Cranberry Cravings

November was whirlwind of a month.  Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday with family, food and thankfulness all crammed into a day of celebration.  I haven't quite had my fill of cranberry sauce.  It’s just too good.  I bought another can this past weekend.  Project-wise I’ve been busy as well. 

Socks FINISHED

These socks are so bright and fun; they just make me smile.  I used Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Lagoon colorway and Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids in White for the heel.  The Hedgehog was terribly splitty.  I didn’t enjoy knitting with it, but the saturation of color is showstopping.   These lovelies have been getting lots of foot time.

Is a sock truly finished if the ends haven’t been woven in?  The fact that I’m asking is a testament to how badly I wanted to be done with this yarn.  So far those dangling ends haven’t been a problem. 

I’m always hesitant about purchasing yarn online, particularly if I’m not already familiar with the yarn.  But I’m glad I put aside those reservations and ordered from Hazel Knits.  The colorway in the sock above is called Stick o’ Butter and the yarn base is their Artisan Sock.  It’s fantastic and I’ll be ordering more soon.  Really, they have so many colors I want to try.  It’s hard to decide.

The stripe of color partway down the leg is knit with Misti Alpaca Handpaint Sock in the Enchanted Forest colorway.  I used a seed stitch there to add some texture.  The idea of using alpaca in socks gives me pause.  This yarn is left over from a pair of socks I knit for a good friend of mine.  Considering the many yarn stores she has patiently visited with me, I couldn't deny her socks when she handed me a skein of yarn one afternoon.  It's been a little over a year and she says they are holding up well.  I have another skein in a beautiful emerald green that I may cast on for myself.  Has anyone else knit socks with alpaca?  

A Girl’s Best Friend Shawl  WIP

In my last post, I was wavering between shawl patterns.  I decided on A Girl's Best Friend by Isabell Kramer.  From the small picture on the pattern printout, you can’t really tell that there is texture in the main color section, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it knitting up.

The colors I’m using are Knerd String 4-ply Fingering in the Tainted Love colorway, JulieSpins Glimmer in the Haystack colorway, and Into the Whirled Pakokkou Sock in the Pomegranate Blossom colorway.  My main color, Tainted Love, is a muted red that pairs well with the sparkle in Haystack and the bright gold in Blossom.  I'm knitting this up on US 4 needles and thus far, it has been a very satisfying knit. 

Take Flight Quilt  FINISHED

Finished dimensions are 69” x 73”.  I used fabrics bought from Craftsy and my local Joann Fabric. The pattern came from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I love their videos.  

I’d like to take a moment to talk about quilt batting.  When it comes to batting, I’ve always bought what’s on sale.  My focus was on the piecing and I didn’t give much thought to batting; as long as it was cotton, I was satisfied.  

Well, those days are over.  When I unrolled this batting, it was thinner than what I expected.  When I compared it to leftover batting, I could see that it was noticeably different; less substantial somehow.  Now that it’s finished, I can honestly say that it feels different than the other quilts I have in the house.  Unfortunately, I have no idea what brand of batting I purchased.  This means that I don’t know what to not to buy next time. Going forward I’ll be keeping detailed notes on my quilting projects.  Has anyone else found a big difference in batting quality?  If you have a favorite batting, I’d love to hear about it.

Project Bags  FINISHED

When I saw this fabric, I immediately knew I wanted to make a project bag. 

I love it.  Of course, now I want to make myself more bags to hold all kinds of stuff.  The tote bag below is high up on my list of favorite things right now.  

I might sew up a few more to give as gifts this year.  That thought has sent me diving into my fabric stash and coming up wide-eyed.  There is fabric in those bins that I had completely forgotten about!  I set a few pieces aside for bags, but I also got some inspiration for another quilt.

Right now, I have about 3 yards total of fabric in the above color scheme.  My aim is to make a queen size quilt, so I'll need a bit more than what I currently have on hand.  Nevertheless, it's a good start.

I’m taking a hard stance when it comes to stash acquisition in 2019.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve no problem stashing (obviously), and I have no plans to stop buying yarn.  But I want my stash to turn over regularly.  I’m trying to avoid having a stash full of yarn “too special” to knit or  "never quite right” for a project.  I need to put the yarn and fabric I buy to good use.  In short:  I’ve got to work the stash.  Lately, I’ve been looking at skeins that have been hanging out with me for years and thinking about how to incorporate them into new projects.  Stay tuned for that.

Thanks for stopping by!