it, I will custom dye a skein.

Anyway, I finished the ribbing and the first increase row. I'm now about to move into the lace portion of the hat. I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out!

Edit: I forgot to link the pattern! Now it is linked up in the paragraph above and here!

That's it for me today! Don't worry, I'm still working on everything else. I just haven't had a chance to get enough time to make progress to show you.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 19

I thought I would have a ton of things to share with you today, but unfortunately I don't. I do have a few things almost complete, but I didn't want to rush them since I have one done to share today. Very vague, I know! Sorry! OH, and for those wondering, I ALMOST have that horrible mess of a skein untangled! WOOT!

You've heard a lot about my first knit hat. I had apprehension in doing it in the first place, and then once I did I realized that the needles I was using were best made to be chop sticks (if even that!) than knitting needles. They were very blunt and coarse, leading to some cursing in my house.

Despite a few snags at the top, where the yarn split due to the needle-suckage, I'm crazy happy with this hat. Next time I think I'll make it a little longer, as I like my ears nice and covered and this only comes about half way down. I wasn't sure how much room the crown of the hat would take, so I ended up short. No biggie, still very wearable! Also, you may remember that I screwed up on the ribbing, but I just swing that part in back! I won't win any awards with this hat, but I am very happy with it. You be the judge.

Materials used:

US 8 16" needles
Berroco Vintage (Dungaree)
Yarn needle

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Work-in-Progress Wednesday 24

Good news, I'm healthy! Bad news, I have WAY too many WIPs. As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, I keep starting projects. I think part of it is because I was sick so I kept starting new stuff since I didn't feel like working on something I already had started. Also, I want to get through some of my yarn for the yarn diet. Obviously, I realize I need to finish projects to do that, instead of starting them, but for some reason that's not hitting home. LOL

Here's a few of the WIPs (a few didn't really visually change so no point in posting them):




I am FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY getting to this purse. It is (was) for Christmas, for my sister-in-law in Chicago. I decided to use Buff, an oatmeal color, and then will be putting a darker lining in it. This is the 3rd time I've made this purse, and I will say, I think this is my best. For some reason, it's coming out a little bigger than my last one (or maybe not as big as it seems since the last one was in black). Anyway, I'll be happy when it's finished. I've only been working on it one evening, and hope to actually have the crochet part finished when you read this. I have a crochet meet up Tuesday night (or last night I guess, since you're reading this Wednesday), so I hope to finish it then.




This doesn't look like anything, I know, but I thought I would include it anyway because I'm using my first hand dyed yarn I did several months ago. It's Fisherman's wool. Since it's a partial skein I didn't want to choose a big project for it and run out of yarn, so I chose this pattern. Since I now sew, and don't have a pincushion I thought it would be perfect. I'm excited to finish this. I haven't decided if I'm going to felt it when I'm done or not. I've never felted anything before!


And the hat. Since I'm working on tons of stuff, I haven't done too much more, but since it now lays flat because it's long enough, I thought I would share. I'm really happy with how even the stitches came out, even if the ribbing is messy. It does get a little boring since it's just knit stitch though.

That's it for me this week. What are you working on?

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 23

Another Wednesday, another WIP. I only have one to share today, because I've been kind of lazy. To be honest, I'm not sure why I don't have more to share! I hope to finish the corgi, as I haven't worked on it, soon and then I won't feel guilty starting something else. I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

How are the yarn dieters doing? Have you worked your way through a skein yet? I haven't, but hope to soon! You can follow my progress on the sidebar, as well as posts I will do each month of the 5 month long diet.



