She speaks!

Hello again! As promised, more photos of the mystery cliffhanger sweater. I figured I owed everyone (the sweater included) some decent online recognition. Careful followers will note that this is my first wearable sweater. True, I made a vest that was gifted and a sweater that makes my skin crawl, but this is my first piece of clothing that I can actually wear. Three cheers to that!

Let's get to the goods, shall we?

Pattern: Juliet (rav link)
Designer: Zephyr Gals: Sarah & Rachel
Yarn: 4 skeins Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (held double) in Provincial Rose
Needles: US #10 Addi Turbos
Dates: 8/1- 9/17 (yes...3 months ago)
Level of love: are we serious?

Mods: The largest modification I made was choosing a different lace pattern for the bodice. The pattern I went with was borrowed from the Vintage Shoulderette pattern. Other than that, I decided to do a single faux button front closure instead of the two separated ones as directed. Originally when I started finishing, the button was going to be functional-- good thing I'm flexible.

(Click to enlarge)

I enjoy this top very much, especially the A-line shape. I have already worn it out several times which I believe makes it feel loved and happy. Often I wonder if I'm the only one that imagines knit items having feelings. Knit items that are shoved into drawers would naturally be sad, and conversely happy if worn frequently. More finished goodness to come soon!

**Special thanks to my fantastic photographer friend that agreed to take the time to shoot [and edit] these photos just because he's awesome. Won't you pay him a visit?

Foliage Beret-a-fied

Okay, I know what you're thinking: "Two posts in the same week?! Not possible. Somebody obviously hacked into her account and is posting for her--that's the only explanation". Now (admittedly), I deserve that reaction. Really, I do. In the past two months, my time has been spent on classes, studies, work, and extracurriculars--any little time I did have was devoted to knitting. Unfortunately, posting took the hit. Watching my blog slowly wither away was making me sad, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to pop in on a more regularly.

On a more humorous note, the other reason I'm posting twice in the same week is that it occurred to me that if someone had never visited this blog until 4 days ago, their first impression would be of a comical (yet terrifying) staged photo of me. To be quite honest, I get a little creeped out when I look at it--but at least now I know what I'd look like if I actually did go over to the dark side...terrifying thought. Now, let's have a look at some knitting, shall we?

It occurred to me (and has been pointed out by countless others) that lately the only hats I'm interested in wearing are of the slouchy persuasion. Most of the hats I've knit of late fit that bill, but there is one that did not. Re-meet Foliage:
Now again, there was nothing wrong with the pattern or the fit of the hat as it was designed--it just wasn't "me" and therefore wasn't getting worn. In my opinion, no handknit hat deserves to live in a drawer unloved.

So last night, I had an epiphany: "My hat is made of wool...wool blocks well...I have an abundance of clean dinner plates...I'm going to fix my hat!". After the process was complete, it looked like this:

and once it was dry, it looked like this:


Which made me look like this:
Overall the transformation was a success and I now have a cuddly, functional hat that I will most definitely wear more often. Other than my hat re-shaping, I have five projects that are near completion that I will be sharing with you over the next few weeks. In the meantime, how about a little sneak peek?


Don't you just hate cliffhangers? More photos to come soon!

I might have been hiding lately...

...But I'm still here!

I promise

I've been knitting. I promise...

...but guess what's exhausting? Life. More specifically, my senior year of college. Yikes. I've said it before, and I'll undoubtedly say it again: sometimes a short post is a happy post. With that, I give you my latest conquest:


Pattern: Bousta Beret by Gudrun Johnston
Needles: US #7 & US #3 Addi Turbos
Yarn: 1.3 skeins Rowan Kid Classic
Time to knit: an extended weekend home (ample knitting time)
Made for: someone special [who deserves a new hat]
Level of love: high--this hat is adorable.

Now, seeing as it's 3:30 in the am here, I'll leave it at that. I'll be shipping this beauty off [with love] by week's end (my hope is that the recipient loves it as much as I do!).

Yawn. Life makes me sleepy...

Survey Says...

The randomness gods have spoken, and they have chosen...
Kara from Knitting Lemonade! Congratulations friend, we'll be in touch to discuss your winnings!

