Currently {january 22nd}

I've had really busy hands.  Just not busily typing on the internet.  I have been knitting ALL THE THINGS.  After the pillow,  I did my first seamless sweater!  

It took between 4 to 5 days and turned out nearly perfect!  Rowan has already asked me if I would make her another sweater.  I finally started on a memory blanket of mitered squares using little balls of stash yarn from previous (and future!) projects.  There is probably so much more I should be doing, like dishes....

This weeks themes:

starting, looking, listening, snapping, making

Starting:  I have started my first pair of knitted socks!  Finally doing a knitting project for myself for a change.  They are from the same pattern collection as the sweater I knitted for Rowan.  Called The Simple Collection from Tin Can Knits, there are 8 FREE patterns to help new knitters, like myself, get used to some of the basics of knitting.

Looking:  We've been looking at new kitchen cabinets, bath tubs/surrounds, etc.  Our bathroom is hideous and the kitchen isn't much better.  The cabinets are custom built and while that sounds awesome... it's not.  None of them are the same, doors barely close properly, lots of wasted space.  But buying new cabinets means buying new countertops, new floors, new dishwasher.  You get the idea.  Lots of research will be required.

Listening:  Rowan has really started to have the cutest little pretend conversations between her stuffed animals and little toys.  The other day I was listening to her line up all her Care Bears and they were all at the doctor's office being seen for different things.

Snapping:  I've been snapping at my oldest daughter quite a bit lately.  She seems to know just how to push all the buttons.  I feel bad for snapping at her, but she has the most horrible attitude.  I feel like no matter what I do, say, or try, she could care less.

Making:  I'm making big plans to get back on the meal planning wagon.  I want to try for monthly shopping instead of doing week to week.  This will definitely require a lot of planning on my part, but in the end I think it will work.

Reading:  Sadly, I am still reading the same book that I've been "reading" for about a month.  I haven't actually read a page in quite a while.  Maybe I should do that....

Watching:  Agent Carter!  I'm a geek, if you hadn't noticed, and I love all these Marvel movies/tv shows.  Avengers, Thor (but really I love Loki), Iron Man, Captain America, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc.  And I love how they all have little pieces of the others in them somewhere.  When I saw that ABC was going to be having a show about the awesome Agent Carter from Captain America, I knew I had to watch.  I'm already bummed that there will only be 8 episodes though.

Next weeks themes:

wondering, running, winning, calling, finishing

Currently link up is hosted by Kale + Beans and OT & ET.

Big B's and Lots of Strings

I decided to boost my craftiness this year by following along with a Tumblr blog, Craft Challenges.  Doing a new project every month.  Probably a lost cause before it even starts because I rarely ever finish a challenge.  I do try though.  And this month is already complete!

This month's theme was white.  You are open to interpret that however you see, but it must have something predominately white about it.

I was randomly searching through Ravelry for something I could use.  I definitely didn't want to knit something white for the toddler to wear because it wouldn't be white for long!  I happened upon a pattern for a pillow.  With a big B on it!  If you don't know, our last name starts with a B.

Turns out I learned two knitting techniques while doing this project, intarsia colorwork and how to use mattress stitch to seam a bound off/cast on edge.

I've done stripes, but not blocks of color.  I did not do it right.  At least for the first half of the B anyway.  I was cutting the yarn at every color change.  I hang my head in shame.  What can I say?  I'm still fairly new to this.  I realized that this just wasn't right, considered frogging the whole damn thing, watched a few videos, discovered yarn "bobbins", and finished it.

The original pattern called for using a crochet hook to weave together the edges with a nice contrasting yarn.  I wanted a more finished look so decided I'd go with what I know.  The mattress stitch.  Except when I got to the cast on/bound off edges, I realized I had to go back to videos.  Turns out it's pretty easy and I got nice pretty seams.

The B may not be pretty.  It's got tons of mistakes.  I think for my first go with so many new things (a pillow, colorwork, these kind of seams), I like it.  I hope to possibly make other letter pillows in the future.

Erryday I'm Ravelin'

I just published my first pattern on Ravelry.

I'm nervous, excited, like a deer in the headlights.

When I first began knitting, which wasn't that long ago peeps, I looked everywhere for patterns that were knit flat as I had no idea how to knit things in-the-round.  My daughter, Kaia Papaya, wanted me to make her a slouchy beanie (because she's a secret hipster), but I was having trouble finding something that I could create.

I finally came across a pattern that was 1) slouchy and 2) knit flat.  Hurrah!  I made one.  Another and then another.  I found I could literally make one of these in just a few hours.  The problem is that the original pattern disappeared.  It was posted online and is lost to the matrix.  And I had never copied or written the pattern down.

I sat down with one of her beanies, a notebook, pen, some yarn, and needles.  Several trial and errors later, I think I found a pattern that works!  Since it's not exactly original, I was working off of another pattern, I made it free!

You can find it on Ravelry here and there is also a link on my Shop tab.