Category Archives: Show & Tell

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Show & Tell 8/12/2011

Remember when I made this turquoise lace scarf earlier this summer?

Well, I got all excited and knitted another one. This one is Honeysuckle.

This picture has the most accurate color. I love the lace pattern, and the cotton (100% Pima cotton!) is luxurious.

Here’s a shot of me modeling this lovely scarf:

The thing with this scarf is that it rolls up when worn, so you don’t really see the great lace pattern. But I’m not sure I want to block cotton. Any thoughts from experienced knitters/blockers? That’s definitely a skill I need to improve.

P.S. Here is the pattern if you want to knit your own. I forgot to include it in the first post about this scarf.

So there you have it. What have you been creating? Share!

 

 

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Show & Tell 8/5/2011

I have been trying to knit through my stash. I know. It’s a daunting task. But these week, to highlight my success with this project, I have two things to share that I made out of yarn left over from other projects.

Remember these fingerless gloves that I made for our Ireland trip?

Well, I used the leftover yarn to whip up these cute little socks:

This is my first pair of socks ever! Which means that I am 95% OK with the fact that one is slightly larger than the other. I’m learning, right?

Second, remember this baby sweater I finished a few weeks ago?

I had a lot of this yarn left over. It is a cotton, which I have really enjoyed knitting this summer.

I need some new wash cloths for washing dishes at my house. So I knitted this little guy:

Sizewise, this is about 5″ square. I think it’s almost too fancy to use to wash my dishes! Or else maybe it will motivate me to wash dishes more often. Ha! (That’s not going to happen.)

What have you been making lately? How do you use your scraps?

P.S. Have a great weekend!

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Show & Tell 7/29/2011

Hello there! Happy Friday! Here is my lovely mug to greet you this morning. Here is what I have knitted this week: the Gigantic Cowl. I love this behemoth. You can see the lovely seed stitch texture. And the lovely brown color. And its lovely wooliness.

This cowl is knit in the round; if you are a new knitter, this is a super-easy knit. I actually have it doubled up here. It’s thick and delicious to wear. The yarn is 100% Peruvian undyed wool. The color is gorgeous.

In the wintertime, this is going to be indispensable.

What have you folks been making? Share!

P.S. Have a great weekend.

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Show & Tell 7/22/2011

I finished a quilt! Huzzah! This is the first one that I have finished since February.

Our neighbors gave us a beautiful canvas picture of a peachy-colored rose. It is a beautiful picture that my neighbor had photographed himself, and then he had it mounted on canvas. It’s lovely. However, it didn’t match anything else in the living room. I sewed this quilt so that they would match each other.

I found the pattern for the quilt blocks here. The piecing took the longest amount of time. I also put piping around the edge, before the binding. I love how it looks, but that also took a lot of time. The quilting was actually the easiest part; I “stitched in the ditch” between the cream and orange sections, and it was easy peasy.

 

P.S. Here’s an outtake from my photo shoot. I took these pictures in our small conference room at work. I didn’t realize how close the chairs were (aka I can’t crop them out). Although it’s kind of a blooper, this photo delights me.

Happy Friday! Please share what you’ve been creating in the comments. I love to see what everyone else is making!

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Show & Tell 7/15/2011

Oh, this sweater. A sweet little sweater for a little baby boy who is going to join the world in August. This little sweater is made from cotton yarn, and it was a cinch to knit.

However, this ended up being one of the most frustrating things I have ever made. Why? Seams. So many seams!!

Let’s just say that I am happy to be done with this project. In the future, I will be using this pattern and this pattern for baby gifts. Also I want to take a stab at this one. But I think this boatneck pattern is going adios.

 P.S. I have started knitting presents for the winter! I should have one or more of them ready for Show & Tell next week. MAKE ALL THE THINGS!!

Please please please tell me what you have been creating lately. Leave a link in the comments! Also: Have a great weekend.

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Show & Tell 7/8/2011

Here’ s a confession: I have had this project finished (and photographed!)  for over a month, and I am just now posting sharing it with you. Yikes!

I am going to write this one as a case study in how to creat an entry way in a house that has no entry way.

Problem: We enter our house through the kitchen door, which is great when one is carrying lots of groceries, etc. However, lots of Stuff tends to end up on the counters, taking up valuable countertop space. There’s a wall with a chair rail that would be perfect, but an electrical outlet is pretty much exactly in the middle of the usable space.

Solution: Utilizing a shelf and/or mirror, create an entry way “area” that can wrangle keys, hang jackets/sweatshirts, etc.

