Project Woes

So here we are just past mid January and all I have to show for it is a pair of socks!  

My tale of woe started after I had cast off my January New Years Confetti socks, I had no idea what to knit next.  I knew I wanted a garment because after knitting four pairs of socks I had enough of them.  What garment to make, I knew it needed to be from stash and I knew it needed to be something kind of mindless, but not really.

So I cast on the Bonny by Tin Can Knits in my wonderful purple black lace weight merino from one of a kind yarns.  This poor project didn't even get a picture taken of it, because I realized three rounds in I had twisted the cast on, so it got ripped.  Then I sat around feeling sorry for myself as I tend to do, and decided that the Viajante by Martina Behm was what that lace needed to be, I love the shape, I love the way it's worn, it's so me.  So late on Saturday afternoon I cast on and started thinking I could do the first part during the VKN.

Well during the VKN I realized I had started to do the increases on the wrong side!  Oh well I thought it's such a dark colour no one will notice.  On Sunday when I picked it and looked at it, the change in sides of the increases was visible but I decided to live with it.  What I couldn't live with was the funny triangle shape.  Let me explain, sometime during the VKN I had managed to increase the one side so that I had 6 too many stitches on the one side so my triangle was lope sided!  I had also managed to pick up stitches where they weren't any.  Basically a mess!

It got frogged.  Now I've tried two projects with this amazing lace and failed at both, it needed to go and relax in the box for awhile.

I pulled out my Manos Serina in the "wildflowers" colourway and decided it needed to be made into the Folded pullover by Veera Valamaki.  I cast on the sleeve and started , love the way the colours didn't flash or pool and made some modifications as I wanted long sleeves, no problems.  By Friday I had finished both sleeves, now onto the body.

Cast on the body already knowing I was going to be alternating skeins.  After the ribbing and doing 20 rounds of alternating every 2 rounds it was a hot flush of flashing.  I mean it looked like the flash had decided to knit this pullover.  So I decided to give it 20 rounds more alternating every 3rd round.  This did stop the flashing in its tracks but I wasn't happy.

How do I know, I covered my sons books for school, I sorted out the pantry, I made lists of things I need to get done next week, basically did everything else I could do BUT knit on it.  So at Yarmies I ripped it out completely.  Came home, rewound the cakes and put it back in the box.  Now what....

The beautiful one of a kind yarn was screaming at me to knit it.  I wanted a long sleeve light weight pullover that I could throw over a t-shirt.  So not the Bonny, that has no sleeves.  I found another free pattern called Mohair Minimalist and have adapted this one.  So far I'm absolutely loving it.  I've just put it down because I'm ready to split for the arms and I've got Maths to do and at 23:00 that's not a good idea, well basically me and Math are not good anyway, so fingers crossed for me that I don't mess this up and this becomes my fourth failed project this month.

Why have I decided to revive my blog, well with the podcast I love talking at you, but I find myself having way more to say than I'm going to allow myself time each episode and during the week I want to share more with you, so this is going to be my new medium (well again).

Thanks for ready and I hope your projects are more successful than mine.

Nice Yarns Container

With all good intentions I really meant to add my stash to Ravelry yesterday. But I never did, feeling rather guilty this morning I woke up and pulled one of my big tubs from my cupboard and started loading, well once you start it's actually easy to speed through it.


This morning I've sat in my comfy sweat pants and loaded 39 different yarns into my stash. Some of these are more than 1 skein but I'm not going to count the individual skeins. I'm also not going to load all the half or partial used skeins into my stash as I'm not sure I'm going to be keeping them. I'm going to put them into their own box (to be purchased) and I will decide what to do with those.

Of course the tub I pulled down was my "nice" yarns and not the tubs of acrylic. In all fairness yesterday I did pull the one tub out and sort it out as it was in a huge mess. But after that I put it back on the shelf!!

To speed things along with adding my stash I stole pictures from the Internet, one of the reasons is because the yarn manufacturers take much better pictures than me and its an autumn day here today so the lighting is not the same every time I take a picture.

Maybe on Thursday I will pull out another tub and upload it to Ravelry?

Confessions

Today I've decided it's time to confess about my terrible but changing stash! My stash I would say is made up of 80% acrylic yarn.

