My Olympic Project

February 18, 2022 My Time Stitching13 Comments

Hi friends. I can’t believe that the Olympics are almost over. What a wild ride so far. After hearing about an “Olympic project” during the last Olympics, I decided to go for it this time. So after hearing about the Olympic challenge again on The Yarn Garden’s Feature Friday Facebook video, I decided I would start the Liva Cardigan by Amy Christoffers. I purchased the yarn and pattern back in September. And since it was quite a bit of yarn and a cardigan that I wanted to knit for myself, I felt it was the perfect time to get it out of my stash.

I actually purchased 9 balls of this yarn as I wasn’t sure I would need 8 or 9. This is the same yarn that I used for the Marit shawl that I made for my Mother in Law.

And this is the cardigan. You can find it on Ravelry here. I fell in love with this cardigan when I saw it at a trunk show at my local yarn shop. So a few days before the Olympics Opening, I started “training” for the big event. And when I say training, I mean swatching, LOL

The recommended needles are US size 8, but I had too many stitches for gauge. So I went up to a US size 9 and was still 1 stitch off. So after talking with the Head Gardener at The Yarn Garden and getting some helpful hints on whether to swatch again and needle size, I decided to go with the size 9. So I was all set to go the day of Opening Ceremonies.

To start I had to make 5 mitered square blocks. 3 of these squares will form the back of the cardigan and the remaining 2 will be for pockets. This is my first time making mitered squares and I enjoyed making them. The pattern was well written and I didn’t have any problems. Well, a little with the center diagonal where the decreases are. I just had to remember to give a little extra tug. I love the way the squares look. The Topaz yarn makes them look a bit wonky. The yarn goes thick and thin throughout, so to me it makes them look lumpy. But like with the Marit shawl, they will look better with blocking.

So I stitched 3 of the blocks together for the back and picked up stitches for the left side.

So this is as far as I have gotten. Last night I separated the stitches for the sleeves and to do a 3 needle bind off, but I had one too many stitches and I didn’t have a set of size 9 DPN’s for the sleeves. That called for a quick online purchase and then I put all of the stitches back onto the main cable. So, I will not be standing on the podium on Sunday, but I really didn’t think I would get this cardigan finished in 16 days. But the Olympic challenge was a good reason to get it started. I would like to finish it before winter is over, so fingers crossed.

So that is what I am up to. Do you have an Olympic project going?

Margot Wrap is Finished

January 23, 2022 My Time Stitching14 Comments

Hello blogging friends. I hope it is much warmer where you are than where I am. It has been so cold this week. So, since cold and snow has kept me inside, I thought I would get my Margot Wrap fully finished. I added some wool wash to a sink full of cold water and put my wrap in to soak for about 15 minutes. I pulled out the blocking boards, pins and blocking wires.

There is just something about a knit (or crochet) project soaking in a bubble bath. The colors become brighter and the patterns seem to be more prominent. I love it! After soaking for about 15 minutes, I pressed out as much water as I could and then rolled the wrap in a towel and pressed to get the rest of the water out.

Since this was a long wrap with mostly straight sides, I decided to use the blocking wires. If you haven’t used them before, they are long, skinny rods that come in various lengths. Mine are about 36″ long and I don’t know why, but they remind me of a car radio antenna. Well, sort of. Anyway, you just weave them through your garment and add some blocking pins to hold in place. When I use them, I seem to take a longer time to weave them through than if I had just used the blocking pins. But I was able to get it all blocked and let it sit overnight. It blocked out beautifully!

The colors are so beautiful and the criss crosses blocked out nicely.

It really turned out lovely and I can’t wait to wear it the next time I go out. The details on this wrap: It is the 2021 Advent from Speckled Finch Studios. The pattern is The Margot Wrap by Yvonne Poon and is available on Ravelry.

So that is what I have been up to. What are you up to?

Ginny

Knitted Shawl · Knitted Wrap · Knitting · yarn

My Advent Knitting

January 3, 2022 My Time Stitching9 Comments

Good afternoon, my blogging friends. It is cold where I am and there is about 5 inches of snow on the ground from a weekend storm. I should be cleaning the house and taking down what little decorations I put up for the holidays. But instead, I have decided to hide out in my craft room for a bit. There is quite a mess on my desks, so blogging it is! I want to catch up on my projects from the last couple of months.

About mid November I received my advent package from Speckled Finch Studios. All of those cute little numbered bags; Each containing a mini skein; begging me to open them all! But I refrained.

It was so hard waiting for December 1 to roll around so I could open that first bag containing a surprise mini skein of yarny goodness! But I was a good girl. I did open the large skein as it was not part of the advent, but an added goody with the cost of my advent. There was also a yummy candle and handmade bar of soap for wool washing.

