Days go by...

I have attempted blogging several times before. I always tell myself, "this will be the time that I really stay on top of my entries!" Alas, I have failed again!! I guess I just don't have that much to say. hmm.

So. What have I been up to the past month? Applying for jobs, getting settled into my new place, and KNITTING. I have been working very hard on my Etsy shop, If It's Knits (go buy something!!), and sitting around on my bum. Yep, that's about it.

I've been all about fair isle lately. It's so gorgeous, and presents somewhat of a challenge, but not too much of one! I am working on mitt #2 of this fingerless mitt pattern I designed:

I LOVE IT.... I'm using two shades of Berocco Comfort DK and one of a beautiful yarn I bought from lanitium ex machina. The yarn also came with a little 1oz roving and a discount off of my next purchase. Lovely! Now I have to get a drop spindle... although I'm afraid to for fear of unleashing a new addiction...

The second thing I have on my needles is this houndstooth scarf. I started it about a year ago and completely forgot about it. It was recently unearthed.

KnitPicks Stroll Sport. I may end up adding fabric backing when I'm done, because it is super curly and blocking straight stockinette has just never worked out for me.

So.... that's that. I have round three of a job interview tonight for a job that I REALLY want. Wish me luck!! :) Wish me luck on updating my blog more often, too. lol.

Wedding & Honeymoon! (And a little knitting...)

It's been a while since I posted on this blog, but I have been so busy!

On July 9th- our WEDDING!

There we are, looking adorable :) Everything went perfectly- even the flower girl (who is not even two years old, might I add) went STRAIGHT down the aisle without getting distracted. I was amazed haha. The reception was fun and everyone had a great time.

Then it was off to Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica!

It was AMAZING... since it was all-inclusive, we didn't have to worry about budgeting food and drinks while we were there (which we are constantly doing). It was super lazy and relaxing, and the weather was great, which is more than I can say for here in Virginia...

Jay doesn't have to go back to work until Monday, so we've extended the laziness to our home and have been sitting around on our butts for the past few days. And, needless to say, I've been knitting.

Last night I started this cowl:

It is loosely based on Lion Brand's Cabled Cowl. I saw the pattern on Ravelry and decided to create a cowl of my own with large alternating blocks of pattern, and I haven't done a cabled project in a while. I love cables! So, here's the result. So far, I'm liking it.

I'm knitting it in Vanna's Choice. Which isn't the worst yarn in the world, but it's kind of awful. The closest LYS to me is now 40 minutes away. Pair that with the fact that we are trying to penny pinch right now (no luck finding a job yet, here), and you end up with lots of acrylic yarn. I know I could order online, but I like to start projects on a whim. I don't wanna wait for the yarn to come in the mail! (how 21st century of me. lol)

Oh, I totally forgot about this fingerless mitt that I designed a few weeks ago:

It was my first time doing picot edging. I love it! So simple and feminine. I didn't have enough of the "barley" color to finish the second mitt, so I ordered another skein- and I ordered two more colorways to make another pair. Berocco Comfort DK- some of my favorite yarn, because it can be washed and is SUPER soft even though it is made of acrylic and nylon. And it's very affordable.

Coming soon... the pattern for the hat in my previous post. It's being test knitted now, with good feedback! And now I'm off to work on this cowl more :)

Product Display and Photography

I always have trouble figuring out the best way to display my knits to photograph them. Ideally, I would have a digital SLR, tripod, one or two photo lights, and mannequins to make a make-shift photography studio. However, I have none of these things. So, after perusing diyphotography.net, I decided to try my hand at a little photography studio in my office, using the stuff I already have. These included: a full-length mirror, a desk lamp, a tall lamp from target, my sort-of-junky Canon PowerShot camera, and... myself. (Boy, do I hate taking self-portraits. blah!!!!)

I was attempting to get some decent photos of a hat that I designed recently and finally finished writing up the pattern to today. Here is what I ended up with:

Comments and suggestions would be helpful. I think I may try again tomorrow during the day for some natural light...

Anyway, I wrote up the pattern and I'm looking for some test knitters. I made two different versions, the one pictured here and a less slouchy version. Ideally I would like at least one person to make each version. If you are interested, comment! :)

...And now, it's past my bedtime.

