Yummy yarn

I do apologize to all of you non-knitters who are bored by yarn, but I just finished my first ever pair of socks! I am really proud of myself, even though they are wonky, have a few holes and one is wider than the other. But hey, at least they fit! (And yes I do have large feet!)

I used Noro Kureyon sock yarn in color S233 lot C. It is beautiful yarn but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to beginners because the fiber is so varied it is tough to get your gauge right. The pattern I used came from the book "How to Knit socks: Three methods made easy" which was very straightforward with clear directions. 

I learned to knit on double pointed needles at some knitting classes I took a year ago when I was pregnant with Lu. She is modeling here my first project, Baby Leg Warmies (which is a great free pattern  by Alana Dakos from Never not Knitting). I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in light pink and carnation. I think these will be super cute this spring with her little denim dress.

 

It's becoming more and more clear to me how much I love a good rainbow.....isn't this pretty? This will soon become my guinea pig for my new crochet project. The Rowan Handknit DK cotton was recommended by my crochet muse Lucy at Attic 24 . It comes in such a pretty variety of colors, I want to order more! Just playing around with these skeins gave me the idea for the blanket I am going to make, now if only I can find some time. I'm off to drop Lucia off to visit with her wonderful Grandma and then I think I may just sneak back home to get in some uninterrupted stitching!

February Bee-autiful Bee blocks (& my newest obsession)

Here are my finished blocks for the Bee-autiful Bee. The very talented Elizabeth over at Oh! Fransson had the month of February and chose a fun Valentine-wonky theme. She sent over a sweet little package of solids and prints in pink and red cut into strips with instructions for each bee-er. You can read all about it on her blog.

Elizabeth is such a quilting force to be reckoned with, that little old newbie me was definitely intimidated to make these. But they were fun and simple to whip up and I hope you like them Elizabeth (and sorry for all the crazy seams on the back). I am so happy and honored to be part of this group of quilting masters!

As if I didn't have enough projects to occupy myself with, I have gone and fallen head over heels for Noro yarn. I am a sucker for variegated yarn in the first place. This stuff is so gorgeous and thrilling just to see which color combination is next. I'm easy I know. I of course just finished my striped scarf in time for spring so I know I won't be wearing that for long. And socks have been on my "must figure out" list for a long time. Sooo, I am off to hopefully finish my first sock tonight and then onto this very cool shoulder bag pattern, the Lotorp Bag. Wish me luck, I really have no idea what I'm doing.

Mama's got a brand new bag (and scarf)

Can you believe we actually got some sun up here in Seattle this weekend? It is turning out to be an El Nino winter up here, which is a nice change of pace from the constant rain and cold we are usually experiencing up here this time of year. Mark even got outside and grilled some prime New York steaks and asparagus (grilling while smoking a fine cigar could be one of his favorite past times).

The sun allowed me to get outside and take some photos of my new finished projects. This made me happy since I really am trying to get used to our new camera and all the grey days have not been very conducive to photography. So here they are in a bright little spot of green lawn:

My new Noro Striped Scarf!

and my completed Multitasker Tote!

I'm really loving both of my new accessories. I've been trying to get back into my knitting groove and this was the perfect no-brainer project - 1x1 ribbing in the beautiful Noro Silk Garden self striping yarn. I just love how this yarn feels and the way it does all the work to bring such a simple pattern to follow. The pattern for the Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood can be found for free here. It does take four skeins of yarn so it is by no means an inexpensive project but very worth it for me.

I bought the Anna Maria Horner Multitasker Tote pattern awhile back and just knew I needed to make it using fabric from the new Echino line! If you have constructed a bag from a pattern before this should be pretty easy for you to follow. And it was speedy! I finished it up in about four hours, which is fast for slow little me. I love the size and the big outside pockets. This one will be getting lots of use.

I finished quilting my Good Folks quilt last night! Now just the binding. With so many unfinished projects lying around, it feels really good to finish a few things.