WIP Wednesday - So Close

Wow, what a week!  The weather has taken a turn for the better.  The humidity has drastically reduced and the temps are dipping into the 50s and 60s at night.  Which means great sleeping weather.  I have such a hard time sleeping in the summer because it's so hot.  Really I just want to snuggle under my duvet and be all cosy while the outside is cool.

Anyway, this week was a welcomed relief from the heat and humidity.  In fact it almost feels like fall is right around the corner.  I have had a lovely summer so far.  Fairly calm and relaxing but the fall brings class again, Becky's Wedding, pumpkin everything, fall leaves/colors and cool weather. Needless to say, fall is my favorite time of the year.  I can't wait.

Hue Shift Afghan

3 blues done, green and yellow left to go

This blanket is back in the rotation this week.  I honestly burnt myself out of crochet squares and jumped back to knit squares.  I think that's the beauty of having multiple things going on, I am always busy but I don't have to hate the thing I am working on.  So I got this section of the blanket almost done and I am just cruising along.

I am sort of disappointed in the sky blue because the colors just blend and don't stand out but I think as a whole the colors work together well.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

So Close but not done yet.

While working on the Hue Shift Blanket I decided that I just wanted to get something done.  So I pulled this shawl out of it's project back and got back to work on.  I have 3 more teeth left to complete and my goal is to get it done before the end of the week.  I want to get something off the needles this summer and start something new.

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 - Vacation Days

I write this post from my old bedroom.  Though the colors have changed over the years, there is always something comforting about being home.  Note I said comforting not comfortable.  My childhood home is a 100+ wood frame home with small windows and no air conditioning.  We were never able to have room air conditioners because the windows are tall and narrow.  So as my mother used to say, "We have whole house sweat."

The reason why I am home is my church festival.  I got volun-told I would be making funnel cake batter and making walking tacos/frito pies at the festival.  Now if it was just the tacos, I could have worked this week but since I was asked to make the funnel cake batter, I need the mornings off to get the batter done and refrigerated before the festival opens.  Lucky me.  So my vacation this week is just a different form of work.  But it's for my church and I don't mind.

This past week marked by birthday.  I had a lovely weekend where I went swimming, saw movies and ate out a lot.  I had a lovely time at the Cheesecake Factory with Aunt Becky and Aunt Francey (Hi!).  They read the blog and I promised to mention them :)

My Birthday Cheesecake!

So needless to say, I didn't get to much knitting done this week but I am making progress.

Hue Shift Afghan

I have been bouncing back and forth between the first quadrant and the fourth quadrant. The first quadrant is almost done.  1.5 blocks left to go.  I want to get through all of the blocks that use purple see if I have enough yarn.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Hitchhiker

This one gets a little bit done at a time.  I have 20 rows left to finish but they are the longest rows so far and it just takes awhile.

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

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - An Abundance of Stripes

Isn't it funny how we follow certain trends?  Lately I have been on a stripe kick.  All of my projects   both in progress and planned involve some sort of striping.  I think it's the striking profile they set and the blend of the colors of yarn that just make look at every pattern in my queue and try and figure out how I can stripe it.  I even bought yarn at Maryland with stripes in mind.

This week was a bit slow but I made some progress on two projects.

Hue Shift Afghan

Hue Shift is Quadrant 1 is almost done!

So I have been trying to one-a-day this project.  I have been somewhat successful at getting one square done a day but my progress is more like 2 every other day.  A girl can only make so many mitered squares before she loses her marbles.  I have three more squares done and started on another quadrant as a bit of a change.  Yay for the blues!  Really I want to finish all of the squares that have purple to see if I need to order more yarn.  All in all, I have been watching the KAL threads and the finished blankets are definitely providing some motivation to keep knitting.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Htichhiking along

Sue commented last week that I was the third blog she read that was making Hitchhiker.  This pattern is so easy and can be very stunning when completed.  Plus this is a great pattern to stripe.  The garter ridges make counting the rows between the teeth a breeze and the color change just looks stunning.

One think that has surprised me is the amount of yarn I have used up until this point.  I bought two 50 gram skeins of Mini Mochi and one 100 gram skein of Cascade Heritage Silk (CHS).  I am over half way through and I am still working on the first skein of Mini Mochi and the CHS still feels like it's brand new.  Perhaps the yardage is bigger than I thought but I wanted to use all of the yarn for this one but the size is getting quite big.

