August Stats

In August, I knit up 5.5 balls of yarn/ 936 yards. I finished two bulky scarves and one shawl.

This is the lowest total number of yards I've knit in any given month this year. Hopefully, I'll have a better knitting month in September. 

WIP Wednesday

I actually knit the Little Iris shawl to completion awhile back, but realized the tension in my cast on row was too tight. It really bothered me and I knew it wouldn't block to the proportions I want (as large as possible) and  I wouldn't wear it because this issue annoyed me a great deal. Yet I still really loved the yarn and pattern combination, so it sat in time out for a few months.

Last week, I decided I was ready to face this shawl again and re-started the shawl. It is knitting up very quickly since the construction is bottom to top, so there will be less and less stitches the more rows I knit. Plus I've already completed the hem section which has the more challenging lace in it. I've already checked the bottom of the shawl several times to make sure it's loose and stretchy enough. 

Romney Kerchief Shawl

Pattern: Romney Kerchief Shawl from Brooklyn Tweed

Yarn: Cascade 220 Color way 9325 Westpoint Blue Heather

Needles: US Size 8

Started on: May 22nd

Finished on: Aug 21st

Comments and Modifications: I knit this as written. I did add extra repeats to try to use as much of the yarn as possible. This was a very straightforward knit. The pattern was easy to memorize and made great mindless knitting. It only took a long time to finish because I kept putting it down in favor of working on other projects. It feels great to use up some of my oldest stash from 2006.

I didn't block it due to the drought. I'll wait until I have more items to block and then block them all together.

WIP Wednesday

I picked up this shawl again. I needed a break from baby blanket knitting and the color purple. I think I'll try to finish this shawl before I go back to blanket knitting. I already memorized the pattern and it goes quickly so long as I actually work on it. I love this shade of blue and this is also one of my 2006 oldest stash yarns.

Dye Lot Fail

I was happily working on my garter rib baby blanket, when I spread it out to take a good look at it. I noticed that the two skeins are not the same at all. I probably didn't notice it before because it's my mindless knitting project and don't pay much attention to it as I'm knitting. It's such a bummer and quite annoying that I already have such little knitting time and it was wasted on something I'm just going to have to frog. I checked the dye lots on both skeins again and sure enough it says that these are the same dye lot. I'm not sure how these two skeins can be the same dye lot... grumble grumble...

On a happier note I found some blue Dream in Color yarn that I will use to knit this pattern. Dream in Color doesn't have dye lots so I know from the beginning that I'll have to alternate skeins.

WIP Wednesday

Shale Baby Blanket - This is my main focus right now. It's growing very slowly. I'm hoping I'll have more time to work on this. I've mostly memorized the pattern and only need to refer to it on occasion. I'm at the halfway point. I have two more skeins of yarn to knit into this blanket.

Garter Rib Baby Blanket - I haven't been working on this too much. I'm a little concerned that I don't have enough yarn to make it as large as I would like it to be. I've already used 1 skein of yarn and I only have 2.5 more skeins of this yarn in this color way in my stash. At this point I plan on knitting on and finishing the blanket. Blocking it will also help it grow if it does end up being on the small side.

Fountain Pen Shawl - This is my "F" for the Lace A-Z Challenge. I've been wanting to knit this pattern, since it came out in 2009. That just goes to show I get distracted easily by all the patterns out there. I can't believe it took me this long to cast on for this shawl. I really think the yarn and pattern combination will work out well. I really love this Lorna's Laces Helen's Laces yarn. It feels like a true laceweight yarn, yet it has a lot of structure, feels sturdy and not too soft and flimsy.

Quick Scarves

Pattern: Super Fast Ultra Cozy Scarf

Yarn: Twinkle Handknit Soft Chunky in Midnight and Lilac

Needles: US Size 17

Started on: Aug 7th

Finished on: Aug 9th

Comments and Modifications: I started (and finished) these two scarves because I wanted a quick knit.  My knitting time has been scarce lately, and I wanted to have some finished projects this month and feel like I'm getting things done.

This yarn is very soft and bulky so it knitted up super quickly. The pattern is just one row and easily memorized. These two scarves will also go into the gift bin.

July Stats

In the month of July, I finished a scarf, two baby bird nests, and a baby blanket.  In total, I used up 6 skeins of yarn/ 1,355 yards. I'm pretty impressed with how much I was able to accomplish this month.

Real life has been getting super crazy busy so I expect to have very little knitting time over the next few months.