On the Needles - 8/8/14

I've been getting a few stitches in here and there on my Rocio Sweater....

It's not looking like much yet, and the going is very slow with all we have going on with Sara's visit.  I usually just put a few rows in during my morning quiet times.  But once I get the second front side done, I will join all the pieces and knit down to the bottom, which I think will go much faster.

I don't have much further to go!  Yay!!!  

Now, if it just fits I'll be a happy girl :)

Can you see the pretty lacy design each added stitch makes on the front edge?

On the socks front, I've hit a little roadblock.  The Happy Dance Socks are definitely not "Happy," nor are they "Dancing"! ....

Somehow, I managed to get a purl stitch in there on the turn, and I didn't realize it until I'd knitted quite a few rows past it!  I was advised by everyone who saw it to just leave it there, that no one will ever know.... but I just couldn't!  I would know!  And I'd always be self-conscious that it was showing somehow.  Oh well.....I've already un-knitted at least 10 rows and still have a few to go before I can start back knitting :(  At least I noticed it when I did rather than after they were finished!

And one day last week, I came home to a VERY interesting and totally unexpected squishy package in my mail!  Ooooooo - don't you just LOVE unexpected squishy packages???  Me too!!!!  It looks like something from outer space, doesn't it????

This fun package was from my friend Lynn in Seattle, who apparently thought it looked like fun to make socks and bought all the stuff to make a pair, only to decide that it wasn't for her - oops!!!

So she packed up the whole kit-and-kaboodle and shipped the project to me :)  I think this yarn will make a really lovely pair of socks - especially with jeans this winter, don't you?  They will go on the socks needles next :)  Thanks Lynn!!!  I have officially named them my Opal Lynnie Lou Socks, and of course I will think of you with a smile every time I wear these :)

What's on your needles?  

Check out all the lovely projects at Judy's Patchwork Times :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles 7/25/14

I haven't had much chance to do a lot On the Needles lately, but I do want to THANK those of you who gave me some SUPER advice about how to handle all that mess of stitches on Rocio and the old-fashioned holder I was using .....

I took all the stitches off that clumsy stitch holder by pulling a different color thread through them with a yarn needle for holding until I'm ready to pick them back up on my needles....

Ahhhh.... that's so much better!!!!

I put my finished Right Front stitches on a length of waste yarn the same way ....

And then picked up the provisional stitches to begin knitting the Left Front....

Sorry for the quality of the photos today!  I took them outside on my porch and it was hard regulating the amount of sunshine getting into the shots!

We are going to Chattanooga soon to take Sara to the Aquarium there, so my Happy Dance Socks will get a lot of love on the trip - it's almost 3 hours one way from our house :)  All that remains for them is to finish up the leg cuffs, which I like kinda long.  Lots of mindless knitting - perfect for the car!!!

Today, we will be working on putting some fun and funky pockets on some Goodwill $1 t-shirts for Sara.

She is having SO MUCH fun with her sewing machine :)  She actually left me this note last night to be sure she didn't sleep away her sewing time LOL.....

We finished up her Dolphin Throwpillow the other day and I thought you might like to see how it turned out ...

Her puppy Link insists on being part of the fun :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles & Other Fun Stuff!!!!

I'm having so much fun with my granddaughter here for the summer!  We've been VERY busy!!!  But first, since this is an On the Needles post, let me show you my progress on Rocio....

I've worked the back down to the armhole shaping.  I'm telling you, I un-knitted more than I knitted on this lacework, but I finally got the knack for reading a chart down pat, and the last 20 rows were error free!!!!  Once I got to that point, this project has been FUN!!!

Then after I put the back stitches on a holder, I began to pick up the provisional stitches at the shoulders to start on the right front.  The front is done in an easy reverse stockinette stitch, but it has increases every 4 rows, as well as the armhole shaping to remember...

I really love the look of this yarn - the variegated blues just make my heart sing!!!  I think I'm almost ready to break off these sttiches and put them on a holder, but I have to figure out what kind of holder I'm supposed to use because what I have is not working!

See the red arrow on the left?  It is showing the clip I'm having to use to keep those stitches corralled on that circular end.  I even had to use a stopper on the tip to keep them from falling off of that!  I'll be doing some research today - any tips from my knitting friends out there?

I've been busy quilting too - although, certainly not as much as usual, since Sara and I have been gallivanting all over Nashville seeing the sights :)  Wednesday, we went to the Adventure Science Center - 

Sara thinks "Science is Awesome!" and we found the perfect souvenir T-shirt for her!

