A New Direction

Hello to my faithful followers!  If you're still following me, you've probably come to realize just as I have that selling hand-knits isn't my passion.  :)

For a long time I've been wanting to work more on designing hand-knits. And that includes writing patterns for the items I design. Well, I've started! And along with this new direction I've started a new blog.  In a month or two I plan to delete this blog. So if you want to continue following me and my adventures in knitting, please stop by my new blog:  http://perfectioknits.com

Blessings,
Stephanie

P.S. Right now I'm holding a blog launch...with a giveaway from now until May 2! Come check it out!

ravellenic games 2012: final events

The Summer Olympics are officially done.  A final congrats to all the Olympic athletes who did their very best!  Whether they brought home a medal or not, they are all winners in my mind.  Super job!

We watched the Closing Ceremony live online {this afternoon here in the Midwest}, so we would be able to all go to bed at a more normal time.  Tomorrow is a big day for the kids and I, so we definitely need a good night's rest!  Do you know I homeschool my kiddos?  Is that crazy?  Sometimes I think so!  It's most definitely a lot of work, but I know in the end it's worth it! 

Tomorrow is the first day of Kindergarten for my youngest, Caleb.  The first day of Seventh Grade for my eldest, Thomas.  And of course, the first day of teaching for me. Yikes!  But I'm ready--at least I think I am! 

I decided to go ahead and make a couple more of my crochet baby hats for the Ravellenic Games.  The photos are again not very good quality (especially the coloring) since I took these with the iPad with poor lighting, but you can sort of see what they look like:

 

I did not quite finish the lace scarf, but I have a great start on it and should be able to get it done this week if I have time to work on it. Here it is at the end of the Games:

Here are my "medals" from Ravelry:

Earned for finishing my Swift Sak

Earned for making my Sweet Little Shrug

Earned 3 times for making my crochet baby hats:  one,  two,  three

Also earned 3 times for making my crochet baby hats:  one,  two,  three

That's a total of 8 medals!  Hip hip hooray! I feel like I've accomplished something in the past couple weeks!

As you might have noticed, some items can be entered into more than one category!  Thus, my hats each gave me two medals.  <insert cheesy grin>

If you are a knitter or crocheter and aren't on Ravelry yet, I highly recommend you do so!  It's a fabulous site:  lots of great patterns to browse, people to "meet", and I especially love that I can post photos and info from the projects I make.  It helps me keep track of what I've done and when, and what yarns and needles I used too!  So helpful!

And now, I must get myself to bed.  I need a good night's rest so I can be a happy teacher tomorrow.
Good night and thanks for stopping by!

ravellenic games 2012: 3rd event

Are you enjoying the London Summer Olympics as much as I am?  My favorite sport to watch has been fencing!  I also love watching gymnastics, swimming, diving, volleyball, track and field, and equestrian events!  Do you have a favorite Summer Olympics sport?  

Last night I finished another project. This time it was a crocheted baby hat.  And yes, this is one that will find itself in my Etsy shop someday soon!  I want to make some interchangeable/removable flowers for it first though.  

I also have been working on a knitted scarf the past few days. It's going to take me a bit longer to finish since 1) it's a scarf, 2) I'm using lace weight yarn (skinnier yarns tend to take longer to knit), and 3) I need to follow the lace pattern which takes a bit more concentration.

I have 5 days to finish!  Hopefully, I can get it done!  And I may take a few knitting breaks to make another baby hat or two as well.  

Well, that's my update for now...

Go Team USA!

ravellenic games 2012: 2nd event

This morning I finished my second project:

Pattern: Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet by Julia Allen
Yarn:  Cascade 128 Superwash (2 skeins)
Needles: US 11

It just needs to be blocked so the front doesn't roll back.

I love that this little shrug is reversible!  So cute and a quick knit too!

ravellenic games 2012: 1st event

As I promised in my last post, here's an update on my "events" for the 2012 Ravellenic Games!

My first project to cross the finish line is my Swift Sak!  

Entered in the event WIPS WRESTLING (WIP is the acronym for Work In Progress), I finally finished this project last night at 11:25pm.  The main rule for this event is to work on and finish a project already started, but it must be something that you haven't worked on since May 15, 2012.  I dug out a project that has been hibernating for over a year!  