In response to everyone who left me happy messages, thank you so much! As I read each comment, I noticed that it was impossible to do so without smiling. As I mentioned previously, I find it captivating to see how people relate and differ when asked exactly the same thing--especially something so individualized. I also loved that, in most cases, I could sense the writers smiling as they thought out their answers. Talk about warm fuzzies!

Oh, and if you're interested in the results...It seems that both loved ones & knitting time were incredibly high scorers. I would definitely have to agree with the group consensus on this one-- Those are two things that make this knitter extremely happy!

One year ago

Yes, yes, it's true: One year ago today, I launched this little project of mine--how time has flown! During the past year, this little blog has grown to serve as the modus operandi of my projects, experiences, thoughts, emotions (both high and low), and lord knows whatever else I've thrown into the mix. I personally love having an outlet that I can use [at all hours] to talk about whatever it is that's got my goat (pun intended) at the time. Simply put, it has been (and will continue to be) a fantastic place for self-reflection.

On the topic of reflection, I've been thinking a lot about why I chose the title I did for this blog. Despite it being obvious, I've determined that my life post-knitting has been predominantly happy. Really happy. Before I found this outlet, I had this unfulfillable void searching for a hobby that really felt like home. My time spent knitting has filled that void completely. Looking back, it's terrifying to think that 2 years ago at this time, I hadn't picked up a pair of needles since my mom first taught me to knit at age 8! Can you believe it? Life without knitting would just be so.....sad! This brings me to the subject of happiness in general. I'd definitely consider myself a "glass half full" kinda gal, and I'll be the first to tell you that you really never are fully dressed without a smile. That said, I'm going to throw this one out to you:

What is it that makes you happy?

I love asking people this question. I believe it is one of the best ways to get to know somebody. Would you mind indulging me?

Because it's my first blogaversary, I will officially call this a "contest", though your response isn't going to be judged or put in any ranked order. Simply answer the question however you think is best. Your answer can be about friends, family, books, activities, rituals, you name it! Plus by doing so, you'll automatically be entered into a drawing for some fun goodies sent with care by yours truly. **Don't forget to include an email address so I can contact you if you win!** To put some sort of timeframe on this, let’s have it finished up by October 1st at 11:59 pm, shall we? (can you tell I'm getting used to college deadlines again?)
Lastly, I wanted to take the time to showcase the site that really got me interested in the idea of starting my own blog, and who really got me fired up about knitting again. Christina, I can't say I know you extremely well (or at all really) but thank you for blogging the way you do; it helped me start something I love!

Short and Sweet

A short post is a happy post. I'm having a blast back at school, but this week has been absolutely crazy. To put it into perspective, I haven't knit since I moved back into my apartment--a week ago. That's just unacceptable in my opinion. Anyway, (to tide you over) here's a fun project I forgot to share with you:
Yes, it's another Jenny Cloche! As you might have picked up by now, I have no qualms knitting a great pattern more than once. In my defense, I did try the buckle option instead of the bow to keep things interesting. The verdict? I definitely choose the bow for me, but I think the buckle makes the hat a little more universal for gifting. This pattern is highly recommended by yours truly, so go make one! Tell your friends. eta: Observant readers have reminded me that the yarn used is Malabrigo Chunky in Velvet Grapes-- Deeeeeeeeelish.



p.s. A more substantial post will come once the cable folks hook up the internet at my place! 

Right under our noses

Has anyone else ever noticed that despite how long you've lived in an area, there remain to be things that just pop up out of the blue to remind you that you don't, in fact, know everything?

For example, a few weeks ago, my sister-in-law discovered that there is an Alpaca farm less than five miles from where we live. Say whaaaat? Armed with mapquest directions and a hesitance to this place actually existing, we set out on our way. Not only does this place exist, but it ended up being pretty darn awesome. Behold, a few candids from our trip to Apple Orchard Alpacas.

ohymygosh.

why, hello!

uh. dorable.

Friendship transcending species.


Sneak attack!


HAH!

The highlight of my week. No, make that summer.

As you might have guessed, we had a great visit. Not only was the farm gorgeous, but both the animals and owners were [very] patient with us as we snapped all of these pictures. As if playing with the cute animals wasn't enough, I also made my first fiber purchase--but more on that in weeks to come. For now, I hope the abundance of cute things above will distract you from the lack of knitting photos. I promise, those are coming soon!