A Day Devoted to Knitting

I've been trying to design a pair of handwarmers for a few days now with complete failure. I'm just not crazy about anything I've been making, so I grow tired of it and move playing some game on the Wii or something. Today, I am going to hunker down- while Jay is at work, I am going to devote my time to knitting. I should be able to get a lot done since I woke up at 5:40 this morning (it happens when you are married to someone in the army...)

My knitting to-do list today:

1. Write down the pattern for the hat pictured in my previous post

2. Design handwarmers with Berroco Comfort DK

Anyway. We'll see at the end of the day whether this was successful or not!

On another note, I ran across a new designer today while perusing Ravelry that I love, Melissa Wehrle. Her website is www.neoknits.com. Melissa's work has been featured in Interweave and at Knitscene. Her sweaters and cardigans are totally wearable for for a 20-something like myself. I especially like her Voussoir pattern... thinking about casting this on soon!

Changes!

I have really wanted to update the blog in the past week, but I have been super busy and without internet. This past weekend, I moved up to Virginia to be with my husband. We have an adorable little rental house. This neighborhood is too cute- some kids just knocked on the door asking if they could mow our lawn for $15, which was basically a Godsend because we have been too busy to buy a lawnmower and the grass was getting way too tall. So they are mowing the lawn right now.

My cats hid under the bed for about two days straight right after we moved in. Then *GROSS ALERT* one of them got the runs from all the stress and spread it all over the house. Thanks, O'Malley... I appreciate that. It was disgusting. But now that's over with and things are normalizing. DH and I have been relaxing and hanging out while he's at work, and I've been playing wife. Literally. Doing laundry and cooking. Can't wait for the job-hunting to begin after the honeymoon...

Needless to say, there hasn't been much time for knitting. I finished off this slouchy hat before I moved- made from a little more than one skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. It's a good sturdy super bulky yarn. And, once again, affordable. I'd buy it again.

It was a simple and quick pattern. I may write it up later today while watching Mad Men (just started season one, and I'm loving it). I also started on a pair of handwarmers with this Berroco Comfort yarn that just never ends.

Alright, I'm off. So glad to have internet now, and I hope I can get some more knitting in now that things are settled!

Guilty pleasures...

...we all have them. I know at least one particular movie/tv show/song popped into the mind of anyone who read the phrase. I have several. When I first starting thinking about why I feel "guilty" about enjoying these things, I decided that I don't actually feel guilty, I just feel embarrassed and want to avoid being judged or thought to be tasteless. I know that many of the intelligent people that I like to spend time with probably find the Real Housewives series to be brainless and stupid, so if I ever want to bring this up in conversation, I feel that I have to tag a "guilty pleasure" disclaimer onto it. "Despite the subject matter of this show, I'm not really brainless and stupid, because I recognize that this actually is trash". My guilt is not that I am actually morally opposed or offended by these shows, it's that I worry that other people are and don't want them to judge me for it.

But who the heck cares? I need to get over that. Pop music is catchy. Real Housewives are funny. And what started me on this little rant is that I began watching Drop Dead Diva today while knitting. It's a silly show. And darnit, I am a fan! I can follow the simple plot and think about my knitting at the same time, which is a tall order for a severely one-track-minded person like myself. Besides, I have too see if Jane ever tells Grayson about her former life...

Anywho, onto the knitting. That's what this blog is about, right? Well, last night I tried to make another hat with the remaining Bernat Roving yarn, but it turned out there wasn't enough. So instead, I whipped up these hand warmers:

They took me about an hour to knit, total. I just made up the pattern on the fly. Thank you, size 13 needles and bulky yarn. I am quickly becoming a fan of your warp-speed projects.

I got a lot more done on this "PIW" cowl that I talked about yesterday:

I'm glad I picked it back up, because it's going to be very comfortable I think. I also love the simple pattern. It may even be worth writing up and posting on ravelry... *gasp*

Guess what else I did today?

...drumroll...

I FINISHED MY WEDDING BOUQUETS!

The one on the left is my bridal bouquet, and there are four of the smaller bridesmaid ones. I am so proud of these. They look awesome. I am SO glad I decided to go with silk flowers instead of real ones- this was a really fun project and much more affordable than hiring a florist.

