Succulents

We added three new succulents to our windowsill garden. One is a living stone, one is an echeveria, and I can't remember the other :) The echeveria has a few flowers so I am going to try and propagate them! I haven't tried this before, but I found a few websites with great instructions.

Succulents are the one plant that I haven't killed yet. Or, almost killed and revived, because I have done that a lot too. They are very easy to grow!

I thought having a cell phone with internet capabilities would mean I could blog more often... the problem is I can't figure out how to format the text and the pictures to my liking. As it is, whenever I add photos to my (phone) entry, they always appear at the end of the text. And no matter what I do, I can never put text below the photo. This is alright if I only have a photo and a quick sentence to share. But sometimes I just have more to share.

This past week, Loopy Knit and Crochet had an awesome sale, which I only made to once (sad, I know). But truthfully, I get way too overwhelmed in nice yarn stores to think straight. I end up walking circles around the store, touching every yarn at least three times, and buy stitch markers. But this time I knew I wanted some no rinse wash and DK weight yarn for two different pairs of fingerless mittens.

This is what I came home with:

I am not completely positive that these aren't actually sport and worsted weight yarns, because when I looked them up in Ravelry's yarn database, they were not listed as DK. But on Loopy's tag they are listed as that! So I am unsure. The blue hank, which is Blue Sky Alpaca's Melange, is so incredibly soft! Last night I cast on the Cafe au Lait Mitts with it, but this morning I changed my mind. I frogged what little start I had made, and printed the pattern for Later, Gator! I'd much rather feel the alpaca against my face!

Yesterday I also used the Eucalan no rinse soak. It has Eucalyptus oil in it and smells divine!

I soaked mine and Scott's socks, his Howler Monkey hat, and a Fair Isle hat that I've never worn. I used one teaspoon for one gallon of tepid water. I'm not really sure if it's better to have more room between clothing or if it's alright to jam pack it. After they had soaked for fifteen minutes, I squeezed the water out by hand, and then by rolling each piece in a towel. I was a little disappointed that I could still smell the Patons wool even after the soak. If you have ever gotten Patons Classic Wool wet, you know what I'm talking about. Hopefully with a couple more washes, that smell will go away.

Happy Monday!

Denise's hat

I finished my first commissioned project! It was a very exciting process and I can't wait to have another order!

The yarn is Patons Classic Wool in Gray mix and Black.

Love Luck Leap Swap!

I forgot to post pictures from the swap!

Even though I finished the monster for my partner awhile ago, I didn't want to post pictures here until she had received her package.

This is Baldwin:

(the pink one was for Penny) I decided to make a Gryffindor scarf for Baldwin because both my partner and I are Harry Potter fans!

And this is the sweet package I received from my partner:

She made me a Harriet! And she used blue eyes rather than the standard child safe black ones, and I think they look so neat! She also included heart shaped post it notes, heart shaped stitch markers, a box of tea, licorice, Jelly Bellys, and knitting note cards!!

It was such a fun swap to participate in and I definitely want to join another one!

Growth

Half of the succulent that was repotted yesterday:

GTD!

Today was a day of productivity:

Early morning trip to Costco to beat the rush, and it was a really good idea.

Helped Scott finish putting together shelves in the garage. Now all the recycling and odd ends are off the ground and organized! It looks so much better in there.

We took cardboard and glass to the recycling center, and that always clears up a lot of space :)

Repotted some succulents :) I have no idea what kind they are, but one started growing a baby succulent.

I've been reorganizing the kitchen for the last week. We're limited on counter space and cabinets so I'm really trying to optimize what we have. I think I made some good rearrangements today, as long as I remember where I moved things :)

And at the moment, I'm finishing a Valentine's monster for a friend. Pictures soon.

This is a shot of the screws and washers for the shelves:

February First

I've already knit two skeins of yarn into Scott's socks, and had to break into the third today. I used a scale and it was so handy; each cake now has the same yardage. But it really doesn't matter with these socks because I only have about three inches left and won't need all the yarn. It was still fun playing with new hardware :)

Scott tried these on tonight and they fit so well! Did you know his big toe is two and a half inches long?! Giant.

Ooooo-eee!

