artsy-crafty babe

I miss this

 

Reason #239 why i miss blogging: here are 2 years of summer knits that need to be blocked & sewn together. I have no blog documentation of what patterns I was knitting or with what!!! I remember the blue pattern, but the gray one??? Both yarns were of the linen/flax variety. Ahhhh!!!! I will finish these soon so that I can wear them (both would be perfect with my white linen pants) #knitting #knittersofinstagram #absentminded

A photo posted by Rebeka Lambert (@rebeka.lambert) on May 16, 2016 at 7:30pm PDT

 

I posted this picture on instagram the other nigh and haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  No, not the knitting (ha ha), but the lack of documentation.  This used to be the place where I documented all the stuff I made.  I still make stuff, and I occasionally snap a picture of it for IG, but there's not much content, no details.  Chalk it up to being old, but I can't stand writing lots of words on IG.  I like big screens!  I like words!  I like details! I like links I can click!  But IG on my phone is so eeeeasy.  This blogging stuff, not so much.

So, for the sake of documentation, here's the info on those knits.  The blue one was knit 2 summers ago.  It's Jordan by Knit and Tonic.  I used Fibra Natura Flax in mineral. I did a good bit of knitting in the car on that one while we drove to Disney.  I'll always associate it with Disney.  I sure hope it fits once I block it and seam it up!

The gray one is Sultry Boatneck knit in DROPS Bomull-Lin.  I made this one last summer. It came together so quickly that I don't have many memories of what I was doing when I made it.  Do y'all do that?  I tend to attach memories to what I was making at the time.

I really do love using a linen yarn for summer knits.  And the lacy patterns usually knit up so quickly! As you can see, I'm very much a creature of habit.  The reason these knits popped into my mind is because I was getting the urge to start a new summer knit. But really, these two MUST be finished before I can move on. I have a pair of wide leg linen pants that both of these would be perfect with.

Next on my agenda are summer dresses (creature of habit, remember!).  I have the Colfax Dress pattern printed and ready for muslin testing, and I finally ordered the Painted Portrait (yeah, reeeal late to the game on that one!).  It's been so long since I've sewn clothing for myself, I'm a little nervous.  Shoot, I can't even decide on what fabric to use right now!  I'll get it together, eventually.

knitting

So yes, I’ve been knitting. You know how it is when the mood strikes. I blame the cold weather. Knitting just feels right in cold weather, doesn’t it? Because I tend to over commit myself, I decided to start off with something small, something easily finishable. I knit a cowl.

I started with the snow cowl. I used Loops & Threads Cozy Wool from Michaels, which isn’t half bad. It took me no time to make that, so I made another cowl, the drop stitch cowl, also from Cozy wool. These were fun! They are the sort of projects I should knit to put away for gifts.

While I was weaving in the ends of the cowls I pulled out two sweaters that I knit ages ago, but never finished weaving in the ends - a Cuff to Cuff sweater  and another Featherweight (my third one). Both of these were knit with Knit Picks City Tweed DK. I would love to give you details about these sweaters, but I knit them so long ago I have no recollection. I still need to block them, especially the cuff to cuff, but that hasn’t happened.

My featherweight is too big for me now, but it’s a soft, squishy cardigan, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s perfect for lounging around the house in on a cold day. I love it.

Totally in the knitting mood now, I decided to tackle my stash and get an idea of all the other UFO’s I had lying around. Oh my. It was not pretty. I knew I had to be brutal. I pulled out many needles and did lots of frogging. It’s time for a fresh start. I now know that I have more yarn than I know what to do with and shouldn’t buy any more yarn for a very long time.

One of my discoveries was a sweater I started knitting for Ceci when I was pregnant with her.  Once I finished the body i realized that it would no way fit an infant, so I set it aside. Well, it fits her now. I started knitting the sleeves only to discover that I didn’t have enough yarn. Of course. My local yarn store no longer had any, but I was able to find some online. I have less than 1 sleeve to go!