Here’s the area where I was working:

Sorry for such a crappy picture, but that’s the only “before” picture I have. That’s when we were moving in, which explains the mess. The kitchen door is to the right of the box/baseboard heater. Note the totally obnoxious electrical outlet above the chair rail, in the middle of the wall.

I decided that I could put a shelf under the electrical outlet and potentially use the shelf as a charging station, creating lemonade out of lemons, if you will. So I went on the hunt for a shelf. Long story short, I ended up getting one free (Free!) from a coworker who had built it for his house that he didn’t need any more.

Lovely! It’s solid wood. Unfortunately I didn’t care for color of the stain. Sounds like a project!

I sanded it down:

Then a little more:

I used a little wood filler to cover the nail heads, and then I stained the whole things. I used an espresso-colored stain. I brushed on two coats of stain and then three coats of poly. When it was all dry, I put the same hardware back on. Finally my handyman neighbor came over to help me properly hang it.

Et voila

And here’s “After”:

I have a few more things that I want to do with this space (add a mirror, for example). Hopefully I can share the finished project with you soon!

What have you been busy creating?!

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Show & Tell 7/1/2011

Um, how can it be July already? Yikes!

So, I knit this scarf. I really like it. It’s 100% pima cotton, so the drape is amazing. And it’s shiny and beautiful.

This is my first lace piece in a long time, and I am happy with how it came out. I need to block it, but I’ve never done that before. Maybe that’s a challenge for this weekend. Pretty pretty scarf. I bought two more hanks of this yarn so I can knit a couple more. I think this is a great summer scarf because it’s cooler than a wool scarf. Also the color is lovely.

What’s up in your neck of your woods? Leave a comment! What have you been making?

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Show & Tell 6/24/2011

First, I want to acknowledge that I took a random sabbatical from my blog. Because I was busy, you know, with real life. Now I’m back! And energized to post a ton of things.

Second, I knitted this scarf:

It’s massive. I’m 5′ 10″, and when I hang it from my neck, it reaches my knees. That is the correct size. I love a huge scarf, so I think it’s great. It just also took a lot of time. It is beautiful and completely worth it.

I was sort of on a time crunch, because the recipient of this scarf wanted it to be completed before the last movie comes out. I managed to get it done with about three weeks to spare. Whew!

For anyone who would also like to knit this scarf, here is the pattern. (That link is a little wonky because the website no longer exists. It is opened through an Internet archive site, which is a little slow. But it’s worth the hassle!) I used Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted. I hadn’t tried it before, and I fell in love. It is 75% acrylic and 25% wool. I think this will become my standard acrylic from now on because it is a dream to knit compared to, say, a Vanna’s Choice. Plus the color options are amazing. The pattern called for four skeins of the main color. I had to buy a fifth skein to finish. Just an FYI in case you want to try this pattern.

So is anyone still out there reading? What have you been making lately?

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Show & Tell 5/20/2011

Just a quick one tonight. Here’s the baby sweater I finished this week:

What I love about this adorable little sweater is the way that the neck is done. It’s similar to a onesie – the edges overlap, so it can easily be slipped over “big noggins” without being too loose during wear.

However, I think the sizing is a little wonky on this. I knit the 0 – 3 months size. My gauge is spot on; the dimensions for my finished project is exactly what it says in the directions. Unfortunately, I think this would fit a 6 – 12 months baby. It’s substantial. Maybe I’m over thinking things. I need to find a baby so I can test the size.

I used a cotton yarn for this, so that it will be easy for Mom to wash in the washing machine. I love this yarn. I am considering it for a sweater for myself. But first I need to finish the sweater that I am already making for myself. So much knitting; so little time.

Goodness, it’s late. Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Show & Tell 5/13/2011

Remember when I was in Ireland in February and bought this yarn?
 (Here is the link to the KnitSpinFelt Etsy page, in case you want some of this lovely yarn, too. At 25% off, too!)

I dug this skein out of my stash last week, and it turned into this:

(Look – my photography sucks less!)

Here’s a picture of the extended version:

The variegated color is gorgeous. Its name is “Papryka” – which is spot-on.

Since the skein was only 110 yards, I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough to make anything awesome. Boy was I wrong! This is the pattern that I used. (I made the size Small, which calls for 115 yards.) I actually finished it one time, and then tore it back out and added two extra sections to the neck (because it was awful short) – and STILL had a few yards of yarn left when I finished it the second time.

I still need to block it. I am so happy with how it came out!

Where has this week gone?!?? I hope you, my lovely readers, have been making beautiful things. Have a great weekend!