I sent my package to my swap partner yesterday! This whole process has been fun and exciting. I really hope she likes the package (^-^)

To mail it, I went to the Shipping Depot which is only about ten blocks from here. It was not super busy (like the post office always is) and they give you options on how you want to ship! FedEx, UPS, USPS. I think that is just neat. I will definitely ship with from now on :)

Fair Isle

A sneak of what I am working on right now:

Birthday monster

For Penny, Happy Birthday!

Review: Yarn U app for the iPhone

Yarn U

**This review is sponsored by Mary Beth Klatt**

Yarns found in Mary Beth Klatt's app, Yarn U, include Berroco, Debbie Bliss, Rowan, Classic Elite Yarn, Noro, Cascade Yarns, as well as the Knitpicks line, just to name a handful. Yarn can be searched for by weight, manufacturer, fiber, and washability through the handy filter tool at the top of the screen, or by scrolling through the entire list. For each yarn listed, there is a picture and a brief informational section that includes manufacturer, yarn weight, stitch gauge, fiber content, and yardage, as well as pros and cons of that particular yarn.

              

This is not a complete yarn list nor is it static. Since first downloading Yarn U in December, I’ve noticed several changes in the app. For instance, the yarn list on the home screen is still alphabetized by yarn name, but now includes a brief description and the yarn manufacturer, which I find incredibly helpful. There are comment sections for users’ inputs for both yarns and app, and Mary Beth Klatt is constantly replying to messages. Many comments request a certain yarn to be added to the database and some comments are directed towards the app programming. I have no doubt that she reads every comment and sincerely considers them. 

              

Bottom line: Yarn U is a convenient and helpful app for knitters and crocheters who frequent local yarn stores or shop online for yarns, who want to know more about a certain yarn at a glance, and are handy with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod (and soon Android, as Mary Beth Klatt tells me).

To find more information on or to download Yarn U, visit the App Store. 

Looks like we're finally getting ours :)

What's on my plate

Man oh man, my plate is full!

In my last post I wrote about Hugo, the Couch Potato Monster. Hugo (or as Scott likes to call him: Hubert) is nearly finished, I just need to knit and fill his arms. It turns out I needed THREE skeins of yarn in total. I ran out of the main blue color twice, so I ended up using up some yarn that I had previously purchased. Now he is wearing a sweater. More on Hugo/ Hubert when he's finished. He is already stuffed with Polyfill (it took over TWO whole bags!!) and he is the comfiest, squishiest, most delightful pillow EVER!

Here is a picture of Berny for you all :) I think it needs higher contrast, or a black background. I know how to do neither of these.

Remember the hat I knit for my dad this Christmas? Well, one of his neighbors (and a longtime family friend) really liked it and put in an order for one! And she offered me money! This will be my first paying order :) and I am stoked. It is so exciting and I am thankful that she supports my craft! She sews beautiful quilted banner-like scenes so I know she understands the time and love that goes into crafts.

I have also signed up for a swap on Ravelry and am super excited for it! It's themed around Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, or Leap Day :) and with a real birthday this year, there was no way in heck I could pass this one up. My swap partner is awesome and we both love Harry Potter! I can't say much more about this now.

Next weekend I am going to Scott's brother's girlfriend's baby shower (whew!). For Christmas, I knit her a baby blanket and gave her some baby gowns. With the leftover yarn, I've decided to knit a baby hat and some booties. This will be my first time knitting baby accessories (besides afghans) so I am a little nervous about sizing and how little time I have. But they should knit up quickly since they're so little, right?

Let's see, I was also asked to review a yarn app for the iPhone recently, and am just finishing up my review! I will post the review here, so more on that later.

Gosh, I think that is all. Oh! The pair of socks I started for Scott in November are about halfway finished; I am at the gusset decrease. I would really like to finish them in time for Valentine's Day! If I do finish them in time, they will be the fastest socks I've knit so far! (well, that and my second pair :) )

Now all I need to do is make a knitting schedule and stick to it!

WIP: Hugo the Couch Potato Monster

I started this little guy last night at our family dinner, and he was kind of a hit :) actually, the entire Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger was popular.

I'm using Lion Brand Quick and Jiffy (or something like that) on (my new!!) KP Harmony US 11 with a 32" cable. With this cable I am able to knit in the round, though not as easily if I had shorter needles. I Magic Looped the feet but the cable is too short to use this technique on the whole thing.

I have already used one skein, on my second, and am thinking I will need at least one or two more!