You can see I left a stitch marker there...that's approximately the point where I had originally stopped working on it.  I really didn't have all that much left to go on the bag itself, but the 54" i-cord was rather tedious to knit!  Despite that, I persevered and got it done! Once the knitting was finished, I just had a few ends to weave in and the i-cord needed to be sewn to the bottom of the bag.  Seeing the end in sight, I kept working last night until it was done! It's a nifty design and I'm thankful to Kris Carlson who designed and shared her pattern. Thanks, Kris!

It's all done now and I'm happy to be using my Swift Sak!  My yarn swift is happy to have it's own little storage/carry bag now too!  Yay!  

So I have finished my first event for the 2012 Ravellenic Games!

Now which project/event to do next?

summer update

Greetings! How's your summer going? Mine has been going WAY TOO FAST! I can hardly believe July is almost gone! How about you? Is your summer flying away from you as well?

Here in Northern Minnesota we've been having a hot and dry summer. Something we're not really all that accustomed to, I might add. I love the warm days and lack of mosquitoes, but 90 plus degrees is a bit much for even me. Today is finally a bit more normal and a blessed relief. Now, if only we'd get a little rain too. We really need it.

Tomorrow! the London Olympics begin and my family is excitedly anticipating the kick off! We even signed up for Satellite TV (after many years with just a few local channels) so we can watch as many events as possible!  As a knitter, I'm pleased that Ravelry (despite needing to make a few minor changes because of this) is once again holding their Ravelympics.  Renamed the Ravellenic Games for 2012 (see above link to learn why), I see this as an opportunity to set myself some knitting (and/or crocheting) goals and then see whether I can accomplish the goal(s) during the time frame of the Olympic games.  There are even some Teams set up that, like Olympic Teams, work together and/or cheer each other on to accomplish their goals. So far, I have chosen not to join a team, since working on one's own is fine too, but perhaps I'll consider joining one next time around just to see what it's like.  It might be fun!  Either way, it's wonderful to challenge oneself and to have a plethora of possible projects to pursue while watching and cheering on athletes from all over the world as they challenge themselves to do their very best and maybe even bring home a medal or two.

I have quite a few projects (Events, that is) that I'm already planning to work on and can't wait until I get to cast on tomorrow (at 3 pm here in the Central time zone which = 9 pm London time)!  I intend to share my Ravellenic Games accomplishments with you so be watching for updates on all the things I make/do.  I might even find a little time for designing something new too!

So as we watch the Olympic athletes as they compete, I'll be knitting as I cheer "GO TEAM USA!"

As for my perfectioKnits business, I'm seriously struggling with procrastination issues. {Anyone out there a procrastinator too?  Perhaps you'll understand.} If you follow me on Facebook, then you may have seen my posting--back in May--about my plans to work this summer on getting some patterns ready to sell instead of reopening my shop right away.  I must confess, I haven't even started!  I still have hopes and dreams of getting myself in gear and getting some patterns finished before we start homeschooling again in just a couple short weeks (and this year I have to get to teach both boys--a Kindergartener and a 7th Grader!), but if I don't get make time to write up my patterns at this point in time, I hope you won't give up on me and know that I will get to it...eventually!  I do have a few fall-to-winter items that are ready-to-sell and will get those listed in my Etsy shop as soon as I can get some good photos of them! 

Thanks for being loyal "fans" and sticking with me!   

shawlette blocking

The following questions were posted in the comments to my last post.  I thought I'd go ahead and answer by writing up a new post!
 

So I have a technical question for you...how do you block something that large? Where do you find a space big enough to spread it out, where you can leave it pinned until it dries? Or is there some other magical method of blocking that I'm not familiar with that allows you to block it instantly in small sections? Blocking is one of the things that keeps me from certain projects and fibers. 

No, there's no magical method of blocking that I know of.  I suppose you could try steam block it in smaller sections, but you'd still need to pin it and it would ultimately take more time and effort.  Not sure if you could get the sides evenly stretched either.  So I think it'd be near impossible to make a shawl like this look right any other way than wet blocking.  That being said, don't be afraid of projects that require blocking!!!
 
