Queen of Buttons

Yup, I feel like the queen of buttons.  Check out my stash:

Various assorted buttons

Yup, I haz buttons!  Lots of selection and that suits me just fine.  It gives me options when I need to use buttons for a project.

I've also got a stash of colourful ones which often work great for children's clothing or accessories.

Sorted colourful buttons

I've separated them into their various colours.  Me thinks I need to sort through the other buttons too.

Why was I looking through the button stash?  To find the perfect ones for my nephew's Baby Sophisticate.  The collar is complete and all the ends have been woven in.  I only need 4 buttons to finish it off.  I narrowed it down to a few possibilities:

Possible choices 

After "trying out" a few and consulting with my boys, I settled on two possibilities: plain wooden buttons and tarnished brass ones.

Wooden or brass?

I'm leaning towards the wooden ones 'cuz that's how I envisioned the finished sweater when I initially chose this colour for the project.  Decisions, decisions, decisions . . . 

Progress

One sleeve is complete.  Yay for me!

Detail of finished sleeve

And I've started work on the second sleeve.  Hard to see with the two circulars (my favorite method for working in the round--less likely to have ladders.  Guess everyone uses whatever method works for them).  A couple of inches left to go . . . (but don't hold your breath 'cuz I've been working in the yard this weekend).

In-progress second sleeve

Even managed to get myself out to knit night.  It's been a year--at least.  With the school semester done, I plan to get out more regularly 'cuz I usually get some knitting time in and it's nice to connect with like-minded crafters.

WIP

Time to start looking for another project.  I find that if there's a new yarn or project waiting for me, the incentive bolsters my odds of finishing that WIP.  ;)

Knitting . . .

Almost ready to cast off the body . . . 

Looks good from behind too.

Now if I could just need find my other 5.0mm circular needle to work the sleeves . . . .

Knittin' Stuff

There's no shortage of knittin' projects over at casa d'acrylic.  Hubby's slippers are almost done.  They just need some seaming--and none too soon as his old ones are almost disintegrating as I write this . . . eeek! Must sew post haste!

Man-sized Non-Felted Slippers

And I started another lovely ballband dishcloth.  I've made this pattern before.  It's easy, looks great and works much better than the ol' traditional garter stitch dishcloth (doesn't stretch out too much when wet, yet still has scruffy surface for scrubbing).  My old dishcloths are fading fast.  Living in the country with hard water can take a toll on one's laundry, especially the linens that go in and out of the water.  

Ballband Dishcloth in progress

Since there`s plenty of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in the stash, I'm makin' more of these dishcloths.  Think 5 to 6 would suffice?  Maybe I should make more?  Let's see how quickly I get bored with the pattern . . . . 

Finished Avocado

Oh, and I mustn't forget:  Avocado is complete!  Buttons and ends sewn into place.  I think it looks very cute with the wooden buttons--very rustic feel to it.  Hubby is set to bring home a box so I can mail it off to my sister.  Hopefully my niece will be able to wear it before the weather gets too warm or she outgrows it (Ya gotta know I'm already planning another cardigan for the fall--hope 12 months will work for sizing).

Have a great week!

Like a Lion . . .

March came in like a lamb, promising warmer clime and less snow.  Alas, she has deceived all!  Winter still reigns here, y'all!! **grumble, grumble**

This week we had not one, but two snowstorms!  The last of which caused most of town to shut down.  Snow isn't so much the culprit as strong winds.  Even on a clear, sunny day, if the wind is blowing hard enough it'll drift the snow back onto the road or cause white-outs.  Not fun.

So with lots of time on my hands, I worked on my course (yay, finished the first complete draft of my essay).  And yes, there was knitting.

My sock is almost ready for the toe shaping.  And with the continued snowy weather, I'll have to cast-on the second sock pronto as I'll probably still wear my woolies well into May **sigh**

Sock Almost Done

As I near the end of my sock, a nagging doubt plagues my thoughts: I fear the yarn will run out before completion. Thus far, 1 ball of Patons Kroy has had enough yardage for one Acrylic-girl sized foot.

