Things I've made since my last post...

Wow!  I haven't used my blog since 2015.  Honestly, I forgot about it and then college became a thing and I had to focus on that.  Since last using my blog, I graduated and got married - and, more relevant to the blog - I improved a lot in my skills and have made a lot of pretty garments!  I had fallen away from crafts for a while since I was so busy, but in 2021 my best friend asked me to teach her how to crochet.  Little did she know she helped me reignite my interest!  So while she crocheted her first project, I got started on some of my own that had been sitting in my Ravelry queue.

The very first thing I made that re-started my passion for crochet and knit was the Habitat Cardigan, by Jess from Make and Do Crew.  For any beginners out there, I highly recommend this pattern, as it was easy to understand and made a really cute, really beautiful finished project.  

For this, I used a pack of Loops and Threads Value Yarn that has been discontinued.  I bought this one several years ago at Michael's when I saw it in the sale section. It's very soft and somewhat silky, which causes a really cool drape and an interesting fabric.  I have another color way of it, that I may use in the future for a different type of project.

For my next project I decided I wanted something with techniques I was not familiar with.  I decided to knit Nutmeg Ginger by Alicia Plummer (red sweater at right).  Alicia publishes some of my favorite patterns on Ravelry due to their simple but beautiful designs. 

Truthfully I wish I had used a different yarn, because Caron Simply Soft doesn't often allow a lot of breathing room and can feel really hot as a garment.  It works well for many types of projects, but I'm not sure I would use it for this kind of pullover in the future.

With that said, I used Caron Simply Soft again in my next project (below) which turned into somewhat of a mess.  I made Vienna Sweater by LCK Crochet, which was meant to be a pullover but turned into a dress.  I'm still not really sure what caused the yarn to grow like this, but it was both a mistake and a happy accident.  While the finished object turned out completely incorrect, I still wore it with gusto, I just had to have a tank top underneath and be cognizant of the holes that crochet causes.

I actually was looking at this object the other day and considered frogging it and using the yarn for something else.  The only thing that stops me from doing it is thinking of all the time I spent making it; but at the same time, if I'm not wearing it because I'm not 100% happy with it, why not turn it into something I would like better?

Caron Simply Soft does have beautiful drape, but it is killed easily by machine washing.  I don't know if hand washing and blocking could have saved this project, but I did get many wears out of it, so I don't consider it a fail.

Speaking of something that I spent a lot (and I mean a LOT) of time working on...I finally finished Smokin' by Jared Flood for my father.  This thing has quite a backstory.  I started making this in October, 2015.  Like I said before, college was becoming a thing at the time and I didn't have enough hours to do my homework and work on this project for him, no matter how often he asked me how it was doing.  I definitely felt guilty about how long it was taking. 

Then the years passed by and I only had marginal process on it.  In 2020 I moved out and got married, and brought the old project with me.  In August 2021, I finally took it out and decided I was going to do this.  I completely unraveled the project and started it from scratch so that I could correct every mistake I had made in the original work.

I finished it in November 2021 and gave it to him for Christmas.  He was so excited!  My only wish was that I had done it in a different size.  You see, my gauge is really off.  Always.  I usually have to go down needle sizes to achieve correct gauge.  I'm not sure what possessed me to ignore this and continue making the sweater, but in any case, I wound up giving him a sweater that was at least two sizes too big and for some reason was really long.  I offered to redo it but he said it was fine and he would wear it around the house to keep him warm.  Here it is, at right, in all its forest green, soft and warm glory!

This was not the only present I had made this year though!  I also made for my mom another gorgeous pattern by Alicia Plummer: Woodstove Season.  

Somewhat ironically, this one turned out a little too small.  I definitely can't win.  In this case I did pay attention to gauge and I think I just chose the wrong size.  Well, in any case, I did take this one back from her and I have it on my list to re-make in the correct size.

There were many smaller projects in 2021 that I loved but there are certainly too many to recount in a post.  I have linked my Ravelry page on the side bar, for anyone who just wants to friend me or browse what I've made!

However in 2022 I made some of my favorite items to date.  Firstly, I made this poncho which is now my favorite thing I've made for myself.

This pattern is called IGLO poncho and was made by Lone Kjeldsen. This pattern was a joy to make.  It had techniques I was not familiar with, interesting design, and ultimately resulted in an amazing finished object.  I worked feverishly on this one to make sure I finished it before my anniversary trip with my husband, so I could wear it and feel happy and proud of my increased skills.  I can't stress enough how much I love this poncho.  I actually have plans to make another one in a different color when I get through some of my current queue.  This was made from Knit Picks Palette - Knit Picks is one of my favorite yarn companies, by the way - and the color way was "Shire Heather" which I felt was the perfect name for something I could see myself frolicking near the woods in...

However, that would not be the only thing I was absurdly proud of that year!  I decided to challenge myself even further and make a cabled sweater dress to wear for Christmas. Honeycomb Aran Dress had been in my Ravelry queue for SIX years at that point, so I was really digging something out of my queue to make something beautiful.

