WIPs

I went through my cross stitch stuff to pull out my WIPs (work in progress)and found I only had two.
One is a birth announcement called Honey Bears.
This is the current progress:

and this is what it's supposed to look like when finished:

The other one is called Hummingbird and Bamboo. Current progress:

It will (hopefully) look like this when done:

So did I sit down to work on one of these? Noooooooo. I had to start something new.
I started Proud Iris on 16ct aida. I first tried 18ct aida, but I was having trouble seeing such small stitches so I changed to 16 ct.
This is how much I got done in two weeks:

I know it doesn't look like much yet.
I figured out that if I do 700 sts per week, I'll finish it in 5 years.
The design is 350 X 524 sts. I've never done a design this large, so I'm following some advice I found on a Ravelry group and marking gridlines to match the pattern. It's really helping to keep track of where I an in the pattern.

I've got a couple of small projects I plan to do, but I'll post about them later.

It's been a long time

Wow, it's been almost three years since I last posted on this blog. That's because mostly I've been knitting, and I update my knitting progress on Ravelry. Well, I'm getting back into cross stitch, so I'll be documenting my cross stitching on the blog now. I have a couple of projects in progress and I recently purchased this chart from Heaven and Earth Designs which I will be starting soon. It's a very large chart, so it's going to take a long time to finish. Well, that's all for today. I'll post pictures in a couple of days.

2011 Book Challenge

Last year I participated in a book challenge and exceeded my goal of 52 books.
For 2011 I've decided to challenge myself to read/listen to 70 books.

Books over 50 pages count as one book. Books with fewer than 50 pages count as one half book. Audiobooks count as one half book.

Edit 01/10/11 - I just found an e-book reading challenge on The Ladybug Reads . My goal is the Possessed level of 50 e-books.
That leaves 20 books in my overall reading challenge for physical books and audiobooks.

I'll be using this post to keep track of the books I read.

E-Books:
January
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson
2. The Hidden Staircase, by Carolyn Keene
3. Veil of Night, by Linda Howard
4. Cure, by Robin Cook

February
5. Virals, by Kathy Reichs
6. The Bungalow Mystery, by Carolyn Keene
7. Ancestor, by Scott Sigler
8. Sizzle, by Julie Garwood
9. Choke, by Stuart Woods
10. The Secret of Shadow Ranch, by Carolyn Keene
11. Miracle Cure, by Michael Palmer
12. L.A. Times, by Stuart Woods
13. Damage, by John Lescroart
14. Private, by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

March
15. The Secret of Red Gate Farm, by Carolyn Keene
16. Sweet Revenge, by Diane Mott Davidson

April
17. The Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot
18. Death on the D-List, by Nancy Grace
19. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin
20. Improbable Cause, by J.A. Jance
21. Intervention, by Robin Cook

May
22. Run For Your Life, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwigde
23. Dark of the Moon, by John Sandford
24. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
25. Dead Silence, by Randy Wayne White
26. You’ve Been Warned, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
27. Dead or Alive, by Tom Clancy
28. The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, by Sam Kean
29. Strategic Moves, by Stuart Woods
30. Black Widow, by Randy Wayne White

June
31. Dead of Night, by Randy Wayne White
32. Night Vision, by Randy Wayne White
33. One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia
34. Twelve Mile Limit, by Randy Wayne White

July


Physical Books:
January

Count as one half book:
January


Total to date: 34 books

Goal = 70 books

Edit 01/11/11 to correct link

I love my Nook

A few weeks ago I decided to splurge and buy myself a Nook, the e-reader from Barnes & Noble.

I love it. Although I've downloaded a few books from Barnes & Noble, I mostly use it to read books downloaded from the public library, and to keep some pdf files at my fingertips. I've also downloaded a few free books from Project Gutenberg.

I'm able to get more reading done now, since I always have my reading material with me and can take advantage of otherwise lost time, such as that spent waiting in checkout lines.

Among the features of an e-reader that I like is the ability to increase the font size; the old eyesight isn't as keen as it used to be. I love the search function and the built in dictionary, too. It also has the capability to play mp3 audio files, but I find it distracting to listen to music while I'm reading.

There are a variety of covers available for the Nook, but I made my own using plastic canvas and some acrylic yarn. I'll eventually take some pictures and post them.

Maia Progress

Progress pic of Maia:

Another shawl

I haven't finished Anthemion, which I started in March, but I just had to cast on for Maia, a shoulderette which was just released by Rosemary Hill. I fell in love with it thew moment I saw it.

The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn; I'm using Jaggerspun Zephyr laceweight held double.

