SnapShots & WhatNots

Fluted Cowl - finished

I’m slowly getting around to photographing all the finished knits that I’ve completed over the last couple of weeks – I’m accumulated quite a few that I haven’t shared including this big cozy cowl. 

This one was a selfish knit that I made pre-Christmas and then had to wait for weeks for the weather to actually get cold enough in SC to wear it! I got my chance in early Jan when we headed to Alabama on a road-trip and camped in 20F weather….yea not the best plan…more on that in a later post but here's a photo of the tree of us at the top of a trail head in the snow....all wearing our knits (just ignore my crazy eyes - I suck at taking selfies!)

The cowl is a huge chunky knit cozy monster. I made it with knitpicks brava bulky in the colour seraphim which was a little more on the pink side than I was expecting but it grew on me over time. The pattern is called fluted cowl and is available for free on ravelry.

This was such a quick knit as well – I think it took about 2-3 evenings total. It also gave me the inspiration to make Kathy a similar cowl but of course by now the weather has changed back to pleasantly warm in SC and the cowls are just waiting for us to decide to up an move to colder climates….it would do wonders for my knitting!!!

Zigzagular socks

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with dyeing my own yarn. It’s such an addicting process! I need to buy a milligram scale so that I can accurately measure the amounts of dye that I’m using but other than that it has been a fun experiment to just mix up dye and see what happens.

I dyed this one up on Christmas Eve, while feeling very festive and knew that I wanted it to be many shades of pink and red. I’m thrilled with how well the dyeing turned out. I knew immediately that it was destined to be a pair of socks. The weather has finally turned and it is starting to feel like winter here in South Carolina, perfect time to make feet cozy!

I used the free Zigzagular Sock Pattern from ravelry and knit up the pair over the course of last weekend. I’m still not great at the sizing for socks – the first pair I made were too tight and since then the other pairs have all erred on the too big side. This pair seemed perfect at first but after wearing them for a day they are all ready stretched out a bit too much to be wearable.

But since I’m heading off on a very very long road trip this weekend there will be plenty of time to re-knit the up smaller. I’m keeping sizing notes though so once I crack the perfect measurements I’ll be dyeing yarn and knitting up socks with abandon!

And since these are still technically a WIP I'm linking up with Frontier Dreams and Small Things

Hello 2016!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the first few days of 2016. Boomer and I spent Christmas here in South Carolina while Kathy went home for the first time in three years. She had a great time spending the holidays with her family while Boomer and I got as festive as possible here.....plenty of Christmas movies, hot chocolate, listening to my new Adele album, mulled wine, a box of Cadbury chocolate biscuits....oh yea I totally spoilt myself!

2015 was an interesting year - it had lots of ups including marrying my best friend, going on a fabulous honeymoon to Key West and Miami and being awarded a scholarship for cancer research - it also had a couple of downs, some very stressful weeks wondering about the future and job and visa issues that made the last few months of 2015 very hard. You might have noticed that I've been very quiet on here lately and that's why, I just didn't have the motivation to share much. 

2016 is a new year - things are better job and visa wise (not perfectly sorted out yet but getting there) and I'm more motivated that ever to start making some positive moves career wise......time to start thinking bigger/better/moving on etc......but rather then stressing about it like I did all in 2015, in 2016 I'm going to take it as it comes and stress less. 

So here's to 2016, I'm ready for you! I also have a million different knitting and sewing project ideas floating around in my head and I can't wait to get started. My finish 15 in 2015 was a bust...especially from a sewing perspective, I completed (knitted and blogged about) 7 knits even though I have 4 more that are finished but no shared and I only 3 sewing projects....pretty crappy!!! I've no plans to start a 16 in 2016 instead I'll just aim to complete all the projects that are currently waiting in the wings. I also want to dye more yarn, it's been such a fun learning process and I can't wait to do more! and of course to keep blogging along the way 

Happy New Year everyone!

PS: Boomer's lovely Christmas sweater was a gift from Funky Christmas Jumpers - thanks guys!

A newborn dinosaur hat

In the general hustle and bustle of the last few weeks a fair few projects that I have completed and some that I’m still working on have slipped through the cracks and haven’t managed to be blocked, or photographed yet.

But this tiny hat was a last minute gift that had to be completed on a deadline. It’s destined for a soon to arrive baby that is currently referred to by a dinosaur related name – it’s parents are fellow nerds and I think it’s adorable! So in keeping with his theme I made a tiny dinosaur cap from a free pattern on ravelry and it turned out so cute. It’s since been packed to Kathy’s suitcase and it’s just arrived (with her) with Ireland.

Someday I’ll have my own tiny human to dress in minute knitted items….until then I’m working on a santa hat for Boomer….he’s not that impressed with the idea!