WIP Wednesday: Mitten Lining

These aren’t necessarily one of my “longest” projects, but I’ve been working on these mittens off-and-on for a few months now. I’ve taken a number of breaks to work on things such as Mother’s Day gifts, etc. Now that the weather is generally warmer (although it keeps taking a few dips into chillyness, brr!❄️) I’m not as motivated to work on warm hand coverings like mittens… but I also don’t dislike this project, so it’s not torture.

The mittens themselves were finished at the end of April for the first and the end of May for the second. After seeing the Northman Mittens with their cozy alpaca lining, I knew I wanted mittens for myself with cozy alpaca lining. (And it just so happened that I had some appropriate alpaca yarn that I bought from another Ravelry user in the fall of last year!) I’ve never knit lined mittens, but it was easier than I thought–or so I think, I guess, until it’s time to turn the lining into the mitten. That will really be the “moment of truth”!

I decided to knit the thumb of the lining before finishing the rest. I thought it would be easier to weave the ends in. (And I’m glad I did, because it was!) I fiddled some weird increases and decreases for the thumb–they’re not pretty, but it impacts the fit in a good way. I’m not really a fan of thumbs without gussets, so even though the outer mitten lacks a gusset, I tried to insert a small gusset to the lining to avoid too much stretch and wear around the thumb area. I’m really curious to see how it works out~! ♥

WIP Wednesday: Beekeeper’s Quilt Hexipuffs

Having finished my most recent pair of socks, that meant it was time to put in a bit more effort on my long-term project, the Beekeeper’s Quilt~! I loved this pattern from the moment I saw the pictures for it–and I know I am not alone. It has a pretty devoted following and seems to enchant additional knitters every day!

There are a lot of different ways to make this quilt. Some people stuff their hexipuffs. Some use fiberfill, others wool, and others yarn scraps… Some people leave them flat. Some make them single-sided. Some decorate them with embroidery or intarsia or stranded colourwork. Some buy mini-skeins dedicated for hexipuffs. Others use only scrap yarn. Some people trade mini-skeins to increase variety. Some follow the puff directions as written; others modify cast on, cast off, increases, or decreases. Some use sock yarn. Others use heavier- or lighter-weight yarn. There is no one “right” way to make this blanket.

Dancing Stockings

I’ve finished my socks~! ♥ I’m really satisfied with this project. The colour of this yarn is exactly what I like. The pinkish-brown really appeals to me. Overall the yarn dying style is somewhat subdued, but still has a visible level of variation.

I enjoyed knitting these socks–I didn’t feel like they were taking forever. The lace pattern was easy for me to memorize. It was also easy to count and measure repeats; I prefer that when possible, because it makes it easier for me to have both socks be the same length in legs and feet without using a row counter. If I wind up measuring with a tape measure, sometimes I’m off by a smidgen and it bothers me later.

I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to wear these, but I am looking forward to it! I plan to buy some ribbon and tea-dye it to thread through the eyelets below the peaks of the lace edge. (I’m generally in favour of adding ribbons to things…) I think that will be an excellent finishing touch~ ♥

I’m always trying to have some variety in the projects I work on, but I’m tempted to knit this sock pattern again. 🌟

WIP Wednesday: Dancing Socks

I really love knitting socks. They’re one of the first things I reach for when I’m looking for “relaxing” knitting. These socks are no exception. I’m recommitted to knitting through my stash. It increased a bit earlier in the year because I was lucky enough to be treated by my mother at a yarn store~ ♥ Definitely no regrets there, but I don’t want to make a habit of acquiring more yarn at this point in my life.

I love the Jane Austen Knits magazines, but I haven’t made as many projects from them as I’d like. To help fix that, I picked this sock pattern from the 2013 edition: Jane’s Dancing Stockings by Anne Podlesak.

What better yarn to use than the Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn I had leftover from my Afternoon Cream Tea shawl~!

So far I’ve been enjoying this pattern. It’s a really lovely bit of lace, but not so open that I feel like they wouldn’t be warm enough as actual socks. The little bit of lace trim at the top of the socks is one of my favourite parts. I think I’m going to tea-dye some narrow ribbon to thread through the eyelets, per the pattern suggestion. They’ll look so dainty! Maybe I’ll wear them while I wear my shawl, and be matching~

I’m one sock down so far, and my goal for the evening is to finish the heel flap on sock #2.

I hope everyone is enjoying a bit of knitting or crochet for WIP Wednesday~! ♥

6KCBWDAY7 – Your Time, Your Place

Where and how do you take time out to knit and/or crochet? Maybe you don’t take time out at all and instead have your needles twirling as you try to juggle a multitude of other tasks with no ‘spare’ time to think of. Maybe you enjoy nothing more than to crochet whilst winding down from a yoga session, chatting with some friends in a nearby cafe.

Whether social or solitary, tell readers about your crafting time and space, and where you either most enjoy (or can simply find a few snatched moments) to turn yarn into something even more beautiful.