Here's my progress so far:

I need more time

I need more time to knit everything I want to make.

The new Knitty went live last week and there were 10 projects from it that I added to my queue on Ravelry.
That's on top of the other 2,000 plus projects already queued.

There was one in particular that I had to cast on right away. That was Anthemion, by Miriam Felton. I cast on using ebony Zephyr wool/silk laceweight, using it held double because I want mine a little heavier and larger. I'm using 4.5mm needles. I finished the first chart this morning and this is what it looks like so far:



The picture doesn't do it justice. This yarn has such a lovely sheen because of the silk, that doesn't come across in the picture.
I am loving this wrap and can't wait to finish and wear it.
I need more hours in the day to knit...

Book Challenge

As mentioned in my previous post, I've challenged myself to read/listen to 52 books by the end of the year.

I will be using this post to keep track of all the books.

Count as one book:
March
1. While My Pretty One Knits, by Anne Canadeo
2. Plum Pudding Murder, by Joanne Fluke
April
3. Dropped Dead Stitch, by Maggie Sefton
May
4. Holiday Grind, by Cleo Coyle
5. Apple Turnover Murder, by Joanne Fluke
June
6. Long Lost, by Harlan Coben
7. Hot, Passionate, and Illegal? , by Cristián de la Fuente with Federico Lariño
8. Skein of the Crime, by Maggie Sefton
July
9. Supreme Justice, by Phillip Margolin
10. Crashers, by Dana Haynes
August
11. Look Again, by Lisa Scottoline
September
12. Damaged, by Alex Kava
13. Evidence, by Jonathan Kellerman
14. Hell Gate, by Linda Fairstein
October
15. U is for Undertow, by Sue Grafton
16. Don't Blink, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
17. Deep Shadow, by Randy Wayne White
18. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
19. Nine Dragons, by Michael Connelly
20. The Postcard Killers, by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
21. Growing Up Laughing, by Marlo Thomas
22. 1022 Evergreen Place, by Debbie Macomber
23. Deeper Than the Dead, by Tami Hoag
24. Wicked Appetite, by Janet Evanovich
November
25. Bad Blood, by John Sandford
26. Is It Just Me?, by Whoopi Goldberg
27. The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
28. Step on a Crack, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
29. Hot Ice, by Nora Roberts
30. The Sinner, by Tess Gerritsen
31. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, by Steve Harvey
32. Ice Cold, by Tess Gerritsen
33. If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
December
34. Spartan Gold, by Clive Cussler
35. The Mystery at Lilac Inn, by Carolyn Keene
36. 16 Lighthouse Road, by Debbie Macomber
37. Divine Evil, by Nora Roberts
38. Lost Empire, by Clive Cussler (finished at 11:24pm 12/31/10)

Count as one-half book:
March
1. True Blue, by David Baldacci - audiobook
2. The 8th Confession, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - audiobook
3. The Tower Treasure, by Franklin W Dixon - audiobook
4. A Plague of Secrets, by John Lescroart - audiobook
5. Hothouse Orchid, by Stuart Woods - audiobook
April
6. Kisser, by Stuart Woods - audiobook
7. The Scarpetta Factor, by Patricia Cornwell - audiobook
May
8. Treasure Hunt, by John Lescroart - audiobook
June
9. The Appeal, by John Grisham - audiobook
10. The Maze of Bones, by Rick Riordan - audiobook
11. One False Note, by Gordon Korman - audiobook
July
12. 9th Judgement, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - audiobook
13. The Sword Thief, by Peter Lerangis - audiobook
14. Beyond the Grave, by Jude Watson - audiobook
15. The Black Circle, by Patrick Carman - audiobook
16. Loitering with Intent, by Stuart Woods - audiobook
17. Piper Reed Gets a Job, by Kimberly Willis Holt - audiobook
18. In Too Deep, by Jude Watson - audiobook
19. The Viper's Nest, by Peter Lerangis - audiobook
August
20. The Emperor's Code, by Gordon Korman - audiobook
21. Storm Warning, by Linda Sue Park - audiobook
22. First Family, by David Baldacci - audiobook
23. Worst Case, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge - audiobook
24. Big Nate in a Class by Himself, by Lincoln Peirce - audiobook
25. Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer, by John Grisham - audiobook
26. I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson - audiobook
27. Promises in Death, by J D Robb - audiobook
28. Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko - audiobook
29. Al Capone Shines My Shoes, by Gennifer Choldenko - audiobook
September
30. The Quickie, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge - audiobook
31. Honeymoon, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan - audiobook
32. The Glades, by Clifton Campbell - < 50 pgs
October
33. Devil Bones, by Kathy Reichs - audiobook
November
34. Break No Bones, by Kathy Reichs - audiobook
35. Staying True, by Jenny Sanford - audiobook
36. Dead Aim, by Iris Johanssen - audiobook
December
37. Back to the Bedroom, by Janet Evanovich - audiobook

Total to date: 56.5 books

Goal = 52 books

YEA! I accomplished my goal, and with three weeks left in the year. For a while I thought I wasn't going to make it, but then I bought a Nook. That made all the difference. Having it with me all the time allowed me to take advantage of every opportunity to read. I love it!