While I was at the yarn store, some more yarn came home with me. I know!! I said I didn’t need anymore!! Finishing that sweater for Ceci made me want to knit her another one. Little sweaters are so satisfying! So, on my needles right now is the Unisex Cardigan.  It is so adorable! I’m using Berroco Vintage DK  . I can’t wait to get this one done...so that I can move on to another :)

begin again

The last time we spoke about knitting, um 6 weeks ago (how did that happen?) I left you with my current knitting project - the razor cami. Knitting the body was super fun, so fun that I didn’t want it to end. So when the body got long enough, I just sorta stopped. A couple of weekends ago (okay, a month) I decided to finish it. I tried 3 different strap/top options, none of which really worked. Damn. I knew what I had to do - frog it.

As much fun as it was to knit, I wasn’t feeling it as wearable. Really, I don’t wear camis, why did I think I’d wear a knitted version? It felt too exposed. I need more coverage.

After a little searching, I came upon Date Night. It had a fun lace pattern (I’m really into lace right now - so fun!), a bit of a sleeve, and it would work with my frogged razor cami yarn - win!!

So here I am, all hot and heavy into Date Night (that sounds wrong, doesn’t it?).  Well, "hot and heavy" is a relative term, more like when I'm not too exhausted to work on it.  These kids of mine are wearing. me. out. Thank goodness school starts next week - I MISS those early bedtimes :)  Once I can get these kiddos to bed at a decent hour, I anticipate more crafty time.  Bring it, I'm ready!!

on my needles

Just like that, the urge to knit hit me. That’s usually how it happens. I get the urge, then I JUMP IN.  I jumped in on the Razor Cami (no sleeves - yay!).  It’s nice having a knitting project to work on while we watch our shows in the evening, whenever we get the chance to do that (summertime late bedtimes for the kids is KILLING me). In the old days, I probably would have finished this little top by now, but with a busy toddler getting into everything and 3 other kids constantly needing something, that hasn’t happened.  That’s okay, I’ll take what I can get.

I’m loving this project so far.  It’s somewhat mindless, but not boring. The pattern is easy to memorize and figure out exactly where you are if you have to put it down at a moment (see paragraph above!).

The only tricky part has been figuring out sizing.  The pattern is written in one tiny size.  I am nowhere near tiny.  I used the guidelines given about sizing up, but that that didn’t work out too well for me.  I ended up with a GIANT circumference.  It took some trial and error (ripping out several inches), but I think I have it now.  To give me a little guidance I’ve been referencing the Chic Knits Chickami pattern, which was the first sweater I ever knit for myself.  I think I’ll use it to guide me on the top part, too.  I’d like to have wider straps than those written in the pattern.

The yarn I’m using is lovely.  It’s Ultra Pima by Cascade.  It feels really nice to work with and has nice drape. That’s not always the case with cotton yarns. With the heat and humidity down here, comfort yarn is the only way to go, especially with a summer knit.

When I’m working on a knitting project I usually keep it with me at all times. If I’m heading out the door, I throw it in my bag.  You never know when you’ll get a free moment, right?  Well, for the past several weeks I’ve been using a little bag that has no room for knitting (what's gotten into me?).  I’ve missed out on some free knitting moments!  I hate when that happens. You know what that means - I need to make a new bag. One project leads to another...

gold cardi progress

A few weeks ago while we were at the beach I was bitten by the knitting bug.  At the last minute I shoved my gold cardi  project in my bag, not thinking that I would actually work on it.  Come on, knitting and sand?

I picked it up, mostly out of curiosity (fear) to see if I remembered the stitch pattern.  Remember, this is a cardi I started making on the fly, cobbling together a few patterns, none of which I remember now (I sure hope I made note of those somewhere).

Y’all, I couldn’t stop!  I brought it with me to the pool and the beach.  I’m pretty sure I was the only knitter around, ha ha!  At this point, I’m used to the stares.

I managed to finish the body and the collar, all I have left are the sleeves.  Those damn sleeves!!  I don’t know, I might just add some wide ribbing matching the collar and bottom then call it good.  That could be cute. Maybe. What do you think?

back to the needles

A few weeks ago I was in the mood to knit.  A sweater.  With an upcoming trip that included a few travel layovers and a lot of relaxation, it was the perfect time to start something.

