Happy 2016!!

Its the beginning of a new year.  I've been terrible on keeping up this up to date with patterns and my own progress.  It is now the beginning of a new year, and a new me.  The past few months I have been on a crochet frenzy.  I think my poor boyfriend is sick of seeing yarn (even though he is now learning how to crochet and is making his own blanket) and together we have made a few "New Year's Resolution's".

-Be more active.  We have decided we want to do at least four 5K's.  We figure it gives us time to be able work up to it, we aren't fat, but neither one of us could run a 5K and be ok after, but it also isn't just one and done.
-Save more.  We learned we are less inclined to spend small bills like $1's and $5's, and all loose change.  We dug up what loose coinage there was around and we found close to $20 already.  But its not just money; being able to utilize Pinterest and its ability to allow frugality by making your own cleaning supplies for less then at the store and in larger amounts, as well as utilizing coupons.  We aren't trying to be on 'Extreme Couponing' or anything but 10, 25, and 50¢ certainly add up.
-Create more.  He is at least supportive of my inability to sit still, and always having to be doing something.  So by encouraging keeping my hands busy with crochetinghe is less likely to be irritated with my shuffling about around the apartment doing things.

I have a project in the works.  I can't say that I created the whole thing, or that someone else hasn't already done it, but I haven't found a pattern or it anywhere online.  As soon as I have it done and I've approved of it, I will post it for anyone to be able to use. 

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, prosperous, and crafty 2016!!

Hurricane Sandy knitting frenzy

We survived.  Barely.  The family I work for got SUPER lucky, there was a tree bending towards the house, and I would have put money that if it came down that they would have lost the master suite, garage, parents closets, half the kitchen, and my car.  It ended up coming crashing down, but went AWAY from the house.  We lost power on monday afternoon, and got it back on thursday, thankfully the family has a generator and were able to poorly hook it up to the fridge, tv, cable box, and water.  During the week since the kids didn't have school and were absorbed in their electronic games ( I tried to teach them card games but those were referred to as "boring") I was able to knit a pair of fingerless gloves on DPN's.  I just knitted in a circle without a pattern, made a spot for my thumbs and VOILA!  I do have a note to self to use a pattern next time.  I was also able to finish my sisters hooded scarf BUT as promised I did take a video to help explain the pattern and hood cast on.  I have never uploaded a video before and I hope I do this right.

Here is how to put the scarf onto the round loom:

And here is how to wrap the pegs inbetween:

I hope this helps.  If there are any questions please ask, I want to make sure I explained everything right.

A few days late is better than never.

I've been going to work during the day while the children are at school with my mom.  So I haven't gotten much knitting done.  I feel like I've gotten nothing done even thought I've finished two projects over the the past two day.  I finished the hooded cowl for my friend.  She will be leaving next weekend (October 27th) for Ireland and it will apparently be a staple among her wardrobe while she is there.  While doing it I was able to revise the pattern a little bit, and it actually made it a lot easier in the end.  I am finishing up the scarf portion of my sisters here in a few days and will take picture documentation and post it so that it is less confusing.  I won't be able to make myself  an all white one in a single week with everything else that I already have on needles or a loom.  I did however last night make myself an all white beaning using Lion Brand Yarn, from the Hometown USA collection, in New York White.  It is a super bulky yarn and worked up the beanie quite nicely.  I added in a 3 inch brim and after working the first 3 inches I started to add in Lion Brand Fun Fur.  I was then able to, after working 6 inches, fold over what was worked up, leaving the fun fur on the outside, and a nice soft yarn on the inside so I don't have the "fur" in my ears when wearing.  It came out really nice and I cannot wait to wear it next weekend.  Although I may have to use it before then, the anticipation is killing me.  I'm off to work with my mom (its an hr drive).  I will take pictures of the beanie tonight as well as the friends hooded cowl I finished and upload them.  I did take one yesterday and upload it to facebook.  I have 4 friends that want one and have already offered to pay.  I may be on to something.

Way too early morning...