Yarn Remains: Enough?

And I also began work on the second sleeve of that lovely Avocado.  

Sleeve Detail

I kept notes on stitch counts, shaping and such (and yes, I will post that info ASAP). Not too hard to change the original pattern from bottom-up to top-down.  I certainly enjoy the top-down process more than the other way around.

Cardi in Progress

If I'm diligent enough, I can finish this cardigan before it becomes too small for my niece to wear . . . 

Some Wee Progress . . .

It goes without saying that my knitting mojo is slowly waning.  That there is any progress at all is a surprise to me.  But progress there is!

Avocado Progress

The baby garter sweater (aka Avocado) has one sleeve completed.  Yay!

Sleeve Detail

And even my lowly sock has finally got the beginnings of a heel flap (there's always a sense of accomplishment when I can get the leg portion finished.  It feels as if I'm forever knitting and knitting  . . . until suddenly I've reached the right length).

Ribbed Sock In Progress

I always like working the heel flap--so I can watch the colour changes as I work back and forth.  And of course there's the heel turning which still inspires wonderment: it literally looks like magic!

Now back to my baking and cooking.  Yes, I'm actually making supper which is a wonderment itself (as I so rarely cook--mainly because I don't like to cook and there are other better cooks in the household who actually enjoy cooking).

Have a great week! 

Snow Day

This has been a winter of umpteenth snow days.  Being in the country, my trek into town takes me past hay fields and farms, across which the wind howls and blows much snow.  Long story short: the driving can be quite dicey at times with snow covered roads and white-out conditions.  Today was such a day.

And I can proudly say I used my time wisely and spent most of the day knitting.  I worked on a pair of socks I'd started in December.  I like stripey socks and this yarn (Patons Kroy Jacquards) is working up nicely.  I so love my wool socks.  Woolies make me very, very happy. :)

Stripey Socks

I even worked on the lovely Avocado. The body is complete.  And I've even managed to work on one of the sleeves--in the round of course.  I worked out when to start the decreases.  The rest should be easy--I hope.

Avocado in Progress

Here's hoping I can get out to work tomorrow.  This girl needs to bring home the bacon (so she can buy some yarn--hee, hee!).

Have a good week! :)

About the Avocado . . .

Almost Completed Body

Yup, its growing!  Very pleased with my progress this week.  I made a concerted effort to work on this project.  It became my naptime and lunchtime knitting.  And of course it was my waiting-room knitting.

WIP

Guess what?  My plan worked!  The bulk of the body is done.  I'm actually working on the garter hem.  The pattern called for 5 " for the body before working hem, but I decided to lengthen it to 6 ".  Planning to work the garter hem for about 1" before casting off.  Then its off to work the sleeves in the round ('cuz I'm not a fan of seaming).

Garter Detail

Hoping to put up my mods and patterns in one of the pages at the top of my blog as a free pattern inspired by classic garter stitch.  I'll keep you posted. ;)

Hello Avocado

Yup, feelin' much better (sadly some of my co-workers are not faring so well).    But of course once I felt better, I was ready to cast-on a new project.

Beginnings of Avocado Baby Cardigan

Say hello to my lovely Avocado.  It is in fact a project I have worked previously.  Remember my Watermelon cardigan? It was one of my Blog Bernat projects so I did blog about it twice.  Yet I don't recall mentioning it here . . . 

Watermelon Cardigan

It was a cute cardigan and my niece wore it a few times, but she soon out-grew it.  I really liked the garter yoke, but I disliked the bottom-up construction.  So I decided to reverse the pattern by constructing it as a top-down.  I started with the number of stitches bound off--those became my cast-on stitches and then worked increases instead of decreases.

So far, so good!

Precious

Just had to share . . . 

Precious Babe

My sister was kind enough to pose her precious babe.  Meet my wee niece in her new sweater and hat.