I took two pictures of this hat, because to be honest, I have no clue how to photograph a knitted hat that is still on the needles. This is my first knitting in the round, and I will say, I like it! The only issue is, I HATE the needles I'm using. It was the only size 8 US 16" I have. The 24" was way too big. These are Clover bamboo needles and I want to throw them out the window. My cast on was SOOOO loose because the needles suck compared to what I'm used to (Knit Picks). I am going to have to go out and buy new ones that are a little better I think, if I want to continue making hats. I hate that Knit Picks doesn't have anything smaller than a 24" cable. Sigh. Anyway, YAY for me making a hat! Unfortunately when I was doing the 1K1P ribbing, I didn't pay close enough attention as we were watching The Sting, and I screwed up a row and then corrected myself after that row. I'll just wear that part in the back, if the hat even fits in the end (it seems a little small) when I walk the dog. I just wanted to use this as my test to see if I could even knit something in the round. I'm using this pattern and Berroco Vintage. I'm proud to report, the Vintage was splitty at cast on/first row, but now I love it! It's so fun to use LYS yarn from my stash. I got this ball with my birthday money, you may recall.

Totally not part of WIPW, but I ordered HiyaHiya needles in US 6, 12" and US 2, 12" to first make worsted socks, and then finger weight socks! I got two of each, so that I can avoid using DPN. I'm not sure why the thought of those scare me, but at this point, they just do. Do any of you use these needles? I've heard good things about them!

I'd also like to report that my fingerless gloves saved my life the other day. Okay, maybe not my LIFE, but my hands from being freezing. We went out with friends on the weekend at night and they wanted to sit outside because the bar had a firepit. BRRRR. Luckily, I was smart and put them in my purse just to have at the spur of the moment. My friend said that she thought they were bought because they looked so good! YAY!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 9

On Wednesday I mentioned that I wanted to finish the dog I'm making for my MiL, but I changed my mind. I figured I could crank out the hat for my BiL a lot faster and wouldn't have to do very much counting while I watched tv. This week has been hard for me, as I needed to catch up on my NaNoWrimo word count. I didn't write on Saturday or Sunday (and barely did on Friday). I paid for that dearly this week. By Thursday night (which is when I'm writing this), I finally caught up. I wrote over 3,000 words today and let me tell you, I'm tired. That being said, I was able to catch up. I learned my lesson, I will write a full day tomorrow and try and get a couple of words in on the weekend. No rest for the weary, right?

So the hat. I figured it would be easier and I was right. My only concern now is that it may not fit him. I guessed based on my husband's head, so let's hope they generally have the same size noggin!

Anyway, enough with my rambling! I hope everyone has a great and crafty weekend. I know I hope to finish the dog and get in a little knitting practice. I haven't been able to pick it up since I learned Purl. I've also decided to reward myself and head to Michaels today (Friday) with a 20% off my entire purchase coupon, on top of a big yarn sale they're having! You can find the coupon, good for sale items, here, good for only yesterday and today. I need more yarn like I need a hole in my head, but oh well! It's a great price and I need a few things for my Christmas projects.

I wanted to say a quick thank you to all soldiers who give their lives so that we can live ours freely in the US. Yesterday was Veteran's Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Canada. We shouldn't need a special day to thank or remember our soldiers, they should be thought of each and every day.

Materials used:

6.00 mm (J) hook
Lion Brand Wool-Ease (Denim)
Caron Simply Soft (Black)
Yarn needle


Pictures to come later. I realized I made an error and am going to be frogging several rows back. I'll post pictures when I fix my mistake. I know posting it as a FO is kinda cheating, but promise I will finish today. It's late right now and I'm pretty pissed I missed my mistakes, so check back later (again) to see it!

Share your FOs!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 14

November is kicking my butt. There is no better way to say it. I was so happy to finish the owl bag, but that was only one present out of many that I have to make by Christmas. I still have faith in myself that I can do it, but haven't crocheted much since finishing the bag.

I did however, have time to learn the knit and purl stitch over the weekend. I posted about it yesterday here.

Here's what I've worked on:



You may remember from last week's WIPW that I started a dog for my mother-in-law. I was hoping to have it finished by now, but unfortunately, I don't. This is where it's at now. I'm going to try and finish by Friday for FO Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!