Overall, it was a productive day craft-wise, and not so productive otherwise. Story of my life....

"Projects-In-Waiting"

How does a project-in-waiting differ from a work-in-progress? It's been put wayyyy on the back burner because I'm bored to death of it, and has about an 84% chance of being frogged. Unlike WIPs, which my fingers are itching to touch and work on, PIWs are the neglected half-grown and rotting fruits of my labor. (Now I'm in the mood for a peach...)

Two PIWs that I should work on before starting something else:

This will someday be a cowl. Made with Berroco Comfort- my favorite baby yarn. Washable. Soft. Available in an array of colors. I originally bought these two colors to make a baby blanket for my friend's little one:

After which I had yarn leftover, so I made this adorable baby cardigan for another friend who just had a baby (this is before I sewed buttons on):

...after which I STILL had yarn leftover. So I'm using it up on this cowl until I finish it. Which will happen. Someday. Maybe.

(By the way, the last two pictures were taken with my Droid X camera. Because the program that comes on the Droid X sucks, I downloaded Vignette and have been using that instead lately. It is the only app I've ever paid for, and it was SO worth it. Takes much better pictures.)

PIW number two... my first entrelac experience. Thank you, O'Malley, for chasing after my yarn the minute I placed this on the ground to photograph it. I bought this yarn off of Ebay. I wish I hadn't. It looks like cotton candy throwup. I had no idea what to make with it... so here is an ugly cowl. It will be super warm, though. I enjoy entrelac and picked up on it quickly. Currently the circular needle I started it on is transferred to the aforementioned leftover-baby-yarn cowl. I hope I finish this someday, because I want it to be done and out of my house. Maybe I'll pawn it off on my mom. She'd wear it.

That being said, I'm about to make another hat with the leftover Bernat Roving yarn of yesterday's hat. That will be instantly gratifying, unlike the above projects. WIP turned FO in one evening... that's my jam. And all while watching movies on Netflix Instant Play (a knitter's best friend). I'll probably finish said hat later today, and will perhaps post a photo of it later today as well!

Long time, no post!

It is in the low-90's outside, in the beginning of June, and I do not have A/C in my apartment. So, why am I knitting? I'll name just a few reasons...

1) I am done with school and can't get a job yet because I am moving in a week... so I am in a strange in-between stage where all I really NEED to do is plan for the wedding.

2) I am trying to prepare items for my etsy shop, which is going to have a second re-opening and new branding come cold weather season (that's the plan at least).

3)I took an A.C. Moore trip this morning for crafty wedding stuff... and left with three skeins of bulky yarn to test out.

SO, after making my back sore by sitting on the ground trying to put together silk corsages, I decided it was time to knit. Despite the gross sweaty stickiness of my hands.

The first yarn I am trying that I bought today is Bernat Roving. (side note: I am trying out affordable bulky yarns for the Etsy shop- not trying to break the bank, here. If I make any money I can upgrade to the luxurious all-natural yarns that I hate to love.) There aren't a ton of color options, but I did like what was offered at A.C. Moore.

PROS: I love the way the yarn looks and how it knits up. For being mostly acrylic, it's definitely on the soft side.

CONS: Because of the nature of the yarn, it is a pain in the butt to pull out any stitches if you make a mistake. It's also slightly itchy.

I decided to make a bulky, slouchy hat with it. DROPS pattern 116-15 is cute and trendy, but calls for a super bulky yarn. I went ahead and did it anyway... whatever.

I am pleased with the way it turned out! I think it will go in the "sell" pile ;) And the best part- it only used about half of the skein so I can try out another hat with this same yarn!

I'm hoping to get back into blogging and posting pictures of my completed projects with the help of my Droid X. My new phone makes it much easier to upload photos from my phone to Flickr, which I can then use to stick on here. I'm sure I can upload posts from it, also, but I would probably rather stick a knitting needle through my eye than type all of this on that tiny touch-screen keyboard with its frequently incorrect auto-correction of my words.

But for now, it is bed time! Tomorrow I have an appointment at a salon to do a run-through of my wedding hairdo. I hope it goes well! Adieu, blogland~