This shawlette is only the second project I've had to properly block.  Most of the time I will just wash and then shape the item, laying it flat or hanging it to dry.  But when it comes to a lace project where you really want to open up the lacework, the best way to accomplish this is wet blocking.  For any non-knitters reading this, that basically means you need to get the item wet, remove excess water (you don't want it dripping!), carefully shape it, pin it in place, and leave it until it's dry.  When you take the pins out, the item will keep its new {stretched} shape and you can see the lovely lace you knitted.

The first project I wet blocked was this lace scarf that I finished back in January 2010. 

Pattern: Haruha scarf by Mari Muinonen  

Yarn: Winterside Farm 100% wool sport   

Needle size: US 8

I have a large enough house that's it's not too difficult to find a corner for blocking. To block the shawlette, I put down a couple towels in a corner of our living room/computer room and just started pinning it, shaping and stretching it as I did so.  The towels keep the carpet from getting wet and the carpet and its foam backing are easy to push the pins down into--sort of like pinning into a cushion.   I should have taken a photo of this so I could show you what I mean!  I'll try and remember to the next time I block an item.

Pattern: Summer Mystery Shawlette by Wendy D. Johnson

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy {sock/fingering weight}

Needle Size:  US 6

It took some time to get it blocked just right--I think I re-pinned and/or adjusted it at least 2 or 3 times to stretch it a little more or shape it a little more evenly, but it was worth it to get it to look as nice as I did.


I had only to leave it overnight to dry, so I just told the kids to stay away from it and I sort of blockaded the area too.  The next day I checked to see if it was dry {it was!}, unpinned it and took some photos!

If I had a small house or apartment with limited space, I'd block a project like this on a bed first thing in the morning.  Most projects like this one would be dry by bedtime.  However, an item made with thicker/heavier yarn would take longer to dry.  A fan in the room would help circulate the air and might quicken the evaporation process a tad too.

I did find the process a bit trying because I have such a tendency towards perfection!  For a perfectionist like myself, I think I'd recommend getting a blocking board with grid-lines and maybe blocking wires too. Here's a blocking cloth that might be made into a DIY blocking board!  These blocking mats look useful too! Someday I will invest in these tools and blocking will {hopefully!} be a bit easier and the end result even more perfectly beautiful!

Hope this answers your questions! 

mystery knit along--shawlette complete!

I've been taking [some] photos of my shawl's progress, but haven't been online enough to post updates. 

Part 2 is done!

I seem to be missing photos--did I forget to take them or are they on our other camera?  I did complete Part 3.  And I was sure I had taken photos too!  But since they weren't on my camera, here's a photo from my Memorial Day weekend trip--a late anniversary getaway for my hubby and me.

Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior

Part four completed! Only a little bit to go!

And 

 

now 

 

for 

 

the 

 

finished 

 

shawl.  

 

 

  

 

Drum roll, please!!!!!

Blocked and beautiful!

Lovely lace!

At 54" wide, it's difficult to get a decent photo of the whole shawl. I'll have to wear it someday and get a photo of it so you can see how it looks when worn too.  It's truly a gorgeous piece and I've totally fallen in love with lace shawl knitting.  It's my dream to someday be skilled enough that I might be able to design items like this myself. 

mystery knit along {continued)

Well, I finished Part One of the Summer Mystery Shawl on Sunday.  I *thought* I had it finished on Saturday, but then I realized I hadn't done the last purl row of Part One. 

You can see what it looked like after I completed Part One of the pattern.  I'm so glad I chose to use my size 6 needles after all--I think it's going to be just perfect as long as I don't run out of yarn!  I really love the varied blues in this yarn too.  So pretty!  And if you're wondering what all those little purple and green thingies are--they're stitch markers to help me keep track of the pattern repeats as I knit.  I'd be utterly lost without them!

Part Two (aka the second chart) was posted to Wendy Knits Sunday and I got right to work after taking a few photos of my progress.  I made it through 8 of the 12 rows Sunday!  Doesn't seem like that's much to be excited about?  Well, consider that each row has over 200 stitches and maybe you'll see why I'm happy I got that much knitting completed.  Sadly, I haven't had any time to work on it since Sunday but I hope to get Part Two done before Wendy posts the next chart on Thursday (aaack!  that's tomorrow!).

