Wrap me up in Maddie

I know, I know I’m forever talking about Madelinetosh yarns.

So soft, cushy and just plain fun to work with.  Oh, and the colors, absolutely gorgeous! I just can’t seem to get enough. This crochet wrap used three skeins of the dk weight in the color maple leaf. 

Pattern from Red Boot Yarn Works shop on etsy.

The buttons are vintage from my stash.

It worked up so quickly that I’d like to make another! 

Model; Daughter Kristi

Color Affection Complete

 I must admit, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this shawl project.  I loved working with the yarns and the color play the three selections created, yet I hated how the constant increases made each row longer in length so that the last section seemed to take an eternity.  So close yet so far kinda thing.  It is amazingly soft and snuggly against the skin.

I’m glad I added the extra yarn over’s at the beginning of the rows as suggested on the Ravelry page for this pattern. It is still a bit tight on the straight edge.  Blocking helped the puckers relax a bit. All in all, a satisfying knit.  Will I make another?  Probably not, unless talked into doing so by a family member. (Will not name names!)

Pattern; Color Affection by Vera Valimaki.

Yarns;

Plucky knitter fingering; Humphrey-Light brown

Contrasting color 1; Plucky knitter fingering; Purple Reign; Dark Blue

Contrasting Color 2; Sanguine Gryphon Bugga; Bess Beetle-Dark brown

Model; Kristi Case (sweet daughter of mine).

home stretch

Started the edging for my "Color Affection" shawl.  Won't be long now.

Puffs and more puffs

Looks like I've completed just over 200 hexipuffs and that I'll need at least an additional 200 to make a “throw” size beekeepers quilt.  I started sewing them together today and it was such a thrill to put them side by side and to see how they look grouped together.  As I was attaching them, it was fun to remember what other things I’d made with each of the various colored yarn.  It is a project that still holds my interest and it’s a good thing at the half-way mark.

Hexipuffs

Gathered Cuffs

It was so nice having the day off from work as I was able to finish the test knit and complete the final edits of my pattern for a pair of wrist warmers.  I enjoyed every minute of creating these, and my daughter Kristi was kind enough to model them for me!
Click on the link below if you'd like to knit up a pair for yourself...Sock yarn, double point needles and a sense of adventure is all that is required.

Gathered Cuffs Pattern, enjoy!

test knit obsession

Who knew that this test knitting business, is well, so time consuming?  I've spent the better part of the weekend devoted to this tiny 6x6 bit of knitting.  Lets see, math, lots of math, has been involved in getting this Gathered cuff idea to look like I had envisioned it.  Just finished editing the pattern so it matches the knitted edits, now on to the second one. With a bit of luck it will come out the same size!  Stay tuned...

Goodbye August

I really enjoyed participating in the August Break project this year.

Thank you Susannah Conway for hosting such a fun event.

I committed to posting a minimum of at least a photo every day in August, and I did it!  Some days I had lots of ideas on what I wanted to say and others, I was a blank, clean slate and had to really dig deep.  It was a great exercise in stretching beyond my limits.

I also visited some amazing sites of fellow bloggers.  Great fun!

On the knitting front, I’ve had a pattern idea brewing in my head, you know the kind  that will wake you up in the middle of the night and beg to be written down? I devoted my Saturday to sketching, swatching, writing up the pattern and beginning the test knit for a pair of knitted cuffs. More to follow…

Gathered Cuffs in the making