The Problem With Having a New Project Obsession

Why is it that I already have too many projects, but yet I still want to start more? I feel this is every knitters problem. It is Ravelry's fault. One second I am updating my projects, the next I am trolling patterns for the next pretty thing I want to make!!

First things first though, I have to finish my current projects. I have the quilt to finish, hooks to screw into my key holder thingy for my room, then I can focus on knitting. The projects I have going right now are my Rocky Coast Cardigan (San Fransisco Peaks Cardigan), Hourglass Rib Socks (Cali Girl in the Snow Socks) and my Matching Beauty project, which is a scarf I have been working on for awhile (2 years now...oops) to match a hat I already finished (Simple Beauty) from the Hermione Hearts Ron Pattern. For a long time I wanted to make a scarf to match the hat so I took the hat pattern and adapted it to make a scarf with the same lace and cables design. (If anyone wants it they can comment or message me on Ravelry). I briefly debated frogging the scarf, but when I got it out last night to frog it I realized I had an almost finished scarf on my hands. And well I couldn't frog something that was so close to being finished! So this project has now been bumped to priority #2 in my knitting world.

Last night I started the ribbing section on the bottom of the back of my cardigan project! It is very exciting because after that it is time for sleeves! I already have size 10.5 DPN's for the sleeves, but the thing is that I am not the biggest fan of DPN's. I just knit so much more slowly on them then I do with circulars. BUT I can't justify buying 10.5 circulars when I already have 10.5 DPN's. So I am just going to suck it up and make pretty pretty sleeves for my pretty pretty sweater.

Now for my new project obsession scheming. I know I am not going to start anything new until I finish the sweater, and scarf. And I am not going to start socks until I finish my current sock #2. BUT I have a couple projects in my Ravelry queue I am already excited to make.

As I have previously expressed, I am waiting for someone, anyone, I know in my family/older friends to get pregnant. I am waiting for this because I love knitting for babies. Every person I know who gets pregnant receives a hand knit baby hat. The most exciting thing was when I gave a person who I know a baby hat for their little girl, and when she was born and pictures were uploaded to facebook, SHE WAS WEARING MY HAT. It was exciting for me to know that when they look back on the day their child was born, she was wearing my little hat! They most likely don't even remember it was me who made it and gave it to them but still, I know and that makes me happy. Okay I'll stop rambling and get to the point now. I love knitting for babies and there is an adorable little project I found a long time ago in a knitting pattern book I use a lot. The book is Knitted Gifts by Ann Budd and it has so many fantastic projects for gift giving and for yourself! The socks I am making came out of that book. The cutest little thing I want to make so badly is called Motor Baby Bunting and it is both genius and adorable. It is a little warm bundle-y thing that zips at the bottom to keep the babies legs warm, but makes them easy to change and has little sleeves and a hood. The best part is that there is a hole in the middle so that you can strap the baby into a car seat without moving anything, taking anything off or making them cold. It is perfect for people who live in cold weather places. PLUS IT'S ADORABLE. So yeah I want to make that, but I am waiting for a baby to make it for.

Adorable right?

The next project I want to make is a cowl. It is called the Greyhaven cowl, and I have had in my Ravelry queue forever. When looking at the projects page, I saw someone who made this cowl with madelinetosh tosh merino. I have been dying to work with Madelinetosh yarn because it is just so so beautiful. The colors are hand dyed and variegated and I have wanted to work with it, but hadn't found the right project. Until now.

This cowl pattern

With this colorway of Madelinetosh. It is called Baltic. And it is gorgeous.

This yarn

So that is my cowl fantasy. I have narrowed down the socks to a few different patterns, but I am not going to detail those out just yet until I narrow it down to 2 or 3 winners, then I will post the options!

I am so excited to do these amazing projects. But for now I am just going to finish the projects I already have! Keep you updated with everything as usual!

Doin' Work and Takin' Measurements

Hey everyone!

Things over here have been moving along like crazy! It is so awesome to see how all of my projects are moving along.

I have finished my mason jar project, complete with pretty cheery little fake flower arrangements courtesy of Michaels floral section. I love this project because it was fun and easy will brighten up my room so much.

I have been hauling butt on my quilt, and I am so close to being in the home stretch of it! First I sewed all my squares together to form rows, then sewed the rows together to form one single piece of fabric made up from all my squares!

I borrowed my mom's room because she has a queen size bed and here at home I have an extra long twin. I first laid out my new white Tahari Duvet with a little bit of simple eyelet and put my quilt over it. It was awesome to see my quilt looking like a real quilt on a real bed! An exciting thing to come for my new apartment!

I also set up my mason jars next to the bed to see how the colors work with the quilt, I think they look great with the colors in the quilt! 

My next step was that I sewed the border onto the quilt, although I do not have a picture for you, but I promise to include it in my next post!

This past weekend I went to visit Mike and spend time with his family. I took the Metrolink train to see him, giving me some time to get knitting done. I wanted to bring my sweater, but it was going to be a quick trip and it is a bulky project to bring along so I brought along my sock project. 

