Finished: Lapidary

It's done, it's done, it's finally done! I've finished my Lapidary!

Started the day after Christmas, Lapidary by Brittany Wilson was the yarn and pattern kit that came in my December 2014 Indie KnitCrate. After two months spent working on orders for other people, I couldn't wait to knit up a project for myself. I don't typically make anything for my own wardrobe (which is horrible marketing if you're in the knitting business looking to turn a profit), and it super stinks when I want to make something, but have to put it off for weeks at a time.

Anyway, I was dying to get my hands on this project, and I'm happy to say I saw it through to the end. I knit on Lapidary almost exclusively for three weeks, a feat unheard of and often celebratory in my world. We experienced and fixed dropped stitches together, as well as sat through the new season of Downton Abbey and sipped many cups of loose leaf tea freshly brewed in my favorite glass tea pot. Lapidary is the first project I've successfully soaked and blocked, all using my new blocking mats from KnitPicks. Indeed, I finally felt like a "real" knitter.

And I think that's why I lost interest in blogging about my knits for some time: I wasn't doing anything new. Almost everything I knit or crocheted was for a custom order, and each of those orders are made from patterns I've used a million times. It all became a little monotonous. It's not that I didn't enjoy it anymore, but it wasn't worth talking about because I'd already said what I've needed to say about those projects. It was time for something different.

So I'm happy to say that Lapidary has launched me into a new obsession: shawls. It's what spurred me to join Grace Akhrem's Crashing Waves KAL, plus another KAL that's Instagram-only. I consider myself an intermediate knitter, but wasn't making any intermediate projects. I feel like I can now truly say that I'm intermediate and understand more concepts than initially thought. How cool is that?

I know I've been on a KnitCrate bragging spree lately, but I truly believe that without my subscription, I wouldn't have ventured into this world for quite some time yet. Or at least had the patience to finish something using techniques I'd learned and never implemented. I plunged in after seeing what the talented blogger/podcaster KnitFitch was able to create with less than a year of knitting experience - I was blown away. And now, I feel like maybe someone will be blown away with what I can make, too.

In fact, I'm kind of blown away with myself.

Yarn Haul: Pepperberry Knits and Knitter's Pride from Loop

How does a knitter sped the day before New Year's Eve? Why, yarn shopping, of course!

Nick and I were visiting my friend and her husband in Philadelphia to enjoy the delectable tastes of a modern Indian restaurant called Tashan. I should stop here to note that the food did not disappoint. Each couple split one of the larger entrees, while we all shared multiple smaller plates that were so good, you could kill for it (which we essentially did since it was all meat!) It's a fine dining experience right on Broad Street and worth a visit if you're in the area. End sidebar.

Anyway, I've mentioned in many earlier blog entries that my friend lives literally a block away from one of my favorite yarn shops, Loop. When Nick and I showed up (delayed by only 20 minutes on the Surekill), my friend and I decided to head to Loop while the boys stayed in and shared some beer. An ideal night in any crafter's book, if I do say so myself.

Now, Loop can be overwhelming because everything is so beautifully yummy. Their displays are organized, colorful, and represent my wet dream of a craft room (maybe someday). It's never easy to pick just one thing to buy, so I browsed for at least 20 minutes before resting my eyes on this mini skein bundle from Pepperberry Knits.

The bundle is actually their Lucy Fun Size Cowl Kit, 100% cashmere yarn that's currently only available to purchase through their partner stores (like Loop - convenient!) The bundle includes mini-skeins in various colors with enough yardage to complete a Lucy Cowl, whose most difficult feature will be the provisional cast-on. In other words, this is perfect potato-chip knitting with a gorgeous, luxury-yarn-induced end game.

Although there are several colorways to choose from, I selected Crazy Redhead. From my browsing on Ravelry, it looks like different versions of this colorway are available, so I just went with my favorite color combo (for example: you can purchase one combo that includes blue).

And because I can never have enough needle brands to experiment with, I also bought some Knitter's Pride Size 7 16" Dreamz fixed circulars. I didn't think I'd like them because their tips are relatively short for my preference, but I used them to knit up a custom order a couple days ago and loved the experience. They're smooth and light, making knitting fun and fast.