New challenges

52 Pair Plunge III - I must have been suffering from temporary insanity when I signed up for it. I did well for the first month or two, and then pfffft. I've only completed 18 pair (and have two pair on the needles). So that means 34 more pair in a little over 11 weeks. Hah! Not happening.

I like knitting socks, but I also like knitting other things, too. So of course I signed up for another challenge. This one is more reasonable, though. I joined the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge/group on Ravelry. The goal is to knit/crochet 8 shawls that use at least 250 meters of yarn and 2 that use at least 500 meters. I've already completed two of the smaller shawls, so I'm doing well so far.

My two shawls are Swallowtail, by Evelyn Clark (Ravelry pattern link) (my Ravelry project page)



I made it with KnitPicks Shimmer yarn in the Deep Woods colorway, and used beads instead of doing nupps. I had purchased the yarn for this shawl a couple of years ago, but hadn't gotten around to actually knitting it. This challenge was just the nudge I needed.



My second shawl is Traveling Woman, by Liz Abinante (Ravelry pattern link) (my Ravelry project page)



I used Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie Socks that Rock yarn in the Walking on the Wild Tide colorway. The yarn was such a pleasure to knit with, I was almost sorry to finish the shawl.
I've had this yarn since 2007, so it was about time I used it too.




Another knitting related challenge for this year is to knit/crochet 5 kilometers of yarn from stash. Stash is any yarn I purchased prior to 2010. I'm doing this as part of the 5K Stash Down group on Ravelry. I'll be keeping track of stash used on an excel spreadsheet, but I've also added a Knitmeter to my sidebar to track all my yarn usage. I'm doing well so far. I may actually reach 10K this year.

The other challenge I'm signing up for has nothing to do with knitting. It deals with one of my other favorite activities, reading. You can read about it on Kristin's blog here. Since audiobooks also count, I'm setting my goal at 52 books. That's slightly over one book a week between now and the end of the year.

Audiobooks and books under 50 pages count as half a book; books over 50 pages count as one book regardless of the number of pages. Our public library system now has downloadable audiobooks available, so I can "read" while knitting.

I've never kept track of how many books I've read before, so it'll be interesting to see how many I do read.

More socks

I've fallen behind on this 52 pair plunge. So far I've only finished 8 pair and we're in week 13 already. Oh well.

At any rate, here are the socks I finished in July:

Eunice, from the book Sock Innovation, by Cookie A




Cozy Up Bed Socks, by Rebecca Perry; knit with Cascade 220 Superwash Paints




And 2 pair I finished in August:

Another Cookie A design, Sunshine, knit with Trekking XXL yarn:



and this pair, which was a mystery sock designed for a german knitting group on Yahoo!



This pair was somewhat of a challenge since it was written in german and I had to use online translators. I like how they turned out, so it was worth the effort.

Did Ravelry kill the blog?

Wow, It's been a loooong time since I posted on here.
I blame it on Ravelry.
I started this blog basically to document my projects. Then I found Ravelry. It allowed me to document my projects and so much more. My knitting books, magazines, yarn, patterns I want to knit in the future... I could go on and on. The bottom line is I've neglected this blog. Well, no more. I'm going to make an effort to post to this blog at least once a week.

So today, a knitting update. I've been focusing on socks the past couple of months. They're small, portable projects that can encompass any number of techniques: lace, cables, traveling stitches, stranded knitting, intarsia, etc. I've been so into socks that I joined the 52 Pair Plunge III. That means I'm going to attempt to make 52 pairs of socks in a one year period from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010.

I don't know how much longer I'll have the sock bug, lol, but I did finish 4 pair in June, and 2 pair in May. (May socks don't count for the plunge.) I also have 7 pair currently on the needles in various stages of completion.
Here are pictures of my June socks:










These are the two pair I finished in May:





I don't have blockers the size of this pink pair, so I stuffed the feet in order for the design to show.

Breast Cancer Awareness

10/2/07 A pdf version is now available here

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Last year I designed an illusion cancer awareness wash cloth . I want to share the pattern with you.