The yarn is so beautiful! It is called Winter Wonderland and is pretty perfect for what I am seeing out of my window today. The candle smells so delicious! I’m not sure if I like the bar of soap. It has a very strong odor, but may not be so when it is used to wash a knitted garment. I also received the Ravelry code to download the advent project; The Margot Wrap by Yvonne Poon. And I love how she made the photo black and white so she would not spoil what the yarns look like. So I gathered all of my supplies to get started; pattern, needles, stitch marker, progress marker, post it notes and highlighting tape. On December 1st, I opened bag #1 and instantly fell in love with the beautiful pastel mint green color! So I rolled it into a ball and settled in to knit.

I spent each day of December opening the appropriate bag, ooohing and aaahhhing at the beautiful skein, winding it into a ball and knitting that day’s section. I knitted most mornings, but some evenings were spent catching up on the days rows. I love each and every skein and added surprise that I opened.

The pattern was so relaxing and a joy to knit. There were 2 rows that were “criss cross” rows that were a little nerve racking, but I soon became quicker at them. They look a bit wonky and loose, but I am sure they will be great with blocking.

I love how all of the colors look together and do hope that I get to see some of them in full skeins in the future.

The wrap continued to grow everyday and each day I loved the new color and looked forward to seeing what color would be added next.

There are so many beautiful colors that I just can’t pick a favorite! I want them all!

Even the yellow skein is so beautiful! So far I have to say that day #19 and day #20 are my absolute favorites together. They are the teal and tan/brown colors below the top yellow color in the photo above. I am calling them Sand and Sea; you know, for the mermaids 😉 On December 25, 2021 I finished the wrap, ending with the first color.

Wow! What a beautiful wrap! I love it! I still need to block it and weave in the ends. Hopefully I can get Christmas put away and pull a table out to block it on. It is quite long and I can’t wait to block out those Criss Crosses. And I have a quite a bit of yarn leftover to do something with in the future. Maybe a thinner scarf, maybe additions to a scrapghan someday. Who knows. Whatever I use them for, they will be perfect. This was a wonderful advent and I am so happy I purchased it and I am proud of myself for keeping up with it every day. I LOVE Speckled Finch Studio yarns. You can find them Here The shop is not open util later this month, but there is a link there to her Instagram so you can see some of her scrumptious yarns! I will post pictures of my wrap when it is blocked. I can’t wait to wear it!

Well, that was my big project for December. Come back soon to see another big project that I finished as well as some little in between projects. What have you been up to? I’d love to hear about your projects.

Ginny

Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

Welcome 2022!

January 1, 2022 My Time Stitching12 Comments

Happy New Year! Is it really 2022? Will it fly by as fast as 2021? Well, however it goes, I hope that it is a better year for all of us. I had hoped to make a post before 2021 ended, but that didn’t happen. Too much going on I suppose. I do hope that my day today is not an indication of how my year is going to go, because it is not going so well 😦 Deep breaths.

So, when I last posted, I was working on the Marit Shawl. I did finish it and blocked it and it came out very well.

I wasn’t so sure about adding the fringe, but I am glad I did. It really looks lovely with the fringe.

It was sent to my Mother-in-law for Christmas and she loves it. The yarn is Berroco Topaz and was a little rough while knitting and thick and thin in places. I was not sure I was going to like it or not. After blocking , it did get softer and the drape is really nice. I am glad it turned out to be a nice yarn, as I had purchased several skeins in a different colorway, for a cardigan for myself. I hope to get to it this year some time.

I have several more finishes to share, but I will save them for other posts. For now, I hope that your holidays were wonderful and I wish you a fabulous 2022!

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Project Bags

Stitching, Knitting and Shopping

November 12, 2021 My Time Stitching8 Comments

Hello blogging friends. The temps are getting cooler here after a few days of surprisingly wonderful warm and sunny days. The dreaded white stuff is coming though. About an inch or two of snow is predicted for this weekend 😦 Are you a fan of snow and cold weather? I am not looking forward to winter and can only hope that it will fly by as fast as my summer did.

I need to plan out some projects for the winter. But for now, let’s talk about what I am stitching on right now.

I finished the tail on Pearl of the Orient Seas, minus the beads. I have moved scrolls to the middle of the design to work upwards.

While I am enjoying the stitching on this one, the colors are starting to bring me down and I am getting the itch to start something new. I am trying really hard to resist, but I do see some smaller projects creeping into my plans. For now, I stitch on 🙂 Just to remind you, the design is Pearl of the Orient Seas by Bella Filipina Designs. Fabric is 16ct aida, a one of a kind dye from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.

