Crafters Addiction - experiments in Knitting

New Blog! Online now

2006-02-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

My new blog is up and running now ... Please email me at crafteraddiction@hotmail.com to get the URL!

Changes to my blog are coming soon.

2005-10-27T14:00:00.000-03:00

Well I have had a few difficulites lately and am changing my blog to a new location. Yes I will make sure I do regular updates to it. I am getting rid of my old hosting and it has already been turn off so any pictures are now not available. I will have it up on the weekend I hope.

Thanks,

Michelle

Ok so I know I have not been writing much ... but when I saw this I had to

2005-10-21T16:13:00.000-03:00

When I saw this on Vicki's site and tried it I couldn't stop laughing it a fun thing to do ... Here are my results:

Google [your name] needs and list the best.

Things Michelle needs:

Michelle needs your help.

Michelle needs her own REALITY SHOW.

Michelle needs to move on with someone else.

Michelle needs to find out that it is her baby and take her home.

Michelle needs a home that can accept her limitations as being mildly mentally retarded.

Michelle needs money to travel to Canada.

Michelle needs a good man to take care of her.

Michelle needs to make another Gospel album.

Michelle needs to spend some of her newly acquired weath.

Michelle needs a drastic U-turn in her love life.

What a surprize...

2005-10-12T23:20:00.000-03:00

Funny that I was born with red hair and this quiz says I should have red hair... guess its fate ;)

Your Hair Should Be Red

Passionate, fiery, and sassy.

You're a total smart aleck who's got the biggest personality around.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

it has been a long time...

2005-08-09T00:24:00.000-03:00

OK I know Vicky ... I know I promised this two weekends ago SORRY .... It has been a long time since I have made a post ... I know I know... Very bad of me. But life seems to have me on the run these days. New job, house hunting, trying to get life on track is time consuming and I haven't been able to find the energy to get everything setup on my new computer ... But here I am all setup now so I shouldn't have any excuses now right ;)

I actually only have a couple of things to show because I have been busy ripping ripping ripping and more ripping of my Isis Wrap from Interweave Knits summer 2005. I swear I must have ripped it out 20 times by now and I have never got past the 15th row. I have tired it on different types of yarn, I have written out the pattern row by row, stitch by stitch so that I could mark off every row as I do it and I have put the number of stitches I should have for that row beside the rows so that I can count them and make sure I haven't done something crazy... So you would THINK that I couldn't POSSIBLY mess it up right... WRONG... Oh so wrong.... I had it to a point where I knew it was right all 5 rows of the lace pattern, then I did another row and I think I screwed it up .. I don't know how, I only know that I am scared to pick it up again and find out that I have to rip it back ... Again. Maybe next week...I will look at it again.

ISIS Wrap latest unripped version

One of my failed attempts that has not been ripped yet...

Here is another failed attempt

My second thing that I have to show is from Interweave Knits 2005 as well. The little Braided Cable baby socks on page 100. THEY ARE THE CUTEST LITTLE SOCKS I HAVE EVER SEEN!. Unfortunately I have not been able to figure out how to do the heel. This is the first heel I have ever done and on size 0 needles its not the easiest thing to learn with so I tired to do a sample sock on bigger needles and with heavier yarn .... That should work right? NOPE ah well ... As soon as Vicki comes to craft night I will have to get her to help me.

I am working on a third item right now but I am not going to show it until it is all done but I will tell you that it is a new bag that I am designing.

RECYCLE - REUSE - My latest flea market find are in the process of being turned into stitch markers!!! Have a look at these beads.

Basicly these are ready made ... all they need is to have the loop put through... cool!!!

These are very pretty... they have roses carved in them

These are pretty too ... it was three necklaces for a dollar and this was the third best one.

And of course what photo shoot would be complete without a shot of the little princess Blackberry. I wish you could have seen her this weekend. Picture this ...A small one bedroom apartment, three adults, one very big german shepherd, all together for three days. This weekend my parents came up to help me look for a house to buy. Where my parents go so goes MAX, their very large German Shepherd. Blackberry delights in stocking Max. She sneaks up on him at every opportunity. She will pretend to lay down out of reach and then stretch out and drag herself just close enough to be able to reach out and bat Max's paw. She startled him once when he was sleeping and he snapped at her, you would think that that would teach her a lesson, but no not two minutes later she was at it again. She has no fear. I personally think she is nuts!!! If I was as small as her and was looking at those big teeth, I don't think I would be tormenting him.