Hmm... I didn't think it would be possible to ramble on this much about one yarn purchase. I learn something new every day :)

Stay tuned for my Lucy Cowl once I'm finished with a couple KALs and my KnitCrate projects.

KAL: Grace Akhrem's Crashing Waves

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know I'm participating in designer Grace Akhrem's knit-a-long for her Crashing Waves shawl/wrap. I thought I'd venture on over to my blog and invite you to do the same!

So far, the pattern is moving along just swimmingly and I'm having a lot of fun. I reached a point in my Lapidary (picking up stitches for the border) where I couldn't go on anymore and needed a fun distraction that still allowed me to knit - just not picking up something like a million stitches :)

I'm using madelinetosh prairie in Holi Festival and loving every minute of it! I have to admit that knitting a garter tab cast-on for the first time in lace-weight yarn was a bit of an adventure because the stitches were more difficult to see (and boy, did it ever look wonky with that open weave)! But it came out fine and I can add a new technique to my repertoire.

The KAL started on January 10th and ends on January 31st. As of today, we're only three days in, so it's not too late to join if you have access to some lace weight yarn in your stash or an LYS that carries your yarn of choice!

Plus, one lucky KAL participant will receive a pretty neat yarn and pattern prize combination (more details on the exact pattern and yarn coming soon - it will be good)! And two lucky winners will receive a pattern bundle prize. Your chances of winning are pretty good right now, so I'm encouraging you to hop on over and have some good old-fashioned knitting fun with us!

I'm an AllFreeCrochet Top Blogger of 2014!

So perhaps one of the things on my list of "Top News to Wake Up To" would be an email announcing that I'm a Top Blogger on AllFreeCrochet.com. My Really Easy Slouchy Beanie has made their list of Top 100 Crochet Patterns (and it's the first one listed under Crochet Hat Patterns, too)!

I've been doubting my abilities lately, mostly because I just put out a couple patterns that had a great initial response and then tapered off (that'll teach me to launch something right in the middle of everyone's Christmas gift-making extravaganzas). This news made my day, though, and maybe got me out of my designer's rut.

Many thanks to AFC for the honor; I'm enjoying checking out the other patterns, as well, and seeing a lot I haven't come across yet. You should do the same :)

Finished: Gallatin Scarf for Mom

With everything that happened in December, I wasn't sure I was going to finish any of the gifts I had planned. While last month's events were reminders that procrastination is my enemy, I still knew I needed to get some handmade gifts done in time for Christmas. So off I went.

The first gift I finished was another Gallatin Scarf, this time for my mom at her request! I used the same type of yarn I had used in mine: Mountain Colors Twizzle, but in the Winter Sky colorway. She had seen the one I made and wore to Vegas in November and wanted one for herself, so I was more than happy to oblige!

The Gallatin Scarf is a great project and, as promised in the pattern, very fast to knit up. Even with working full-time and pumping out orders like a crazy person, I was able to finish this in a couple evenings. Just grab your favorite worsted weight luxury yarn and a pair of huge circular needles and you're set. The lace stitch and its increases are simple to memorize, making this perfect TV knitting. Considering I was glued to the Hallmark Channel all month, I was happy for that.

I didn't dive into a description of Mountain Colors Twizzle in the post about my own scarf, but I'd like to get into it here. The yarn is lovely - no doubt about it. The colors are super saturated and I love the contrasting flecks plied throughout. But... I ran into a few snags. It sometimes looked like the yarn was cut or frayed. It's not something that happened often, but being a pricier yarn, I thought I'd either see if anyone had experienced the same issues or inform anyone who was wondering if it's worth the money. Like I said, the colors are so vibrant that I absolutely do think it's worth the $20-whatever I paid for it - just without as many snags. If it had happened only with the hank I used for my scarf, I'd have thought it was an odd-ball and let it go (it's bound to happen on occasion, which we knitters know); however, it happened in two different hanks from two different dye lots. Have any of you used this yarn and encountered a similar problem?

That's all for today. Lots of yarn goodness and other finished projects coming soon :)