The Marit Shawl by Amy Christoffers is still on my needles. It is going well, but still looking a little small to me.

I am actually on the decrease tier now and making half triangles for the top edge.

Maybe blocking will give me the size I need. This shawl will also have tassels.

Now onto the shopping as mentioned in my title. Last week Shop Hop started at local yarn shops. I decided not to shop hop this year, but just visit my very local shop, The Knitting Nest. I picked up some yarn for the newly published on Ravelery, Urchins and Scallops shawl from Soft Yarn Designs. This one should definitely be put into my winter knitting plans 😉

After getting home, I realized the yarn colors are very similar to the colors used in the pattern. I think they are perfect. The lovely shop owners also pointed out that they had some new stitch markers that they knew I would be interested it. Mermaids! Yes, please. And I couldn’t help but pick up another Project Bag by CleverGirl Designs. This one is a little bigger than the bags I usually order from her. It just fits into the bin I keep them in, but is taller than the other bags. I don’t think I can ever have too many of Kristine’s bags. Hubby ordered me another year of the Bag of the Month from her in August. I have received August, September and October, but I cannot find the pictures. Today I was surprised with the November and December bags and they are Awesome! Here is my November bag…ready?

Oh my gosh! It’s Gnomies!! so stinking cute! I LOVE it! And here is the back;

My December bag was just as awesome.

She knows my love for mermaids and I do love this one. In fact, it matched the mask I was wearing when I went to the yarn shop to pick them up. Did you catch that cute Seashell zipper pull/progress marker? So cute! And check out that cute wallet looking matching piece! Have to show the back and the open wallet, too!

Just look at that cute little Floss Catcher! I just love all of Kristine’s bags. They are so well made and her attention to detail and choice of fabrics is amazing. You can find her on Instagram @clevergirldesignsco

This is how I store my CleverGirl Project Bags.

There are 20 bags in these bins. It doesn’t include the one I am using for Pearl or the 2 new ones I picked up today. I can still use some more, LOL

This been is full of not so pretty bags filled with wonderful projects. Some day it will be filled with pretty CleverGirl Design bags.

While at the Yarn Shop today, I was looking for even more yarn. This time for a sweater. Yep, a sweater, not a shawl! I haven’t made a sweater in years and I think I need to add one to my winter stitching plan 😉 I didn’t buy any, as I need to figure out what I want to use. So, I am off to make a swatch. What are you up to? What are your crafty plans for the weekend?

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

A Mermaid and A Shawl

November 4, 2021 My Time Stitching17 Comments

Hello, friends! So today I am going to chat about what is on my needles now; both knitting and cross stitch. Let’s start with the knitting. When my Mother-in-law visited in September, we went to the local yarn shop. The shop was having a Berroco Trunk show, and MIL found a shawl that she loved. She asked if I would knit it for her. Of course I agreed. I already had the book that the pattern was in, and she purchased the yarn. Last week I started it.

The pattern is the Marit Shawl and is in Berroca Book 428 – Topaz. It is also available on Ravelry. So I started it and it is the weirdest construction I have ever done. I am told it is Entrelec knitting. It is a little confusing at first, but I have learned that if I look ahead to see whether the next row is knitted on the right side or the wrong side, I am good to go. I think I just start second guessing myself and then confuse myself. The diagram included also helps. So I started knitting away on a 7 US needle.

I was getting the hang of the pattern and enjoying the knitting. I am not so sure about the yarn. It is Topaz from Berroco. It goes from thin to thick, hence the lumpy look in many spots. I need to grow to love this yarn as I purchased quite a bit of it in another colorway for a cardigan for myself. And then I happened to look up the pattern on Ravelry (I don’t even remember why) and noticed that my squares were a bit smaller that the picture. So I started looking at the stats and the Ravelry pattern suggests a size 9 US needle. What?? The book pattern suggests a 7 US needle. Oh my gosh! So I had to rip it all out. Yep, frogged the whole thing, and it was not easy. This yarn is a bit fuzzy, so it took me quite some time to try to carefully rip it all out. OK. On to start number two.

So on Tuesday I re-started the shawl. My squares are definitely bigger and it is going faster this time around.

This is where I left off last night. I will say that this pattern is so fun and at times, I say to myself, “one more block.” And then I have knitted 3 more. I just want to keep going with it. But usually I knit in the morning while having my coffee. I didn’t get to do that this morning, so I may be knitting “a few blocks” tonight. But evenings and nights are usually reserved for cross stitching. Which brings me to talk about what I am stitching X’s on these days.