The little Princess - Blackberry

I am at a loss and not sure what to do...

2005-07-14T23:16:00.000-03:00

For the last week I have not been able to knit or do any crafting... I seem to have lost my groove somewhere. I tried tonight to work on the Iris Wrap from interknitweave but I only managed another couple of rows before I put it down and just watched TV. I am considering ripping out the iris wrap because I am doing it with recycled yarn but because the yarn strands are not spun together it seems a bit messy to me. Maybe when I block it it will turn out OK ? Maybe I should have done something to it before using it to make it stay together ... Not sure.

Maybe I lost my groove because I am tired from not being able to sleep ... Usually my apartment is "messy" and "cluttered" looking but this week it isn't ... You don't think my craftiness could be related to having my apartment messy do you? Hummmmm.

In other news ... I start my new job next Wednesday. I am both excited and nervous at the same time. As soon as I get settled into my job I am going to buy a house and get a dog. I have already been approved for a morgage so I have started looking at places for sale on the internet but unless something pops up that I cannot resist I am going to hold off for a couple of weeks ... Starting anew job and buying a house at the sametime would be to much for me all at once ... Lets spread the joy out a little bit ;)

I am going to head off to bed ... Maybe I lost my groove in a dream or something and I can find it there?

Oh my stars! lots to show and tell today

2005-07-06T11:26:00.000-03:00

I guess I will start with my latest news I have got a new job and I gave my notice today so I have been a bit on the teary side this morning because I have some great friends here and its sad not to be working with them anymore, but my new job is for another company in the building beside where I work now so I still get to have lunch with them and see them. Very exciting for me!!!

And now for the much promised pictures of the Rocker in progress... It doesn't look like much but it is going to be great when it is done. Its a perfect knitting chair.

I have been working on a baby sweater from my Debbie Bliss book too. It has to have the ends weaved in and be blocked but it is so cute.

I had a great trip to Nova Scotia on the weekend ... Have a look at the photos..
I completed my sisters purse but it took longer then I thought it would .. I knit on the ferry, in the car, when we went out on the boat ... basically anywhere and time I could manage it in order to get it done.... There were a couple of late nights of sewing too. But I think it was well worth it. My sister was so happy to get it and she loved it.

Have a look at the pictures...

Sorry Sorry

2005-06-27T15:43:00.000-03:00

Just a quick update ... I know I said I would have those Rocking chair pictures up last week (sorry busy busy busy and totally distracted)... but I just started it yesterday unfortunately and it is being a beast. I will put a progress shot soon though ... I have the slip cover partially pinned and basted together.

I started on a baby sweater on the weekend and have seamed it up. All I have to do is weave in the ends and block it. The halter I was working on is going to be tackled tonight at our SnB and my sister's purse is next on my list of Projects to finish up (hummm could that be because I am feeling guilty and I am going to visit on the weekend? YES... I have a three hour ferry ride over and an hour in the car to work on it Thursday night too so fingers crossed I can get it done and then felt it when I get to her place.

All of this is of course if I don't melt tomorrow ... it is supposed to be 40 degrees with the humidity tomorrow. Saturday, I was at a BBQ/poker evening (which in spite of the heat was a brilliant time!) and we practically melted with the 38 degrees... Nice lightening show though. I had taken a cab over and just walked into the entrance way and the sky dumped itsload. There wasn't enough rain to cool it down though. It only lasted about 5 minutes or so.

What Kind of Knitter are you?

2005-06-20T11:04:00.000-03:00

Rites of Passage had this on her blog ... its a fun little quiz ;)

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I didn't get too much done this weekend... I had planned on having my halter top completed by Saturday so I could wear it but my yarn had other ideas... I am making it with some recycled yarn and wasn't paying enough attention to it and it ended up becoming a snarled mess. I spent 2 nights trying to untangle enough of it to actually get the last four rows finished and bind it off. Ya that's right I only had 4 rows to go. I did finally manage to get that done, only to realize that one of my triangles was smaller then the other ... DOH! So I ripped that back about half way and started again.