Fast Asleep

Just perfect!

I haven't met her yet.  I hope I'll get to meet her soon before she gets too big.  Hard to live so far away from family . . . 

Pretty Baby . . .

She'll be a pretty baby dressed up in her new ensemble. Of course, the intended recipient has yet to be born (she's got less than two weeks to join us, but she's probably following her own timeline--hee,hee). 

Finished Baby Cardigan with Matching Hat

Very pleased with the yarn.  It's Red Heart's Smoothie.  And I gotta confess it was smooth, with a silky touch; I would have sworn it was cotton, but the thing is 100% acrylic.  Only the white yarn was different: its Bernat's Baby Cakes (still lamenting its discontinuation).

And of course the patterns were awesome.  The hat was a modification of Berry Hat.  You'll notice that the one pictured above is slightly different than the one I shared a few weeks back.  The first version got unraveled: the stripes were all "wrong"!  Using a smaller needle size, I "picked up" the correct number of stitches and then just ripped, ripped, ripped . . . 

"Picking up" Stitches

Unraveled Hat

Then I started up the stripes so that they better matched the cardigan striping.  I think the re-do looks much better.  

Lotta Buttons

As for the cardigan, I loved the easy pattern.  My only confusion came when working the sleeves.  Since I had experience with many a top-down pattern, I just followed my instincts.  The only thing hard about the pattern was choosing the buttons!  Thank heavens for my extensive button collection:  lots of choice, but in the end the heart shaped ones were the better  match.  Besides, they slipped in and out of the buttonholes with ease--something a busy mom might appreciate if baby isn't being too cooperative.

Concentric Circles Cardigan

I'm certain the recipient will enjoy the set.  I think mom will like it too.  Time to get the thing wrapped and mailed in the next few days . . . 

On to another project . . . 

Oh Baby!

Yup, there are babies in the foreseeable future--not my babies.  Just nieces (or nephews).  So I thought I'd start a few baby knits.

Cute Stripey Hat

This is the Berry Baby Hat (Rav link), but I've modified the design by adding stripes.  It was supposed to resemble the cardigan a little.  Sadly I goofed up the stripes. Only after starting the cardi did I realize my error: the new colour of the stripe is supposed to be worked as a purl, not a knit.  I may have to rip back to the pink section and redo the striping ('cuz it'll bug me that the stripes don't match).

Circular Yoke Baby Cardigan

Pictured above is the start of the cardigan (and I'm farther along).  The pattern, called Concentric Stripes Cardigan, is free (another Rav link): very cute circular yoke sweater that requires very little yarn (it's newborn size).  When finished, I imagine it'll be tiny.  Maybe my niece will only wear it for a month.  Guess I'll have to make her another sweater.  If that's the sacrifice I must make . . . Have I mentioned how much I enjoy making baby knits?  :D

And Now for Some Knittin'

Rest assured there is still knittin' in the house.  I can happily reveal that one sleeve of my Bohus Redux is complete!

One Completed Sleeve

It's not exactly like the inspiration piece the Bountiful Bohus.  I opted for a straight sleeve instead of a bell shape and I also lengthened it.  There's nothing worse than having a chill, grabbing a sweater and still feeling cold as you struggle to pull the sleeves down to your wrists.


I'm also working on a pair of socks in fingering weight.

Woolen Socks in Fingering Weight

I can't remember when I started these, but they're very close to being finished.   Once completed, I may have to make a few worsted socks.  There's nothing like a woolen pair of worsted socks to warm one's toesies on a cold February's eve. 


Have a great week!

Ode to Bohus Redux

Oh Bohus Redux,

How do I love thee?

Let me knit your stitches,

straight and true.

Loop through loop,

surely you do grow

just as the snow falls

lo this long cold day

Yup, she's a-growing (the sleeve is actually further along than pictured above).  As for adhering to a deadline, I have given up.  It is an exercise in futility. Slowly but surely I will complete this project.  Although, my plan to return to school part time come April means that all outstanding WIPs need to reach completion, lest they stay unfinished forever.


