Sky Scarf: End of the Year

As the year came to a close, so did the Sky Scarf 2012 project.  It came off the needles yesterday after a year of knitting.  The yarn is The Loopy Ewe's Solid Series in the colorways: White, Cerulean, Dove, Slate Blue, Cornflower, and Smoke and I ended up using 1,178 yards total. 

 

While the scarf was a fun knit, I am glad to have it off the needles.  In spots, it could have been neater carrying the yarns up the side, but it is hard with 4 colors being carried up instead of just one or two.  I rarely have more than one or two projects going and to have a WIP that last for a year - well, it was starting to get to me that it was sitting in the basket and I couldn't finish it up.  It's done now and I have a wonderful record of the year.

 

 

I used every last bit of the white and cerulean blue from the first skeins. I ordered extra of these two colors, so I think I need to make a hat to match...

Color Affection

Finished the Color Affection Shawl yesterday and gave it a good wash.  It's huge!  I made the fingering weight version and it measures 88" long by 18" deep.  It fits snugly around your shoulders and won't fall off.  Despite the large amounts of garter stitch, it was a delightful knit and one of those garments that I can easily see myself reaching for time and time again.

I used The Plucky Knitter's Primo Fingering is the colors: Hope is a Good Thing (blue), Shades of Pemberly (green), and Memories (purple/gray).  It counted as my November personal sock club project (finished late) and toward the Plucky Knitter's Moderator Madness KAL.

It's cold outside today; time to wrap up.  I might have to make another one...

Almost the end

Over the Christmas holiday, I had a five day break from work.  I packed 4 knitting projects to work on and I did not finish a single one.  I took the Color Affection shawl and made good progress.  I'm working on the border section right now and will have it off of the needles by the time the new year rolls in.

It's almost time to revisit my 2012 goals list and evaluate how the year went.  I should be in good shape.  Naturally, it begs the question: what should my 2013 goals be?  I have a few ideas floating around.  I'm thinking them over and will have them set to share with you next week.

Refill please, table 1!

Last year I gifted my mother with a box of handmade cards in different designs and occasions.  She loved it - practical, handmade, and useful in a pinch when you needed a last minute thanks or happy birthday card as you're running out the door.  Unsurprisingly, this fall she requested a refill for the holidays. 

Since I couldn't share photos before Christmas, I thought I'd share a few photos of some designs that were included in her refill this year.  She requested a little bit of everything, so enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I had the card making supplies out, I made a set of cards for my dad using the Lovely as a Tree set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secret knitting

Since a few of my Christmas gift recipients read the blog, I had to keep a few knitted objects secret.  And since you know that I didn't start my holiday knitting early in July, I enlisted some help with socks this year:

Check those out!  Don't they look lovely?  Five pairs of socks out of Cascade Heritage sock for family and close friends.  These colorways were loving picked out by me, but knit on an antique sock machine of a friend.  Since they are handmade, I think they count.

A hat for my friend K's fiancee - he's knit worthy guy!

 

A woven dish towel experiment for my mom which turned out okay.  Next time, I might try experimenting with different cotton and possibly a different reed size.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas - from me to you!

 

Wishing you a wonderful holiday with family & friends and a Happy New Year!

One of my holiday card designs this year.  Stamps: Make a Mitten set and "Merry Christmas" from the Merry Messages set.  Northern Flakes embossing folder used for the top card.  Colors: Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, and Marina Mist.  I found the blue and red twist twine on Etsy.

First snow

Yesterday we had blizzard warnings in west central Illinois and were allowed to leave work early to allow everyone to make it home safely. It was our first snow of the season, and boy, did mother nature let us know that it was her season.  After a day of rain, everything turned to sleet, and then snow.  I was very grateful to be home early!  It was a good day to be home, make a cup of tea, and craft for a while.

I got a few things done around the house and to put the finishing touches on a few Christmas presents.  I'll have pictures to share next week so I don't spoil any surprises!  Do any of you still have last minute projects to get to?  If so, good luck!  I'm off to wrap gifts...

Last Minute Weaving

I finished a few items on the loom this weekend.  Scarves for holiday gifts!

First up, the Vintage Icebox scarf in The Plucky Knitter's Traveller Sport.  For the warp and weft I used The Plucky Knitter - Traveller Sport in the Vintage Icebox colorway.  Since this is a sport weight yarn, it is also counting for my December personal sock club project. 

Stats: Start: 194 grams / Remaining: 33 grams / Used: 161 grams
161 grams = 585 yards
10 dent reed / 96 ends
8” x 85” with fringe
8” x 78” without fringe

Second, I finished the Pola scarf.  The warp and weft are both The Plucky Knitter Merino Lite in the Pretty Pretty Pola colorway. 