Yesterday however I got distracted ... I was at my parents place for the weekend (thanks by the way Mum for trying to untrangle my mess of yarn!) and Mum gave me an old rocking chair they had got at one of the auctions they go to. Lets just say it was gross, it had the worst color of teal on it and was super dirty. Not much was good on it except the frame. So my parents and I spent some time on it and ripped everything off down to the frame and built it back up... I didn't remember to take a before picture though :(. We decided that we would redo it so that I could make a slip cover that matches my couch (spent about a year reuplostering my couch and bought way too much fabric for it so I have about 10 meters of fabric left from it to make the slip cover). Tonight or tomorrow I will be starting on the slip cover for it. This is the most comfortable chair ever... It used to have arms on it but I couldn't knit with them on it and I like the look of it better without them on there so they never made it back on to the chair.

I don't have any pictures today but I will tomorrow :)

Fiber Festival and a new halter

2005-06-13T23:47:00.000-03:00

This is just a quicky post so here goess....

Well I went ot a fiber festival the other weekend and got a couple of shots of some goats that they had demonstrated shearing... I unfortunately over slept and missed it :(

It was a beauftiful day out so I decided that a knitting session outside with a cool drink

...and caught this the shot of a cute squirrel who keep running around in front of me.

Ok apologise to my sister.... I have started this new project and I have not finished her purse yet :/.... but not to fear I will be back on that as soon as this is done!
It has been so hot and humid here so what is better then an cute halter top to wear around. I'm hoping to have it done by the weekend since it is supposed to be sunny out.

Honeymoon Cami...

2005-06-04T14:13:00.000-03:00

My first garment I made was the Honeymoon cami. Unfortunately I didn't adjust my pattern properly and it didn't fit me :( ... however I didn't rip it all out (I know I amazed myself at the amount of no-ripping control I had for this project!) ONLY because my sister Nicky was coming to visit me and I thought that it may just fit her. Eh Voila! It did .. mostly anyway. We are both short waited so I adjusted the straps to bring the waist shaping up to the proper spot instead of ripping it all back and shortening the waist. I also made the straps wide. I think I am going to make another one and spend some more time on doing proper shaping for it this time. I have more infor on adjusting shaping now and hopefully will make a better fit for me this time :)

Here is a look at the Swedish weaving that my sister Nicky is working on ... Absolutely beautiful work.

Computer breakdown and French Market Bag is Done !

2005-06-03T16:32:00.000-03:00

There are just some days that you think you come up with brilliant ideas and act on them... then everything breaks. Last Sunday night was one of them. In a fit of organization I decide to rearrange my living room. I had made sure i turned off my computer and everything to be sure it would be ok ... and when I plugged it back in it wouldn't work right... I finally got it going again with the help of my friends who were very patient with me about the whole thing. Unfortunately I went to watch a movie and my DVD player doesn't work *sigh* oh well sometimes you can't win but there are always things to cheer you up, like ...

I completed my French market bag ... and I love it! The only thing I changed with it is that I made it taller so I could cart more stuff in it :)

I can't wait to take it to the Saturday market this weekend!

I also completed a knitting bag for me to lug my stuff around with. I used the leftovers from some previous projects to do this with. Any guesses which ones?
... Blackberry loved it ... have a look...

Blackberry also decided to model a Scarf that the lovely Pam made for her hubby.

A Tale of 2 Lightbulbs and 4 Warnings...

2005-05-27T13:26:00.000-03:00

Once upon a time one of the girls in our craft group fell in love with my little fulled green purse that I made. She went home after I showed it at craft night and told her husband how much she liked it. I used to work with her husband, so he called me up and asked me to make her one for her birthday on the 23rd. How sweet is that ... maybe I am just unlucky but I have never had a boyfriend do something so thoughtful for me. So I said absolutely of course I would.

Warning #1: Beware of experimenting on something you are making that someone else is giving as a gift, mostly definately don't do it if you are freakishly picky about things you make for other people.

Personally, if I make something for myself I will take it flaws and all if it can't be fixed easily or is not too noticable. When it comes to making something for someone else though watchout. It drives me insane to give something that doesn't fit with my version of acceptable. Which according to Vicki and any number of other people is nuts and have been placed on ripp alerts because one minute I will be happily kntting along one of my friends will turn their back for a second and I will have ripped out rows and rows of something because it looked at me funny.

Lightbulb #1:In my infinate wisdom I decided that I could knit an inner divider into the purse and sew the strap down the insides of the purse. Hayoo! I wouldn't have to sew the divider in it would just be incorporated into the purse as it was knit, what could be better then that!

