Tag: Knitted Shawl

Some Knitting Finishes
Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

Some Knitting Finishes

My Time Stitching11 Comments

Hello Blogging Friends and Happy June! So sorry I have been absent for a couple of months. I have been doing a lot of stitching, but also a lot of thinking, reflecting and soul searching. I have come to the conclusion that you just can’t please some people, no matter what. I have accepted it and am now moving on.

So let’s talk about what I have finished. First up is the Liva Cardigan.

Liva Cardigan finished

I am pretty happy with the way this cardigan turned out. This photo is before blocking. The sleeves are a tiny bit short, but since they are knitted in garter stitch, I think I can stretch them a bit when blocking.

Beautiful Mitered squares

I do love how the back of this cardigan looks. The Mitered squares look so awesome. This was a new technique for me and I enjoyed knitting the squares. This sweater has been on the blocking boards since yesterday, so I am assuming it will be a few days before it dries.

The blocking

Hopefully I have stretched the sleeves enough and not too much. I can’t wait to wear this in the fall or on a cool night to the lake. The Liva pattern I used was in a book put out by Berroco and the yarn is Topaz by Berroco. The pattern is also available on Ravelry.

Next up is the Fairy Correspondence Shawl. This one turned out so pretty and I loved all the different stitches. So fun.

Fun stitches
Fairy Correspondence

This one turned out beautifully! The designer, SoftYarn Designs, never disappoints with her mystery knit a long’s. I used 3different yarns for this shawl. The 2 purple yarns are From Jilly & Kiddles in colors Tour de France and Bonjour. The pink is Ishtar from AJHC Wools.

Fairy Correspondence Shawl

The drape on this shawl is just gorgeous and I am so pleased with it.

Next up is a Baby Blanket for a special little someone arriving this summer.

Sweet baby blanket start

I have been wanting to use this yarn for quite some time. The very large skein is actually 4 different yarns tied together and they are so soft. The pattern is Making Waves Baby Blanket and was on the inside of one of the ball bands. I believe that it is also available on Bernat’s website.

Making Waves Baby Blanket

The pattern was easy to remember, so it made for easy knitting. Except that 3 of the 4 yarns are quite bulky and using a size 11 needle did cause my hands to cramp at times. But I pushed through, and knitted in short chunks at a time.

Beautiful waves
Making Waves Baby Blanket

This blanket is so soft and warm and cuddly. And it really is a quick knit.

Sweet, soft and cuddly

I am going to miss knitting on this beautiful blanket. It did keep me warm while knitting and it is so soft. It will keep a sweet little baby warm and snuggled in. The pattern called for 3 of the very large skeins, but I only used a small amount from the 3rd skein. So I will have to find something to use up the rest of the yarn.

So that is what I have finished stitching. In the month of May I also created or finished 32 scrapbook pages. Woo Hoo! Next time I will share what I have been cross stitching.

So that is what I have been up to the last couple of months. What have you been up to?

Two Finishes For June
Autumn Lane Stitchery · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Queen · Sunny Dyes Fabrics

Two Finishes For June

My Time Stitching10 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! We are over halfway through June already! The days are just flying by. The last 2 months we have had some work done in our back yard, so maybe that is why the days have gone by so quickly. But I am still filling my days with crafting. In fact, I have 2 finishes this month so far. On June 1, I finished Mermaid Perfume! Yay!

Mermaid Perfume

Please excuse the wrinkles. I was just so excited to finish her and get her photographed on a beautiful sunny day. Sadly, I still have not ironed her. But, having her on the Qsnaps for beading did help pull the fabric and she does not pucker in the middle anymore. That makes me very happy.

Sweet, sweet mermaid

I am really pleased with how she turned out. Again, she is Mermaid Perfume from Mirabilia. I stitched her on 16ct Aida Hidden Cove from Sunny Dyes Fabrics. I am still searching for a framer, so it may be some time before I can get her framed.

My other finish is only a partial finish, but a finish in my book.

