WIP Wednesday - Square Dance

I can either think of really catchy title or puny titles.  This one is more groan worthy.  Anyway, no dancing was involved this week just a lot of squares, but we will get to that.

The weather has finally broke today.  We finally had a rain shower that pushed the humidity out and though its a lovely warm 72° F with a nice cool breeze.  The sky is blue and the clouds are like puffs of cotton.  Seriously a beautiful day.  Until just recently, the weather has been hazy, hot and humid with lots of rain and severe storms.  Not much fun for the middle of summer.

So I really have been inside by my Air Conditioner for  most of the week.  It's to hot to do anything so I have been working on my blankets.  Many of you commented on my mental stability last week after confessing to my latest blanket projects.  While it has been hot, I have been sitting by the air conditioner the whole time.

Hue Shift Afghan

Striping Along.

It's funny how the project muse strikes us. I have been plugging away at this blanket the past couple of weeks but I didn't get a ton of work done on it.  I am almost finished with the baby blue column.  I don't have a new photo but the pink and peach square are completed.

White Centered Granny Blanket

Lots of squares

Instead of working on the Hue Shift, crochet squares has been the desire this week.  It started on Friday where I didn't feel like knitting and wanted to get some squares done to start the next section.  I finished the entire ball of purple only to realize I would not have enough squares to finish the blanket as planned.  Saturday morning, I ran errands and went to some yarn stores.  I still need tons of the white yarn and picked up 4 more colors to help stretch the blanket back to the size I wanted.

Pretty new colors!!

So after seeing the new colors, I just started to make squares and over the weekend made 40 squares.  I think I may have over did it a bit because my middle and ring fingers on my right hand are sore and the joints are swollen.  I still have to weave in all of the ends but I really just wanted to get all of the colors done so I can move forward.

Lots of colors :)

In other news about this blanket, the original white I was using Color ID #025 was discontinued and I bought Color ID #101.  This yarn is just a bit more yellowed and you can tell a difference but there isn't much I can do to fix that.  This yarn company has a bad habit of discontinuing colors and replacing them with shades that are similar but different from the previous color.  It's really annoying for a commercial dyed yarn.

Anyway, that was my week.  Hope yours is going well.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

Check out my new meme Movie Madness Monday

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - It's a Hockey Night In Pittsburgh!

As a reminder, there is a giveaway going on so check out my Blogiversary Post for details.  Remember, the answers are in the blog so check out my old posts for the answers to the clues :)

Hello all, what a busy two weeks I have had.  Work is kinda crazy with a project going live and my class is a bit intense, but hockey is back!  I know that I am basically answering one of the questions for my Blogiversary (see big link above!) but I am just so happy to have hockey back on the air.

For those of you who may not know, the NHL was in a lockout due to contract re-negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  As a fan, this stoppage was annoying and frustrating but it's over an the excitement is pretty awesome.    I don't know what it about hockey.  I love the speed and precision of 6 players flying around on the ice a mile a minute.  It's intense and always can turn on you at any moment.

As a result, I love the Penguins.  They are my favorite but I love the sport.  The rivalries are great and the players and owners are amazing and generous.  Let's Go Pens!

Image from Wikipedia

But the best thing about hockey, is hockey knitting.  Seriously, a huge driver of my knitting and crocheting throughout the year is to keep my hands busy while I watch the game. While watching the playoffs in 2008 and the following year 2009 I could feel my blood pressure go up and my anxiety build as the games got more intense.  So when I started to knit, I realized how a bit of distraction kept me from throwing my TV out the window.  As a result, a ton of knitted objects are completed.

So this weekend when the season started, I made sure my knitting was handy and got so much done as a result.  Let's check out the yarny goodness!

Sun and Stars Trillian

I am so pleased with how the colors are coming together!

So this is really starting to get big.  I am about half way to the finished size before I start the final border.  I am in love with this pattern.  Seriously a great knit while watching any sporting event.  You zip across with garter stitch and then a bit of pattern and you zip back.

Really what I love is the yarn.  I had been acquiring skeins of Wollmeise over the summer but hadn't found the guts to crack open the hank and use the yarn.  Really the skeins are beautiful just to look at.  So with this pattern I knew it was time try out the yarn.

I am so happy with it.  The colors are intense and not bleed into my skin or my needles like some other saturated colored yarn I have tried.  but the colors are just popping in their own special way, I particularly love the way the color pooled in the middle there.  I feel like it's a shooting star amid a sea of sun beams and starry night.  I just keep picking it up to see what will happen next.

Hue Shift Afghan

All the pretty hues!

While this has been playing second fiddle to the Trillian Shawl above, I did manage to get two more squares done to finish the pink row.  I think finishing the row is a great driver to keep going and I know I will need to cast on for the second set of squares soon after I get done with this set.  I really love how these five colors look and can't wait to get the blues and greens.

Sweet Azalea Blanket

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend!

Although the Trillian has been the star of my crafting show lately, this one has been playing a supporting role. I suspect it's more about the character than the looks perhaps?   This blanket is made with the lovely pashmina base from Madelinetosh and it is so soft and luxurious.

But really, when you combine wool, silk and cashmere what wouldn't be soft and luxurious!   So thanks to the amazing yarn, I keep working at this shawl.  I want to finish the first skein soon so I can gauge the size of the finished shawl.

Well that's it for this week.    For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

And Remember, It's a great day for hockey!!

