world vision: knit for kids sweater = done!

Long time no post!  Okay, not that long.  But my life has once again spiraled out of control with school and work responsibilities.  After this weekend, I think I'll be better, but right now I'm so stressed out that all I want to do is eat and sleep.  But we all know that's not productive, so I've just been walking around like a hungry zombie.

The good news is that I was able to finish my World Vision: Knit for Kids sweater before everything exploded, so now I'm just waiting until I have a chance to mail it out.






I decided to make it harder on myself by using a different color for all the front-post double crochets.  Not that it was hard to do, but weaving in the ends was NOT a good time!  I wove in as much as I could and then crocheted over what little ends were left, which left a nice border.  It kind of made the sleeves trumpet a bit, but that's okay.  I'm not sure you'd really notice when it's on.

I wish the pictures were better, but as always, I was too busy to get it "just right".  I miss having more than five minutes to myself in a day, and I miss being home for more than one night in a week (including weekends).  I can't tell if my classes are just that work-intensive, or if I've just chosen to take on too much at the same time.  Story of my life!

knitted baby sweater progress

I'm making this post mainly to torture my friend who's having the baby that will eventually wear this cuteness :)

So far, I've finished the back panel, the left panel, and I'm almost done with the right panel.  I'm really happy with how it's coming out, even though I'll have to block the crap out of it.  And then sew it all together.  But it's going to be soooo worth it because it's just that adorable.






I'm only one step away from becoming the grandmother (was it the grandmother?) from "A Christmas Story" who makes people wear bunny pajamas I've sewn together.

At first, I was worried that I'd run out of yarn, but I think I'm going to be okay.  The back panel of course ate through a big chunk, but I feel like baby sleeves and a sailor panel around the collar won't take too much.

Notice how part of the border gets sewn on later.  This is a new technique for me (how could it not be? - I rarely make sweaters).  You basically cast on a ton of stitches, knit in garter stitch for six rows while knitting three together halfway down (for the corner), then cast off half those stitches.  It's a lot easier than trying to pick up the stitches and create the border later on.

I've had to put it down in the past two weeks to work on some other projects and get back in the swing of school (I need to read six books this session and have papers coming out my butt) - kill me now.  Something tells me that knitting and crocheting are going to be my only forms of sanity.

knit for kids update

I think by now, we all know the type of person I am.  That is, once I get an idea in my head, I want to do it immediately.  My mom blames this on me being a Gemini.

As you saw in my last entry, I've slated knit and crochet charites on my calendar for the next few months (and I'm looking for more, so recommend away)!  These items are going to fill gaps in the other projects I need to complete for about 900 babies, a couple commissions, and of course Christmas presents.  I thought it was about time I did something useful with one of my talents.

Suffice it to say, I'm almost done with my first World Vision Knit for Kids sweater!  It helps that I chose the crochet pattern (I thought it was the cutest of the three knit or crochet options).






Since taking these photos on Sunday - before we lost cable and internet for 1.5 days thanks to Irene - I've completed the front and back panels and seamed them together.  All I need to do now is weave in all those ends.  I might jump off a bridge instead.

The dark blue color is Lion Brand Pound of Love in Denim, and the light blue is Caron Simply Soft in Light Country Blue.  Both colors came from my stash, of which the Pound of Love has been a member since 2006.  I'm so happy I've finally put it to good use, as I hope to do with the rest of my growing yarn collection.

Again, if you'd like to see what charites I'm participating in or if you'd like to join me in my efforts, check out my Facebook events page and RSVP!  I'd love to have you :)

join me as i knit & crochet for charity!

I've been talking about knitting and crocheting for charity since around 2006.  For some reason or another, I was never able to set aside time and do it.  Ultimately, that's pretty selfish.  Considering I love my hobby, the least I can do is create something that helps other people.

That's why I've decided to spend the rest of 2011 donating to one charity per month.