Merfolk Fade Shawl

Yep, on June 3 I finished this beautiful shawl. I still need to block it and weave in the ends. The table I use for blocking has been covered with all of my cross stitch fabrics for reorganization. And now it is covered with a very large Diamond Dotz I have been working on. So, I hope to get that table cleaned off and get this shawl blocked soon so I can really call it a finish. This shawl was a joy to knit. The pattern was easy to follow and the yarns wonderful. The stats on this one: Merfolk Fade Shawl by Jennifer Owens. The yarn is from Cape May Fiber Co. all in DK weight. Colors are Nessie, Mermaid Mane and Sea Swords.

So right now I have nothing on my knitting needles, but I am going to remedy that soon. And as for cross stitching, I have picked up The Dark Queen of the Seas and am trying to catch up before the next section comes out on July 1. I neglected her while working on Mermaid Perfume exclusively for 14 1/2 weeks. Here is where I was when I picked her up a couple of weeks ago.

Dark Queen of The Seas

And here is where I am now:

Dark Queen Progress

I am working on section 9 at the moment and still have section 10 to do before section 11 comes out on July 1. There are a couple of sections I have decided to leave off; the crown and coral on her head and the top left and right corner ornaments. I like the way she looks without those things. And she is definitely not a mermaid. While I am disappointed in that, I do like her. And I love her face. So, again, she is the Dark Queen of the Seas Mystery SAL from Autumn Lane Stitchery. I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Iris from Fabrics by Stephanie.

So that is what I have been up to. Join me next time for some organization updates 🙂 What have you been up to?

Getting Things Done
cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · knitted cowl · Knitted Shawl · Mirabilia · scrapbooking · yarn

Getting Things Done

My Time Stitching9 Comments

Hello blogging friends.  It has been a little bit since I last was on WordPress.  Today is day 98 of our stay at home.  The days have all been running together and here it is mid June.  So much has been happening in the world, and we are all in it together so I think that makes it more relatable. There are days that I don’t do much except watch the news and cry.  Some days I wander from this thing to that thing and feel like I haven’t accomplished anything.  And some days I immerse myself into my crafting.  So, what have I been crafting?  Grab your favorite beverage and get comfy.  This may be a long post 😉

I have a couple of finishes.  First up is the Wilma Cowl.  I finished it.  I can’t say I am thrilled about it, but it is finished.

Wilma cowl complete

It is soft and I assume it will be warm.  It may be a gift.  We’ll just have to wait and see 😉

Next up is a knitting project I started back in September 2019. The Birds of a Feather Shawl by Andrea Mowry.

Birds of a feather shawl start

I finished it last week.  I love how it turned out.  So soft and warm and the colors look like candy!

Birds of a Feather shawl

I love the fan lacework in some of the rows.  So pretty.

close up of feather shawl

My attempt at modeling it, LOL

Birds of a feather shawl 2

The yarn used is AJHC Wools in color Unicorn Magic in both Basic Sock and Nephelai Veil.

birds of a feather shawl pile

I still need to weave in the ends and block it.  I hope to do that this weekend.  And then it will truly be done.

I have done a lot of scrapbooking and completed a coffee table album of my younger Son’s wedding.  It came out really beautiful and I am planning to make another for my new daughter’s parents.

6 x 8 wedding album

inside of wedding album

I have also scrapbooked 16 pages so far this month.  That means that I have eliminated 8 kits from my kit stash.  Yay!  That makes 66 pages for the year so far.  I am working on conquering all of those kits in my stash.   I am making progress!

I have also made a little puppy book for my older son and his girlfriend.  They just bought 2 little Havanese puppies and I can’t wait to meet them when we can travel again.  I won’t show the book, as I haven’t sent it to them yet, but here are my new grandpuppies!

Butter and Pepper

Butter and Pepper.  Are they not just adorable!!  I can’t wait to meet them.