Warning #2: When performing an experiment, stop and think, do not just do.

The experiment went really well I thought, I had knit the inner divider by casting on an extra half minus 2 of the total number of the original stitches on to a circular needle, i.e. there were 58 stitches and I cast on an additional 27 stitches for the divider. I joined the sides and knit the first 29 stitches. The next 56 stitches were knit also but every second one went onto a straight needle. Once the first round was done I knit 35 rows on the straight needle to make the inner divider. Then it was back to knitting on the circular needles and the body of the purse. I knit the first 29 stiches picked up one off the side of the inner divider and knit it onto the circular needle, knit to the end of the round and picked up a stitch from the other side of the inner divider and knit it onto the circs.

Warning #3: If something seems is working out for you on the first experimental try, the old saying "If it seems too good to be true, it usually is" will most likely apply.

I knit up the main body of the purse lickysplit all 40 rows. About 5 rows from the top I notice it, one side of the inner divider is about an inch taller then the other side. NOOOO!!!! Hoping that I messed up only a little way down I begin ripping it back. I stop count the side stitches ... nope keep going, check again ... nope. Finally about 4 rows from the bottom the stitches match up. How am I going to make sure the same thing doesn't happen all over once I start kniting up the body again?

Lighbulb #2: Take all those safety pins you have and slip one into each stitch on the inner divider that you are going to stitch into the main body of the purse.

Success! The safety pin idea worked (although took a bit more time becasue of taking out the saftey pins). Now I turned the purse inside out and started sewing in the srtap.

Warning #4: Make sure when sewing a strap into your purse with a divider you do it in the right place and that the strap is thinner then you made it for the one with out the divider.

I didn't realize that the strap should have been sewn into the front divider where there was more room on the sides for it to fit. Oops! This, I believe was the fatal flaw (well at least one of them) that lead to its downfall. I never noticed the problem until after the fulling and drying of the purse were done. I try out all the bags I make by putting stuff in them to see how they look/react with stuff in them. The purse was too fat on the sides and the back of the purse where the strap was attached on the inside of the divider was making bulges that, although I could live with for using it myself, were absolutely unacceptable for me to give to someone else to give as a present!

The "experiment" is hanging in my hallway. I look at it when I come home, when I leave the aprtment, when I go to the kitchen, or even chasing the cat to get my stuff back that she steals. I wonder what to do with it. I will probaly use it myself at some point or I may decide to cut it up and use its parts for some other new experiment. The only problem is ... that it looks so pretty hanging there .... humm I have heard about people framing knitted stuff... Anyway in the end I made my friend a purse in the same lovely pinks as the experiment and the same as my little green purse minus the experimentation.

The End of the secret project tail: She loves it:)

See the pictures...

Twig Chairs...

2005-05-19T23:25:00.000-03:00

Ok this is not knitting related but I had to show everyone the wonderful twig chairs my Mother makes. I am hoping for one for my birthday along with a white birch head board .... right Mum :)

Here is her twig trellis as well (this picture doesn't do it justice...its gorgeous)

SNOW in MAY? Crazy... but good for knitting :)

2005-05-17T16:33:00.000-03:00

I took a couple of days off and went to Nova Scotia for a four day weekend to visit my family... a much needed break. It's May, who would think you would get snow in May (... even though it is Canada). Ok there wasn't a lot but enough to cover my car ... ok FINE "cover" the car is a bit of an exaggeration, however there is definitely snow! Have a look at the trips weather pictures!

Over the weekend I taught my nephew to knit and he took to it like a duck to water! He made two wristbands one for him and one for a girl friend ;). He knit them (with only a tiny bit of help) and I fulled them and he embroidered on to them. One the blue one he put a snake (boys will be boys) and on the pink one he put a heart... how wonderful is that! He really is awesome! see them both...

On my way to NS I stopped at London-Wul, great little place, I bought a felting board, two Addi circulars, and a skein of her own wool. I was so excited about the wool that I completely for got that

1. Wasn't supposed to start anything new

2. To take a pre-fulling picture.

3. To never NEVER NEVER cut into your work when you are too tired to think.

On the upside I saved the purse in the long run (I think anyway) by sewing up the wrong cuts and turning those cuts into the stem of a flower. Still too soon to tell if it will turn out ok ... the surgery is still on going. I have put it to the side to work on my secret project that should hopefully be completed soon. I had to redo the secret project as the experiment I did to it didn't turn out perfect and since it is a gift I couldn't give it as it was. More on that though once the final project has been completed.