The Flash Square
Candy Skein Leftie

I didn't get as much done on these projects this week but I have plans to finish the Flash square this month for Nerd Wars.  Also, I want to finish one of these shawls for Nerd Wars as well.  Lots of knitting to be done between now and the end of the month.

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

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Slimer Green

Hello all, I admit that I am still in a funk over the Pens performance during the Eastern Conference Finals.  Really this was a cup or bust year and the fans expected a lot.  Overall, I enjoyed the playoffs this season and will probably watch the finals and hope for Chicago to win.

In other news, I painted my nails on Monday and the color reminds me of Slimer from the Ghostbusters.  I like the color but every now and then as I type it catches my eye and I am blinded by bright nail color.

It's really green

Since the Pens are out of the running, I have actually started to work on other WIPs for a bit of variation.

Hue Shift Afghan

Hue Shift

It's really coming along

So I am up to the solid peach block.  The end of this 25 block is in sight.  This is good TV knitting project and I am still trying to get one block done a day.  I feel like that is a good goal to get this project moving along.

The Flash Square

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. I'm the Flash

So I am sorta cheating on WIP-ogamy goal with this project.  Some would say sorta cheating is like being a little bit pregnant, but I have an explanation.

This blanket project has been going on for a year already so beginning a new square doesn't count as starting a new project.  This is like starting another square in the Hue Shift, it just isn't connected yet.

I measured the height of the first column of squares and the blanket is most likely going to measure 3' X 3'.  Which is okay, I was hoping for a bigger blanket closer to 5' long by 3' wide.  Once everything is joined I am going to try and block it a bit to make it bigger.  Also aside from joining I need to go over all of the super hero squares and mend some wholes the color work caused.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker
Candy Skein Leftie

I did get some work accomplished with these shawls but it was minimal and I didn't get pictures this morning.  I have 33 teeth on the hitchhiker and will probably stop at 42 and decide if I want to make more.

The Leftie is coming along and I am now in my third repeat of the colors.  Red is done and now onto pink.

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

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Beautiful and Bright

I often think of my blog on my way to work on Wednesdays.  As I drive across a bridge, the colors often inspire what I start my post about.  Today, the colors were just so vivid.  The trees are finally at their greenest and the pale blue sky just made the color stand out.  The bright orange of the construction sign contrasted with the blue steel of the bridge and the red car in front of me.

Anyway, these colors are great examples of why I love colorful projects.  I love using the rainbow of colors at my fingertips to make something beautiful and bright.

Candy Skein Leftie

Let's Go Pens!

Well my lucky Leftie got a bit larger this week and the Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to a 2-1 lead over the Ottawa Senators.  I did knit on it during the third game but with a minute left I put it away because I thought we were going to win.  Clearly it needs to be out and in progress during the entire game.

Juicy Hitchhiker

Pretty Pink and Purple Hitchhiker

So I have mentioned this shawl when talking about Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker but I haven't had a chance to get a good picture or much work on it.  Thankfully, I had a lot of time yesterday where I worked on at the Election Polls.  We didn't have a great turn out for our local primary but I had 15 hours where I had to occupy myself and reading and knitting were my favorite options.  I needed something easy that could be picked up and put down and this shawl fits those requirements.  I also worked on a solid Justice League Square as well.

There was a part of me that wanted to finish the other hitchhiker but it is still benched.  Honestly it had better be late June before that thing is worked on again.  (read: Stanley Cup Finals are in the middle of June)


Juego Sin Fin en el Verano (Endless Juego in Summer)

I am working on the Juego Knit-A-Long with SpaceCadetCreations in Celeste base.  The colors are Endless Summer and Burnt Clay.  The Endless Summer was a Yarn Alliance exclusive from last September.  I love the green blue and orange that is weaving it's way around clue one and clue two is starting to grow on me.  I wasn't too keen on the clue at first but seeing the later clues has enabled me to keep working on it.  The burnt clay is really lovely and I just love squishing the ball I wound.

I have kept my swift and yarn winder in my car as well as my Maryland yarn to avoid the temptation to start all the projects but I really need to bring it in soon.  Anyway, I put two large Pens tumblers on the floor and stretched the yarn around it to wind the ball for this project.  It worked fairly well.  I tried it again for Leftie and it was a bit messy (Huge honking knots)!

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

#letsgopens

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wedneday - Hockey Knitting

After watching game 1 last night of the Pens/Senators series, I have calmed down a bit.  The series is still going to hard fought and gritty but I liked the Pens play last night better than anything in the first series against the Islanders.

As I mentioned in my first playoff post, I really got into crochet and knitting during the 2009-2010 season because it was just enough distraction that I could watch the game but not get so invested that the vein in my forehead would pulse.