I finally decided that I wanted to knit something mesh-like.  Something that wouldn't be too hot that I could wear over a tank top.  I need semi-instant gratification.

After much looking on Ravelry, I never did find exactly what I was looking for.  I liked the lace pattern on Annette, but it was knit bottom up and I wasn't too crazy about the front.  I wanted top down with more of a v-neck.  Arghh!! 

After much hemming and hawing, I decided to go for it.  Having knit many top down raglan patterns, I was somewhat confident that I could do it.  I cast on and off I went.  

It was going well until I started knitting in the airport.  At this point I already had a few inches knit, so I picked up where I left off.  Apparently I wasn't so sure where I left off because I started knitting it totally wrong.  It was BAD.  Riiiiipppppp. I had knit almost an entire ball of yarn at this point.  It hurt a little, but it was the right thing to do.

My next go round I had the stitch pattern down and did a much better job of adapting it to the raglan increases. I'm happy I made that decision.

I still have most of the body to knit and those damn sleeves (HATE sleeves), but it should be smooth sailing from here on out...as long as I work on it without miss grabby baby around :)

*photos are edited with picmonkey. i was hoping a fancy filter could disguise all the lint on my dirty rug. it's a fun tool to play with, but i learned that the only remedy for my dirty rug is a good vacuuming.

back to the selfish knitting

*written last week, just now getting around to posting* 

Oh yeah, selfish knitting - my favorite kind!  I've been making progress on my Redhook The left side front is done, now on to the right back.  The good thing about this pattern is that all the boring knitting (the rows and rows of straight stockinette) is done first. Now I have to pay attention to all these decreases.  My only problem is that at this point it is too bulky to carry around in my bag.  I like to keep smallish, manageable projects with me to whip out when I have some free time.  So now I work on this at night when I'm beached on the sofa.

I'm a wee bit nervous that I don't have enough yarn, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.  It will be close, but I think I'm okay.  I hope.  I can always leave off the sleeve caps if I have to.  And speaking of large, I'm afraid that this may be too large, which is probably why it seems I'm short on yarn.  Ugh.  Oh well, I'm too close to the end to turn back now.

With nothing to work on while on the go, I HAD to cast on something new, you know, to keep in my bag.  Another vest type knit it is, the Cuff to Cuff Sweater.  So far so good, but I'm getting a little tired of seed stitch.  It took me a little while to grasp how this sweater is going together, especially when I cast on for the left side and the back.  It's an interesting construction, that's for sure.

I'm beginning to wonder if this sweater will be long enough for me.  It's kind of hard to tell right now due to the way that it is made.  I measured it, and it seems right, but I'm not completely convinced.  Of course, my body isn't exactly in the best state for fitting, ahem.

What I do love is the color.  I think I'm becoming a purple convert.  Now that I've discovered that cool tones look good on me, I can't get enough.  Purples, grays, blues, fuchsias, bring it!

Thanks for all your positive comments on my last post.  They really do mean a lot :)  Happy weekend, friends, enjoy it!! -oops, like I said, written last week.

And now we're back for another week.  Tuesday already.  And we're in October.  Which means that I'm going to have a baby THIS MONTH.  In 23 days, if I'm lucky (as miserable as I am, I sure hope she doesn't come early).  What the heck am I doing knitting for myself? I've got a baby to prepare for!!!  Oy!

 

stuck on yarn

Oh dear, now that the knitting bug bas bitten, it's all I want to do.  The baby knits were fun at first, but I'm ready to move on because truthfully, I'm not sure how much use those baby knits will get.  (baby kina pictured above - super quick knit, still needs sleeve seaming and buttons)

Now that I'm back in the yarn mindset, I've been spending some time on Ravelry.  My project page is a mess!!  I've been trying to do a bit of cleaning up of my projects.  My goodness, I sure have a lot of WIP's that I'll never get to.   I even found a nearly completed project that I had totally forgotten about, even though I started working on it this past winter!  I think it's time to start frogging some of those WIP's to free up that yarn for new projects. 