I'd best get knitting!

mystery knit along: take 2

Part One of the Summer Mystery Shawlette has been posted on Wendy Knits (that's the next section after the Preliminary Info)!

I've been reading the Ravelry discussion board again and found that there was a mistake in the prelim.  Wrong number to cast on!  Of course, for those who have already done the prelim and don't want to start over, there's a relatively easy fix.  But for people like me, who feel that they've chosen the wrong needles (after reading those posts and seeing what experienced lace knitters say about it), it might just be better to start over.  Which is what I've decided to do.  Thankfully, I don't have much to re-do.  And I still should be able to keep up with the others in the KAL (that's the knitting abbreviation for knit-along ☺).  Going to rip it out and start over so I'm using those US6s even though my gauge was way off.  And I'm going to add another repeat.  Since I have 450 yards of my Smooshy yarn, I *think* I should have enough.  And if not, it'll be another lesson learned.

mystery knit along

I am so excited!  

Yesterday I was reading one of my favorite knitting blogs, Wendy Knits, {of knit designer/author Wendy Johnson} and found out she's hosting a mystery knit-along!  Woohoo!  Count me in! 

(Image from Summer Mystery Shawlette's pattern page on Ravelry.)

For those of you non-knitters who are wondering what on earth that is, a knit-along is when a bunch of knitters decide to knit the same project at the same time.  A mystery knit-along is when the designer only gives a little bit of the pattern at a time and doesn't post any photos of the finished project so you don't know what you're knitting (except a very basic knowledge that it's socks or a blanket or a sweater--you get the idea) and don't get to see what it's going to look like until you've knit it yourself!  I've never actually done a knit-along before, because I haven't found the right knit-along project until now.  Did I mention I'm excited?!?

Anyways, I've been following Wendy's blog for some time now and have been in love with the lace shawls she's been knitting up lately like no one's business. So knowing I love her other lace shawls, I'm confident that this summer mystery shawlette is going to be just what I need for a personal {read non-business} summer knitting project. 

[Just don't tell the 2 pairs of socks I've already got on the needles that they'll be in hibernation for the summer.  They might get jealous that I'm knitting my first lace shawl with...yup, that's right...sock yarn.] 

<<< giggles >>>

So right away I dug out some Dream in Color Smooshy that's been ever-so-patiently waiting in my stash for the past couple of years. 
 

 







I also grabbed some circular needles size US 6 and began by making a gauge swatch. 

Um.  Houston, we have a problem...

According to the pattern, we're supposed to get somewhere around 5 stitches to the inch.  Wendy admits that she tend to knit with a looser tension, so I decide I'd best go up a needle.  But my gauge on 6s was 7 stitches to the inch!!!! 

If you knit, you know that's a far cry from 5 st/in. 

How on earth does she get 5 stitches to the inch on US 5s with sock yarn????   Sorry, Wendy, but I just can't figure that one out.

Since my gauge was so far off, I went online to check out the Ravelry discussion about the project and saw that, indeed, I am not alone.  A few others out there were dealing with the same issue.  Some said they'd be okay with their shawlette being smaller, some said they changed the cast on number, and some were undecided whether or not they'd use the needle they got gauge with (size US8) or a smaller one.

So now with my US 8s in hand, I knitted another swatch and found my gauge ended up about 5.5 stitches to the inch.  It's definitely not perfect, but I'm petite and I don't mind if my shawl is a tad smaller than the pattern's.  I'm really not sure whether the 8s are going to work, but my only other choice is to cast on extra stitches with smaller needles which ultimately means the project would require more yarn too.  And I just don't know how to figure out much extra yarn it would take, so I've decided to go ahead with my 8s and see what happens. 

My version of winging it, I guess!

I cast on my stitches and and finished knitting the 2 set-up rows last night. 
I'm ready for more of the pattern now.  It's supposed to be up on Wendy Knits sometime today.  

It'll be fun to see how it turns out, won't it?!