6/52 (a little late)

I intended to post before I left for another quick trip, but it didn't work out that way. I have more to share, since I waited, though. First off, I finished this scarf last month, but just gifted it this weekend.

Using about 900 yards of fingering weight yarn, held double I knit this lovely marled scarf for a friend.

It is made from leftovers and mini skeins on US 5 needles, and I just love how it turned out. I may make another in different colors someday.

Also, in Portland this weekend, I scored a few new fabrics, including this sweatshirt knit (so soft and squishy!).

It is always hard to show restraint on vacation, but I don't feel too bad about my new stash.

I have been working on my string diamond hand quilting, but it is slow. I am enjoying the process, and I am going to try to work on it a few times a week for the rest of the month.

Additionally, I've started a new project, working strictly from scraps (with the exception of the neutral squares).

They are cog blocks, and I am choosing fabrics for each one individually. This is a traditional block, and I am using the instructions in Make Your Own Medallion.

I'll be back later in the week!

A few more gifts

I know I'm not alone in great gift ambitions. There were a few things left in my pile this time around, so I'll be finishing a few late Christmas gifts in the upcoming weeks.

But let's talk about what did get finished, shall we?

First, my friend Sara, wove this beautiful scarf for my mom. And now I want a loom...
I purchased this yarn back in 2010 with hopes of knitting a pair of socks for my mom. The yarn celebrates her deep love for Texas A&M, but alas, it sat in a drawer until I realized I could send it to Sara for some instant gratification gifting. Sara did an amazing job, and my mother loves it. And now I have a little less stash guilt. Win, win, win.

Other scarves were made by me, out of a pile of pretty voile fabrics. I used AMH's notes with a length of 72" per scarf. These were a big hit with my family, and I enjoyed pairing the fabrics for each recipient.

I made a second Super tote (right down to the wire) for Rhonda. Not sure how it's possible, but I love it even more than the first. I used a variety of red-orange and teal prints, along with a natural linen for the exterior.

I'm especially proud of my quilting on this one.

That's all for now!
I've been thinking a lot about my hopes for the new year. I'll be back soon to share my goals, unfinished and new!

SGS Scarf Pattern

I have to say, I've always had aspirations to write my own patterns.

Then Rachel gave me the push I needed when she asked me to contribute to Celebrate Color. I was thrilled, and a little scared. I originally started this scarf pattern back in June, but when I made a trade on Ravelry for this gorgeous wool/alpaca blend in my favorite color of the season, well, I was inspired. I love, love, love this shade of yellow. And I didn't think I could wear the shade, but I think it works!

I'm proud to share with you this free scarf pattern.

I hope there are more patterns in my future.

SGS Scarf Pattern - Jaceycraft 2011

You can click on the link to download the free pattern, or you can also find it on ravelry later today.

Thanks to Rachel for the push that I needed!

I hope you will try out this pattern. If you do, I'd love to see!

I think the gathered stitches make such a great texture! The pattern is easy enough that you can probably knit one up quickly as a gift. And don't be intimidated if you're new to knitting; this pattern only uses: knits, purls, K2Tog (knit two together), and KFB (knit front and back). I recommend Knitting Help if you need help with these stitches.

And here's a shot of me (and the scarf) with the cutest kid ever.

Oliver (Elliott's nephew) is so sweet and special to me!

I used a DK weight yarn for this scarf, but a worsted weight will work just fine!

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or email me!

Thanks for checking out my first pattern. I hope you enjoy it!

A really tiny amount of knitting

Green is abundant in my stash, but apparently, time to knit this month was not. I cast on for this scarf the first week of June, and this is as far as I got.

Luckily, there's no stress of me needing to finish a wool scarf for many months, but I hope to work on this more soon. I absolutely love the color. It's close to the perfect green, in my opinion.

And the texture? I can't get enough of it. Malabrigo is a great choice for defined stitches.

Coming soon, some thank yous, and come back tomorrow for a return of Food Friday!

FO: Tropicana Handspun Scarf

Last year, I bought some handspun from Cosmicpluto.

The yarn was so fun and happy, so although I didn't have a purpose for it, I knew I'd be able to pick something that would properly display its cheeriness. A couple of months ago, I decided that my sister would appreciate the colorful handspun, so I started a simple stockinette scarf, with a few rows of garter at each end, and a slipped stitch at the beginning of each row.

Working with handspun is such a treat, and the color changes were fun.

As our Boston trip got closer, I realized I could finish and gift it to Jill in time for her to actually wear it, since a scarf in Houston isn't exactly a necessity. I'm glad I did, as it came in handy on our getaway.

This was my second time to vacation with Jill as adults, and it's really fun to spend time with her while exploring a new city.

I'm not doing a normal FO post for this, since there really was no pattern, but it took me about six weeks to complete, and the skein of yarn had about 160 yards. It was a perfect amount for a long skinny scarf.

