2 months - AHHHH!!

2/11/16!!  February 11th!!  That's the last date I posted.  I'm such a slacker and I feel horrible!

Bear goes next week for laser eye surgery thanks to the lovely military.  He is excited and I can't wait because that's all I've been hearing about for the last 3 weeks since they approved his request.  I have a few patterns that I have finished and thought I would share, but not all at once.  Patience.

First, I love water and It Works products.  Both go hand in hand and I feel better, I have more energy, I feel better, not sluggish or empty.  I have my Contigo water bottle and I am in love with it.  It is the Cortland style, I find the one with the straw to be to forced and it requires a lot of draw to get the water.  I like to add ice before I leave for work and by the time I get to work, its cold, but not so cold I can't drink it.......I have overly sensitive teeth.  The sweating was driving me bonkers soooo I sat down one day and made a cozy for it.

Contigo Cortland Water Bottle Cozy.

SC: Single Crochet
DC: Double crochet
HDC: Half Double Crochet

I prefer a magic loop, but you can also start with a chain 5 and join tog.
DC 20 in the loop.
2 DC in each dc,
Now you have the base.

SC in the top loop of each all the way around and join tog to create the start of the sleeve
 Chain 1 and HDC in each stitch and join tog at end.

Continue until tall enough to cover the water bottle.  I found usually 33 rows does it.

To Create the security loop to hold up:
SC for 3 stitches.
HDC for 15 rows.  Secure where you feel works best for you when you insert the water bottle.

ENJOY!!!

Any questions feel free to ask.  I used 100% cotton yarn so it absorbs better but you can use any yarn you feel comfortable with.  It will stretch but after washing, especially if you use cotton it will shrink back down.

Thank fully for those waiting for the other patterns that I perfected in the 2 month hiatus, I will have my computer with me with we go for Bear's laser eye surgery next week since I have an Itworks online party to do while we are down there.  I will post one next week - oh no! - you might have to stay tuned! and another the week after.

If anyone is interested in joining the Itworks party, comment below (I have to approve it being posted, so if your concerned others will see, don't be) and I can find you on facebook and invite you so that you can learn more.  No harm in learning more and you don't have to commit to purchase.  Simply learn.  Or you can simply visit my ItWorks! Page to see and learn more.

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.

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)

Afghan: work in progress

I have lots of left over yarn.  Scrap pieces, none long enough for a single project alone.  My solution??  Patchwork quilt!!  Sort of.  I've been wanting to make a nice quilt to cuddle up under on the couch.  We have a few blankets at the house but nothing special and nothing that keeps you warm without doubling it over. 

I used the extra large yellow round loom from Provo Craft and made flat panels.  I had a few skeins of yarn that I had gotten for projects that I never got to and can no longer remember what I was going to make.  Currently I have two good sized panels and have sew them together; side by side.  While not the same size they were making me sweat while I made them.  One is with 3 strands of yarn, the other with 4.  Both the same thickness.  I have a few pictures and am still trying to figure out how to upload them.  I may add them to the next update if I can figure it out.

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.