To those of you who don't know, for a long time I put off making socks because it was too scary for me. Here is the problem, I made sweaters, gloves, lace scarves and so many other things even more difficult than socks, but yet I was still scared of socks. Stupid and irrational, but true. Hence my post explaining everything titled, My Irrational Fear of Socks. Since that post, I had finished the first sock, and started my second. So I am still working on the second sock, but am making much faster progress thanks to learning a new technique. How to cable without a cable needle. For my sweater project learning this technique is a MUST (for all you looking for tips on how to make the Rocky Coast Cardigan, when I finish it I am going to include a tips and advice section for how to make it and include pictures of my finished project, so keep your eyes out for that post to be coming in the next few months). I am now applying that technique to my sock project. It is really speeding up the cabling process, although it is harder to do with smaller needles and yarn. There are many many tutorials out there and I looked at a lot of them, but this is the one that really was well explained and was easy for me to understand best. 

http://lifeonlaffer.blogspot.com/2011/10/cableing-without-cable-needle.html

If you are looking to learn how to cable without a cable needle, or are embarking on making the Rocky Coast Cardigan, this technique is awesome and this tutorial is a great way to learn how to do it. 

I have made very little progress on sock #2, simply because I have so many other projects! Once I am in Flag again and settled back into the school routine I am sure that I will be doing more knitting, when there isn't room DIY and a quilt project competing for my time. 

Of course this picture is blurry. OF. COURSE. Pictures I take usually end up being blurry. Ugh. 

I am much less scared of socks now, I am even planning another sock project, this time doing 2 at once. Because doing them one at a time is time consuming and if you happen to get scared of the project (like me) your socks could end up taking like 5 years. Like this particular pair. BUT even though I have amazing yarn and at least 10 different favorited sock patterns in my Ravelry account, I refuse to allow myself to start another sock project without finishing this one first. I keep thinking how much better it would be for knitters if all humans had just 1 hand and 1 foot, then you would only have to make one glove and one sock for every project! But then on the other hand, knitting one handed would be hard. So I guess things just have to stay how they are. Darn.

When I do finish this project I am going to post a ton of well taken photos (meaning Mike is going to take the pictures) so you all can see what the socks look like finished! 

It is exciting to see all my projects coming together, but also bittersweet knowing that I have less than a month left in California. 

Well, I will keep you updated on projects and all the various things going on as I finish work and get excited to go on vacation before going back to school!

I Have an Intense Love of Mason Jars

I have been slowly gearing up for my new apartment in the Fall! Lots of Home Goods trips and fun DIY!

Apartment DIY's: I just finished painting 3 little mason jars to have as mini fake flower vases to brighten up my room. I love mason jars so much. I love drinking out of them, I love having them around, and I just plan love them. Not sure why, I just really do. I found the tutorial on Pintrest. Here is the tutorial if you want to do that same thing!! I loved it and the finished product is great and this tutorial is really great and easy to follow.

http://somethingturquoise.com/2014/01/17/distressed-chalkboard-mason-jars/

Watching Law and Order SVU while crafting. With the amount of Netflix I watch, they should pay me! Not the other way around! 

Face-timing with my cutie while putting the finishing touches on

The blue jar looks way more purple than it really is, actual color is better represented in the picture below

What I need to do now is to go out to Michaels and buy florist foam for the bottom of the jars, and then make some little fake flower arrangements to finish the project off! The vases are in the same colors as my quilt. I am excited to have these fun little bright things to brighten everything up during the cold days in Flag.

Another thing I did was DIY an old lamp base that was previously spray painted red and give it a little makeover! I re-spraypainted it a gray color, and after a trip to Target did not produce the perfect lampshade, my mom and I went to Tuesday Morning and found the perfect one! So now I have an old/new lamp for the price of just a shade! Awesome! 

It still has the plastic wrapping on to protect it, but the shade is light blue with cream accent details

My next DIY project for my apartment room is a little key holder. I used to have a command hook stuck on the wall near my door. Functional? Yes. Cute? Not really. Also the problem with that is when Mike came over he had no place to put his keys, and of course when it came time to leave, could never find where he left them. (Usually my fault because he would put them down somewhere and I would move them to a location I thought would be easier to find hahaha) So now I want to make a little key hook thing with 2 hooks in it so Mike and I both do not lose our keys.

I am going to take a little wooden plaque board, paint it to be pretty, then screw hooks into it. It will be a cute and cheap little project I am sure I will get a lot of use out of. I haven't gotten anything material wise yet, but as usual I'll show you pictures as I make progress!

The quilt: I am starting to get a little anxious I won't finish it before I leave for summer, even though I am making pretty good progress. I think it is going to be okay though because 13 more squares then I am done with the squares!!!!! Yay! Then I will be sewing on the border and going on to the next step in this awesome process. 

My amazing sweater has sadly taken a back burner to work and quilt and apartment and life. I hope to pick it up soon as Mike's family reunion is nearing. (Even though it will be too hot to wear the sweater, even at night). I am considering recinding my self imposed deadline... still haven't decided yet though.

I want to ask you, internet people for help with something. This next year I will not have a meal plan with which to get Starbucks or Einsteins coffee. I have a Keurig, which I love, but I have not had any real success with making fun yummy drinks with it. I usually have the Cafe Escapes Cafe Mocha Kcup because it tastes good, and I do not really like my coffee black, but I know that will get old over the next year. If you have a Keurig, how do you make yummy Starbucks-y-ish drinks with Kcups? If you have any answers or recipes, let me know in the comments! Thanks!

All is well in my crafty world. More hauling butt on the quilt and in my next post I will include some pictures of my progress. :)