November Knitting and the Indie GAL

I've convinced myself that I need to stay up while my cranberry sauce cools, so I thought I might as well blog. :)

I promised one of my friends that I would make her legwarmers back at the beginning of the year, or earlier. She's a dancer and it gets pretty cold in the studio. I started them a few weeks ago, and finished yesterday. She loves owls, so I added an owl cable on both sides.

I'm working on a shawl right now. The pattern is Bricks (link leads to Ravelry, please exercise caution!) by Justyna Lorkowska, a designer I really admire. She always has lovely patterns coming out. This is my first time knitting one of her patterns, but it probably won't be the last! (So cliche, I know.) She has a knit-a-long going on until November 30, which was my motivation for knitting this shawl. (Link goes to a Ravelry forum, which you need an account to see. Please exercise caution!)

I'm a bit in love with Instagram filters, and I adore how this photo looks... (Also, that snowflake blanket that my grandparents gave me last year...soo soft and cozy and in my favorite color. I didn't think I could love it any more. Then I discovered its beauty as a backdrop. *cue angelic music*)

As for the second part of this post...the annual Indie Gift-A-Long (link leads to Ravelry, please exercise caution!) is going on right now!!! I'm not participating as a designer this year, but I encourage you to check out all the lovely designers who are. Select patterns (link leads to Ravelry, please exercise caution!) are 25% off until November 30 at 11:59pm (EST). I've really enjoyed the GAL the past few years, and I'm sure it will be just as fun this year, if not more. I'm planning on joining in with a Modern Tartan Slouch (link leads to Ravelry, please exercise caution!) by Talitha Kuomi eventually. We'll see if I get any farther than that... :)

Goodbye, October!!!

I'm not ready to say goodbye, really. Time flies so fast! I haven't hit my twenties yet and it feels like every year goes by even faster than the one before! October was a great month for my knitting. I didn't knit much this summer, which I think left me nice and refreshed for a new fall knitting season. :)

I finally wove in the ends to a sweater I knit back in March. It's my first "real" sweater, pullover, long-sleeved. I'm super proud of it and I can't wait to wear it all winter. It's still a bit warm for a worsted-weight sweater.

Next up, I finally finished a hat for my sister. I knit one just like it for the Gift-A-Long 2014, and she modeled it for me. I told her I would make one for her. It's only taken two years...

I've also been working on my Cubs sweater. We made it to the World Series for the first time in 71 years!! If we win the next two games, we'll be baseball champions for the first time in 108 years. Really hoping... This isn't the most recent progress, but here's a super flattering picture.

October!!!

Part of me isn't ready for it to be October. But, mostly, I'm excited. Especially because this year October means a postseason for the Chicago Cubs!! I'm not really a sports person, except when it comes to the Cubs. I've been a fan my whole (albeit, short) life. I grew up listening to Pat Hughes and Ron Santo on the radio all summer long. My parents took me and my siblings to games at Wrigley Field every once in a while. I was so thrilled last year when we got to the postseason, and since I'm a fairly optimistic person, I was hoping for a World Series title. It didn't happen, obviously, but watch out world...this is the year!!!

And what does all this have to do with knitting? Early this year, I decided to make a Cubs sweater. I had loved the idea of the Crackerjack pattern since I first saw it. But I thought, what if I brought that concept to a sweater? I picked out a pattern I've had in my queue for a few years, Madigan. In March, I bought some Quince and Co. Lark in Cubs-inspired colors. I was planning on casting on on opening day, but I didn't start it until late August. But I've been keeping track of all the home/away wins/losses since the beginning of the season. I'm almost to September at this point. Here's a shot from the other day that I posted on Instagram...

Knitting Update and Several FOs

Wow, has it been a while! I haven't been knitting much in the last few months. I spent a lot of time reading and just doing other things I enjoy. I didn't really feel like knitting, and I think knitting should be fun and enjoyable whenever possible. So I took a break. And it felt great! No regrets. I didn't really miss it, and that's fine with me. I'm pretty sure knitting will always be a part of my life, but it might come and go at times. I'm okay with that. I don't want to get burned out on something I love so much.

Here are a few FOs that I never got around to posting. Thanks to my little sister Anna for her photography skills!!

First up, the baby blanket for my cousin who's going to be one before I know it...

Anna likes her artsy shots. :)

A pair of mitts for a friend. They were going to be a Christmas present last year, but I think I'm going to save them for this year. #procrastinator (I'd also like to blame that on bronchitis, too.)

The pattern for the mitts is Leydon by the lovely Alicia Plummer. It's a super fun stitch pattern; I think I have some stash that wants to become a hat in it...

The slouchy hat I mentioned months ago. I started it as a project to knit during the Cubs postseason to celebrate. It took me a while to finish it after they lost. :)

And, finally, a pair of teeny baby socks. Baby socks are the best. They're so fast, and they make you want to die with cuteness.

Leap Year Sale!

All my patterns are 29% off for Leap Year-no coupon code needed. From now until the end of February 29 (Central Time).

A Few February Finishes

Yes, I can be a nerd when it comes to alliteration and such...

I finished the shrug a few weeks back.

Ravelry Project Page

I bought some super chunky yarn at the beginning of February. I wanted to make a cowl out of it, but I had to go through several tries. I took the biggest needles I had, which were size 19, and knit in seed stitch, but that was too thick. It was still too thick in garter stitch. So I decided to try arm knitting. It was fun! I didn't look anything up, I just transferred my knitting experience with needles to arms. I really like the way the cowl turned out too.

Ravelry Project Page

This picture and the next one are tied for the best picture of the cowl doubled up. I obviously wasn't trying very hard. :P

I brought out all my yarn this week. I like to do it annually towards the beginning of the year-not usually this late. It's nice to get an idea of how much I have. I had my sister Anna take some pictures of it with her nice camera. I organized it by color this time. :)

I think this is the best picture of all of it at once.

And I just had to add this beauty... 

As a send-off, a close-up of a slouchy hat-in-progress...

It's Been a While

I haven't been knitting much in the last few months. Last fall was my first semester in college (though I only took one class) and the start of a new job (two, if you count being the family chauffeur). When I had spare time, I felt more inclined to use it napping or reading and sometimes knitting, but not writing about knitting. (There was a whole lot of wasting-time-on-the-internet as well, but isn't that always the case?) Plus, I got into a car accident and came down with bronchitis in November so that really messed everything up. (Who wants to knit when you're coughing all the time and blowing your nose? Ick.)

The only thing I've finished since September is a little ballerina doll. Originally, she was a rather ordinary pocket doll. I transformed her into a ballerina for a little friend of mine. She loves it, which makes me very happy. :)

Before...

...and after.

There is the baby blanket I knit for my cousin, but I still haven't woven in the ends or taken pictures of it. So whether it's finished or not is under debate. Besides the fact that my now three-month-old cousin hasn't received it yet.

I did start a pair of mitts a few weeks back. They are a late Christmas present for a friend of mine. The first one is done, and I had almost finished the second Friday night when I realized I'd forgotten to switch needles. I had to rip back to the beginning and I haven't picked it up since. It would take me less than a day, but I've been doing other things. Procrastinator? Nah.

I have four other works-in-progress. A pair of mittens (another Christmas present), a hat, a shrug, and a shawl. I used to be a one-project-at-a-time knitter. (Some people refer to it as "monogamous", but I am not a fan of the alternative...) All the procrastination I learned in high school has now caught up to my knitting, I guess.

I hope to finish at least one sweater for myself before the weather turns warm again, but, ahem, we'll see how that goes...