Illusion Breast Cancer Awareness Wash Cloth
Design by Nilda Andrade

Cotton worsted weight yarn: Pink and White

Size 6 needles

You will be alternating colors, knitting 2 rows each time.

With white cast on 39

Pink Row 1: K across
Pink Row 2: K5, P29, K5

White Row 3: K across

White Row 4: K across

Pink Row 5: K across
Pink Row 6: K5, P29, K5

White Row 7: K across

White Row 8: K across

Pink Row 9: K across
Pink Row 10: K5, P5, K5, P9, K5, P5, K5

White Row 11: K across

White Row 12: K10, P5, K9, P5, K10

Pink Row 13: K across
Pink Row 14: K5, P5, K6, P7, K6, P5, K5

White Row 15: K across

White Row 16: K10, P6, K7, P6, K10

Pink Row 17: K across
Pink Row 18: K5, P6, K6, P5, K6, P6, K5

White Row 19: K across

White Row 20: K11, P6, K5, P6, K11

Pink Row 21: K across
Pink Row 22: K5, P7, K6, P3, K6, P7, K5

White Row 23: K across

White Row 24: K12, P6, K3, P6, K12

Pink Row 25: K across
Pink Row 26: K5, P8, K6, P1, K6, P8, K5

White Row 27: K across

White Row 28: K13, P6, K1, P6, K13

Pink Row 29: K across
Pink Row 30: K5, P11, K5, P1, K1, P11, K5

White Row 31: K across

White Row 32: K16, P5, K1, P1, K16

Pink Row 33: K across
Pink Row 34: K5, P10, K2, P1, K6, P10, K5

White Row 35: K across

White Row 36: K15, P2, K1, P6, K15

Pink Row 37: K across
Pink Row 38: K5, P9, K4, P2, K5, P9, K5

White Row 39: K across

White Row 40: K14, P4, K2, P5, K14

Pink Row 41: K across
Pink Row 42: K5, P7, K6, P3, K6, P7, k5

White Row 43: K across

White Row 44: K12, P6, k3, P6, K12

Pink Row 45: K across
Pink Row 46: K5, P7, K5, P5, K5, P7, K5

White Row 47: K across

White Row 48: K12, P5, K5, P5, K12

Pink Row 49: K across
Pink Row 50: K5, P8, K6, P1, K6, P8, K5

White Row 51: K across

White Row 52: K13, P6, K1, P6, K13

Pink Row 53: K across
Pink Row 54: K5, P11, K7, P11, K5

White Row 55: K across

White Row 56: K16, P7, K16

Pink Row 57: K across
Pink Row 58: K5, P29, K5

White Row 59: K across

White Row 60: K across

Pink Row 61: K across
Pink Row 62: K5, P29, K5

White Row 63: K across

White Row 64: K across

Bind off with pink

Weave in ends

Love my Bagstopper!

I'm still alive...

It's been a long time since my last post, but I'm still alive, lol, and I have been knitting.

I just haven't been very good about taking pictures and posting.

Here is a picture of a pair of socks I just finished this morning.

They were the May sock of the month kit from theknitter.com

The yarn was Tofutsies, from SWTC. This yarn tended to split easily, especially after tinking or frogging.
I don't think it was a good match for this pattern. I feel the multicolor kept the lace pattern from showing well. If I knit this pattern again, it will definitely be in a solid color. BTW, the pattern is Daylily socks, by WoolieDi.

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures of my other projects posted soon.

Monkeys finished

Well, I finished my Monkey socks last night. They're done in the Mocha Spice color from Fearless Fibers. I needed them to be wider than the pattern, so I increased the number of pattern repeats to 5 (80 sts instead of 64) and decreased the needle size to size 1 KnitPicks dpns.


This is the first pair I knit for myself. I love the way they feel. I will probably knit this pattern again, but not right away. There are a few other patterns I want to knit first, including some others by the same designer, Cookie A.

I've already got three more socks on the needles, but they're not for me. I'd post pictures, but I haven't taken any yet. I will soon and post them.

I also have a shawl on the needles, but I'll write about it later.

Double Knitting

A while back I saw double knitting demonstrated on Knitty Gritty and was intrigued. It was a technique I wanted to try someday. Well, someday is today. The Knitted Kitchens yahoo group is doing a KAL of a double knitted potholder. I cast on and did the first eight rows today. It's been pretty easy so far. The only tricky part was during the cast on, making sure that the two colors alternated. The designer recommended using a crochet cast on. I've used a crochet cast on many times before as a provisional cast on, but never as a permanent one. Here's what's done so far:

Side 1 through row 8

Side 2 through row 8

I made some more progress on my Monkey sock last night. I like the way it's turning out

Socks finished!