I thought I should probably have two Christmas presents being made at a time if they are small (the bag was way too much to work on two at a time, so this is my first time trying it). I started this hat yesterday for my brother-in-law. I'm using Caron Simply Soft, which I'm not a HUGE fan of when making the items, but love the way it feels once it's done and also Wool-Ease in blue. I didn't know what I wanted to use, other than the Caron Simply Soft. I dug through the stash and found the Wool-Ease. I love when I get to use some stash that I bought awhile ago and had no clue what I was going to use it for. Total win situation! It's the Animator's Hat pattern that I made for myself awhile ago, which you can see here.


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 9

I'm going to start this post with an apology because this will probably be one of my shorter WIPW posts. Also, the pictures won't be very good this week, as it is 9:15 at night. It was overcast all day, and never had natural light to take pictures with so ended up having to use the flash. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I was on vacation from Friday until Monday, so I didn't get much crocheting done. Las Vegas isn't exactly the kind of city you walk around with your crochet hook and yarn! LOL


I was able to get a little crocheting done Friday on the car ride there since my husband drove. I decided to take my brown afghan with me since I don't need a pattern and only needed one skein of yarn since it takes so long to crochet a full square. As you can see, in the 4 1/2 hours we drove, I didn't get too much done. Not even a full square. :( At least it was something though!


When we got back Monday night, we were watching our first Bad/Old Horror movie of the season (we have a pack of 100 Horror Classics on DVD but most are just down right terrible, which makes it even more fun!), so I was able to work on my Ice Cream blanket. I also did a few rows during my Tuesday crochet meet up.



Last, but not least, I couldn't help not using my new yarn I got in Vegas (see my post from yesterday, linked in the first paragraph of this post to which yarn I purchased!) I started this hat with the de vi yarn. It's SOOOO soft, it's like crocheting with a cloud. I think I'm in love!


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 3

As I promised in this week's WIPW, I would share the hat that I made for my friend and lovely writing critique partner for FO Friday. We decided to do a swap, she would make me a necklace, I would crochet a hat for her! Of course, I was stupid enough to send her the hat before getting good pictures, so I apologize for these terrible iPhone ones. I've asked her to take better pics once she gets the hat, so keep your fingers crossed. If that happens, I'll swap them out.

I love how this hat turned out and plan to make one for myself! You can find the pattern here.


Materials used:

5.50 mm (I) hook
Caron Simply Soft (Hat- black), Debbie Bliss Stella (Flower- Magenta)
Yarn needle

I worked on the hat from September 24-27 (though it's a fast hat to make and could probably be completed in 1 day).

Share your FO projects!

FO Friday 1

First off, I wanted to say happy birthday to my husband, Kurt! I hope he has a good day at work today and an even more awesome weekend!

Welcome to the first ever FO Friday! I decided to try this out after I received feedback on if you would be interested in participating or reading a weekly FO (Finished Object) Friday post. We'll give it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes.

This week, I'm going to share a project that I first showed as a WIPW in week 1!

You may remember this picture from WIPW

I was looking for a fun hat to make a few weeks ago, one that I could wear once it gets cold (or as cold as it gets here in San Diego) to walk the dog. When I first started crocheting, I made a tight fit beanie that was very simple, just using single stitch in the round (or maybe it was double? I don't remember). Anyway, it was my first project in the round, and I was mostly doing it to learn something new. The hat fit, though a little tight, and I even wore it to work a few times. It became one of my regular rotations, at least when a purple hat was appropriate. That's right..purple. LOL

I thought it would be fun to make something with a little more life to it, and that also was a color I could wear with more things than a black shirt and jeans. I searched on Ravelry, and I must say, it was hard to choose. I didn't want anything too complicated, but it seems like the easier ones all looked a little plain design-wise, like my purple hat.