And let's not forget her puppy, Link, who has definitely been enjoying life at a quilter's home!

I think she likes Grandma's lap pretty good too :)

Sara surprised me with her desire to learn how to sew!  So of course, we got out the small Janome and began to teach her the basics before she could change her mind!  

She is a very controlled sewist and careful of that needle, which I am delighted to know!  She also sews a pretty cool quarter inch seam...

She will not be happy that I showed a picture of her fingernails in need of some new polish!

For her first lesson, I just wanted her to get the hang of sewing a straight seam - which she of course she ACED! - and then how to sew parts together...

Looks like she ACED that too - look at those perfect intersections!

Makes a Grandma proud :*)

We've purchased some fabric for her.... today she is going to make a pillow case out of these soft ocean prints.......

Then, we are planning a throw pillow....

Sara wants to be a Marine Biologist - can you tell from her choice of fabrics?

That cute octopus print will be the back :*)

She also likes little woodland creatures, so we are planning a pair of shorts from this fun fox print...

... and then some shortie pjs from this sweet flannel fabric.....

Probably enough to keep us busy and out of trouble - at least for this coming week!!!

We'll keep you posted on progress.

I hope you are having as much fun as I am this summer :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles - 6/13/14

I've been giving some love to my needles this past week!

My Happy Dance Socks are moving right along!

I admit it - I'm addicted to this colorway!!!!

Before you know it, they are going to be done and it will be time to load a new pair on the needles.  I like having a pair going at all times because they are the perfect "take-along" project when last-minute things pop up.  And they are perfect for late-night knitting along with my TV shows because by now they require very little thought except at the heels :)

I've also decided to knit along with Amy Herzog's Summer Sweater KAL - check it out on her blog HERE.  All the way back in February, I blogged that I wanted to start this sweater.....



Rocio is a summer sweater knitted with a very lightweight fingering yarn - perfect for the KAL.  You can find the pattern HERE in Ravelry.  You can follow my knitting adventures HERE, but I have to admit I don't keep my Projects Page as updated as I'd like.

Here is my very humble start for this sweater....

It's worked top down and starts with the back section.  The red yarn stitches are provisional stitches which will come out when it is time to join the front and the back.

I'm hoping this project will be challenging enough to grow my knitting skills, without being such a challenge that I hate it before I'm done!  And of course I'm hoping I've calculated correctly and it fits when I'm done!!!

The first thing I've learned is that I can read the chart for that lace pattern in the back much more easily than a list of stitches - who knew????

What's on your needles?  

I hope it's as fun as my projects are proving to be :*D

You can see more projects on needles at Judy's Patchwork Times today!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles - 2/28/14

I finally got to add some AQUA to my Swing Cowl!

Doesn't that brighten it up nicely?

This is a fun project, even though I do have to keep close track of the rows and how many stitches are on each short row.  I figure I'm close to being halfway on this.  I love the design and the way the colors flow through it!  I've had to manipulate that a little by breaking off occasionally and starting a new color.  Some of the colors ran quite long, while others (like the nice bright orange) ran a little short.  So far, I'm very happy with this project and already thinking another one may be in my future :)

My knitted swatch for Rocio  is very pretty - love that colorplay! - but unfortunately it did not turn out perfectly after blocking -  did I really think it would?  Nah!

Length measurement.....

Width measurement.....

The directions said....
       Gauge:   26 st and 34 rows to 4 inches, on 3.5mm needles, in stockinette
                     stitch, AFTER BLOCKING.

..... which I did.  But the swatch did not turn out square for one thing, and it is not 4" either way.  It is 4.25" long and 3.75" wide!  So too large in length and too small in width - yikes!  And I can't be sure I didn't pull too much here or there while blocking?  Blocking is a new technique to me.  Should I have shaped it to 4" square?

Now I don't quite know what to do!  I'm thinking maybe I need to go down one size in my needles, perhaps to a #3 - 3.25mm?  Too long for the length indicates to me that the needle is a little large, and since I'll probably loosen up as I knit on this, too narrow for the width probably won't be a problem for long.  Any advice from you experts out there???

I'd love to start on this sweater, but I don't want to put in a lot of work that just has to be torn out because it doesn't fit.  I signed up for Amy Herzog's class on Craftsy, "Knit to Flatter" - hopefully I can find some time this weekend to begin working through it.  I think it will help me a lot with this sweater :)

No new yarn added this week, and nothing finished, so no changes to my Yarn Stash report.

So what's on your needles?

