Busy Fingers!

This past weekend my fingers were itching to create. I completed two knitting projects and started a crochet project all while avoiding things such as exercise and cleaning the house.

First on the list was my beautiful blue socks that I started a couple of weeks ago. The second sock was a much quicker knit as I figured out all of the confusing bits with the first one (specifically the heel turn). During this project I developed a serious love affair with my yarn (Anzula Squishy). The texture and the color were just divine! I definitely will be purchasing more of this brand in the future.

The next project was an attempt to jump on the holiday knitting. I had quite a bit of Cascade Pima Cotton Fine left over from my baby blanket project, so I decided to make some dishcloths as stocking stuffers. This pattern is called “Lace Cables.” It is a design from Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.  The cables are pretty simple, however one must count their stitches well in the lace sections.

My third project was these cute little flowers that I modified from 100 Colorful Ripple Stitches to Crochet. The pattern called for 6 rounds of crochet, but I kept the flowers smaller and only crocheted 3 rounds.  I had this grand idea of making tons of them and then sewing them all together. The end goal was going to be a children’s blanket. However, since I am just starting out with crochet I don’t know how to bind them together without leaving gaping holes. *sigh* If anyone has ideas I would love to hear them!

Happy Tuesday!

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Weekend Hike

Saturday morning I went for a hike on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.  The loop followed the Cataract Falls and Potrero Meadows Loop which came out to be approximately 6.5 miles. The rolling hills made for great scenery as were a good challenge on my glutes.

Bird’s eye view of the fog

There has been a serious drought here in California so there was not much water flowing through the mountain and over the waterfall. However, the fauna and wildlife made up for it. All and all a great hike for the intermediate hiker.

Banana Slug!

Beautiful Bramble Tunnel

Sky High Trees

What were your weekend plans?

(CR)AFTernoon

I was feeling crafty yesterday afternoon. I upcycled an old necklace and made it into:

Ocean Stones Keepsake Box

Materials: Glass Beads, jewelry pliers, hot glue gun or super glue, wooden box, acrylic paint, paintbrush, and packing tape

1) Separate the beads from metal clasps using the jewelry pliers.

2) Shine the beads if needed. Lay out the beads in desired pattern on top of the box.
3) Glue the beads to the top of the box using a hot glue gun or superglue. Allow to dry.

4) Take the packing tape and cover the beads to prevent paint stains.
5) Select a paint color and paint the box with your desired design.

6) Let box dry. Apply second coat of paint if needed.

*Tip: Super glue held the stones (especially the round beads) onto the wood a little better than the hot glue. I tried to use a combo of the both.

Happy Crafting!

Re-Learning Crochet

This weekend I dabbled on “the other side” with some crochet. A friend  gifted me 100 Colorful Ripple Stitches to Crochet by Leonie Morgan. This book is perfect for those who are beginners or have limited experience with following crochet patterns (This girl!).  Awesome feature: The patterns include both written directions as well as pattern charts. I decided on the pattern Hot Star which is a pattern in the round.  I have not quite mastered crocheting in a straight line as my edges always end up really crooked.  Therefore, this pattern was perfect.

Interesting thing I found out while I was working on this project: I prefer reading crochet charts rather than the written pattern.  Normally when I knit, I prefer written directions unless it is a color work piece. Maybe it is because I am not use to the crochet abbreviations?

In terms of yarn, I practiced with some acrylic yarn scraps that I had in my stash bin. All yarn was worsted weight. I used a plastic crochet hook that I had lying around and that was a mistake. I guess I am super strong like the Hulk as I broke the plastic hook (whoops!). Fortunately, I uncovered a metal hook and could finish my project.  I guess if I am going to keep up crocheting I better invest in some more metal hooks.

I hope to make a few more patterns in the coming weeks. I ultimately would like to make a large blanket for holiday gifts.

Happy Monday!

New Project: Socks!

I have a week and a half left till it is time to report to work. As much as I love having the time off, I get a little stir crazy after about 3 days. I decided that a challenging, yet quick(er) knitting project was in order. Immediately socks came to mind.  I chose the pattern Warm up Socks from the book The Joy of Sox by Linda Kopp. The lacy pattern as well as dainty cable really caught my eye.

I slightly modified the pattern as my foot is really small (US size 5). I decreased the number of circumference stitches as well as the length of the sock. The trickiest part so far has been the  heel shaping. It uses short rows, which are great, but the directions are a little wordy. I definitely had to read them over a couple of times to make sure I was on the right track.

The yarn was purchased on my trip to New York City at Purl Bee.  I follow their Instagram feed and love the free patterns on their website. Therefore, visiting the shop was a real treat. The shop itself is quite cute and the staff was very friendly. I controlled myself greatly as there was a beautiful selection of yarn. My final selection was a skein of Anzula Squishy in Chiva. It is a mix of Superwash Merino (80%), Cashmere (10%), and Nylon (10%). This yarn is great!  Very soft, beautiful color depth, and is quite durable ( tested several times after many pattern errors 😦 ).

Keep checking back for progress!

 

 

 

 

Cute Scrap Ideas

As any avid knitter/ crocheter you probably have yarn scraps mixed In with your stash right? Check out these cute ideas for what to do with your yarn scraps on Buzzfeed . I really like numbers 3,11, and 12.