I'm not saying that acrylic is bad, and I can't afford to be a yarn snob, most of the delicious yarns are imported and that makes it far too expensive to make most projects.

In saying this I am at the stage of my knitting and crochet life where I'm not happy to just be cranking out acrylic items, I want, no NEED yummy yarn.

I'm still on a huge stash busting kick even though I've been purchasing yarn this year, I've got projects in mind for the yarn I've purchased. Not just to fill my emptying crates.

So today I will be taking pictures and uploading to Ravelry and I'm hoping this will encourage me to use Stash first before heading to my LYS or the Internet.

Frustration

I know I've not blogged for months and it comes from school holidays, moving, back to school, serious home renovations (at two houses), and being frustrated about what I was doing with my blog.

In order to make sure I blogged I had decided to blog about certain things on certain days but as any crafter would know actually what you do on any specific day changes with the wind. So I stopped blogging.

Also I became really overwhelmed by the amount of blogs that I felt obligated to read because of some of the choices I had made. And of course not just reading them also leaving comments on them. Some days that would take up a whole morning!

I have thought long and hard about this and I miss blogging but I'm not going to dedicate a day to something specific. Although this helped me I eventually found it restrictive.

Thanks for reading and definitely expect more from me very soon

2nd Year of Projects - Week 7

I have not been on the Internet for awhile and have missed blogging but have not been able to turn my notebook on and actually write anything.  But I am back today and even though I will be posting this I am not going to be adding this post to the Ravelry group.  I feel like a traitor for not commenting on all the amazing other blogs.

 

I must also update my Million Row counter!  Will have to work that out today and update it tomorrow!

 

Teacher Year End Presents (Middle November 2012)
1. Dream Stripes (30 June - 05 July) FO Friday Post
2. Holden (04 July - 08 July) FO Friday Post
3. Shizuku (09 July - 10 July) FO Friday Post
4. Saroyan (11 July - 13 July) FO Friday Post
5. Amari (14 July - 16 July) FO Friday Post
6. Oaklet (18 July - 21 July) FO Friday Post
7. Ugly Ripple (23 July -25 July) FO Friday Post
8. Wingspan Teeny (7 August - 9 August) FO Friday Post
9-21


Blankets
1. Pudding Blanket 1 - Zig and Zag 100%
2. Monster Blanket 1 - Monster Bulleyes 100%

 

Birthday Presents

1. Stepsister 1 Birthday (December) - Bright Squares Modified Blanket

To take part in the fun of the YOP challenge and to see other bloggers lists and progress go the Come Blog-a-long group on Ravelry

Plan the Week - Week 6

This week is week 33 with the dates being 12 August -  18 August 2012

7 Day Forecast

Monday          -1°C - 15°C

Tuesday         2°C - 18°C

Wednesday    5°C - 21°C

Thursday        5°C - 20°C

Friday             5°C - 20°C

Saturday         8°C - 20°C

Sunday           7°C - 21°C

This week is Pudding's 8th Birthday and I am going to be hectic organising everything.   We give our kids the option of having a big present or having a party, Pudding being who he is choose to have a big present and he really wants a Ninento DS 3D.  So that will be his main present and then I have to get some small things for him.

Today Monster starts his therapy and although he is nervous I know he will do great.  He is very comfortable talking to me about his feelings and what not but doesn't like opening up to strangers so hopefully after awhile he will get comfortable and get the full benefit.

We also decided that it's time he meets people who have the same interests as he does, so he will be joining the Scrabble club on Wednesday, Speedstacking club on Thursday and then Chess on Friday. 

Pudding will be doing Craft club on Wednesday, Speedstacking club on Thursday and Chess on Friday.  He loves Craft club and has already attended 3 sessions.  He is really a crafty boy, I wonder where he gets it from? (LOL).  He has taken to Chess so naturally maybe it's his Maths brain that loves a good puzzle.  He used to attend but when he had to go back to OT he had to stop.  I am thrilled that he wants to attend again.

I am going to be knitting Pudding's Zig and Zag blanket this week and maybe another End of Year Teacher Present.  I really want to get the blanket finished.  I am starting to get bored with it and need to finish or I just might leave it in the WIP basket and never get back to it.  I have knitted 342 rows so far and have 158 to go.  I would like to be able to knit 28 rows a day but I am not phased if this doesn't happen.

