what to make next...

For some reason I have been very indecisive about my next knitting project.  With all the yarn stash I’ve accumulated, stored and periodically reviewed, you’d think it would be a no-brainer on what to make next.  Not so.  I’ve just been reluctant to commit.  That is until I read the blog post by Stephanie McPhee, The Yarn Harlot, about this wonderful pattern/project; Color Affection by Vera Valimaki. A beautiful shawl made up using 3 different colors.

It appears that the knitting community in general is smitten by this pattern and the resulting project (2,891 and counting).  What really drew me in was going over to the Ravelry site and looking at all the photographs of the projects being knit using this pattern. They are all so pretty and so different from each other.  I’m always in awe at how yarn selection has such an impact on the look of a project.  And yes, I’ve made my yarn selections;

Main color; 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

So I’ve cast on and I am looking forward to the journey ahead.

a Modern twist

Who remembers wearing rag curlers as a little girl?  Well I do and I remember setting my daughters hair in them when she was a little girl too.  So why not as an adult?  That is what I thought as I ready this lovely post on Vintage rag curlers by Carli over at Simply Notable.

And yes, I may have gone a little crazy with this latest project. Me and my sewing machine that is.  It has been a while since she was pulled out of hiding.

Carli did a great job of putting together a tutorial with easy to follow directions and photographs for making rag curlers.  After reading her instructions, I knew that I just had to make this project! Once I finished making my first batch, I was so excited to give them a go.  I washed and towel dried my hair and then when it was just barely damp, I wrapped my hair around these cushy soft rag curlers.  The bit of stuffing in the middle really is the secret to creating such great curls. Once ready for bed, I laid my head on the pillow and I found that they didn’t hurt in the least… In the morning I pulled them out of my hair and there were these lovely, bouncy curls.  I have really straight hair and was so excited to witness the curls last for the entire day.  The second day they had fallen a bit loose and I found that I liked them even more.  What a great project and the results are fabulous!  Thank you Carli for making the old new once again.  I’ve just completed a couple more sets (16 seems good to me) and plan to gift them to some very special ladies…

All sewn up and waiting for stuffing in the middle

I made a total of three sets of 16 curlers

I love my curls!

Play it again

If you love a pattern and how it turns out, make it again, right?
I was curious how a pair of toast would knit up using lace weight yarn. Pattern by Leslie. I cast 30 stitches of Malabrigo lace onto my size  3 square dp needles.  I had so much fun watching as the knit fabric unfolded to reveal its silky soft texture.  And I do mean soft.  This pair of toast should have no problem doing as the name implies, keeping the wearer nice and warm.  I’m almost done and plan to gift to my daughter Kristi.  Hope she likes them.

I also worked on a bit of crochet using Madeline tosh DK yarn and a size I hook. This is my second Calm Cowl. Pattern by Suzana.  Such a quick satisfying project. My niece Nicole liked the first one so much I happily let her have it.

check out some amazing Creativity over here

As snug as a

Why as snug as an iPad2 in its very own cozy cover.  Just finished sewing on the button closure and wanted to share how happy I am with the results of this project.  After making up 34 crochet squares and 2 of the odd shaped ones I sewed them together in strips of six and then attached the strips to each other.  I blocked the piece and once dried, I added two rows of single crochet around the edge with the 2^nd row having a button loop at one corner.  I can now slide the iPad into my purse without worrying about it being banged around with all the other stuff I carry on any given day.   Thank you Olivia for such a great pattern.

Sweet...

A new gadget and I have to wonder how it will change and/or improve my current process of knitting/crochet, photography and blogging. Getting what I asked for on my B’day was very exciting and yes, I’ve wanted the IPad for sometime now, and now that I have it, I’ve a learning curve to climb.  Like all of the new tech items I’ve added to my bag of tools, the time it takes to research and learn the ‘how tos’ seems to take eons.  And then, tada, I get it and think how did I ever live without… Since I’m in the infancy stage of learning how the IPad will be of benefit, I thought why not create a cute cozy for it? 

I found this great crochet pattern from Olivia over on gingerschatz. I pulled out a skein of RDWD, Oleander base in the color Time for tea. I'll need to crochet 34 of these little squares.  I'm at about the half way mark. Once finished, I can safely tuck away my IPad and slide it into my purse.  

Stay tuned as I learn more about apps, etc. I’ll share. One quick Google search landed me at Anotherlongyarn, where Zina has done a bit of research on the topic. How about you?  Do you use an iPad? I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Have a great weekend.

A pause to ponder

Lunching with my gal pals...

As I think on this past year and the blessings in my life, I’ve tried to focus on the good; my job, a healthy family, a wedded sister, an engaged niece and the joy of belonging to this amazing blogging community.  I’ve had the best time visiting my favorites, posting to my own and reading comments from those of you who have stopped by for a visit.  I may be a year older today, humm, 50 something-ish… but I’m full of joy and gratitude for all of you.

Hugs…Karen

More hexipuffs

...Hexipuff progress

Still puffin along, I have managed to stay on schedule and create at least one puff a day.  I have to admit that I have some favorite yarns that really stand out in the crowd.  Right now I’m in love with the Bugga and Skinny Bugga that I’ve incorporated into the mix.  The colorways are just stunning and I’m so happy with every single puff after it is stuffed and sewn up, that I can’t wait to get to the next one.  This Beekeepers quilt project is exceeding my expectations in how much joy it is bringing me and I’m certain the completed quilt will not disappoint….

This weeks progress

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