Join in this week's party at Patchwork Times!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On The Needles - 2/14/14

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Doesn't this look like the most yummy Valentine's Day lunch EVER???

Well, actually, it was my neighbor's lunch last week when a group of us went to The Chocolate Strawberry as a Divas Guild outing :)  But I fell in love with that little heart dipping bowl! ♥♥♥♥♥♥ !!!  Right?  And I just knew you would too :*)  The sandwich was a Monte Cristo, which I've never eaten - no really, never!  But you can bet I will order one of these decadent sandwiches the next time we are at TCS!!! :)

Here is what I did order .....

Chicken salad on a fresh croissant - YUM!!!!!  

It was absolutely delicious!

But I'm still kinda hankering for that Monte Cristo, ya know what I mean LOL!!!

And TCS serves one of THESE on every plate....

I asked for dark chocolate and they had some!

....... sorry, I had to take a little break there and get a little snack :)

Soooooooo, on my needles this week has been repair work on my Wingspan - remember this big hole I showed you last week that suddenly appeared after I had blocked it?

Well, Denise at Justquiltin shared some wonderful advice with me, and it worked!!!

No more hole!!!  Thanks Denise!!!

It's slightly misshapen there, but hey, it looks tons better than that hole, and I'm a happy girl!!!

So now this is officially a finish - yay!!! :)

I started the second House Targaryen sock but forgot to take pictures - bad girl!!!  Of course, there's not really much to show yet anyway, so perhaps you'll forgive me this time?  I hear what you're thinking.... and No!  You can't have my chocolate covered strawberry!!!!

I've added a couple of strata to my Swing Cowl .....

..... if you click on the name it will take you to the page for this project at Ravelry, and you will see Denise's project as the main picture!  Isn't that cool????  Hers is the one I fell in love with and just had to make my own - it's gorgeous :)

And last, but not least, I also got my yarn wound into balls to start Rocio....that new yarn swift I got for Christmas is THE BOMB!!!  Those balls were wound lickety-split, and not one curse word left my lips :*)

I wondered about the name.  A quick check of the name Rocio on the Net said that "Rocio is a small genus of cichlid fishes from Mexico and northern Central America."  I think those little lacy motifs look somewhat like fish, so perhaps that is why the designer gave it that name?  Of course, I think they look more like leaves than fish, so who am I to say :)

So that's what's on my needles.... check out more fun needly projects at Judy's Patchwork Times!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles - 1/24/14

I managed to sneak in a little needle time during my evenings this week, which always makes me a happy girl! :*)

I started the Swing Cowl!!!!

Last week, Denise really encouraged me to go ahead and start this project because "it is so much fun!"  Of course, I couldn't resist that, so I sat down that night and started it.  If you've seen her gorgeous Swing Cowl (go HERE), then I'm sure you understand why I was so anxious to start one too!  And she's right, this one is a lot of fun and holds my interest easily :)

Here is another picture of where I am so far.... even though this is a night pic and not so great, it will give you an idea of how far I've gotten and the lovely movement in the design!  The colors appear much darker here than they really are....

This is the yarn I am using, so there will be many lovely variations of color transitions - YUM!!!

I did my first provisional cast-on for this - I love learning new things!!!

By the way - pay no attention to those fingernails which are in desperate need of a manicure!!!  

I think I need to hire a fingernail stunt double -- Anyone interested?  

The pay is lousy, but you'd get to play with lots of lovely yarns & fabrics! :*D

I also managed to show some love to my red House Targaryen socks......

This one is just about ready to start working on the heel - yippee!!!  I really enjoy working on socks.... I sure do hope this pair fits me :)

And last but not least is confession time..... I bought yarn!!!  Although I had made up my mind that I wasn't going to do that, and I really want to knit from my stash, I caved in to the pressure of a pattern I want to make and a SALE!!!  Okay, I admit it, I'm a sucker for a sale!  Knit Picks had this lovely deep royal blue fingering yarn on sale last week...........

.....  so I bought enough to make a Rocio Sweater - see it HERE on Ravelry.....

Of course, the color is not quite right, even taken in broad daylight :(

So that will add 2,200 yards to my stash report on the side banner.  I'm hoping to finish up Wingspan soon which will counterbalance that number soon :*)

Used this week:  0 yds
Used this year:  0 yds
Stashed this week:  2,200 yds
Stashed this year:  2,200 yds
Net Stash:  2,200 yds stashed

So what's on your needles?  

Please share with us at Judy's Patchwork Times linky party!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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