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - One Hundred

Welcome to my 100th post!  Can you believe that I have posted here 100 times?  I really can't but then again, this year has passed by so quickly.  I am not going to do anything special with this post but I do plan on celebrating my Blogiversary on January 6th!  So stay tuned for awesome celebratory games and prizes!

In other news, I went to the auto body shop to get the damage appraised from my accident and they were able to clean it and buff it so that I may not need to get it fixed.  Still deciding of course but it's nice to have options.

My paper is still sitting in draft form but I have to get a move on and finish it this week and weekend.  I even took off of work on the 11th to make sure I have ample time to finish it before I submit it on 12/12.  Ah the joys of Grad School.  

So now onto the yarny goodness.  

Hue Shift Afghan

It's very pink right now.

I have been busy weaving in ends on this project.  I had some holiday knitting and so this one is on the back burner until that's done.  I hope to get the rest of the holiday projects done this week (you know while I am procrastinating on my paper) and then get back to this.

Ooh Shapely Boyfriend

Special thanks to Samie for taking the picture!

I wanted to work on something different from the garter stitches of the blanket so I pulled out my sweater.  I pulled the stitches off for the arms and cast on for under the arms.  I may have cast on a few to many (okay 50 but who's counting) so I am working on decreasing those to a more manageable amount. 

But I am so excited about this project.  It's nice to be able to put it on as I go and it's no longer an orange blob on my couch for pictures.

Ravenclaw Beanie

Next hat is in lighter colors!

So after I made all of the Gryffindor winter knits for my boss' daugher, I felt a little bad about not making something for her son.  So, he decided he wanted a Ravenclaw hat and I may make a set of wristlets too if I have enough yarn. 

I love this pattern as it's a no brainer.  Cast on, work the ribbing, work in stockinette until it's 5 inches then do decreases.  Easy peasy!  But navy is just as hard on the eyes at night as black so there is some challenge there.  

I am more of a book purist and chose the accent color to be a bronze yarn versus the grey used in the movies.  Hope he like it!

Sweet Azalea Blanket

It's so soft and squishy!

I wanted to show all of you the progress on my crochet shawl.  I know most of the pictures just have the swatch I did but I have been doing a row here or there when the mood strikes.  Isn't the yarn just gorgeous?

Well, that's about it for this week.  I need to get a move on with the Owl Fingerless Mittens as the gift exchange is on Saturday!  Go Go Gadget knitting needles!  

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams   

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Pinks and Purples

Hello all!  I am happy to announce that the Gryffindor scarf is done and you will all see a FO post soon.  I still need to finish the last wristlet but for all intents and purposes I am done.  I have ends to weave in and fringe to add but the bulk of the work is done.

Life is settling down though my class is still not straightened out.  I have a feeling I may have to take a half day of work and track down my professor.  Seriously, how hard is it to set up a weekly call?

I am super excited because I bought the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory!  Target also had a cool cup that had the Big Bang Theory Logo and Bazinga! so of course I have to have it. What is more awesome is that I named my Fantasy Football Team Bazinga!

How awesome is this cup!

Anyway, aside from getting the scarf done, I started a new project and restarted an old one this week. So here are the updates.

Falling Water Scarf

I finally picked this up again.  I kept looking at it forlornly as I worked on other things but it is back with prominence in my knitting bag.  I think doing other lacey things have made me realize how easy this pattern has become.  I have done 4 repeats of the pattern and it's amazing how fast you can whip through it when it's only about 35 stitches wide.

I just love the color!

Richmond Lace Infinity Scarf

I saw this pattern on Knit Picks this spring and fell in love with the color and the pattern.  The yarn is variegated from purple to coral pink.  I needed a bit of help getting started but the progress for an evening's work is shown below.  I did make a boo boo and have to rip back a bit but it's okay.  I would rather make this right than wing it.

Just purple right now!

Well there you have it.  I hope to get more work done on these this week and maybe start the foundation row of the Sweet Azalea Shawl I am working on as well.

So what colors are you kicking off fall with?  What are you starting or working on?

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams  

<3 Heather

Color Me Tired

Hello all, honestly I meant to post this yesterday to talk about my awesome weekend but I was beat.  Life has been pretty busy.  I start back in school this week and already there is drama.  One of my required classes for degree completion is right in the middle of the day.  I tired to find a way to work around the time but unfortunately, that isn't going to work.  Now I have an inquiry to see if an independent study could work to replace the class requirement.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway, this weekend I participated in the Color Me Rad 5K.  It wrapped around a part of the county fair grounds.  Now if your not familiar with the topography of Southwestern PA, it's quite hilly here due to the lowland from the Allegheny mountains and ravines from the rivers.  It makes for a lush green and rolling hill local but you can't escape the hills and these three miles were pretty hilly.

Needless to say, my behind was sore the rest of the weekend because have of the 5k was all uphill.  Granted the second half was back down hill but it was still brutal.

So why was this so great, because I felt like a kid again.  The whole point of the 5K, (aside from raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities) was to get coated in dyed corn starch.

This was after the 5K, taken by my friend Steph

Don't I look beautiful!  I had a blast even though my toes and arm are still blue. I felt like a hand dyed skein of yarn and even I made sure to soak my shirt in vinegar to set the colors.

Given the hill climb, there were plenty of times that I wanted to quit but I just kept walking because I wanted to be covered with the next color.

So that was my weekend.  How was yours?  Was it as colorful?

<3 Heather