When I finished The Dark Queen, I immediately went to my WIP stack and pulled out Pearl, of The Orient Seas from Bella Filipina. I started her in August of 2019.

This is what she looked like when I picked her up in October.

This pattern is very heavily beaded and has lots of Kreinik threads. So there is going to be lots of holes left for adding many, many beads in the end.

She has a very skinny body leading down to her tail. Oh good, that should go rather quickly. And then there is beautiful tail! Here is where I am at now.

She is coming along nicely and I am determined to stick with her until finished. I am stitching her on a one of a Kind 16ct aida from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.

So, that is what I have been up to. What are you working on?

cross stitch · Fairies · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Passione Ricamo · yarn

Catching Up With Some Finishes

November 3, 2021 My Time Stitching11 Comments

Hello friends! Today was a lazy day and I didn’t get much done. It looks cold and gloomy outside, maybe that explains my mood today. Anyway, I promised a photo of my finished 20 Year Celebration piece.

Please excuse the wrinkles. It was on the scrolls for a long time. I can’t tell you how happy I am to finish this piece. It is so beautiful in person. I love the Round Robin feel to it. A little bit of 12 different designs by Passione Ricamo. I am still looking for a framer, but this piece definitely has to be framed. Another one out of the WIP pile!! I stitched this on 16ct Aida Nantucket Sky from Fabrics By Stephanie.

While I was finishing up the Jolie shawl, a local yarn dyer, AJHC Wools, posted a picture of her yarns in a pink to black fade that I absolutely fell in love with! So I checked my stash and ordered what I needed to make the Grevillea Shawl by Ambah O’Brien. Here are the yarns in all of their gloriousness:

Isn’t it just fabulous? I couldn’t wait to get started on it.

With every repeat of this pattern, I fell more and more in love. The pink section was so long. I was so happy to have added my first mini skein, Blizzard. And did you happen to see that adorable progress marker? A Starbucks coffee cup from my Best Stitchy Friend ❤

The colors are looking so awesome together! Four out of 10 so far!

Almost finished! Just one more mini skein to go!

I am so in love with this shawl! I love the long section of the light pink and the fade is so perfect! Just the blocking left to do. This shawl is the perfect example why blocking is necessary. The pattern is so blocky and lumpy. Here is a close-up.

The pattern is broken up into puffy squares and the lace pattern is barely visible. Blocking allows the fabric to lay flat and opens up the lace pattern. And here is the finished shawl, which I have already worn and LOVE it!

See how that lace opened up and the pattern isn’t puffy anymore. Love how this one turned out. Again, the pattern is the Grevillea Shawl by Ambah O’brien. Yarn is from AJHC Wools.

So that is it for my finishes from over the summer. Stop back again soon to see what is on my knitting needles and what I am cross stitching now. What are you stitching?

Autumn Lane Stitchery · Fairies · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Passione Ricamo

November??

November 2, 2021 My Time Stitching12 Comments

Hi! How can it be November already? The last post I made was in July! Everything is fine, just busy I suppose. I spent part of the summer getting the spare bedroom ready for my Mother-in-Law’s visit in September. That was fun. I turned it into “The Mermaid room”. My MIL really liked the room. She visited for a month and we had lots of fun. We visited the zoo, went to a wedding, went up north, did lots of shopping, knitting and I taught her to do Diamond Painting, which I think she really enjoyed.

So, let me back-track and see where I left off over the summer…Oh yes. The Jolie Shawl. I finished it and it turned out very nice. So soft and sparkly.

The pattern was from the July 2021 Seed Club from the Yarn Garden in Charlotte, Michigan. I don’t think the pattern is up on Ravelry yet, but you can contact the shop if you are interested. The yarn is from Britty Rae Knits and is just scrumptious.

I have also finished a cross stitch I was working on.

The Dark Queen is finished. I did leave off the corner elements and the crown. I also left off a ton of back stitching on her tentacles. Lots of gold lines and symbols. I thought her tentacles looked fine as is and that would have been way to much backstitching for me. I am not a fan of backstitch, so the less, the better 😉 Design is by Autumn Lane Stitchery. Fabric is 16ct Aida Iris from Fabrics by Stephanie.

I also finished these:

I have a few more finishes to share next time, including the full 20 Year Celebration.

So what have you been up to the last few months?

cross stitch · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Passione Ricamo

Rainy Days and Stitching

July 16, 2021 My Time Stitching15 Comments

This summer has been such a rainy summer so far. It is raining again today. Rainy days are perfect for being inside and crafting or snuggling up with a soft blanket and a good book. I usually spend mine crafting or cleaning. Today I did a little knitting and a little cross stitching. I will show you what I am cross stitching on, but first let me show you what I finished last week.