I got mail before i left on Friday too, 10 balls of a really nice burnt orange 100% alpaca. I am not sure what I am going to make with it yet. Although I have a few patterns in mind.

I completed the Grey purse over the weekend. The button was a bit of a problem to attach but I finally got it on so that it would show the button properly and still securely keep the purse closed.

Snap! a new camera makes me shutter bug crazy...

2005-05-12T12:09:00.000-03:00

Well I couldn't stand it any longer I maxed out my credit card that I have been trying to pay off :( and broke down and bought a digital camera. I actually did buy one a couple of weeks ago but it was defective and was taken back.

So I went shutter bug crazy last night taking pictures. I was even playing with it as I went through the parking lot.

Books on my books shelf:
Knitting on the Edge - I love this books ... it gives you so many options ... great for adding these to any project
Stitch'n Bitch and Stitch'n Bitch Nation - both great books, informative, and some interesting patterns too.
Special Knits by Debbie Bliss - so cute and precious ... I love everything in here, and since I am going to be an auntie again expect to see most of them on here over the next 7 months or so :D

I have some concerns about the French market bag at the moment.... it seems a little thin to me and maybe a bit on the small side, but I continue on with it. I have decided to put a wide band of my favorite green in the body of the bag and then continue on with the blue to finish it off. I may change the way the handles are made too. I am not sure about that part yet, but I have lots of time to think about that still.

My Lilac sweater is definitely going to be too small ... sooo what to do what to do.... hummm I don't know... should I make it into a beautiful bag? I had thought about frogging the whole thing and using the lilac wool for my Rogue that I am hoping to start soon... but I don't have enough of it to make that happen. A gorgeous bag with beading, maybe some tassels or eyelash worked into it could be just the thing... check back soon to see what happens to it.

New Bag #1 - simple fulled purse (picture is taken prefulling), Dark grey and grey, with a twisted handle. Birthday present for my sister-in-law. Hope she likes it ... the only problem I have with it is that I think it is going to be smaller then she would like once the fulling is done. Oh well I am going to Nova Scotia tomorrow (her birthday is tomorrow too) and will have the weekend to make her something bigger if she wants :)

New Bag #2 & New Bag #3 - still a pipe dream at the moment until I get some other items cleared away... I have too many things I am working on right now and either need more hands or control the urge to start something new.

I bought a dark chocolate brown sweater over a year ago for $10 that I never wear because at the time I never realized how revealing the lace down the center of it was until I put it on. Well I thought I could use another cardi and decided to snip it up the center of the lace and see if I couldn't make something out of it that I would wear ... the problem is that the yarn in it is so gorgeous and soft that I couldn't do. So I decided to reclaim the yarn and make something else out of it... maybe the shrug I saw the pattern for the other day.... hummm .... guess we will see :D

I had a helper while taking pictures last night ... my little cat Blackberry ... have a look.

Just when I thought there were not going to be any more babies in the family...

2005-05-07T22:26:00.000-03:00

Exciting news!!!!!

I am going to be an Auntie yet again ... just when I thought that there were probaly not going to be any more babies in the family ... my brother called and told me last night that they are expecting!!! I am VERY excited about it. I can't wait to start knitting those little socks I found a pattern for and all the little baby things I can. I think I may have broke my brothers ear drum in expressing my excitment.oops :/

Project progress:
1. Secret Project - I have almost finished a secret project that will be reveled a the end of the month. Since the person receiving the project is probaly reading this :)
2. The French market bag - the bottom is done and I have started on the main part of the bag.
3. Lilac sweater - I think that this sweater is going to be a wee bit small on me but I don't think I am going to frog it just yet. I am still hoping I will lose weight but the scale seems to say otherwise these days.
4. New Bag #1 - fulled, as yet unnamed and no pattern worked out just yet although I have started on working it out. We'll see how it goes.
5. New Bag #2 - this is a tote bag with a center pocket section in the middle. It will be a fulled bag... I am going to use this one as my knitting bag and since I carry alot of stuff with me ... well lets just say its going to be BIG.
6. New Bag #3 - this is going to be a small (maybe fulled, maybe not) hand bag ... pink and green with and interesting flap.

Stay tuned for pictures... ( I rely on my friends at the moment to take pictures of my stuff until I can find the right digital camera to buy)

Work Ends, Knitting Addiction continues...