Stats: Start: 206 grams / Remaining: 35 grams / Used: 171 grams
171 grams = 425 yards
8 dent reed / 76 ends
7.25” x 88” with fringe
7.25” x 80” without fringe

These were my last Christmas presents to finish making (aside from a few dishcloths), so I am back to knitting on the color affection shawl.  With any luck, I will have it finished by the end of the week.  If not, that's fine too.  I have a lot of gift wrapping and chores around the house to tackle before the holidays!

Out of Storage

The loom is out of storage and back in action.  Working on some scarves!

Frango Mints

Time for the holidays when you see these Frango Mints appear.  I miss being able to pick them in Chicago at the Marshall Field's State Street store. 

Making Paper Mittens

I'm making mini paper mittens.  Lots of mini paper mittens.  The reason?  I'm putting the finishing elements on my holiday cards this year.  Last year, the majority of my cards featured miniature stockings (from the retired Stitched Stockings set) and when Stampin Up released the Make a Mitten set with coordinating punch this year, I didn't hesitate to keep with my 'knitted objects' theme.  Dozens of little mittens will soon be winging their way through the postal system to friends!

Snowy Days, Frosty Nights

 

A few weeks ago I borrowed the retired "Branch Out" set from a friend.  If I ever come across this set, I might have to pick it up - it is very versatile.  Again, I used the blue/red color combination (Bashful Blue, Rose Red) and added the embossed snowflake background. 

 

"Snowy days,

frosty nights,

warm hearts"

 

I'm working on my holiday cards and they'll be ready to go out in the mail very soon.

Sky Scarf - November

Through November knitting on the Sky Scarf.  I can't believe that I have just 29 more days of knitting to go!  As you can see, I should make it with one skein of each of the colors.  I have extra white and medium blue on standby though, in case I need them to finish the last week or so. 

Exhange Cards, Part 2

I'm back with the other three designs I used for our holiday card exchange.

I've had the lace ribbon punch for a while, but always forget to use it.  What better way to showcase it than repeating the ribbon?  I used Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, and Perfect Plum to create the ribbons and added them straight to a white card.  The decorative label punch cut out the phrase from the retired Smarty Pants set.

By far, this was the most labor intensive card, but the resulting Pinwheel is well worth it!  I used the DSP Everyday Enchantment paper and a circular punch to create the pinwheel.  Inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest, I used 8 circles, folded them in half and then used a large brad to secure them.  Getting them onto one brad was a bit of a challenge, and I ended up adding them to the brad different directions rather than just one and rotating them around.  Pool Party (card), Everyday Enchantment paper, and the decorative label punch rounded out the card.  Ribbon is Calypso Coral an Lucky Limeade from the Sale-A-Bration last spring.

PS - The pinwheel doesn't actually spin and is held in place with dimensionals.

My final card tried embossing with two separate embossing folders - polka dot and a handwritten script.  I framed some images from the Pocket Silhouettes set on the Rose Red background and added the other two embossed layers (Wild Wasabi and Pretty in Pink).  It's something I'd never tried before, but I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. I might have to try this again!

Holiday Card Exchange

Instead of giving gifts, a few friends and I participate in a Stampin' Up card exchange for the holidays.  This year our theme is friendship cards and I put together 6 designs to be shared.  Earlier this morning we swapped, so I can share what I've been working on behind the scenes for the past two weeks.

The first card featured the retired Merry Winter set.  I used Early Espresso for the base and folded it so that it would open in the center.  Bashful Blue background was embossed with the seasonal snowflake embossing folder from last year and topped with the stamped image.  If you look closely, you can see that I added glitter over the snow before I added the ribbon.  It sparkles more in person, I promise!

As I show you the rest of the cards, you'll notice that I was on a punch kick, so this card featured the large scallop and 1.5" circle punch.  Lot of colors here: Wild Wasabi (base), Almost Amethyst (top card, retired color), Early Espresso (center), and the flowers are Pink Pirouette, Perfect Plum, and Pretty in Pink.  The words are from the retired essentials set and I raised the flowers with dimensionals after I embossed the background.

Remember the punches?  Well, I went to town with this card!  I had small pieces of the DSP paper from last year's Sale-A-Bration in small pieces and wanted to figure out something to showcase the patterns and use of color.  I used Calypso Coral for the base and twine, and added big 'polka dots' of the different papers down the center panel.  I pulled another in color, Lucky Limeade, for the 'friend to friend' stamp from Pocket Silhouettes sets.  This one is one of my favorites and I wish I had made more to use myself!

I made three more designs for the swap and I'll share those tomorrow.