In all seriousness, it was bound that I would knit because I really liked to crochet but wanted to learn something new, so here we are 4ish years later and I am still working on new and interesting things.  But as any knitter in the Pens Rav Group will tell you, superstition is a very tricky thing.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Ooo Stripes!

During the first series, I picked up the Hitchhiker.  I had already started it and it's turning out really pretty and the pattern is super easy.  So why switch when one project is close to being done.  I have 32 teeth done and need to get to at least 42.

As the series went on, the Pens play was mediocre but I kept knitting and watching.  During the last game, I got so exasperated  I put my knitting down and picked up my ipad and started to read a book because it could block out the screen.  It wasn't an immediate recovery, but they ended up wining.  When I then thought back to the other games the Pens won, the hitchhiker was no where near my fingers when they played well.  So into the craft bag for you dear shawl.  See you on non- game days.

Candy Skein Leftie

So last night, I picked up the Leftie to knit the last part of the green leaf.  I had worked on it a bit last Thursday but didn't finish the row.  I wanted to finish the row and then I was going to go back to the hitchhiker.  However, when I looked up at the game while my hands worked the stitches I noticed the play on the screen.  These were not the pod penguins that showed up in series 1 these were the guys I knew and loved.  So my hands kept knitting.  I worked on that shawl all night.  Back and forth I went in the grey and the team was very dominant in the offensive zone.

Here is what has been accomplished so far

As they played, I realized I just found my playoff knitting.  But there is some credence to this project.  Tami from CandySkein is a Pens fan and since she dyed the yarn there was definitely good juju on the yarn.  Seriously, these things matter!

I know to those who may not follow the sport, this account seems a little silly but as hockey fans we are very superstitious.

It's only weird if it doesn't work!  (I know it's about football but it still applies here!)

Okay that's better.

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - WIP-ogamy

Hello everyone, I hope the week has been treating you well.  I think the yarn fumes in my head have finally disapated and now the little devil on my shoulder are starting to tell me to cast on all the things.

Cast on all the Things!  From memegenerator.net
with inspiration from Hyperbole and a Half

So instead of casting on all the things, I am practicing a little WIP-ogamy.  Yes that's right, I am using restraint and trying to get some of the projects that have been on the books for awhile done.
Call it spring cleaning, call it lazy but I just want to get this stuff done and show everyone the wonderful things I have made.

But it's hard!  Really hard!  Did you see my post on Tuesday?  All of that pretty yarn that is just calling to be wound and cast on.  Thankfully, I left my swift and ball winder in the car from a yarn winding party with Samie from NotYourGramsAfghan.

So while tempted, I haven't brought the equipment in to wind the yarn and my laziness is my only saving grace.

Now on to what I working on.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Oh it's so stripy and shiny!

So this has been the main project as of late.  It's super easy to keep track of where I am going because the pattern is a 4 row repeat and I can count the stripes!  I have 30 teeth done so far.  I am supposed to stop at 42 but I don't see that happening.  I am just going to knit until I run out of yarn!

Look at all of the teeth!

Overall, I got so many compliments on this while I worked on it at Maryland Sheep and Wool.  It's so simple but is so stunning at the same time.  I do have another Hitchhiker in the works as well.  It's a solid colored shawl using SpaceCadetCreations yarn in the Estelle base.  It's a lovely Rosey Pink Color called Juicey but alas I don't have a picture yet.

Candy Skein Leftie

Isn't it lovely?

Every new leaf becomes my favorite.  I am so happy to knit this shawl but it hasn't gotten as much attention as it should have.  Since the Hitchhiker is so easy, I just keep working on that.

Such pretty colors!

Anyway, since my last update, I have 2 more leaves done and another ready to start.

Hue Shift Afghan

I don't have a picture but I did complete a new square with the peach color to start a new row.  I am trying to challenge myself to get 3 squares done a week.  We will see how that goes.

So that's about it.  I can't guarantee that I won't start something this weekend but I am going to try and get these done first.

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Shawl Overload

Hello again!  Life is settling back to normal and I can eek out a few moments to clear my thoughts and post.

My spring cleaning has been going well and I got some cleaning accomplished this week.  I cleaned out my fridge and pitched any thing that was expired and bought new.  I still have to mop and do a thorough wipe down of the cabinets and stove.  I took off for Good Friday this week so hopefully I can get that done.