Etienne had to be at school this morning for a class trip to Boston, at 5:15am.  UGH 5am this morning was not fun.  Soooo when I got back I did some more knitting on the project I'm working on for my best friend, with as well as its going I could have it done before she leaves in a few weeks and MAYBE Ill get mine done before the white out game.  Only time will tell.  I only have to do about another two feet of knitting before the scarf part is done then I can attach it to the round loom and work up the hood.  I'm excited for her to see the finished project. Here's the top view on the loom and a closer look at the yarn Mary picked out.  I think they look great blended together.

 

 

Once these next two are done I can't work on the one for my sister for her Christmas present.  She picked white to be paired with gold and purple.  She attends James Madison University, so I picked gold and purple as the base and allowed her to pick a neutral, out of white, beige, tan, grey, or black.

More to come, Happy knitting

 

Afghan photos

I Figured out how to upload pictures!!  My day today is being spent doing scholarship applications so no knitting will be done until tonight after dinner.  I did get another 3-4 inches done over the weekend while Allen was setting up his Wii that he hasn't used in the longest time.

The first picture is a close up of the second panel made up of 4 strands of yarn.  The second picture is of the two panels side by side.  The other panel is the first one I made, and is made up of 3 strands of yarn.  Both very thick and super warm already.  I can't wait for it to be done so I don't freeze this winter, if its as bad as the one we had in 2010.

Hooded Infinity Scarf

I started a project a while ago on needles and it didn't turn out like I expected.  It works, I'll wear it, but the "scarf" part isn't as long as I wanted.  So instead I came up with a better idea.  Use my loom!!!

I'm still working with the pattern and working out the kinks.

Supplies:

-1 short loom (I used the pink Provo Craft Knifty Knitter)
-1 extra large circular loom loom (I used the yellow Provo Craft Kifty Knitter)
-1 loom knitting hook
- Approx. 4-6 skeins of yarn (I used three strands for this project and used 6 skeins)
-1 yarn needle

Directions (Scarf):

Cast onto your short loom using the cross rib (figure 8) stitch. Here's how if your unsure and go straight to the 3:00 minute mark.  Continue with knitting with this stitch until your scarf has reached the desired length.

*I recommend resting the end on a shoulder and wrapping the scarf while on the loom loosely around your neck so that the loom is on the other shoulder and in the same position.  You don't want the ends to go to far down your back since they will be attached to the hood.  Once you find your desired length, cast off.  I did about 5 feet, and can wrap it twice for extra warmth.

Directions (Hood):

Take the scarf and lay it flat one end near you, the other far away.  Take the end near you and bring it to the side of the far end making a single twist. Take the ends and place them onto the circular loom, careful not to add any more twist or take out the one that was made.  Place them side by side careful to not where one ends and the other starts, you don't want to knit them together as these will be the sides of the hood.  (I have found that doing a k1/p1 repeating for the first few rows helps prevent the curling that can happen using circular looms).  Start knitting side to side using the E-wrap going back and forth until the hood has reached the desired length.  Cast off.  To complete the hood turn the purl side out and sew up the cast off seam so that it is on the inside.

Voila!  Ready to wear!  

(Like I said I'm still working out the kinks, if there is something that isn't understood, please let me know)

First Post!!

I work as a nanny for a family with three kids.  Twin 9 year old girls, Emma and Alyssa, and a 13 year old son, Etienne.  The mom, Jenny, works as a guidance counselor in NYC, the father, Phillipe, works at the restaurant in the Trump Hotel.  During the summer it was a lot of running around and I only finished a single project.  Now that the kids are in school I feel as though I have been knitting from the second the girls get on the bus to the second they get off and sometime even then I don't stop.  If I do stop, I pick it right back up around 7pm and continue until about 10/11 pm when I go to bed.  Friends and family keep asking about what I'm making, the progress of the current project and photos.  I can't keep up every request and decided to make this blog so that they could come here and look.

I will try to post each day and will figure out how to upload photos so that everyone can see.  I also enjoy creating my own patterns and when I have one I will post it.  I'm currently working on one and should have a pattern to post in a few days.

Right now I'm just trying to figure out what to do with all this scrap yarn I have left over from previous projects.