It took me 3 months and I finished it literally right before Christmas Mass.  I had so much excitement and pride to wear this one as it was one of the most intense projects I'd ever completed at that point.  I made this with Cascade 220 Superwash in color "Celery". 

I literally seamed this on December 23rd and it was even a little wet from the blocking when I seamed it, which I know is a crime against knit and crochet work but I was WAY too excited to take my time on this one.  Considering the next day I would need it for church, I had to get it done expeditiously.  This one turned out really well, it was slightly oversized but considering the other objects I have showed that were the wrong size, I wasn't really that upset at this one being a few inches too big.

This year had more handmade presents, one of them being this giant crocheted blanket (that I charted myself!) for my brother.  While all of us have since left the Washington DC area, we all remain huge fans of the Nationals and the Caps.  My brother specifically is a big Nationals fan, and this logo is a family favorite, so I found an image on Google of the logo, put it into StitchFiddle, and charted a very ambitious color work project.  I was actually making this alongside the green sweater dress, and at one point I had to completely stop the sweater so I could get ahead on this project.  I had never done so much color work and honestly the idea of weaving in all of the ends was really daunting, so at some point I decided I would just go to the craft store, pick up some fleece, and sew it on as a backing.  I think this actually made it turn out way better anyway, as it added extra warmth.

With 2023 came some more really fun projects.  First finished object was this baby blanket I made for my childhood best friend and her newborn.

This project is called Adeline Blanket by bright and scrappy and was actually a free Ravelry download, so on top of it being super cute and simple, it was free to boot. 

For this one I used Caron Cotton Cakes, and once washed this yarn turned into the softest and cutest blanket. I highly recommend this one for any baby blanket gifters out there. 

This blanket was such a good start to 2023.  While in 2023 I didn't complete a high volume of projects, I spent a lot of time on a handful of really meaningful or intricate ones.  This year I started using Yarnpond, which is a free site that allows designers to post their patterns for pattern testers.  As someone who likes proofreading, trying new things, and of course free patterns, I had to get in on it. 

The first thing I tested was Boudica Tunic by Marion Muirhead, which was a beautiful mock neck cabled pullover.  Unfortunately I did unravel this one later as I wasn't really happy with how it turned out.

It isn't the fault of the designer or even of myself this time.  I really didn't like how the yarn sat on me and I wound up taking this one back apart and I currently have the yarn in a box listed on Mercari for sale.  The yarn was Knit Picks Brava Worsted, which I normally love, but I think the color threw me off and that it didn't really play nice with the cables.  I actually still have this project listed as completed in Ravelry, rather than frogged, because I didn't want the designer to know I took it apart, as I loved the pattern and didn't mean any offense.  I might try it again with a different yarn, because I do really like the design of the cables and the shape of the top. 

My next test knit was Campus Pullover by LAM Designs, and this one is an example of my gauge getting away from me again, I think.  While the gauge lengthwise was correct, I think my stitches were too tall, and it wound up as a dress again. 

That said, this turned out to be a happy accident, because I really love the way this yarn looks in this pattern and how warm the sweater is, in spite of my mistakes. 

I made some pillow covers as well as Christmas gifts for my mother, but much of 2023 was devoid of any finished objects because we were moving out of state plus enjoying some family time on vacations.  Any time between traveling and packing up our place was spent working on what I would consider the current crown jewel of my knitting work...

St. Brigid by Alice Starmore! 

This one was a request from my mother in law.  She bought the yarn for me and told me to take my time and that she could be patient. Well, thankfully she is indeed very patient; this one took me from March all the way to December, and for a few reasons. 

1) This pattern is older, not super old but it was old enough that some of the techniques were explained in different ways than I was familiar, so I had to get a new understanding of certain aspects of knitting.

2) This pattern is in a physical book, which I had to track down, then scan into a digital file the pattern so that I could follow it on my iPad (which lets me write on it, something I would of course never to do a physical book...)

3) The construction technique of this one is to make it in 5 pieces, block each piece, and then seam them by hand.  This is my least favorite construction technique because sitting on the floor really strains my back and neck, and since we had only just moved when I finished the pieces, I didn't have a table or any platform to seam it on, so I was leaning over it for a few nights in a row on the floor, trying to get it done before my spine decided to give out on me.

For this pattern I used Berroco Vintage DK, in color way Douglas Fir.  I have been wanting to work with this yarn for years now and had just never found the project I wanted to use it for, but when she and I were brainstorming what sweater to make her, she saw this pattern and this yarn and it was an instant "YES!". 

So while 2023 didn't have a ton of finished objects, it definitely had a lot of growth and accomplishments.  I did start several projects towards the end of the year that I am planning to finish sometime in the next month or so of 2024, things that were half finished in 2023 but that got put aside to work on more important work.  I'm hoping to start using this blog more often and I am also planning to start learning how to make my own patterns!  Hopefully things keep up!