I have also made more masks for family and friends that have requested them.  I have made about 100 of them and I still have not tired of making them.  knowing that they will be making my loved ones feel a little safer about going out.  And remember, I wear a mask for you, you wear a mask for me 🙂

sewing more masks

That brings me to my current project.  A cross stitch project that I started in 2018.  I am still working on conquering all of my WIP’s and have been so proud of myself that I have not started a new project yet.  This is Lady Mirabilia from Mirabilia.  I started her in July of 2018 and had put her away, probably to start a new project.  Here is what she looked like when I picked her up last week.

lady mirabilia start

Here is what she looks like as of last night.

Lady Mirabilia progress

I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Banshee Brown, a one of a kind from Fabrics by Stephanie.  Today I get to move the scrolls!  Woo Hoo.  So, that is what I have been up to.  Hubby and I also worked in the garage for 3 weekends in a row and finally went through the last of the boxes from when we had to redo the basement last year.  We gave away a lot, threw away a lot, and donated even more.  We have so much more room out there now.  We still have 2 corners to go through and clean up, but we have made great progress.  What have you been doing to keep busy these last few months? I’d love to hear about it 🙂

 

 

 

 

The Last Day of 2019
cross stitch · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Sampler

The Last Day of 2019

My Time Stitching17 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! It is the last day of 2019 and I think I am ready for 2020.  Whether I am ready or not, it will arrive in a little less than 5 hours where I am. A few weeks ago, I was commenting on someone’s blog and I had said that I couldn’t even think of 1 thing I finished craftwise this last year.  But looking back over my blog, I see that I did actually finish quite a bit.  I finished the little mermaids SAL, a couple of shawls, the Spicier Life blanket, a Sunflower pillow and 48 Granny Squares for a blanket that I will finish in 2020.  Our basement construction was a big part of 2019, with all the packing, purging and hauling out of the basement.  Then there was the construction, painting, carpeting, unpacking and reorganizing everything.  I must say, it is the best looking room in the house.  Made me realize that the rest of the house needs new paint and carpeting, but that will have to wait as I am not ready to go through all that again.  And we live in a quad, so there isn’t room to move furniture without moving up or down.  Ugh

So, what have I been up to these last few weeks of 2019?  Well, yesterday I finished the 2019 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads.

IMG_5511

Sorry about the poor lighting.  I promise to take a better picture once I get it framed.  I am pretty happy with how this one turned out.  It’s not my style of stitching, but I rather like it.  I stitched it on 16ct Aida Grateful Grey from Wichelt.  The threads are DMC 3810 and Gloriana Rain Forest.  If you have never stitched with Gloriana threads, they are so smooth and silky!  I really enjoyed stitching with them.  The patterns for this SAL are FREE on the Linen and Threads website.  And the 2020 Mystery Sampler started this morning.  At this time, I will not be stitching the 2020 sampler.  It is a Quaker style sampler, and I am not a fan of randomly placed designs.  I do like the elements in today’s release.  I will follow it in the facebook group just to see how everyone is stitching theirs.

I knitted one Christmas present.  A winter hat for my Mom.  She liked the pink one I made for myself  so I made her one in purple, complete with fuzzy pom pom.

Moms hat

It was a very fast knit with size 13 needles and a chunky yarn, Rasta,  from Malabrigo.  The pattern is Chunky Cabled Hat by Destiny Meyer and is available on Ravelry.  I gave it to Mom on Christmas and she loved it.

So now I am back to working on my Advent Shawl from AJHC Wools and loving it so much!

advent shawl progress

This was a photo from just after Christmas.  I have started the larger skein and have about 10 rows of that in so far.  My shoulder has been bothering me the last couple of weeks, so not much knitting going on at one time.  It is feeling better today, so for the rest of the New Year’s Eve, I will be knitting on it 🙂  The pattern is now available on Ravelry.

For 2020, I have already made some New Year’s Resolutions.  Pretty much some of the same I have made in years past, but truly want to stick with them this year.  I have decided not to participate in any cross stitch or knitting SAL’s in 2020.  Instead, I want to concentrate on finishing some projects I already have started – 12 cross stitch and several knitting projects and 1 crochet blanket.  I also want to get a lot of scrapbooking done this year, and yes, scrapbook all of those page kits and mini books.  Oh, that reminds me.  I do have another finish for 2019.  A couple of days ago I finished a wedding album for my youngest and his wife.  I gave them a finished album at their rehearsal dinner last year. All they had to do was print the photos and glue them in.  They were disappointed on their first anniversary that there were no photos to look at in the album.  So they asked if I would add the photos a couple of months ago.  I finally got to it and finished it on Saturday.  I do hope that they like it.

wedding album

There is a few more things I would like to accomplish in 2020, but I won’t bore you with them right now.  So that is what I have been up to this last part of 2019.  Another year has flown by and a new one is just about to begin.  Or may have already begun depending where you are in the world.  My wish for each and every one of you is  that 2020 will be an amazing year with Health, Happiness and Love.

It has been snowing here most of the day, so my New Year will be wrapped in white 😉

IMG_5841

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

I’m Sad Summer Is Ending
Bella Filipina Designs · Crochet · cross stitch · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids

I’m Sad Summer Is Ending

My Time Stitching26 Comments

Hello blogging friends.  I have just enough time to squeeze in a post for August before it is over.  My blogging days have been few and far in between.  I will do better 🙂  My summer has been a little busy.  Lots of little day trips-mostly yarny trips. I went to a Wine and Wool Fest and I participated in the I-75 Yarn Crawl.  I visited 10 shops during the yarn crawl and purchased something at each shop.  And then last week I visited a new shop that I didn’t get to hit on the Yarn Crawl.  It was a lot of fun, but expensive, as I couldn’t resist yarn where ever I went 😉  I have been stitching, too.

First, I finished the Mermaid’s Garden Shawl.  It turned out beautiful! Here it is being blocked.

mermaid shawl blocking

Mermaid shawl finished

This was such an enjoyable KAL.  The pattern is the Mermaid’s Garden Shawl by Lena Mathisson and is available on Ravelry.  I will be making this one again for sure.

I recently joined other knitters at my local yarn shop and we are making the Veronika cardigan.  Here is my start on this one:

Veronika cardigan start

That is not a shadow at the top of the cardigan.  It appears that my yarn doesn’t quite match.  Ugh.  I will continue on.  I am using Malabrigo Rios in Tranquilo.  I’m not into switching skeins every other row, so I will leave it for now.  I am using a size 9 needle as I couldn’t get gauge with an 8.  And after using fingering weight yarn for so long, this worsted weight yarn and large needle has really done a number on my right hand.  It is aching quite a bit today, so this piece is in time out for now. But I am loving the color.  And see that cute bag in the back?  It was a special order to CleverGirl Designs Co.  It matches my tool bag.

Clevergirl Designs bags

Kristine does a great job making these bags.  The smaller one has lots of pockets and holds a lot! You can find her on Instagram @clevergirldesignsco

I started a new cross stitch.  I know, don’t say it, LOL.  I couldn’t resist Bella Filapina’s “Pearl of the Orient Seas”.  She is a beauty!

Pearl of the Orient Seas start

I am stitching her on 16ct aida, a OOAK from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.  While I love her, I have found out I am not a fan of stitching with red, orange and yellow.  Hopefully I will be able to get through it as she is really stunning.  I have become a big fan of Bella Filipina designs.  He is so talented.

I am still stitching on the Pillow for a friend. It is coming along and my goal is to get it done by the end of summer.  Which, as the title of my post says, is coming to an end.  I better up my game now.  I can’t show all of my progress because I want it to be a surprise for the recipient.  But here is a peek:  (Don’t look at the back of it!)

Jens pillow

I am getting near the bottom!  Woo Hoo!

And remember this crochet project?

Spicier life blanket 3

Well, I finished it!!!  A little less than 2 years and not perfect, but it is finished and I just love it!

spicier life blanket finished

spicier life blanket finish 3

This blanket will keep me warm while hanging out in the finished basement with hubby.  Yep, the basement is all finished and put together.  We still have lots of boxes and bins to go through for the storage room.  We are hoping to get those unpacked within the next month.  So that is what I have been up to these last few weeks of summer.  What have you been up to?  Did you recently finish a project you are happy to finally finish?

Lot’s of Stitching Going On
cross stitch · knitted cowl · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Sampler · Shannon Christine designs

Lot’s of Stitching Going On

My Time Stitching16 Comments

Hello my friends!  Can you believe that today is the first day of August?  Where did June and July go?  Oh yeah, I was recovering from knee surgery.  Still am, but it is getting better.  Today it is 10 weeks since my surgery.  Doc says full recovery in 3 months.  So in just a few more weeks, we will see where I am.  In the meantime, I have been stitching…alot.  So grab your favorite beverage, this may be a long one.

First up is the Linen and Threads Mystery Sampler.  I finished the June/July section in June and I must say that I am pretty pleased with it.

Mystery Sampler June July sections

My fabric is more peach than the photo shows.  Just can’t seem to get the color to show.  Anyway, the August section came out yesterday and I started it last night.  I will update when I get it finished.  Next up is the mermaid SAL.

Treasures of the Deep SAL

I have finished the June mermaid and the July mermaid as well as all the gold outlines for the future mermaids.  This is the Treasures of the Deep SAL by Shannon Christine and can be purchased through Fiberlicious.  All of the mermaids and all of the gold sections are minus the beads, which will make them so beautiful and sparkly.  I will add them all when I am finished the stitching, probably in January after the last mermaid-my birthday mermaid 😉

Next up is lots of yummy knitting!  First we have the Funny Rainbow Cowl that I have been working on since April.  It is my car travel project since it is straight knitting with an increase at the end and beginning on the one side.

Funny Rainbow Cowl This cowl is so beautiful and the yarn is so soft.  I hope to do more with this yarn in the future.  The ball is getting smaller, so hopefully soon I will have a finish.  I started this with 3 stitches (I think) and am now over 215.  I definitely recommend this yarn if you haven’t tried it.  Beware, it does split, but worth the work 😉

Next up is a beautiful shawl-my first.  My local yarn shop decided to do a Make A Long and meet once a week through the summer.  I have only attended the first week, but am hoping to make it tonight.

Sea Grass Shawl

The pattern is Sea Grass Shawl by Woolenberry.  I am just past the first section of lace pattern, so I can breathe a bit while I do some straight knitting with a some increases. I am enjoying this one and can see more Woolenberry patterns in my future 😉

And the last knitting project is an heirloom baby blanket:

heirloom-baby-blanket.jpg

I am taking a class at my local yarn shop for this one that started last week.  Not that I need a class, but that was the only way to get the pattern that was created by the teacher.  It is beautiful!  The yarn I chose is nice to work with, but a bit pricey.  This will be an expensive blanket.  I will tuck it away for a future granddaughter???  Or keep it as a lapghan for myself 🙂  After all, it is pink and matches my craft room 😉

I have one more project to show…I started another cross stitch.  Come on, did you really think I could resist starting another project?  Well, I couldn’t, LOL

Lady Mirabila

Sorry about the crooked picture, but I was trying to capture the sparkle of the silver DMC E168 thread.  So pretty.  She is Mirabilia’s 25th anniversary piece and I just couldn’t resist starting her as soon as I received her.  I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Custom piece from Hand Dyed by Stephanie.  I received this fabric a few years ago and Stephanie called it Banshee Brown.  I thought it perfect for Lady Mirabilia.

That is all of my stitching for now.  Last weekend hubby and I took a trip to Indiana to the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art to see my favorite photographer’s work.  We took a trip to Wisconsin last year to see her show and when I found out it was even closer, I just had to go back.

IMG_2989 (2)

IMG_2942 (2)

The photographer is Kirsty Mitchell and her Wonderland series is amazing.  If you get the chance to see her work, do it.  She also has 5 of her amazing photos on display in Italy.  Too far for me to go, but I am so geeked to have gotten to see her show again in Indiana.

So, that is what I have been up to.  What are you up to these days?  I will leave you with a beautiful sunset hubby and I saw at the beach this last weekend.

IMG_2995 (2)