My knitting travels with me. I like taking opportunities to knit where I’d otherwise be staring at my phone or staring off into space. I often have a project ready to go whether it’s a short bus ride or a long weekend away from home. I get home from work in the early evening during the week day, and generally there’s a bit of time available to put in a few rounds or rows. I don’t find time to knit every day, nor do I schedule time for knitting. I just keep an eye out for opportunities and use them as they appear. ♥

6KCBWDAY6 – Polls Apart

Think of a knitting or crochet related question (it can be literally anything from favourite yarn weight or colour to which month readers believe they complete most projects) and host a simple survey. Hopefully once Knitting And Crochet Blog Week is over this year you’ll have that information as inspiration for yet another blog post when you are ready to write about your findings.

This question came up recently in a few groups that I’m a part of, and I’m curious to see what others might think! I heard a lot of different opinions about what defines a “level”, whether those should be standardized across patterns, how such a thing would be standardized, and other considerations. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to how to measure knitting and crochet proficiency!

6KCBWDAY5 – Something A Bit Different

It’s the annual challenge to blog in a way different to how you normally blog. You may choose to create a podcast, or vlog, create a wordless post, a beautiful infographic or write in verse. You can post on any topic you like, but be sure to post in a style different from your usual blog presentation. There’s not too much guidance for this one simply because the more varied the posts are on this day, the wider the sources of information for other bloggers will be.

Knitting and Crochet Awesome Tutorials

1. 10 Different Ways to Join Granny Squares (Crochet) (List)
   When I was working on my granny square blanket, this list really came in handy! I still go back and refer to it when I have blanket pieces to join.
2. 10 Different Ways to Work In Ends As You Go (Knitting) (List)
   I don’t really have a “go to” when it comes to joining a new ball. I’ve used a lot of options from this list.
3. Chinese Waitress Cast On (Knitting) (Video)
   This cast on produces a really interesting edge. I appreciate that it’s short-tail.
4. Foundation Single Crochet (Crochet) (Pictures)
   I generally prefer foundation crochet stitches instead of starting with a chain. I usually need a refresher, though, and this is often where I turn.
5. Kitchener Stitch (Knitting) (Pictures)
   I basically have kitchener stitch memorized at this point…but this was the tutorial I learned from, and it’s the one I turn to when I want to make sure I still have it right.
6. Latvian Braid (Knitting) (Pictures)
   This was the tutorial I followed to use this technique on the pair of mittens I still have in progress.
7. Raised and Relief Post Stitches (Crochet) (Video)
   The crochet tutorials on Moogly are great. She often has pictorials and videos for the same techniques.
8. Silver’s Sock Classes (Knitting) (Pictures)
   This was how I learned to knit socks. I think she does a great job making each step very clear.

(It took me a while to think about how I’d interpret this prompt! I didn’t feel immediately inspired.)

6KCBWDAY4 – Bags Of Fun

Time to delve into that most treasured collection of tools, notions and oddments as you are asked to spill the contents of your knitting or crochet bag, caddy or other method of organisation and put your crafting unmentionables on display.

My knitting tends to go with me. I like knitting at home, but it’s not the only place I knit. I keep all of my tools and accessories organized in a way that makes traveling with them easier–I never get to my destination, sit down, and find out I’m missing something I needed. I also don’t have to have doubles or triples of different tools, because they’re centralized together. As an added bonus, I rarely lose or misplace what I need!

6KCBWDAY3 – Experimental Photography And Image Handling

It is easy enough to fall into a routine of photographing your finished projects as is – clearly displayed, maybe from a few varying angles, and for a large part of the time these are what blog readers will expect to see, but every now and again it is good to throw in a picture that causes people to linger.

Refresh your skills at creating attention-grabbing pictures.

I’m not sure exactly how “attention-grabbing” these pictures really are, but I definitely had a lot of fun with them! I was thinking about this prompt last night and setting up my camera and such. On the topics page for this blog week there were a number of suggestions; I thought about following one or two of those, but ultimately decided I’d have more fun if I tried to think outside the shared ideas.

6KCBWDAY2 – It’s All About You

This post can be about your reality, your aspirations, past, present or future. Enjoy talking about you. If you really don’t want to write about yourself, though, use your creative license and invent yourself an alternative persona, whether you are a spy, deep-sea diver or astronaut (who just happens to love yarn).

For about 6 months I’ve been taking adult beginning ballet classes. As a result, a lot of my time and interest is focused on learning dance. I now read blogs like Adult Beginner (of course), Advance, and never halt, Kingdom of Style, Setting the Barre, and Tutus and Tea. (I keep trying to get into If the Pointe Shoe Fits, but she posts mostly videos and I almost never turn the sound on for my computer–so I’m always going, “Oh, I’ll watch that video later,” but I never do…) I love reading the Ballet Talk for Dancers forums, although I’m a bit too intimidated to post much.

I took ballet classes as a toddler, but I quit when I was in middle school, probably about age 11. I am pretty sure that I was no longer taking ballet by the time I started cheerleading. (Something I did only in middle school.) I don’t honestly remember all that much about ballet. I liked it, but only ambivalently. (If I were more serious about it, I wouldn’t have wanted to quit.) I took classes–probably once a week–at our local park district, and some of my hazy memories involve class levels being combined due to low attendance–and wondering if I’d only ever be in class with “babies.” I asked to stop taking class and my parents agreed.