I’ve been sitting around patiently waiting for an invite to Ravelry for a while now.  I kept thinking surely my turn would come up soon.  Lo and behold, during a quick e-mail check last night I saw the invite sitting in my inbox.  I signed up right away, but I don’t have much time to play there just yet.  I have a feeling I could get sucked in for hours before I notice.

I’m really impressed with the site after getting just a quick look around.  I think it will definitely be a great resource for me as I learn my way through the knitting basics.

Speaking of learning, I’m still working on that darn Grace beanie.  I started (and actually finished) another one during a car trip this weekend.  It was coming out perfect until I got distracted by a toddler and let my stitch count get off.  I went ahead and finished it out anyway as it was just a test with some spare yarn.  I’ll be starting another one soon to go with the blanket I recently finished.

I also knitted up another quickie infant hat over the weekend that I have yet to take pictures of.  It may be a while before I’m able to post pictures though as we are heading out of town on vacation on Friday.  I’ll have a very limited internet connection while we are gone unless I can find some free wi-fi somewhere.

Technorati Tags: ravelry, grace beanie, baby, hats, knitting

The last few days I haven’t felt much like being on the computer. That means I’m not getting some of the things done that I should be doing, but it also means that I’ve been doing more knitting.

Zach stayed at his aunt’s house last night, so hubby and I took the opportunity to have a nice child-free dinner out and then a quiet evening. My plan was to get ahead with some of my blog posts at Tot TV Watch as we’re going to be vacationing soon, but I just couldn’t motivate myself to write. After a couple of hours of staring at the screen, I finally put it away and pulled out the scarf I’ve been working on.

Before I knew it, it was 11:00. I was tired and my eyes were aching, but I was so close to finishing it I just couldn’t stop. I finally finished the scarf up. It was my first scarf ever and I am totally in love with it. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. It is beautiful and soft and fuzzy. I love it so much I’m going to have a hard time giving it away. I suppose I can always make another one.

While talking to my sister last weekend (about the beautiful scarf that she is getting) she said, “You know you could make something for yourself some time.” When I started thinking about it, the only things I have ever kept for myself were Zach’s baby blanket, the first afghan I ever crocheted, and a couple of hats. Everything else has been given away as gifts. Now I’m wondering, how many knitters and crocheters out there actually keep the things they have made. What percentage would you say you give away as gifts or donations?

Technorati Tags: knitting, crochet, scarf, gift, donation

I decided this weekend it was time for a quick, easy project.  I haven’t had a chance to research and figure out what I’m doing wrong on the Grace beanie yet, so I put it aside for now. 

I got this great blue and brown novelty yarn in a sale a while back and have been really wanting to play around with it since then.  I decided to pull it out and have a little fun with it this weekend.

Since I was going for simple, I decided on a scarf.  When my sis found out what I was making she asked if she could have it.  I still haven’t decided whether I’m going to give it up because I’m already a little bit in love with it.  The picture does it no justice at all.  It is so soft and snuggly!  Plus, it is my first scarf ever.

I’ll have to post a better picture when it is all finished, but I may not get back to it for a few days as I have a certain little boy’s 2nd(!) birthday to celebrate this week.

Technorati Tags: scarf, novelty yarn, grace beanie

So it appears that I may have gotten in a little over my head with the Grace Beanie. It didn’t look that hard from the pattern, but apparently I’m more of a novice than I like to admit. I did my swatch for gauge, then started in on the beanie. What I didn’t do was practice the heart pattern. That part didn’t go so well.

I was knitting along as happy as could be on the beanie when I discovered that the heart pattern wasn’t looking so much like a heart. The holes in the pattern weren’t lining up correctly. Trying not to get frustrated, I pulled out my trusty knitting books and double checked to make sure I was doing the slip, slip, knit and the yarn overs correctly. Apparently I was doing something funky with the yarn overs, so I decided to back up a bit and rip.

With my new knowledge, I started in again. It still didn’t line up. I decided to put down the beanie I was working on and grab a different yarn so I could see my stitches better. I figured I would make a quick swatch of the heart pattern and figure out what I was doing wrong. Three tries later and I still can’t seem to get it to come out right. At this point, I figure either the pattern is wrong or I am just doing it wrong. What do you want to bet it is the latter?

I’m still working on it though. I refuse to give up because I really want to make the beanie. In fact I have plans to make several of them if I can ever get it right. It is times like these when I wish I had some knitting friends around here to help me out.

Technorati Tags: knitting, grace beanie, slip slip knit, yarn over

Last week I ran across a link to a really cute hat pattern over at Knitting Passion. I’ve been getting really anxious to branch out a little with my knitting I fell in love with this Grace Beanie from KnitWhits the moment I saw it.

As soon as I had some spare time Sunday evening, I sat down and tried to start in on the beanie, only to find out that I didn’t have the right size of circulars to knit it. I purchased a few circular needles a while back so that when I was ready I could experiment, I just didn’t think I would be experimenting with a pattern quite so soon. I decided to start in anyway and see what I could come up with and to get used to the circulars.

Today I went out at lunch to try to find the right size needles. I headed out to one of my favorite craft stores (which is actually more of a fabric store) and at the last minute decided to change routes and go to a certain chain Hobby store to see what they had. I have to say it was an excellent decision.

Being a bit of a newbie to knitting, I don’t know a lot about yarns yet. I am learning, but there are so many different types and different textures out there. I haven’t yet ventured out to any specialty yarn shops because my skill level just doesn’t make it worth my time or money quite yet. Up until now, I’ve chosen to go the cheap route and pick up my supplies at Wal-Mart or other discount stores. But I think I may have found a new spot.

I was practically drooling over the yarn selection at the big chain Hobby store. There were so many colors and textures and ideas flowing through my head. Each new yarn I noticed put pictures of cute hats and scarves and sweaters and bags in my head. I wanted it all. I wanted to knit it all. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or the money for it all. Besides that, I have quite a stash at home already that I need to use up before I buy any more.

I walked around a bit more, picked up the needles and a couple of other items I needed, and then glanced at the yarn one more time. That is when I caved. I ended up buying 4 skeins of chenille that looked just too fun. It was on clearance and I just couldn’t resist. I already have a gift recipient in mind. Now I just have to figure out what exactly I’m going to make with it. Maybe a larger Grace Beanie with a matching scarf?

Technorati Tags: circular needles, stash, knitting passion, grace beanie, knitwhits, yarn, chenille

Summer is here and that means busy, busy, busy for me.  I always think that the summer will give me lots of time to relax, but in reality it ends up being the opposite.  It seems like we are always running to do this or do that all summer long.  I can’t believe how packed my schedule is already.

This past weekend I had a garage sale.  Even though it made for a very busy weekend, it did allow me a bit of time for some knitting while I sat and waited between customers.   By the time I went to bed Sunday night, I had finished up the baby blanket that I was working on.  All I have left to do is tuck the ends of the yarn in and it will be ready to go.  I had quite a bit of yarn left over (because I was really afraid I would run out!) so I think I’ll work on a couple of hats and then see what else I can make to go along with it.  I’m looking forward to doing something a little more challenging than the Easy Baby Blanket.

I’m debating whether to post pictures of the blanket as it is a gift and won’t be given out for a while.  I doubt that the recipient would happen across this blog, but it is possible so I might hold off until she has received her gift.

I’m getting really anxious for an invite to ravelry.com.  The screen shots that they posted almost had me salivating yesterday.  It is looking really cool.  It has me wanting to go take pictures of my stash, even though it surely doesn’t even compare to that of the other fabulous knitters out there.