2005-05-03T08:55:00.000-03:00

Ok finally the light at the end of the work 'til you drop tunnel! My work
project has let up and I am able to spend my time knitting again. WHOO HOO!!!

I completed felting the backpack on Saturday after 5x through the washer. It shrunk to about a 1/3 of its size but I soon realized (ok fine ... eventually realized after the 5th wash) this was not going to happen and if it did (after more washes), the backpack would be FAR too small to hold even a wallet. It did turn out really well though for an experiment. The thing I don't quite get is that the straps always felt up beautifully no visible stitching. The tension in the i-cord is quite loose, maybe my tension is too tight in the bag and that is the reason it didn't felt up as well as I would like? Any Suggestions? more photos...

I have also started two additional projects, a simple little shawl and the French market bag.

The shawl is a simple pattern as yet nameless but easy for a beginner to handle. I found a ribbion type yarn, a month or so ago, that was just too pretty to leave. It was orphaned, all four balls just left there; no name, no history of what they were made of, nothing. It was so sad that I immediately scooped them up and took them home with me, promising them I would make something special with them. I can already tell that the shawl is going to be a favorite of mine. One ball down (this was taken about half way through the ball) four more to go :) more photos...

I also started the French market bag. I am finding the bottom of it a bit challenging and have restarted it twice. I think that I have got it now though... (possibly :) ... I have a tendency to stray from the patterns and experiment so really how knows what will happen). more photos...

OH GOD ... I am going through withdrawal...

2005-04-28T19:52:00.000-03:00

I have not been able to knit or paint or do any crafty thing all week because I have been working until 3 am almost every night. The torture of withdrawal sucks!!!.

I take my knitting with me just in case I find the time to take a break ... there it is right now, sitting on the chair staring at me, begging to me to help it make those little clickity click clicks it just loves to make ... but no I have to be strong. If I can just hold out until tomorrow then I may actually get to just sit and knit the WHOLE weekend... gasp! Yes I know the whole entire weekend and since it is supposed to be raining all weekend ... well need I say more.

So I am going to content myself with posting a picture of my Wishing Tree painting. The interesting thing about this painting is that it has other older paintings that I did under the current painting.

Now I must go back to work on my project in the hopes that I may knit all weekend if I get all the work done. Fingers Crossed :D

Sink or swim?

2005-04-26T19:26:00.000-03:00

So many projects ... so little time ... I need a time wizard to slow time down so I have all the time I need to do these projects

I finished crocheting a garden hat for my mother ... looks much better on her then on me.

Knitten Knots and I went on a yarn adventure into the wilds of NB where I bought a LOT of yarn at Briggs & Little enough to keep me busy for a while ...

the only problem is that everything I bought is for a particular project ... now I have to go back and get some more yarn for those projects that just come up. We also found a great little yarn store along the shore called Crickett Cove. Here is a picture of Knitten Knots holding a few goodies from there

They had Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Jo Sharp, and so many others and all different types too. I bought some gorgeous baby alpaca and a very pretty (but VERY expensive) roses ribbon (close up of it to come)

and some wool that is a beautiful green. In fact all the the yarn I bought at Crickett Cove was green and none of the wool I bought at Briggs and Little was.
With the green wool I bought at CC I made a fulled purse ... it turned out great!!!

I made a bead button for it as well.

It was a pretty quick project that gave immediate satisfaction. I loved doing it, so I decided to try making a fulled backpack as well for my mother. I tried to find a pattern that I liked but couldn't find anything so I used a couple different patterns to get a technique and then winged it ...

it didn't turn out too bad ... we will have to see how the fulling goes though. This one may turn out to be mine and I will have to make another one based on the experiment for mum.

I also started on making my first pair of socks. I only have about an inch of the first one done but this is going to be a long term project I think.

I started a very pretty lilac sweater based on the skully sweater in Stitch and bitch (minus the skulls but plus some detailing on the base and cuffs). I have more done now then this picture shows (about half of the back is done).

I have been side tracked this past week or so because of all the new yarn I got and just had to make some bags :). The gauge on this one gave me some trouble but we'll see how I did with figuring it out based on the one that I thought looked the best. Which incidentally isn't even on this one :).

So what do you think Sink or swim? (and that is only the knitting projects I have on the go more on my other stuff another day ;)