I still have to work on the other rooms but a little bit at a time does wonders!  Oh and speaking of wonders, I found a great new app for cleaning called Brightnest.  Basically they have suggested tasks and you can schedule them.  Then you get an email or alert to remind you to do them.  I admit that this definitely helped to get the fridge cleaned out and my sink shiny.

Speaking of Spring, where is it?  I want daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths.  Seriously fragrent bulb flowers are my favorite part of spring.  So where are you spring?

We got snow last night?  It will melt by this afternoon.

I got a new toy this week!  I bought a light box, lights and a small tripod.  This means I can stage gorgeous shots of my yarn!  I know I promised images last week but I think the wait may be worth it. ;-)

So let's talk about what I have been working on that's fun.

Candy Skein Leftie

Instagram picture but don't the colors just pop?

Well when I last posted I had only a picture through the green and completed through the blue.  I got so much more done this week.  I think the red is my favorite so far but all of the colors are just gorgeous.  Especially with the Instagram filters.

I had a great low-key weekend and spent most of it lounging in bed watching NCIS and knitting Leftie.  It was really nice to just hang out instead of run around like I have been.

Overall, this project is coming along because it's easy to get 6 garter ridges and then start on a new color. Even though this is probably going to be as big as the Trillian, it feels easier because it's broken into little parts.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

Tropical Ginger!

The other project on the needles is the Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker.  This is another case of small accomplishment because it's an 8 row repeat to make each tooth.  The color change ads an extra bit of dynamic that makes it easy to just sit and knit.

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

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Butterscotch!

Okay this post has absolutely nothing to do with butterscotch other than that is a common word to leave my mouth as an alternative to the expletive that I am thinking.  Really it has been a butterscotching month since I last posted.  I didn't even post a monthly recap because I only posted once in February.

Chatting a lot here in the beginning so here is something pretty to look at :P

Seriously, I didn't forget about this and everyone it's just that every week Wednesday would come and go.  I had great intentions to get posts up about what I was working on and what was going on in my life but the time would pass and I would just plan on the next week.

Mostly, it frustrates me that I didn't blog because it does help to put some things into focus for me.  It helps me to summarize me thoughts and tell little stories which help in my everyday life as well.

So you first, how are you?

Oh Really?  Do go on!

That's lovely!

Work in general has been busy.  I am not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing but my time during the day just flies past.  This week is the first time in a month that 90% of my time isn't booked and it's nice to get some time to think and reflect.

Outside of work, has been okay.  I had a midterm, spring break and back to class again.  I didn't do so hot on the exam. (read: really bad)  I don't know what happened but now I have to bust my butterscotch to scrap through.  Keep me in your thoughts and wish me luck.

Home is okay.  I am working through cleaning up my place and starting spring cleaning.  I really need to wash the walls, wash the curtains, and vacuum everything.  Winter brings such yucky stuff inside.  On top of that, I need to convince my dad to clean too.  He's not a slob or anything but would never dream that you should wash the curtains.

My Living Room

Also Easter is steadily approaching and I really need to think about what to make for dinner and who will be coming.  Seriously, who schedules these holidays so close together?  All in all, work, school and knitting have been keeping me busy.

On an update, POK has already gotten her pattern.  The yarn is ready but I need to make the stitch markers.  I didn't forget just working on finding the time :).

So let's talk about what I have been working on that's fun rather than work.

Candy Skein Leftie

5 colors!

I have been busy getting another project done but I did manage to get more leaves on my Leftie.  I have through the blue actually done but this is the most recent picture that I have.  I kinda like the color changes because its a small sense of accomplishment. each time I get to switch to a color.  The colors are hard to photograph with my phone so I am going to have to break out the big camera to show how gorgeous the colors are doing.

Tropical Ginger Hitchhiker

The orangey color is actually the Crystal Palace Mini Mochi shown above in Tropical Ginger.  I really hope to get to the other colors soon.  I bought this yarn in January for the sole purpose of making a striped Hitchhiker.   The white is a lovely Heritage Silk from Cascade in Snow.

I know I know I barely got one project off the needles and started another.  But you have to realize this is an accomplishment.  I looked at the yarn for over a month on my knitting chair (green one above) until the needles opened up and I could cast on.  Really that's huge.  I am trying to finish things this year so I am sparingly* buying yarn and planning ahead in an effort to get things done.

*Starting now I mean, because 2 grab bags of Wollmeise and 2 skeins of yarn from Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet do not count.  Because I said so :P

Anyway,  I did get some yarn earlier in the year that I want to show off so that maybe a post for tomorrow if I get the pictures tonight.

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

<3 Heather