Knitting – Kelly's Kwilts

I’m back!

Sigh….I just need to get back into sewing so I can post more! I started working on this post over a month ago, I don’ t even remember why I didn’t finish it!

School has started and both kids are loving their teachers and going to school – no matter what Alex says! Cassie is flying through sight words, her kindergarten teacher is amazed at what she knows already. My little girl is going to do so well in school! Alex is in third grade and he’s doing well too, loving his teachers this year which is a good thing! Just got reports cards for the 1st quarter and he’s got 3 B’s and an A – this is the first year that they get real grades. I’m more than happy with that!

In one of my IGSecretPal boxes I received some yarn, a Sweet Roll from Premier Yarns in a color way called Bubble Pop. I looked through Ravelry and found the Absolute Beginner Knit Cowl. It was so very easy and fairly quick, well quick for me, as I got it finished in 3 months. Once I got it finished I gave it to my little sister since pink is her color. The pattern was so easy that I might just make some more with some of the many, many yarns I have.

In September, I took a workshop on how to make jelly roll rugs. I used a jelly roll the husband bought me back in 2003 called Icicle Kisses from Kansas Troubles Quilters. Usually when I have time to take workshops I end up not having time to finish the project. Well not this time! I had my rug completed and took it back to the meeting in October for show and tell. It looks great in my kitchen right in front of the sink. I got some of that non-skid stuff to put under it so that no one slips and falls.

I’m trying to figure out what quilt I can pull out, baste and start working on quilting. I have too many quilts that are in the quilting queue and I have not been able to complete even 1 item off my UFO list this year. At least half of my list just needs to be quilted! I hope to be back soon with something to show!

Knitting and some Cross Stitch

So over the weekend we were childless, my wonderful sister took the kids for the weekend. That meant Saturday night we could make a nice dinner (something the kids won’t eat) and start working through all the shows we needed to catch up on. While we were watching shows I was working on various projects and made a decision. Last fall I had bought 5 skeins of yarn that were on clearance and decided to make a blanket for Cassie’s former day care teacher that was having a baby in December. Now I am a VERY slow knitter, especially when it’s long rows. Saturday I decided that I hadn’t made a very smart choice to make her something and it was time to set that particular project aside for now and work on other things. I’m almost through with the 2nd skein and I’ve a long ways to go on the project. At some point I’ll finish it and give it away, but right now it just needs to be put away.

Once I got that decision out of the way I pulled out the dish cloth I’ve been working on since November 2016 and finished it. I don’t know why it takes so darn long for me to work on knitting, wait yes I do, I have too many projects that are hand work!!! 🙂 The yarn is Peaches & Creme in colorway Pink Lemonade that I picked up at Walmart just because I liked the colors. I’ll see how I like using it to clean the kitchen and maybe I’ll make more someday.

I mentioned cross stitch in the title, I’ve found a pattern that I was really interested in making in January and I kept going back and forth on whether I needed another project. No not really but I did it anyway! I bought the pattern and the fabric from the author and started in on it. It’s a small section a month, and once I’m caught up it shouldn’t be too hard to keep up with everyone else. I’m almost caught up now, once I get the rest of the title done and March’s block that was just released I’m golden! Hubby and I are BIG Harry Potter fans and I just loved the idea of having all the classes in a sort of sampler piece. No clue where it will go when finished, but that’s ok I’m making it anyway! Perhaps I can start working on other cross stitch pieces too, I have a Cleveland Cavaliers one and a Monopoly board around here somewhere to make!

On (and off) the Needles 05/27/17

Cassie's Shawl 052717 2.jpg So October 2015 I started working on a shawl for myself with some very beautiful yarn. I’ve worked on it here and there since then, but my interest in it has waned. I finally realized yesterday that the reason my interest waned is because I just don’t care for the yarn anymore. I love the softness and colors, but the yarn itself isn’t nice to knit with. It’s really thin and did break a few times on me. So last night I knit the 5 rows I needed for a border and cast off and it is the PERFECT size for Cassie. She loves it, so it’s all good.

New Shawl 052717.jpg After I got that off the needles, I picked out a different yarn from my stash and started working on a new shawl for myself. It’s the same pattern and I’m liking how it’s looking with the yarn. Not taking this on vacation, I have enough projects already packed. But now I have something to work on tonight!

Off the Needles!!!

It took almost an entire year for me to complete my first pair of knitted socks. It took me a long time to finish the ribbing on the second sock. With the small needles I was using doing a k2p2 took such a long time! I haven’t tried them on yet, I want to wash them and let them dry on the blocker boards. I like the second sock (the one on top) a lot better because it’s a bit smaller and looks nicer. I’m trying to decide if I want to start a new pair of socks as a gift or if I want to make another pair for myself to practice the pattern I want to use as the gift. I also have 3 other projects I’m working on, a scarf for Alex (now that winter is over!), a shawl for me and an afghan for my sister that’s been in process for years. I guess I need to decide what project is next, but I’ll do that later I want to go sew right now! 🙂

Head over to Patchwork Times to see what everyone else is up to.

