August Mystery #2 Solved

I finished my mystery knit (the second one, still have not delved into #1) for August.  I did not guess at all what it was until I saw the pattern pictures at the end and then it all made sense.  I've placed my picture here after the cut, in case someone is working on it from the 220 Mystery Group or if you want to give it a try and don't want to know.  Otherwise, enjoy this knitting.

Mystery Knit Along

I joined the mystery knit along group on Ravelry that does mystery projects within 220 yards of yarn.  I wasn't sure about it, because it's a lot harder without a picture.  However, it's great practice for paying attention, counting rows, and most of all learning to read patterns.  Unfortunately, I tried to work on it right before bed while dead tired and ended up messing up to the point of confusion, so I frogged it to try again.  Knitting with DPNs is still a skill I'm practicing with, and I feel like it takes me time to get the flow.  No spoilers on what it is, though to be honest, I can't quite tell yet what it is.  I had some left over Knitpicks Swish in a blue color, Whirlpool, to work with so it's a nice stash buster, as I didn't need this entire skein for my lace hat that I made last year.

I plan to give this another go tomorrow when I'm well rested.

Throwing Blankets

I've moved on in projects and now I'm working on a throw blanket for my dad.  This is a fairly simple piece, as far as stitches go.  It is 20 blocks of sampler stitches that are sewn together after knitting.  There are only 6 different stitches and several of the blocks repeat themselves.  The stitches I'm working with are the seed stitch, ridge stitch, diagonal rib stitch, blackberry stitch, berry stitch, and basket weave.  So far, I am three blocks out of ten finished.  It says to sew them together when they are all done, but because I can't wait, I am sewing them together as I get them finished.  Right now it is a really thin blanket!

I'm excited because tomorrow my yarn swift and ball winder arrives from Knitpicks.  Actually, scratch that, I forgot the baby has me up at 4 am.  It actually comes today.  I tend to be lazy about winding yarn into nice center pull balls, so I'm thrilled to be able to organize my yarn, especially my small amounts of scraps, into nice regular looking balls of yarn.

My First Crochet Project

When I was younger, my grandmother patiently tried to teach me to crochet.  I did not understand it at all.  Knitting and crochet were the activities that my aunts and grandmother participated in and I just never figured it out.  I would say I was impatient, but I learned how to cross stitch and counted cross stitch, which requires equal numbers of patience.  For whatever reason, when my grandmother was alive, I never learned how to crochet.  As an adult, I started into yarn crafts with knitting.  It just seemed to click.  And still, I never learned how to crochet.  My grandmother passed away two years after I graduated high school.  The missing skill always bugged me as I came down our steps and landed on the rug that my grandmother crocheted for her own home.  After days of reading and researching and re-reading, I finally can say I learned how to crochet and I finished my first crochet project after numerous failed attempts over the years.  And with that skill, I feel like I can continue the tradition that my grandmother started.

Back in the Saddle

It has been a while since I posted here and since I even knitted.  When I got pregnant, I got tired.  But worse than that, I got carpal tunnel in my hands, which made knitting very hard.  I got back into it and my current project is to learn crocheting.  It's not going bad, but to say it is going well is another thing entirely.  I'm working on the Garden Scarf from the Happy Hooker book.  It's not really hard.  It's all me making it that way.  Knitting is so linear for me.  Even when working in the round, there's a linear design to knitting.  The Garden Scarf is crocheted flowers and crochet is so multidimensional for me compared to knitting.  And because of that, I try to make it so much harder than it is.  Here is my first, rejected attempt at flowers.  Notice that I did it really wrong.  It's not supposed to be that loopy.  I think I corrected my problem (which was making turning chains I didn't need) but we'll see on this next try.

Big Projects

I'm working on a big project, this doll, that needs to be finished.  I finally got the last bit of yarn that I need so I think I can finish it uninterrupted, finally.  This is a great gift, but, I'm not sure I would ever knit it again.  After that, I have a gazillion cloths to make so I have some gifts on hand for the holiday season.  The goods news is I've grown speedier so a 50 line cloth takes me far less time than it used to when I was fumbling for the stitches.

What Is Taking So Long

I haven't had many knitting adventures to share.  I've actually been working on just one project.  This doll has been very difficult as far as the many pieces.  There's not so much variation in technique from other projects.  However, this project has taught me more about seams and stuffing pieces.  I still have four pieces to go, if you can believe it.  Here is what she looks like so far.  This pattern I got from Knitpicks and her name is Annie.  Here's what she looks like so far: