New Year's Resolution

Okay folks it's 2010 and I have a resolution for myself and the knitting blog. The year 2009 I was very slack on my work and I failed to do any of projects that I said that I would complete. I did attempt them but they never came true. Ohh well !
I will admit that I have been busily knitting squares to make my blanket. I think with a little bit of diligence that I will have the blanket finished by March possibly. That's another goal for myself. I know for a fact that next time I will just make it on some circular needles and call it a day. It's irritating to knit a square and then put it all together. I'm using my handy size 10 bamboo needles. I know as of right now that I need another project that I can do. I mean I've been knitting for over 2 years and I should not still be a beginner. I personally consider myself a beginner. I don't knit socks even though I've gotten patterns out of book for them and I haven't knit a sweater. I see different pattern everyday and I wonder when will I be good enough to make all the beautiful things I see. I'm going to promise myself that I will be complete something this year if it kills me.

Finally a finished Project

I finished a wash cloth from a pattern that I had but never used because I kinda thought it would be hard. I tried it before but I just got frustrated with it plus the cotton that i was using wasn't soft enough to use. I had a few balls of cotton that i wanted to use for a the "little black sweater" in the Stitch n Bitch book but I gave up on it..maybe another time. I had pics of it also but my camera is acting wonky so I guess I won't be able to put up a pic right now. I'm pretty sad about that one because It really didn't turn out liek it was suppose to which was a perfect diamond shape. i can't figure out what I did wrong on the pattern. I used the right needles..cotton yarn which was the most soft mercerized cotton yarn that I've felt in a long time. I think I'll be making a few more wash cloths just for fun and to give out...I might also just sell a few this summer. I really want to find a pattern that is easy that is beautiful also.I'll search Lion Brand for a few patterns also.
The pattern goes like this :

• Cotton yarn
• size 8 needles

Cast on 4 stitches
knit 2 rows
Knit 2 stitches, yo knit to end of row
Repeat until you have 44 stitches on the needle
K1, knit 2 tog, yo, knit 2 together, knit to end of row
Repeat until you have 4 stitches
Bind off

I'll post pics when I make another or get my camera up and running.

Manic Knitting

I've been knitting alot since the last post. I have a few things started and then I have finished a few things and I really didn't like it at all. It was a clutch but it was without a pattern. I've made a clutch before but it turned out to be so small that it was only good as a wallet. I guess that's fine though. I really want to make a few wash cloths for myself and family but I can't for the life of me find a nice pattern that's nice and easy. I still have this problem with my cast on because it makes it look fat and out of whack per se. I really wanna to sell a few things and put them on the Etsy site that my friend has. I've been working on the blanket for the house and I'm currently inlove with this beautiful yellow color and I think I'd like to make a few baby things with it because it's neutral..maybe I'll add white with it. I really need to learn a new cast on method just in case this one is not good. I'll add pics whenever I can to update.

Hello from the Blogosphere

Well any and everyone who comes to my blog....I'm BACK! I have been knitting off and on but It's been off and on for these last few months. My "big" projects have all but gone bust. They are all still on the needles with the exception of the one project that I started in the Stitch n Bitch book but otherwise I've been working on my squares for the blanket and the big cardigan/sweater. I guess all this stuff is harder than what it really looks like because I 'm not even 1/4 of the way through for the blanket and I'm only up to the yoke on the sweater. U have started on some baby booties for a girl baby that has yet to come in our family. My sister's are both having boys and My DF's sis is pregnant so maybe she'll have a girl. So I'm back on my knitting schedule and I'm going back to see my SnB girls on Tuesdays. While laying around I was thinking of making a few wash cloths out of that nice red cotton that I got. I saw a cute pattern and it seems real easy so I'm going to try and do that maybe after I finish more squares. Ta Ta for now.

The "Big" Projects

Hi all my fellow crafters, well I wanted to let everyone know that I have been away but I actually have been knitting. I started on both of my "big" projects and have actually added another one that I think I can do quickly. It's from my fav show Knitty Gritty and I saw this sweater and I knew that I could do it. They say that this is a beginner project and I guess that's what I am. I immediate said okay, this can be done on large needles with super chucky yarn and I can rock this with a cute shirt underneath it. The pattern is:

Materials:

2 (3, 3, 3, 3) skeins Cascade Yarns Magnum in color #9453
circular needle, any length, US size 15 (10mm)
1-1/2" (38mm) button
stitch markers
crochet hook (optional)

Gauge: 6 sts and 11 rows = 4" (10cm) in stockinette

Finished measurements: bust 33 (36, 38.5, 41, 44)" (84 [91.5, 98, 104, 112]cm)

Note: Keep 3 sts at beg and end of each row in garter st throughout body.

Yoke:
Co 26 sts.
Row 1 (RS): K3, place marker, k4, place marker, k12, place marker, k4, place marker, k3.
Row 2 and all even rows: K3, p to last 3 sts, k3.
Row 3: K.
Row 5: (K to 1 st before marker, kfb, sl marker, kfb) 4 times, k to end (34 sts).
Row 7: K.
Row 8: As row 2.
Rep rows 5-8 2 (3, 4, 5, 6) times more (50 [58, 66, 74, 82] sts).
Next row (RS): Kfb, (k to 1 st before marker, kfb, sl marker, kfb) 4 times, k to last st, kfb (60 [68, 76, 84, 92] sts).
Next row: As row 2.
Next row (RS): (K to marker, sl marker, kfb, k to 1 st before marker, kfb, sl marker) twice, k to end (64 [72, 80, 88, 96] sts).
Next row: As row 2.
Rep the last 4 rows once more (78 [86, 94, 102, 110] sts}.
Next row: As row 5 (86 [94, 102, 110, 118] sts).

Working the Body

Once the yoke, or top portion, of the sweater is finished, while the body is being completed the sleeve stitches are held on scrap yarn to be picked up later.

Separate sleeves from body
Next row (WS): K3, p to marker, place 20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts of first sleeve on scrap yarn to be worked later, p to marker, place 20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts of second sleeve on scrap yarn to be worked later, p to last 3 sts, k3. There are 46 (50, 54, 58, 62) sts on needle.

Body:
Row 1 (RS): K.
Row 2 and all even rows: K3, p to last 3 sts, k3.
Row 3: Kfb, k to last st, kfb (48 [52, 56, 60, 64] sts).
Row 5: K.
Row 7: As row 3 (50 [54, 58, 62, 66} sts).

Work in garter st for 5 rows. Bind off.

Sleeves:
Transfer 20 (22, 24, 26, 28) held sts of one sleeve to needle. Do not join.

Row 1 (RS): K10 (11, 12, 13, 14), place marker, k to end.
Row 2 and all even rows: P.
Row 3: K to 2 sts before marker, ssk, sl marker, k2tog, k to end.
Row 5: Kfb, k to last st, kfb.
Row 7: As row 3 (18 [20, 22, 24, 26] sts).

Work 21 rows even.

Row 29: K to 1 st before marker, yo, k2, yo, k to end.
Row 30: P.
Row 31: K.
Row 32: P.

Rep rows 29-32 twice more (24 [26, 28, 30, 32] sts).

Work even until sleeve measures 16-1/2 (17, 17, 17-1/2, 17-1/2)" (41.5 [43, 43, 44, 44] cm) from underarm.

Work in garter st for 5 rows. Bind off.

Finishing:
Seam up the sleeves. Add a crochet chain loop or oversewn loop buttonhole to the left front and attach a button. Weave in all ends and block if desired.

Okay, this project is a beginner project but I didn't know how to do the kfb and I had to ask one of my fellow knitters how that's done. This project is really tricky in my opinion and I realize that I have to really pay attention to it. I even had to do a measurement of my bust. Wow! I doing alot huh? So far so good. Oh yeah, I forgot i started using size 15 straight needles and realized after like two trys and casting on working a few rows that it needed 15 circs. So, I went and bought some from JoAnn's. I didn't really mind paying almost $11 for the bamboo circs because they are my fav's and I'm pretty passionate about bamboo and size 10 bamboo's were my first pair of needles.

So I'm adding pics to this also and I wanted to add a few pics of the "little black sweater that's in the Stitch n Bitch book.
I just wanted to give a few comments on both of these projects. Okay, as for the little balck sweater. Okay, I got red Cotlin yarn from knitpicks.com thanks to my buddy from PBS. I have to use size 5 needles and this was one of my first times using such small needles on a project that's this size. I had to cast on like 116 and I think I started and restarted this project at least 4 times because I was always mesing up and loosing track of where I was at because I would put it down. So I was really iirritable about that then when I cast on all those darn stitches I failed to realize that I would have a ton of yarn left so I messed up like that a few times so that I wouldn't have 3 feet of yarn to contend with and cut.I can't waste good yarn...lol. Another thing is that It seems like those stiches for the XL that I'm making is way too big. I will admit that I need a large size but I don't trust a large so I'm going with the XL. It still looks huge in my opinion but we'll see once I finish. More updates to come.

It's the New Year and New Projects Abound

Hi Folks, it's been over a month and it's a new year. Yeah, so now I have to make some knitting goals for myself. I've resigned myself to make 2-3 "big" projects. One project for myself out of the Stitch n' Bitch book that I got through a swap, a blanket for the house and a baby sweater for one of the many people in the family that are pregnant. I'll attempt to make more because I bought a pound of yarn from Jo-Ann's a few weeks ago and I'll be using that up to make somethings. I used it once to make a hat for my son's new baby sister on his dad's side. They really liked it. I also decided to use my mercentizied cotton to make her a wash cloth. I thought that I had taken pics with the new digital camera for Christmas but I did not have my memory card in so it didn't save...Darn! It was really cute too. So, I've set those and now I have to see if I can do them. I need a bunch of support so please send me an encouraging message to let me know that you believe in me. I would appreciate it.

I'm currently making squares for the blanket and attempting to use up my stash of acrylic yarn. I gotta get rid of that crap.... So I'll be putting together this blanket hopeful soon and before it gets to warm to use it. I'll be adding pics of those squares shortly so get ready.

Not on task!

Well, so far I have zero...count em zero things knitted for Christmas gifts and I've decided that I'll probably not knit anything because I really haven't been in the mood to knit anything. I've been tired and it seems like everything I do knit looks really funny. Everything looks like its leaning to the left and it's misshappen. I guess I'm still a newbie even some of the washcloths that I knit are ugly. I think I might just stop for maybe a few weeks when I start up a fresh project. I saw this project in the Stitch in Bitch book that I'm going to start after the baby sweater for my cousin's baby. I have tried to knit a cozy for a coffee cup but I sewed it up wrong.