February Stats

This month I finished one shawl and two scarves.

All in all a very good knitting month, I knitted up 2.5 skeins of yarn/ 1,532 yards.

Crooked Little Scarf

 Pattern: Crooked Little Scarf from Knitspot

Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios Sock yarn in White Rabbit

Needles: US Size 3

Started on: Nov. 12, 2013

Finished on: Feb. 22, 2014

Comments/Modifications: I only knit 23 repeats instead of 24 because of the amount of yarn I had. This yarn originally came from the 2011 Woolgirl Alice in Wonderland Sock Club Kit. I didn't want to knit the socks from this kit. I decided it would look wonderful in a scarf. The scarf pattern was easy to remember and knit up quickly. It only took me a long time because I kept getting distracted by other shiny yarns and new patterns.

FO Friday: That Little Scarf

 Pattern: That Little Scarf from Knitspot

Yarn: A Verb For Keeping Warm Alpaca/Silk in Lux

Needles: US Size 6

Started on: Feb. 13th

Finished on: Feb. 20th

Comments/Modifications: I knit 13 repeats instead of 10 because I wanted to use up all my yarn. This was a more difficult pattern, as the repeats shift and there's patterning on both sides. I was able to find a rhythm and it did go faster after the first few repeats. I still had to use the chart at all times. I love the way this pattern looks in this yarn. It was challenging and enjoyable to knit.

WIP Wednesday: Scarves

I've been knitting away on two scarves.

1) That Little Scarf - I've had this pattern for awhile now, but have never knit it up. I saw Anne post a progress photo of her scarf last week. It was so beautiful, it made me want to start mine immediately. The pattern is challenging, but I was able to get into a good rhythm after a few repeats. I'm enjoying knitting his scarf tremendously. One of the reasons I waited a long time to knit this pattern is because I couldn't find the perfect yarn for it. I'm so pleased with how it looks in this sports weight A Verb For Keeping Warm yarn.



2) Crooked Little Scarf - I started this in late 2013. I kept getting distracted by other shiny yarns and new patterns. I finally got back into working on this scarf last week. I needed something that wasn't too difficult that I could work on while watching the Olympics.

FO Friday: Blooming Stitch Shawl

Pattern: Blooming Stitch Shawl from Mary White

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Laci in Rose Quartz

Needles: US Size 5

Started on: Jan. 20th

Finished on: Feb. 6th

Modifications/Comments: This is my "B" in my Lace A-Z Project. I knit the larger size. I learned how to make a blooming stitch/star stitch. It was a lot more fussy and complicated than I expected it to be. I also had to learn single crochet and how to cast off using crochet. Someone on Rav had a link to a great youtube video that showed me how it was done. It wasn't difficult, but at the same time I don't think I could have learned it without an instructional video. I'm also very slow at crocheting, so it took some time to complete the bind off.

The shawl is kind of crescent shaped, I found it weird and tricky to block. I'm not sure I got it blocked exactly the way I like. I think the pattern and yarn worked well together. I have a ton of yarn leftover which will be used for another shawl in the near future. The actual yarn is much pinker than the photo shows. It's hard to catch the yarn's true color. Overall, I am pleased with how it turned out.

WIP Wednesday: Autumn Arbor

I pulled my Autumn Arbor out of hibernation this week. According to my pattern notes, I started this in December 2011 and the last time I worked on it was in April 2013. I think it's time to get a move on this and finish it up. I now only have 1 more repeat left on the first half. Then I'll have the entire second half to knit up.

Crochet Edging

Now complete with the photographic evidence I promised. I also find that crocheting with the knitting needle is easier. I find it difficult to just use the hook.

WIP Wednesday: Crochet

There's no photographic evidence, but today I learned a bit more about crocheting. A friend taught me to single crochet a few years ago, but I don't quite remember how to do it. And I guess chain stitching is what we do with provisional cast ons.

I started casting off the Blooming Stitch Shawl. This is my first time casting off using a crochet technique. It's a bit daunting to try something new when you've invested so much time in knitting something. I keep worrying that I'm going to mess up this bind off and then all that work will be wasted if something goes wrong. After much searching, I found a great video tutorial on how to do this bind off. I think after a few loops, I finally got the hang of it. Hopefully there will be photographic evidence in my next blog post.