Right I am off to go and start the Birthday week shopping.  Have a wonderful week.

2nd Year of Projects - Week 6

Teacher Year End Presents (Middle November 2012)
1. Dream Stripes (30 June - 05 July) FO Friday Post
2. Holden (04 July - 08 July) FO Friday Post
3. Shizuku (09 July - 10 July) FO Friday Post
4. Saroyan (11 July - 13 July) FO Friday Post
5. Amari (14 July - 16 July) FO Friday Post
6. Oaklet (18 July - 21 July) FO Friday Post
7. Ugly Ripple (23 July -25 July) FO Friday Post
8. Wingspan Teeny (7 August - 9 August) FO Friday Post
9-21

My Ravellenic Games project was the Zig and Zag blanket for Pudding and as it is also one of my YOP projects I set out with determination to start and finish his blanket.  However life had different ideas and I am still just over half way through this project.  But I will continue with it just on a slower pace.

Blankets
1. Pudding Blanket 1 - Zig and Zag 50%

I have also joined a new group on Ravelry called the 1 Million Row Challenge.  Its just a challenge to knit 1 million rows out of stash only.  And as that is what this is what I am doing this year I thought it would be fantastic to see how I can achieve that.  Now you can start anytime and you start with your current WIP's I have only added the Zig and Zag blanket at the moment but will add my Super Wonder Blanket tomorrow when I knit some of it.  I haven't counted how many rows I have done on that one yet.  All you do is join the group register at TickerFactory.com and away you go.  My counter is posted at the top of my blog and I will be updating only once a week.  Hopefully that way it will grow quickly!

To take part in the fun of the YOP challenge and to see other bloggers lists and progress go the Come Blog-a-long group on Ravelry

Stash Down Saturday - Week 6

At the start of the Ravellenic Games I had decided I wanted to knit Pudding a blanket using the Elle Premier Natural DK cottons I had purchased last year with the intent of making blankets for each of the boys.  I have not been able to complete this during the games however I will carry on until it is finished.
I took 4 skeins of each colour and I also frogged the Swedish stripe blanket I had made as I didn't like it and it wasn't big enough.  I am on my third skein of each colour and I am going to start the 6th repeat out of 8 today.

This cotton is very hard wearing and when knitted becomes really soft and drapes amazing.  I like this cotton as it doesn't stretch which is perfect for blankets for the boys. 

  

End of Day 12 Progress Shot

10 August Rows Added: 32 Rows

Total Rows Completed:  312 Rows

Total Rows to be Completed: 188 Rows (500 Total)

 

Total to be stash down week ending 18 August 2012: 400g

Total stash downed week ending 11August 2012: 2550g

Ravellenic Games - Day 14 (FO Friday - Week 17)

     

I am going to end my Ravellenic Games today even though the closing ceremony is only on Sunday.  I have learnt a lot from taking part in these games and will definitely participate next time around, one thing I do know is that I don't want to be team captain again.  I want to just really enjoy the experience.

Here is my Ravellenic Wingspan

  

Thank you for all the lovely comments that you leave, I love reading them all. For more amazing FO Friday's pop over to Tami's Ami Blog.



Ravellenic Games - Day 13

  

It's Women's Day here in South Africa today and the weather has come to play.  Apart from the odd wind gust it's lovely in Joburg.  Thankfully after the awful weather we had earlier this week, which included SNOW!!

I can't convey how much I am loving this teeny wingspan, I have made the larger version before and yes it's lovely, but oh my the little triangles are so sweet and knit up so quickly and with the variegated yarn just works so beautifully.  This one is going to the end of year teachers presents as I don't wear these colours but I am definitely going to make myself one of these.

I am not going to do the last 4 rows of garter stitch I am going to knit until the yarn runs out and then use a crochet bind off that doesn't need any additional yarn!  Yes you read right.  I have recently been looking through some of my old magazines and saw it mentioned so am going to dig it out and see how to do it.

Here is my progress shot of teeny wingspan on 15 completed triangles, but already today I have knitted an additional 2 triangles.