First up is World Vision Knit for Kids.  Choose from one crochet pattern or two knitting patterns to create a child-sized sweater that will be donated to kids across the world!  I'm almost done with the sleeves and yoke of one side, and have already created the body for the other.  I'll post a photo when I'm done (of course!), but it works up so quickly.  I started it on Sunday night and have gotten that far already.  I'd love to have one knit, as well, by the end of September... so we'll see how my schedule goes with classes starting again next week (gross).

In October, I'll be starting my Scarves for Special Olympics project.  This is one charity in particular that I keep saying I'll help out with and never do.  So I bought enough of the official yarn to make two scarves, and that will be my goal.  Check out their website for deadlines in your area - in PA, ours is February 2nd (I think).  I wanted to get my two scarves done earlier in case I decided to make more... but at least I'd have those done.

Then comes November, when I'll be creating bears for the Mother Bear Project.  I first heard of this charity a few years ago on Knitty Gritty and always wanted to help out.  Well, I finally donated $5 two weeks ago, so I have my knit pattern ready to go.  They also offer a crochet pattern for anyone who doesn't knit.  If you haven't heard of the project, you create bears in one piece (they're super simple), stuff them, and mail them to MN where team members stitch a red felt heart over the bear's heart.  The bears are then sent all over Africa and to parts of Haiti.

I'm still debating if I want to do something in December because that's usually when I go nuts creating my Christmas gifts (though I know what I'm making this year and have already ordered the yarn, so maybe I can get an early start).  If you have any suggestions, let me know!

If you'd like to join me in my effort, check out my Facebook page's events and RSVP!  We can consider it an online knit/crochet-a-long.  I'd love to know if others are participating with me.  Plus, maybe it'll help with my motivation.  I'm already hitting a wall in this child's sweater.  Not because it's not fun and easy, but because I'm getting new-project-itis where I want to do 20 other projects, as well.

my philadelphia yarn haul

This past weekend, Hubby and I took an impromptu trip to Philly.  We had no major plans in mind - we were just going to walk around and do random things.  It had been an awful week, so getting out of the house and back into the Land of Daywalkers was important.

The small trip was exactly what we needed.  We saw a band that we really like, The Handsome Furs, and the show was awesome - even if it was pouring down rain and 100 degrees.  Hubby even bought me a t-shirt to add to my growing collection.  Then we met up with my friend Michelle and her boyfriend for some drinks at a cute place called Pub and Kitchen.  The next morning, we met them for breakfast at Parc Brasserie before heading back to her boyfriend's house - and you'll never guess what happened next:

He lives about a block away from a yarn shop!  And not just any yarn shop - the yarn shop I was researching before we left on our trip and had told Hubby I wanted to stop at.

The shop is called Loop, and I'm in love. 

Michelle wanted me to make her a hat version of my Whitney Headband, so we picked out some yarn together.  I also bought some yarn to start making Christmas presents.  Here's the swag I walked away with (and the yarn I helped Michelle pick out was even on sale - I'm so cool):

The whole kit & caboodle:

The Zara yarn, marked down from $10 to $6:

I loved the Zara yarn because it wasn't a solid color.  I thought that since the hat would be fairly plain, the light texture would add some more interest.  And I just love that orangey-red color to begin with, especially since it's almost Fall (my favorite season)!

Some Giselle yarn from Classic Elite:

I'm really happy with these purchases and can't wait to start making something with them.  The Giselle yarn is for a Christmas present, so I won't mention what it's for here - but we'll say I'm super pumped to use it!

So yeah, the next time you're near South Street in Philly, make sure to check out Loop.  I'm hoping to get back sometime soon, since Hubby and I were talking about taking more small weekend getaways to the city.  There's a lot going on down there and we're not far away by any means, so why not?  Our next trip?  Looking to see if there are any deals on the museums.  We wanted to visit them this weekend, but it was just too expensive for the time we wanted to spend there.  So we need to make a day of it.

If you know of any other cool yarn shops in or around Philadelphia, let me know.  I'd love to check them out :D  Hope you're all having a great week!