On and Off the Needles- June 5, 2015

Well, I did it!   Finally finished my Hermione's Socks.  Now I can move on to something new on the needles.

 

Do you remember this earlier start of the Pretty Basic Shawl, well it was not looking right.  The center design was all caddywampus and I knew it would bother me every time I wore it, so I bit the bullet and frogged it back to the beginning.  Now I am going to pay attention more and see if I can get it right this time!

Starting Over.

Check out more OTN posts at Patchwork Gardens to inspire you.

On The Needles - May 29, 2015

The needles have been a little quiet lately, but I'm making progress on my Hermione's socks.  Hope to start the toe decreases soon and then it's all downhill from there.  

I did finish up another facecloth over the last week or two.  It really isn't as lopsided as it appears in the picture.:)

Stop by Judy's to see what other knitting projects are being worked on this week. 

Third Time is a Charm - OTN

It only took me 3 times (or maybe 4 I lost count) to get this sock started with the right size needles and number of stitches, but I'm finally on my way.

Since I had so much trouble in the beginning, I've changed the pattern a bit and am just doing a plain stockinette stitch in the foot instead of carrying the leg pattern  throughout the foot.  I'm ready for this sock to be finished and onto the 2nd one before I forget what changes I made along the way.

When things start to frustrate me like taxes or knitting or even quilting -- I turn to the kitchen to bake or try out a new recipe. It always takes my mind off my troubles or aggravations of the day.  I guess that means food plays a consoling role in my life.  I started with my favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe and then made several batches of blueberry muffins.  I had two new recipes that I wanted to try and see which we liked best.

These were the first ones. They used less sugar and substituted sour cream instead of vegetable oil or butter; and were very good, but not real sweet. Great for those watching their sugar intake or anyone who is diabetic. The recipe is on the 'Recipe Tab" under my blog header if you want to give them a try. This is not my recipe, but was in my recipe drawer written on a piece of notebook paper from years ago. I really don't remember where it came from. 

The second recipe was more traditional, more sugar, vegetable oil and a sugar/cinnamon topping. These were yummy too, but they did not taste much sweeter than the first ones, in spite of using more sugar.   Either recipe would be good if you like blueberry muffins!  They disappeared quickly at our house. 

Take a look at Judy's OTN to see more knitting progress this week.  Hope you have a great Spring weekend.  It is greening up so nicely around our area.  

On the Needles - April 10, 2015

This week has been a very frustrating one when it came to knitting.  Do you remember last week I said I was going to go ahead and continue the Pretty Basic shawl even though the pattern didn't look quite right in the middle?  Well I did continue for at least another 20 rows and it got worse and I didn't like what I was seeing, so I frogged it back to the beginning.

Next I decided to work on my Hermione's socks which started off looking real pretty in the cuff area, but when I started the textured pattern in the leg section, it looked way too big.  I continued for another couple inches and it kept getting wider.  I did swatches with 3 different sized dpns until I got to the smallest ones I own - US 0 (2.0mm) and it STILL was too big.  I could not seem to get the gauge that was suggested in the pattern - 9sts/in.  So I cut back on the number of cast on stitches and I'm going with that!  These socks will fit SOMEONE if not me, but I'm not starting over again!!  I've practically wore out the yarn from starting so many times.   Here's where I am on my 4th attempt.

If any more knitting snafu's happen this week, OR anytime soon, I may have to put my knitting needles back in the drawer and not let them out until they decide to behave.  I've tolerated about enough of this bad behavior from them. They need to be taught a lesson. 

I'm linking up with Patchwork Times OTN.  Check there to be inspired by more knitting ideas this week.

OTN - April 3, 2015

Some progress was made on my Pretty Basic shawl but not as much as I wanted.  My concentration is a little suspect because the design doesn't quite look like I think it should, but I'm going forward anyway.  When it's worn, no one will see one or two little blips, I hope.  I must stay focused from here on out.

Most of my knitting time was spent ripping out my Hermione's everyday socks. They were knitting up too big with the suggested needles.  I started over 3 more times with smaller needles each time, and still could not get the 9 sts/inch that the pattern recommended. The yarn says fingering, but it must be thicker than the normal sock yarn.  Not sure what I'm going to do now.  I really love this yarn, but I hate wasting anymore time guessing what size needles or how many stitches I should decrease to get the proper fit.  Anyone else have this problem with sock yarn or their sock patterns?

Linking up with Patchwork Times.  Have a look there so see more knitty projects.

OTN - March 27, 2015

This week I attended two quilt guild meetings and spent many hours in the quilting studio working on customer quilts. I was on a roll until an unfortunate accident happened, and I spent two days frogging. Grrr! You know how much fun that is, right?  Needless-to-say, I was very frustrated and really upset, so I picked up my knitting needles to calm down and try to regroup and get into a better frame of mind. It worked so well, that I ended up starting not one but two knitting projects. lol

The first is another pair of socks.  The pattern is Hermione's Everyday Socks and it's a free download on Ravelry HERE.  The yarn is Glenhaven Cashmerino from Three Irish Girls in the colorway Maeve. It feels very soft and cushy and has 10% cashmere in it.  I love that it pooled a little on the cuff. I am anxious to see if it will continue doing that when I get into the textured pattern on the leg.

The other project is a shawl called "Pretty Basic", but it is only a very small start--3 rows to be exact. Maybe next week I can get a picture my yarn and see how much more gets done on it.  

To see what others are knitting this week, stop by Patchwork Times.