Yay! They're finished. Ends woven in and everything. They'll soon be on their way to the recipient. Pattern: my own, toe up, short row heel. Stockinette sole, 3 X 1 rib on leg and instep, 2 X 2 rib on cuff. Done with KnitPicks Essential Tweed yarn in Inca Gold; 2 socks at a time on 2 KnitPicks classic circulars size 1.

Next up: A pair for my 10 month old nephew. My sister will measure his feet for me tonight, so I'll start them tomorrow. After my brother's socks, I feel the need to do a pair I can finish quickly.

I've also made a little progress in the Monkey socks for me. I'm up to the heel flap on the first sock (don't have a picture of that yet).

But, here's an earlier pic of the Monkey sock. The yarn is the Mocha Spice colorway from Fearless Fibers.

Sock update

It's been a while since I last posted, and I'm sure my brother is wondering what's happening with his socks, so here's an update.

After the short row toes I posted, I did another inch and a half on the foot. I then tried it on my foot. It was way too big. My brother's foot is wider than mine, but not that much, so I frogged them and started over with fewer stitches.

This time, instead of short row toes, I decided to try the magic cast on I found at knitty.com. I knit what seemed like forever (size 15 shoes, remember) and did short row heels. Here's a picture right after I finished the heels.

I've done a couple more inches since then. Here's a picture taken this morning.

I've got about another 6 inches to go, so hopefully these will be finished in about a week.

Meanwhile, I was too eager to start the next pair of socks to wait. I'm doing these for a sock knit-a-long. This pair will be for me. I'm making the Monkey socks by Cookie A. Here's the yarn I chose.

The pattern as written will give you an 8 inch circumference. That would be too narrow for my foot, so I thought I'd do an additional pattern repeat. That's 16 extra stitches, which would then make them too wide, so I went down a needle size. Hopefully this is the right combination to make them fit me. I cast on and did a little over an inch on them.

Now it's back to working on my brother's socks.

Dishcloths

Here are some pictures of dishcloths I've made in the past week.
I finished the dishcloth for the Monthly Dishcloth yahoo group. It's a pretty heart design.

Love Day cloth

Peaches n Creme Rose Pink

http://tricotine.typepad.com/weblog/2006/01/love_day_washcl.html

I love the way this round cloth turned out. It's the first round dishcloth I've made. It's not knit in the round, though. It's done on straight needles with the shaping done with short rows. I made one change to the pattern. Instead of sewing the cast-on and bind-off edges, I did a provisional cast-on and then grafted the two edges. You can barely tell where the two edges meet.

Leafy Border Round Cloth

Peaches n Creme Neon Green

design by Rhonda White

www.knittingknonsense.com

This is the 4 Corners Cloth. The designer is having a contest. She's had so many hits to her blog for this pattern she decided to have a contest. The person who submits the 100th picture of their dishcloth will win a prize. I think it's a good cloth for a variegated yarn.

4 Corners cloth

Peaches n Creme Forest Breeze

http://1870pearl.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/01/pocket_knitting.html

One Off and Another One On

One project off the needles: a scarf for my niece. I took her to the yarn store and she chose the yarn she wanted.



And a new one on the needles: Socks for my brother. I'm using KnitPicks Essential Tweed in Inca Gold and size 1 needles.

This is the first half of the short row toe

Here are both toes completed.

I'm working both socks at the same time on two circular needles. This way they'll both be finished at the same time. My brother has big feet, I hope these won't take forever to finish (he probably hopes the same! LOL).

Actually, I also started another project too, a scarf for my nephew, but I don't have any pictures yet.

Jan Bookmark Finished

I just finished the January bookmark kal. I enjoy reading, so it will be getting plenty of use.

Knit Along

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted. How time flies! Today I'll post some pictures of my knit-a-long projects.

First, the two projects kal:

Swish with a Twist

Sugar n Cream Tea Rose

http://www.creativeknittingmagazine.com/pages/swishwithatwist.php

Cabled bag - in progress

I need to finish this bag soon. We start two new projects on Feb. 1st.

Next, the FunKnittingDishcloth kal (previously dishclothfunkal):

December kal

Snowflake

January kal

Fountain Lace

Peaches n Creme Neon Green

http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/09/fountain-lace.html

Here are the 2 January cloths from the monthly dishcloth kal:

I joined a brand new knit-a-long for bookmarks. Here's our first one after day 2.

I also joined the six sox kal. The next project starts Feb. 1st. I can't wait to see the pattern we'll be using. I already have my yarn ready.