Project 2: Complete!

Ok, so I've got some good news and bad news for you.
Good news: I haven't stopped knitting!
Bad news: I've been to busy/lazy to update my knitting blog! (which you probably noticed by now) What with buying a house and moving and all, I think I can say I had a lot on my plate the past few months! I finished this hat back on October 21st, so it's been more than 2 months late! D: But here it is!

Drum role please!...Here are a few pics of the commissioned beanie I sold to my coworker for $20. This is the first thing I've made that I sold, since I usually give them away as gifts (I've been getting better, so I decided to start selling things.) :D I've very happy with how it turned out, and it fit him just right! Sorry all my photos are probably going to be with me modeling my knitted things, it's just more convenient to take pictures of myself then with the people they are actually intended for.

Project 2: Work In Progress

So I'm still knitting the beanie for my coworker. I've been trying to keep it hidden from him at work so it'll be a surprise, but he might have already seen the colors I chose, I'm not sure. I'm 2/3 of the way finished, so I decided it was time to share a picture of it so far! I really like it, and the pattern is super easy. No problems thus far, though I did restart it once after he measured his head and let me know he'd need the smaller of the two sizes. :) You can see I'm still on the circular needle portion and haven

't started to reduce the number of stitches yet. Although I own double-pointed needles, I haven't learned how to use them properly yet, so when I get down to only a few stitches I have quite a difficult time knitting them on the circular needle! lol But I'll manage, I've found a way to make it work for all the other hats I've knitted so far. Hopefully I'll finish this hat later this week! I need to get a new book from the library soon, but until then I'll be motivated to keep knitting on my breaks at work. :)

Project 2:Shady (Ribbed with a Twist) Beanie

So, onto my next project! A coworker of mine requested a beanie a few months ago, but he was really picky about what yarn I used. Finally he decided to give me creative control, so I decided to knit him this beanie. Here's a link if you like what you see:
http://www.caron.com/vickiehowell/patterns/shady/shady.html

I'm going to be modifying this pattern slightly, using a different size circular needle (an 8, which is my standby) and different yarn. I'm using black Ebony 153 Lion Suede by Lion Brand for the rim, black Simply Soft Eco Caron yarn in black 0034 (I think, I've lost the label lol), and some completely gorgeous and mysterious silver grey yarn that's roughly the same weight and texture as the Simply Soft yarn that my friend is lending me for this project. (You know who you are! Thanks!) :D

Pics to come with the next post. I already started it, and I already messed up so I'm going to have to back track about 30 stitches. :(

Project 1: The Results Are In!

Yay! I finished them! BUT....now they are unfortunately sans bows. My cat decided they were fun to chew on, and I found out are little wires embedded in the ribbon (definitely NOT suitable for a newborn!) So I took them off and am looking for a different ribbon to use. Anywho, photo shoot was cut short due to my cat eying the booties and trying to get into the photos. lol Now I just have to get them to my friend's newborn before he's a toddler and have outgrown them. I have NO IDEA what size baby these will fit, but I'm guessing like 2-5 months...somewhere in that range, just not sure where exactly. :D

Project 1: Work in Progress

Ok, so obviously I'm making these posts after the fact, but anyway here is my mandatory "WIP" post. Although the pattern sounded really simple, I did have to restart it a couple of times most due to the very last part of the instructions. Where it says to "continue knitting in K1P1 rib for 3 inches" I totally goofed it up the first time. When I read something that says "K1P1" I think that's what the pattern wants you to do every ROW! I forgot to alternate between K1P1 and P1K1 thus making a non stretchy mess the first time I tried to knit this pattern! I need to embroider a sampler and hang it on my wall that says "Knit the knits and purl the purls!" lol Other than that, these knitted up really quickly and without much trouble. You'll see in my photo that I use a row counter. I highly recommend you buy one if you don't own one already! I'm the most forgetful person in the world, and would never be able to complete a project without one!

Project 1: 2 Needle Baby Booties

Ok, first off I'm sorry I haven't been updating faithfully. Secondly, I HAVE been taking photos of my progress, so although I haven't been posting updates like I should, I have been knitting a little bit. The first pattern that I decided to try for my " challenge was baby booties. I've attempted them a few times in the past and either used a horrible pattern, or just didn't understand the terminology because with this pattern and with more knitting experience, it was a breeze! :) Here's the pattern for any one who wants to try to make them too:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kwc-babyBooties.html?noImages=

I made them for my friend's newborn boy using Bernat Baby Boucle in Big Splash. I also used size 6 needles.

2nd and 3rd project posts soon to follow (since I've already completed this project!) ^_^;

Brittany's Epic Yarn Challenge!

Hi! I'm Brittany, and I've got to be honest. I have got a lot of yarn! Each time I start a knitting project, I rush out and go buy yarn for that project and ignore the yarn I've been slowly accumulating over the past few years.I have just finished counting and I currently (to my knowledge) own 71 skeins of yarn. I'm also finally getting better at knitting, but there are still a lot of skills I need to master (SOCKS! Someday I shall learn to use my double points and make many socks!)

The Challenge:
Knit through all my yarn and become a knitting master!

The Rules:
1. No more buying yarn until this challenge is complete! I shall be creative and find a solution to stick to this rule even if I run out of a color mid-project!

2. I must knit new patterns that I have never attempted before, and must not repeat any patterns until this challenge is complete.

3. I must post at least 3 entries for each project I attempt.....with a minimum of an introductory post including the next pattern I am attempting and which yarn I will be using, a status update on my project, and my completed project.

4. I must learn some new skills....by the end of this challenge I want to have made at least one pair of socks, a sweater, something with cables, and something double-knit. And oh, learning to crochet somewhere along this journey would also be much appreciated!

Wish me luck! <3