Minimalist Cardigan tease

Finished this last weekend - just within the same month that I began - not too bad! Its just barely getting cool enough to wear this anyways - I can believe its November already! I shortened the sleeves AND the body on this and need to find a brooch or something because I prefer the way it looks partially closed. Good thing I altered the pattern, because this is whats left:

I've been cutting it close lately!

Facing the Finishing

Just thought I'd share:
1) I conquered the zipper installation & my fear of zippers has been squashed to oblivion!
2) This FO is finally a true, wearable FO - as Husband demonstrates in his male model pose:

Have a Happy Sunday!

Return from the Big Apple

This past weekend my friend from Houston and I met up in NYC for a few days of exploring and living it up! After going through my photos, I realized out of 121 - they are all either arm-length shots of our faces or pictures of buildings. I'll only post a couple to limit the repetitiveness. We did lots and lots of shopping and a moderate amount of sight-seeing, ate really great food, and even took in a show. (The 1/2 price ticket sales are unbeatable) Must go back again!

Finished Object #1: Apple Green BlanketI finished this on the plane to NYC this weekend and although its a little on the small side, I do like it a lot. I hope the recipient parents love it too! I even like the ruffle effect that the border ends up with, makes it a little more girly. However, if I made this again, I'd probably knit the main panel and pick-up stitches for the border since the gauges are so off.

Overall picture w/ very bad lighting:

and a better one of the stitches...

Finished Object #2: Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet (Free Pattern online at: LINK) I finished this last night and I'm not sure what I think about it. The yarn choice (Baby Alpaca Bulky) is not one I'd repeat because of the fuzziness of the yarn - although it is super warm and snuggly. I'm a little disappointed because I thought I'd give this as a gift, but I'm not sure its up to snuff. For a second try, I do have another (fabulous AFY) button waiting in the wings for some Manos de Uruguay, 2 skeins of Kohl.....

Must also credit http://ysolda.com/wordpress/pictorial-guides/sewn-button-loops/ for her excellent button loop tutorial!

By the way, **Does anyone know how to update your Ravelry page with the blog updates? I can't seem to get them to link-up**

Don't Mess with Texas

Freshly off the plane from San Antonio, we had a fun time @ my cousin's wedding as well as a miniature family reunion - it's been almost 10 years since I have seen some of the family I saw this weekend - what a trip to see your "baby" cousins posing as adults all of a sudden! I was a total slacker at taking pictures, but I might have some later in the week from relatives who were more camera conscious! We were too busy dancing!





It was a whirlwind weekend, but I got some serious knitting in on the plane ride - check out the baby blanket:

It doesn't photograph very well, but I have 2 more skeins of yarn to add and then I'll block the heck out of it! You can tell where the border of seed stitch buckles up against the herribone panel in the middle. Hence the blocking!

Random

Seriously, the less time I have for knitting, the more projects I find that I am crazy about. Last night, I stumbled across this pinwheel jacket and had to physically restrain myself from buying yarn on the spot! I'm trying to convince myself that this would work for a boy if it was in blues, but its a pretty hard sell - anyone else think so?

Still plotting on the baby blanket - I think I'm going to sample the Dr's Bag for the houndstooth stitch pattern and apply it to the main panel with a seed stitch border - in my head it looks great. Really don't want to frog it again (3rd time) so I'll cross my fingers it lives up to my imagination.

I am planning to head over to AFY this weekend to buy yarn for the Minimalist Cardigan this weekend. There are 39 (and counting) projects in progress on Ravelry* and they are so cute, I can't wait to start! This looks like something I can get a lot of wear out of in the upcoming seasons as long as I do a good job finishing.

School is great - I love the class I'm actually attending and the online course is just ok. I knew I wouldn't really enjoy the material and that's why I took it online - won't have to listen to lecture 3 hrs/week - always thinking!

*This is my favorite feature of Raverly - seeing other people's projects and yarn choices as I contemplate beginning projects....

Back to School, Back to School!

Much progress on the Dr. Bag now comes to a screeching halt as the yarn has run out. But only 1 color, so the yardage was not right. My LYS is also out of the yarn in the needed color, so the search begins....what else can you do?

Lots of LYS within driving distances carry the yarn, I'll just starting making calls to find the color I need.



Began a baby blanket for no one in particular on Sunday because I needed something to work on before school started this week. Got about 4" done in seed stitch - this is basically a duplicate to one I made for my sister in-law's baby a couple of years ago - green Flexi brand yarn. This one will actually be a rectangle and not a trapezoid like the one she got! Hers also got accidentally felted which makes me sad because I loved that first one so much. Maybe I'll stash this one away for myself some day...or maybe it will save me in a last-minute gift scramble. Either way, I love working with this yarn & will enjoy the process!

Pictures soon, once I find my needed yarn and can resume knitting...

Looks Can Be Deceving

I've deemed this project the "Elephant bag" and its going quite well so far.

I'm kind of worried that its going to look pink & purple instead of pink & gray, but I'm going to try and play up the gray with accessories (button & fabric lining). It WILL be cute! For once, I'm pretty much "spot-on" with gauge on my US 11 needles (HUGE).

On another note, I discovered a fellow knitter in my apartment complex that I actually know from my childhood - its truly a small world & what a fun surprise!

Husband & I traveled to Santa Barbara on Saturday and checked out the zoo, hence the lovely elephant picture. We planned on seeing the mission too, but that building that LOOKS like a mission from the 101 freeway is actually a golf course. Doesn't that make you feel slightly ripped off? I felt that way, but this leads me to.........

During our earlier days whilst living in Long Beach, we decided to visit the aquarium. Well, there is a building, round with whales and marine life painted all over it. So we naturally gravitate there, assuming its the aquarium.

When you walk up to the ticket window there is a huge sign saying:

"This is NOT the aquarium, it only LOOKS like the aquarium" posted along with directions. We thought it was quite funny and felt only slightly idiotic since we obviously weren't the first ones to make this assumption.

I hope we're getting wiser with age, but this mission incident makes me wonder...