A winter hat in July

It is no secret that I'm a big fan of Ysolda's work. One might even consider me a groupie. I think her patterns are ingenious and that her style is unique and always fresh. Like most, I have been eying up several of her new patterns and dreaming up when and how I'm going to make everything with only two hands. Fast forward to last weekend. While my fabulous roommate was overseas in Scotland this summer, she brought a little something back home with her. Realistically, I don't think it would have been possible for her to have picked a more perfect souvenir to gift--it's obvious she knows me far too well.

What did I receive you ask? I'll give you a few hints: It came complete with a booklet copy of the pattern, the yarn suggested (in my favorite color), and a nifty tote bag-- all purchased from K1 Yarns in Edinburgh...

Oh enough of this suspense! Meet my latest fling:Pattern: Rose Red
Designer: Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Orkney Angora St Magnus D.K. in Aqua
Needles: US #7 & US #3 Addi Turbos
Time to Knit: July 20-July 25th
Level of Love: wishing I could wear hats at work.I really love this hat--in fact, I'm going to go ahead and say with confidence that this is my favorite hat yet (And just for the record, that's quite a few hats!). This pattern has just enough variety to keep it interesting but was simple enough to knit with a movie going in the background. The chart made it incredibly easy to follow, and it was fun watching the pattern grow as it got bigger.
As for modifications, I really only made two: I decided not to add the i-cord section on the top center, and I went down to US 2's for a simple 2x2 rib for the brim. Again, I'm incredibly pleased with how this turned out.

In other news, apparently, I'm not allergic to angora as I had previously thought! Though I was hesitant about it at first, the recommended yarn was a perfect choice for this pattern.

So yes, It's official-- I mark this hat mission a success.

When Life Hands you Lace...

You hand it a mindless stockinette project. Though admittedly I'm still basking in the glorious afterglow of the Shetland Triangle, I needed a project to clear my head. You know, to wipe the slate clean and start it fresh with something else. More importantly, to start it fresh with something easy.

Enter the hat: A straight, 90 st stockinette beanie style man-hat with stripes just to keep it interesting. I'm not joking when I say that this hat is a project that you'll blink and miss--it's that good (and that fast!).This project satisfied my urge to knit something useful and mindless--a perfect combination in my opinion. As for the recipient, he's a great guy who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Just as he was mentioning his need for a new hat, my fingers were itching to start one. A few episodes of Daria later, a new hat was born. In a nutshell, this project gave me the mindless break I needed...and it also gave me an excuse to use my personalized tags--yeah!

So in conclusion, I urge you to go out, cast on, and knit something obscenely simple--you'll probably be happy you did!

Sneaky.

So we're just going to go ahead and not acknowledge that I've fallen off the face of the earth for the past month. Step one in pretending it never happened? Introducing yet another surprise project!

Yeah, I have a PhD. in Sneakiness.Yup, that's a Shetland Triangle you see!
Yarn: a little less than 1 skein of Malabrigo Lace. Yummm.
Needles: 47" US 8 Addi Turbos
Time to knit: June 26-July 19
Level of love: Off. the. charts.

Today was the day of my fantastic roommate's bridal shower and, afterward, I was able to snap a few pictures of her wearing her new item. Seeing as Jamie's the one who got me re-interested in knitting (hear, hear!), making a special project for her was the least I could do. I had purchased the yarn on a whim during a trip home; when I brought it back with me, I specifically remember Jamie handling [lusting after] it quite a bit. Little did she know that she'd get it a few months later.
In other news, I love the pattern. No really, I love the pattern. I absolutely will be making this again. The only thing that didn't work like clockwork was my first attempt on the bind off (waaay too tight). 2nd time around, I ended up going up to size 15's to make sure it was loose enough to make those characteristic points. As for modifications, I only did one extra repeat than the pattern called for, but it stretched to a decent (and wearable) size due to the size 8's. Oh, and as if this a shock, the Malabrigo was heaven to work with.

So there you have it! What's yet to come? Perhaps another hat (shocking?), a fun-filled trip to an Alpaca farm, and finally learning to spin? Ohhhh the possibilities!