That's when I found The Animator's Hat by Crochet Kitten on Ravelry. It's not that the hat was so much better than the rest of them on the site, I loved that it was called The Animator's Hat. You see, since I was very little, I wanted to be an animator. I dreamed of working for Disney one day. My college degree is in art with an emphasizes on animation, so this hat seemed almost made for me! I also loved all the pictures shared on Ravelry of the finished product from the different people. The ridges of the hat gave it dimension. I got started almost right away.

I initially thought it would be too big for me, but as I got closer to the end of the hat, I realized it fit me perfect! I've said this before, but I made it with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn Yarn, and I really do love it. It's 100% acrylic but super soft. If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area, or don't mind ordering it online like I did, do give it a try if you are a fan of soft acrylics.

I can't wait to wear the hat when the leaves begin to change and the frost appears on the grass in the mornings. I think I'm going to make one as a Christmas present for one of my family members as well!

Materials used:

6.00 mm (J) hook
Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn (main portion- Navy/strips- Gray Mist)
Yarn needle

I worked on it from August 8-11th.






Just like WIPW, please use the Mr. Linky to share your FO Friday post.

Paris, Anyone?

Sorry I was MIA this weekend, but I tried to stay away from the computer and get a few things done in my life for a change! Isn't it amazing how easy it is to get sucked into the internet?

I wanted to thank everyone for voting in the FO Friday poll. It seems there are a few of you who are interested, so I'm going to try it for a few weeks and see how many participate and how much stress it is to try and get something completed and posted each Friday. I post on the writing blog I co-own (YAedge) Fridays, so what's one more blog each to schedule on Thursday? This Friday, the 17th, will be the first FO Friday including a Mr. Linky for everyone to share their FO Friday posts. Can't wait to see everyone's finished work!

If you remember, week 5 of WIPW I shared a beret I started for a friend of mine based on the Crochet Today! pattern from the August 2010 issue (with a few slight tweaks thanks to Alea!). Originally it was going to be part of her Christmas present, but the further I got on it, I realized it was best suited for her birthday which is in October. I like the way it turned out, despite not being a huge fan of berets. It turned out really soft and fit me, so hopefully it's her size as well!

I bought the yarn (Bernat Alpaca) when I was first learning to crochet (two skeins of it) because I thought it was pretty and loved the feel of it. Of course, being new, I had trouble working with the bulky, slippery yarn. I'm glad that I tucked it away instead of wasting it. I really enjoyed working with it (using a larger hook) and would buy it again. It was pretty affordable and great in texture. This project took one full skein.

The true color of the yarn is in the first picture. Sorry for the darkness in the last two pics.

Materials Used:

6.00 mm (J) hook
6.50 mm (K) hook
1 skein Bernat Alpaca (Aqua)
Yarn needle

I worked on the hat September 8-9.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 5

I hope everyone who had a holiday weekend had a great one! I know I did. We went up to visit my parents in Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. Like anyone who has lived in LA for any significant time, I have a love/hate relationship with the city. Since I've been away for about 5 years (other than small visits), it's mostly love at the moment. I know that would change quickly if I were to move back, that still doesn't keep me from wanting to!

Unfortunately, because of my small vacation, I didn't get much crocheting done. I was hoping to do some up in LA, but we were busy most of the time we were there. Luckily, some of that time was spent buying yarn, but that's for another post soon.

This week's WIPW projects are:

The afghan I've been working on for quite some time now got a little bigger! I showed you where I was at with it in WIPW1 and WIPW3. Here it is as of yesterday (Tuesday). I'm loving it so far, even more than I thought I would. After I finish the current square, I'll move onto the oatmeal solid color and then back to the brown with oatmeal flecks.



I started making the beret pattern from the current Crochet Today! magazine for a friend's Christmas present, who adores all hats. I got a little ways in and realized that I was doing the stitches way too tight. This is a huge problem of mine, something that I seriously need to stop doing. Today I decided to start all over again, and this is what I have so far of the new one. It's still coming out a little smaller than the gauge suggests with the pattern, but will just add another row or two of increase to solve the problem.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!