Dear Olias,

You know I love you, little cat. You're such a cutie, you make biscuits on my tummy, you snuggle me and give me constant entertainment.

Of course,

you also bite. I don't mind so much when you bite me, but I don't really like it when you bite other things. Like this:

You know, like this Tussah silk lace scarf I made for mom? Yeah, I'd much rather you bite me than eat my knitted things.

Luckily, my mom is an understanding woman, and she knows what you're capable of. So when I told her that you ate her gift, she wasn't surprised.

Luckily, I was able to take a few pictures before you had a snack, so here's an FO to share, although it is now a RFO (ruined finished object). Hopefully, it will eventually be a Re-FO!

Details: Liesel, by Yummy Yarn
Yarn: La Lana Wools Tussah Silk, Strangebrew (purchased on my New Mexico yarn vacay!), 236 yards

Needles: Size 8
Time: About six months, and who knows how long it will take me to have the courage to fix it??
Recipient: my very understanding mother
Thoughts: The silk yarn was luscious and amazing to work with. Luckily, I have a tiny bit left which I will use to try to salvage this gorgeousness. I might try this again with a larger needle, or maybe I'll block it again once I fix it. I was pretty scared to block this, since it's silk, and I read you shouldn't wet-block silk. Instead, I used the iron by holding it a few inches away from the scarf, and ran it over and over to somewhat steam it. I don't think it blocked well, but it sure is was pretty!

FO: Prismatic Solymar Scarf

I haven't shared a knitting FO in over two months.
I have one finished, waiting to be blocked, but I can't post it yet anyway.
It's a seeee-cret.
However, I finished up this dazzling little number last weekend.

I love it. It's Malabrigo, so of course, squishy soft, vibrant and fanciful. Love.it. Olias loves it too. He told me, plus you can see it in his eyes:

See? Told you.

So, here's the skinny on this scarf:

Details: The Prismatic Scarf by Huan-Hua Chye
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, in Solymar, one skein (every inch!!)
Needles: Size 8
Time: One month
Recipient: perhaps a gift, not sure yet
Thoughts: Ask me how dumb I felt finishing off this baby while it's almost 100 degrees outside. Yeah, incredibly dumb. Even while sitting in the air conditioning, my fingers were a little toasty. I love the way this turned out. This is such a great pattern for variegated yarn. I love the i-cord edging, and both sides of the fabric are lovely. I didn't make any modifications, and it was so gratifying using up all of my yarn.

Progress: Prismatic Solymar Scarf

I started this a few weeks ago, set it down to finish a gift, and have since made serious progress. I was excited to make yet another Malabrigo project. I cannot sing enough praises for this, my favorite of yarns. This colorway, Solymar, is one I picked up at Yarns 2 Ewe. I love the stormy sky mix of yellow, blue, gray and black. It's perfect for the current Project Spectrum phase of air.

I'm knitting Orata's Prismatic Scarf pattern.

I'm about halfway through the skein now, so I hope to finish it in the next week or so.

I've been thinking about other projects I'd like to start, as well as several I'd like to finish. Ah, I really love the planning aspect of crafting.

Tying up loose ends

Fresh on the tails of two green finished objects, I decided to unearth a couple of UFOs that have been staring at me for months.

First up, a pair of Ysolda's Grown-Up Booties. I cast on the first one back in October, and finished it the same month. Then I didn't cast on for the second one until Sunday. I'm roaring through the lovely garter stitch in my held-double Wool of the Andes, so soon this one will have a mate.
I originally started these for a Christmas gift, and they may still end up being a gift. Not sure yet.

The second item I've been working on this week is something that brings me great joy for two reasons:
1)it's lace, and I am getting more confident with every row I knit; 2) I'm knitting it out of some of my New Mexico yarn from my trip with Sarah last March. I've been coveting this silk yarn from La Lana Wools since I bought it, and in January, I finally broke it free from the drawer. I'm making Liesel with my 200+ yards of double-dyed purple worsted Tussah silk.
Gorgeous.

I'm going to try to wrap up these two projects before the next phase of Project Spectrum (May), and if I have time, I may cast on for another green project.

FO: Sendoff Scarf

Jenny is moving to China for a year. She got an awesome job, a really amazing opportunity, and I will miss her like crazy. She's my favorite sushi buddy, and a wonderful friend. I made her this scarf to keep her warm, as she's used to our lovely Houston climate.

Details:
ScWiNoNa, by Weezalana
Yarn: Knitpicks, Wool of the Andes, Black Cherry Heather, 2 skeins
Needle: Size 7, straight
Time: 1 month
Recipient: Jenny
Thoughts: The pattern is easy to memorize, and really looks lovely. Both sides are attractive. I don't know if I'd make this again, though, as scarves aren't really my thing. This is a great and FREE pattern, though-highly recommended.

I frequent Weezalana's blog, and always enjoy her content.

Bella is such a good helper-look how she blocks!

Raveled