There's a certain somebody in the house who has been having a tough time with the new addition.  Seeing me make things for the baby hasn't been easy for her. To share some love, currently on the needles is a knit of the tween variety.  I'm doing a big girl version of the Baby Kina. Thankfully, the Lady Kina is free.  I'm determined to use what I have, so I'm using 2 strands of fingering weight yarn I have in my stash.  I cast on 10 less stitches than the smallest size and I'm using smaller needles, so I think it'll fit.  I sure so I hope she likes it, I haven't exactly asked her if she likes the color...

I'm sure before it's all over there will be a middle sister version in the works as well.  I wouldn't mind making a mama version, too.  With a little frogging, I'm sure I have enough yarn on hand to outfit us all!

on the needles

I seem to have switched gears, from quilts to knitting.  Suddenly last week I got the urge to knit.  I haven't picked up my knitting needles since early June, leaving my poor little non-gendered baby sweater waiting for sleeves.  With my desire to start something new, I finished up those sleeves as quickly as I could.  I wish I could remember what yarn I used for this.  I used every single bit of it. 

Actually, I was short, so I had to knit my second sleeve 2 rows shorter than the first, go back and rip back the first sleeve to make it 2 rows shorter, then use the left over yarn to finish the second.  Yes, just barely enough.  I still need to weave in the ends and add buttons.  The pattern is the Garter Yoke Baby Cardi.

 

What I was eagerly itching to knit is the eyelet yoke baby sweater.  I went to the yarn store with a pretty watermelon-ish deep pink in mind, but what I left with was this yarn that is supposed to mimic fair isle, Sirdar Crofter DK Fair Isle Effect Yarn.  Pretty cool!  I usually try to use natural fibers, but was surprised at how nice this felt. 

As you can see, I'm done with the body, but I don't think this will be worn for quite some time.  I knit the newborn size using a smaller needle than called for, but it looks like it would fit a toddler.  Who am I kidding, it practically fits Ava!!  

Oh well, I'm sure it will be used eventually by my baby or given as a gift.  I really like this pattern, so I'll probably give it another go, hopefully with smaller results.  

Next up is the Baby Kina Cardigan.  Isn't this sweater sweet?  I can't wait to make it.  I had to use my French language skills to figure out what I was doing on the website, but the pattern itself is written in english.  I'm going to knit it in the Debbi Bliss ecobaby, the yarn called for in the pattern. Now I'm debating whether to finish the sleeves on the Eyelet Yoke, or put it aside to dive into the Baby Kina.  Ah, decisions, decisions...all made from the comfort of my sofa with the ac & celing fan on full blast!!

 

always working on something

You know me, I always have multiple projects going on at once.  Before we left for our trip, I thought I should gather a few to bring with me to occupy my time on that 11-12 hour drive down to Orlando.

A few weeks ago I rediscovered embroidery.  When I started the project I thought that I would hang it in an embroidery hoop, but now I think it needs a patchwork border, then maybe I'll frame it.  Cute, no?  I started with gusto, but it sort of fell by the wayside. That's also a usual pattern of mine..

To change things up a bit I brought along some knitting.  Yes, another baby sweater. Gosh, baby sweaters are so sweet!!! I really like this pattern (details when I find them - I could have sworn I had it all in Ravelry, but apparently not!).

I guess I can't go a summer without a new skirt - I've started another cotton jersey reverse applique skirt, Alabama Stitch style.  I plan to wear this under belly style by adding a wide jersey band instead of fold over elastic.  After baby I can take that off and add the elastic, or not.  Either way, these are super comfy skirts!  I sure hope I get this done before summer is over :)

Oh, one last thing - I'm super excited to be posting over at Habit this month.  After being in a photography funk for a while (sorry abandoned 365 - I totally blame the pregnancy), I'm up for the challenge.  Hop on over and check it out, if you'd like.

P.S.  I didn't touch any one of these projects during the 22+ hours we spent on the road. Sometimes doing absolutely nothing is a just what I need.