Ravellenic Games - Day 12

  

I cast on a Wingspan yesterday late morning and I decided to do the smallest one that she recommends in the pattern which is 45 stitches and then cast on 10 to make the points.  I have to say I absolutely LOVE the little wings it gives and the fact that it just flys.  I am typing this post much later than I normally do cause I just can't stop knitting it. 

I am knitting it in Elle Escapade DK in Atlantic Surf, I wasn't sure about the colourway as it looks very white but the beauty of this yarn is that it is always a surprise.  I am knitting from the inside of the ball so I wasn't sure what variety of colours was going to come out and it's beautiful.  I love it.

Ravellenic Games - Day 11

  

Yesterday was an extremely emotional day for my family and as a result my knitting progress was non existent.  This morning I woke up very flat but determined to plod on.  When I pulled out the Excel Spreadsheet to check on my progress and how to catch up a day of non knitting, It produced a figure of 54 rows a day to be done, which is just not practical.  So I am going to put the Zig and Zag project on hold and get out some stash and at least aim to finish a scarf or two before Sunday.

Ravellenic Games - Day 10

  

I am halfway!!! 

Well 2 rows over!! I stayed up late last night to watch Bolt do his thing and managed to finish my 32 rows I wanted to and it put me halfway over!  I also managed to weave in all the ends that I had been neglecting to do as I wanted to just get back to a realistic amount of rows that I had to complete each day to finish before the end of the closing ceremony.

 

End of Day 9 Progress Shot

 

05 August Rows Added: 32 Rows

Total Rows Completed:  252 Rows

Total Rows to be Completed: 248 Rows (500 Total)

And it is the perfect width for Pudding's bed!  It's going to be longer than his bed, but that's what I wanted.  I was just worried it would be too narrow.  And then I wouldn't have been happy with it at all.

Ravellenic Games - Day 9

  

Have I mentioned how much my Hubby rocks.  The boys were hectic yesterday and he did all the running around, dropping off and collecting, even at 22:00 last night when the Barmie ended.  Even though he saved me from all that driving time, I still didn't manage to catch up with my blanket after the past few days of feeling dreadful.

This morning I admitted defeat that I will not be able to catch up with my original plan and pulled out my notebook, entered it all into Excel so I could plan properly.  Yes I plan all my blankets in Excel so I know exactly what I have to do and how far I am.  I am a lot OCD like that.

What I did find was that I worked out the amount of rows I had to do and have done incorrectly.  That will teach me to rely on my foggy brain.  I didn't post a picture yesterday as I wasn't happy with the lack of progress, I still am not happy but have decided to put that feeling behind me and plod on.

  

End of Day 8 Progress Shot

04 August Rows Added: 32 Rows

Total Rows Completed:  220 Rows

Total Rows to be Completed: 280 Rows (500 Total)

Ravellenic Games - Day 8

  

No photos today the weather is miserable and I can't get a decent shot, but that is really no biggie as I only managed 18 rows yesterday, even though I was feeling better, the lack of sleep during the night due to a blocked nose, took its toll and every time I sat down I fell asleep.  I am so far behind on my schedule but am hoping to catch up this weekend. 

Ravellenic Games - Day 7

  

Day 6.  Well I'm glad that is behind me.  I only managed 22 rows done, I kept falling asleep.  Also we had a busy afternoon and only got home well after 17:00 which is very odd for us.



End of Day 6 Progress Shot

01 August Rows Added: 22 Rows

Total Rows Completed:  166 Rows

Total Rows to be Completed: 318 Rows (484 Total)



Ravellenic Games - Day 6

  

OH NO I have woken up with the head cold that my youngest had at the beginning of the week.  I feel dreadful.  I should have know when last night I fell asleep very early after putting boys to bed.

I also have figured out that 32 rows a day is my maximum that I can do, with all the life interruptions that happen.

End of Day 5 Progress Shot

01 August Rows Completed: 32

Total Rows Completed: 144

Total Rows to be Completed: 484

Ravellenic Games - Day 5

  

Can I just say that TeamRSA over on Ralvery are fantastic.  Not only do we have two across the finish line already but the Ralvetar that two of the amazing ladies came up with is outstanding.

End of Day 4 Progress Shot

31 July Rows Completed: 34

Total Rows Completed: 112

Total Rows to be Completed: 484