Well, she is not actually finished, but I finished section 11 and am now caught up. The 12th and final section will come out August 1. I am assuming it will be backstitching and beading. I did skip 2 elements; her crown and the corner ornaments. I am for sure leaving off the corner elements. I haven’t fully decided about the crown, but I am leaning towards leaving it off also. II think she looks fine the way she is. The fabric is 16ct Aida Iris and is actually purple and blue, but with all of the rainy days, I haven’t been able to get a good photo. Hopefully the next time I photograph her, I will capture her true colors. So now what am I cross stitching on?

I have pulled out the 20 Year Celebration from Passione Ricamo. I have the block I am working on to finish, and below this row, there is another row of 4 blocks to do. And then beading on all of the blocks. This is such a fabulous design and I will be so thrilled to finish it. The fabric is 16ct Aida Nantucket Sky. So perfect for all of the fairies.

Here is my progress on Jolie. It is a relaxing knit and the yarn is so nice to work with.

Can you see the sparkle? The yarn band says it is Gold Stellina, but it is clearly silver (which I prefer). I love it! This is going to be a light and airy shawl, so delicate. Yarn is from Britty Rae Knits.

So that is what I have been up to on this rainy day today. What do you like to do on rainy days?

Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

What Is Off and On My Needles

July 14, 2021 My Time Stitching4 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! I hope all is well with you and that you are finding time to craft. A couple of weeks ago I was inspired by a post on Woolly Wednesday’s blog about making a Market Bag. I have had a pattern and yarn in my stash for a market bag for a couple of years now. So I pulled it out and got started on it.

The pattern is the Eastern Market Tote by Tanis Gray and it is a FREE pattern on Ravelry. The yarn I am using is Berroco Modern Cotton in color 1665 Wetherill. This pattern starts out using the Provisional Cast-on, which is a first for me. I crocheted a chain with the pink yarn, adding a few more stitches than I actually needed. I flipped the chain over and skipping the first chain, I inserted my needle into the “dash” looking stitch and knitted a stitch. I repeated that for the number of stitches I needed for the bag. Then I started stitching the pattern in the round. One thing I will note: The pattern called for a 36″ circular needle, but there was no way I could make 90 stitches meet in a circle, so I used a 14″ cable, added to the 5″ length of my tips to make a 24″ circular. This is the 3rd time I have run into this problem with a pattern. Am I figuring something wrong? The width of this bag will be 10 1/2″ laying flat, so doubled will be 21″. Not even sure how I would have stretched 21″ around a 36″ needle?? The 24″ circular worked out perfect.

The pattern is so cute and very easy. I must say, it is a very relaxing knit. And the Berroco Modern Cotton is a dream to work with. This is my first time using it, but it won’t be my last. So I knitted the pattern for 4 repeats and then added the garter stitch border at the top and then bound off. Then it was time to unravel that cast on. I was a little nervous at first, but it was pretty easy pulling the cast on pink yarn one stitch at a time and picking them up with my needle. There are wonderful videos on You Tube about this cast on. I then knitted the pattern until the decreases made it too small to continue with the circular needle. I switched to Double Pointed Needles. Not my favorite way of stitching, but sometimes you have to do it.

I started with 4 needles. It looks like crazy knitting! So chaotic!

Then I went to 3 needles. It took a little bit of finagling, working around stitch markers and the pattern and the decreasing, but I did it.

I was so happy to be done with Double Pointed Needles. Seeing the finished bottom of the bag made it all worth it. It looks so cool! I just love it! I added a knitted handle, making it about 2″ shorter than called for, wove in my ends and it was finished!

I love how it turned out and can’t wait to take it to the vegetable tent to get some fresh fruits and vegetables. Aside from the DPN’s, I loved this pattern and the yarn I used. I already have a few requests to make more and I will get to them eventually 😉 And while I had a nice evening to take pictures of my bag, I remembered to take some photos of my blocked Merfolk Fade Shawl.

This shawl turned out really beautiful and I can’t wait to wear it this fall. So, now what is on my needles?

This is the Jolie pattern by Lindsay Potter and was included in the July 2021 Seed Club Packet from the Yarn Garden in Michigan. The yarn is Britty Rae Knits and is so gorgeous and so soft! I think this Seed Club Packet is my favorite!

This is my first time using this dyer’s yarn. It is so soft and squishy and has some silver sparkle in it. The name of this yarn is “A Visit to the Nursery”, as in gardening.

I casted on last night and look forward to all of the knitting on this one.

So what is on your needles?

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