On the Needles – February 6, 2016

I’m a day late with this, but I just started a new project last night and needed to get a picture of it! I really didn’t need a new project, but Alex had asked me awhile ago to make him a red scarf (his favorite color). I had the yarn, just didn’t have a pattern. So this week I spent a little time on Ravelry and found a cute basketweave scarf pattern. It’s really an easy pattern, I’ve already completed 2 repeats and hope to get a lot more done this weekend. I did get a little more done on the camo blanket for my sister, but I’ve already put it away and don’t feel like getting it out for another picture! 🙂 Hopefully I’ll have the scarf completed quickly so I can work on one of the other projects.

Linking up to Patchwork Times.

On the Needles – Updates – January 22, 2016

I’ve been working on this blanket for my sister recently. I started it a LONG time ago (ok, maybe only a year ago) and usually only work on it during the winter. Since it’s getting heavy it’s kinda warm. I have a long way to go on it, I have a lot of this yarn to use up and my sister is taller than me and it needs to cover her up!

I started this after my son’s birthday party so I could relax. I love the colors in the yarn but I’m not so happy with the yarn itself. It seems to fray a bit and if it’s pulled too tight it can come apart very easily. It’s very easy knit and purl, which I don’t mind when we are watching tv!

I still haven’t finished those doggone socks! Started them last May and I just have to finish the ribbing on the second sock. I didn’t mind the work on the rest of the sock, but I’m really not liking the k2p2 ribbing that I’m doing. Every once in awhile I take it back out and do a row or two before putting it away. There’s about 3-4 inches left to do and I do want to finish them so I can wear them!

Need to be able to work on knitting and hexies and I’d like to get back to my cross stitch too! I think once I finish hexie insanity I’ll only do cross stitch and knitting as hand work and just do the quilting in my office – of course I might change my mind too! 🙂

Linking up to Patchwork Times – On the Needles.

On the Needles – October 23, 2015

I really didn’t need a new knitting project, I finally started working on the ribbing of my sock (no picture of that today!). Last weekend after my son’s birthday parties (one with his school friends and a family party all in the same day) I needed some majorly mindless hand work. So I dug out my ball winder and the 3 skeins of yarn I had decided to use for a shawl. Cast on and just started knitting away. It’s a really easy pattern, just stockinette stitch for the whole thing. I’m loving the colors in the yarn, and the stripes it’s making. I hope to finish the socks soon, but I’ve been up during the night with a certain little girl and haven’t been getting a lot of sleep, so mindless is what I need!

Linking up with Patchwork Times, check to see what everyone else is knitting!

On the Needles – September 25, 2015

I finally finished the first sock! I am also a good chunk of the way through the foot on the second sock. Just making slow but constant progress! I do really like how it looks with the striping, but it is definiitely too big in the foot. I also somehow managed to mess up the cast off and need to find some better instructions on how to do that on the next one. I already have the yarn for my next pair – it’s an awesome color way called Once Bitten that I found on etsy, making a pair of socks for my sister! Doesn’t look like they have it in the shop anymore but it’s red, grey and black – yep, OSU colors! She’s a big fan of the Buckeyes and I can’t wait to make these for her!

Lots more to update, hopefully I can get it done this weekend! Head over to Patchwork Times to see what’s on everyone’s needles!

On the Needles – August 14, 2015

Well, I have made some progress on my sock! I finally sat down with the instructions and read through them a million times along with reading some posts in the Ravelry group for the Fish Lips Kiss heel and it just finally clicked! Took me a few hours to get it all done, but I love how easy it was once I got it! I think I’ve got enough stitched that I’m going to start ribbing now, just have to decide if I want to do 1×1 or 2×2 ribbing. I’m thinking of going with the 2×2 but what does everyone else do? I still don’t like how big this sock is, but I’m not starting it over! I will just make the other one a little smaller – it’s my first pair and it’s a learning process! I posted last weeks update on instagram and Facebook and my mother calls me and says “You are knitting socks? You do know you can go to the store and buy them right?” I just laughed and told her it was something I always wanted to do! Hope to have more done by next week, maybe even starting the next one!

Linking up with Patchwork Times – check out what everyone else is up to!

On the Needles – July 10, 2015

I’ve gotten a bit farther on my sock, but I’m realizing now that It’s going to be too big. I was following a pattern and increased to the number it said I needed, and of course I think it’s too big by like 8 stitches on each side. I’ll finish it the size it is, but then I’ll need to decide what to do on the second one – make it the same size or decrease it to where it should be? I really like the striping and I’m sure the second one won’t turn out exactly the same, but I’m perfectly ok with that! I think it’s turning out pretty well for a first sock! I’m just about to the spot where I need to figure out how to do a heel, hopefully it’s not too hard! I’ve been working on this and hexie insanity at the same time, trading off when fingers are sore so I’m slowly making progress on both. Hopefully by next week (yeah I’m hopeful!) I’ll be working on or have the heel finished. We’ll see how much time I have this week!

Linking up to Patchwork Times – see what everyone else is up to!