Have a good weekend! :)

Hiya!

How are the holidays treating ya?  Hope you had a good Christmas.  Ours was quiet and peaceful  despite some family members experiencing a bit of illness (thank heavens it was short-lived).  I won't have to be back at work till January 3rd, so I'm trying to play catch-up with my knitting.

Nearly Completed Toe-Up Sock

Made some headway on my socks: got past the heel and working the leg (most of it done at naptime at work--sadly I'm not allowed to take a nap).

Working Hem on Bohus Redux

More importantly I've returned to my beloved Bohus Redux.  I'm determined to finish that baby--dying to wear it!  For sure it'll be handy on a chilly winter's day (January and February will bring its share of chill).  And its the best thing I've ever designed (in my humble opinion).   Almost there: finished the body (complete with waist shaping) and working the ribbing for the hem . . . so close to the end.  Even though I have yet to work the sleeves and button bands, I can see the finish . . . so close. 

And Now for Some Knitting . . .

What?  Knitting on a knitting blog?!  Have I gone mad? 


But seriously, I managed some knitting this week.  With the sale of our mini-home finalized, all the cleaning is out of the way (yay! :D).  Its hard work cleaning out one's accumulated dirt and grime; after all, it took almost 14 years to build up to appreciable levels.).   

Bohus Fitting

With the added crafting time, my Bohus Redux has grown: added some waist-shaping as I slowly work towards the cable-ribbed hem.  Thus far, the fit is quite nice.   

Detail

This is actually the first time I've tried it on (so much for trying-on as I go-along).  I must confess that from the start I had a good feeling about this project--much better feelings than my first attempt at the Bohus.  And as it turns out, my guts were spot on: it fits great!  Very pleased with this one (rest assured I'm taking copious notes so that I can post the pattern to this site before the end of the year).

Phentex Slippers

I've also returned to my hubby's slipper.  His old pair are dying--thanks in part to Patches, our cat.  She's a cute kitty, but is terribly fascinated by slippers and paper cards (the kind you find in magazines for subscriptions).

Patches' Favorite Napping Spot

And is it normal for a kitty to play "attack cat"?  Contrary to the above pic, our kitty seems super-energized--especially after a meal.  I'm guessing its normal  kitty behaviour.  Perhaps I should consult a cat-care book (seeing as I'm typing this at the local library, I should head over to the stacks pronto.  At the library?  Yes, I'm still without internet access at home, so I'm having to drive into town to hit all the wi-fi hot spots  . . :S)


Have a great weekend! :)

All Kinds of Progress

Sorta.  Over vacation, I did manage to get some knitting done.  Surprising how much one can do barreling downtown via subway train.  And there's been a smatterin' of knit time throughout the week.  Of course there's been this thing called "work" that has sucked up most of my time--go figure!.

First off, I'm close to finishing off the body section of my navy Bohus: just another half inch and I can join the sleeves to the body (although there's the small detail of actually making the second sleeve).

Bohus in Progress

The photo above is not accurate as I've gotten further along since photographing my Bohus.  My zeal for this project has not abated, in spite of the miles and miles of stockinette.  At present my only real concern is adjusting the yoke; thus far, my modifications have created the appropriate size (so says my tape measure).  I'm hoping this continues as I grapple with the decreases in the yoke (and don't get me started on the short-rows for the neck . . . that could be a little scary).

My other vacation project is my green Soleil.  I hadn't even swatched it when I left for Toronto.  Lo and behold, I've gotten to the waist.

Soleil Progress

It was the perfect airport/flying project (knitting is great for occupying one's hands and mind when one has a fear of flying--just saying).  The lace section was very easy once I memorized the pattern.   And the stockinette section hasn't been too mind-numbing, especially since I have to keep track of rows for the waist shaping.  And the silk-bamboo fabric: very nice feel and drape.  This is gonna be very pretty when its done.  I just hope it fits.