I still haven't taken all the photos I've been meaning to, but I snapped a few the other day.
First up, that's my Thick & Quick Ribbed Cowl.
It took pretty much a whole skein of Loops & Threads Charisma and was a super-simple pattern, so long as you know how to purl and knit in the round. Bulky yarn yields fast results, and even though my project notes make it seem like this took a while, the actual knitting time wasn't much. It was a fun, mindless knitting project-- just what I needed.
I did deviate from the pattern in a few ways:
First, I switched down to a smaller size of needles, because using the suggested needles was making a fabric that felt too loose for something that's supposed to be warm.
Second, because I wanted to be sure I had enough yarn, I changed the sections of "knit only" from six rounds down to five.
Third, when I came to the pattern's end and still had quite a bit of yarn left, I decided to add another five rounds each of the "knit only" and the ribbing.
This is my "Not Quite a One Day Beret":
I made this back in November, but just haven't gotten around to photographing it. And I still haven't, really, because this isn't a good photo at all. Hats really need to be modeled, but I wasn't in the mood. (Ugh. I don't love taking self-portraits.)
Anyway, I've been wearing this hat a bit, now and then, but now that I pulled it out of its drawer after a longer time away from it, I'm not sure I love the mottling of the variegated yarn. If you recall, this is yarn I dyed myself, and I do love the colors. I'm just not sure about the splotchiness... Eh, it's ok, but I'm kind of thinking about unraveling it (if I can manage it) and re-knitting it in the same pattern, but in stripes with another variegated yarn. If I do, I'll probably either dye or overdye some yarn to go with it. I'll be sure to mention it here, if I go the re-knitting route.
I've been working more on the current, on-going afghan project, but I felt the need for a break, so I've been crocheting a few motifs in size 10 thread. (And here's a little peek at one of the books I'll be reviewing, sooner or later...)
A book of motifs, some remnants of crochet thread, a pretty crochet hook-- the perfect recipe for a little relaxation!
I think I'm going to use them to decorate a basket or two in the craft room. I'm crocheting a few more motifs before I figure out how to arrange them, though. (The crocheting's the fun part. Weaving in the ends is the not-fun part. I can weave in yarn without too much grumbling, but thread ends get on my nerves.)
Photos to follow! (Eventually.)
I was in Hobby Lobby this afternoon for the first time in quite a while. I noticed that they have a new store brand of 100% acrylic yarn-- Yarn Bee Soft Secret. It's clearly their version of Caron Simply Soft. It's even stocked in amongst the Simply Soft (in my local store, at least), but it would've been obvious even if they'd been on opposite ends of the aisle. The luster is unmistakable-- and the name ("Simply Soft" / "Soft Secret")... Yeah, they weren't even trying to be sneaky about it. (g)
I didn't look very long, but my first impression was that it came in some pretty colors-- and I'm a sucker for that silky sheen. It looked similar in size to Simply Soft, which while it's marked worsted is famously on the thin side. It would probably mix and match very well with Simply Soft. Unfortunately, it seemed expensive to me-- though I'll be the first to admit that I am extremelycheap price-conscious about yarn (and most other things, too).
I wish Hobby Lobby would have better sales on their yarn-- something akin to the sales at Michaels. I do love "I Love This Yarn", but (apart from that one time I caught some of it inexplicably on clearance) they never offer it at prices comparable to the best sale prices at Michaels. You can use the 40%-off coupon, of course, but buying one skein at a time just isn't ideal-- especially if you don't get into the store very often. Oh well. Life goes on! ;o)
(Oh, and if you're a fan of silky acrylics, another Big Box Store option is Red Heart Soft Yarn. It costs more than Simply Soft and isn't quite the same weight, I think, but it has a similar shine and softness.)
First up, that's my Thick & Quick Ribbed Cowl.
It took pretty much a whole skein of Loops & Threads Charisma and was a super-simple pattern, so long as you know how to purl and knit in the round. Bulky yarn yields fast results, and even though my project notes make it seem like this took a while, the actual knitting time wasn't much. It was a fun, mindless knitting project-- just what I needed.
I did deviate from the pattern in a few ways:
First, I switched down to a smaller size of needles, because using the suggested needles was making a fabric that felt too loose for something that's supposed to be warm.
Second, because I wanted to be sure I had enough yarn, I changed the sections of "knit only" from six rounds down to five.
Third, when I came to the pattern's end and still had quite a bit of yarn left, I decided to add another five rounds each of the "knit only" and the ribbing.
- - - - - - -
This is my "Not Quite a One Day Beret":
I made this back in November, but just haven't gotten around to photographing it. And I still haven't, really, because this isn't a good photo at all. Hats really need to be modeled, but I wasn't in the mood. (Ugh. I don't love taking self-portraits.)
Anyway, I've been wearing this hat a bit, now and then, but now that I pulled it out of its drawer after a longer time away from it, I'm not sure I love the mottling of the variegated yarn. If you recall, this is yarn I dyed myself, and I do love the colors. I'm just not sure about the splotchiness... Eh, it's ok, but I'm kind of thinking about unraveling it (if I can manage it) and re-knitting it in the same pattern, but in stripes with another variegated yarn. If I do, I'll probably either dye or overdye some yarn to go with it. I'll be sure to mention it here, if I go the re-knitting route.
- - - - - - -
I've been working more on the current, on-going afghan project, but I felt the need for a break, so I've been crocheting a few motifs in size 10 thread. (And here's a little peek at one of the books I'll be reviewing, sooner or later...)
A book of motifs, some remnants of crochet thread, a pretty crochet hook-- the perfect recipe for a little relaxation!
I think I'm going to use them to decorate a basket or two in the craft room. I'm crocheting a few more motifs before I figure out how to arrange them, though. (The crocheting's the fun part. Weaving in the ends is the not-fun part. I can weave in yarn without too much grumbling, but thread ends get on my nerves.)
Photos to follow! (Eventually.)
- - - - - - -
I was in Hobby Lobby this afternoon for the first time in quite a while. I noticed that they have a new store brand of 100% acrylic yarn-- Yarn Bee Soft Secret. It's clearly their version of Caron Simply Soft. It's even stocked in amongst the Simply Soft (in my local store, at least), but it would've been obvious even if they'd been on opposite ends of the aisle. The luster is unmistakable-- and the name ("Simply Soft" / "Soft Secret")... Yeah, they weren't even trying to be sneaky about it. (g)
I didn't look very long, but my first impression was that it came in some pretty colors-- and I'm a sucker for that silky sheen. It looked similar in size to Simply Soft, which while it's marked worsted is famously on the thin side. It would probably mix and match very well with Simply Soft. Unfortunately, it seemed expensive to me-- though I'll be the first to admit that I am extremely
I wish Hobby Lobby would have better sales on their yarn-- something akin to the sales at Michaels. I do love "I Love This Yarn", but (apart from that one time I caught some of it inexplicably on clearance) they never offer it at prices comparable to the best sale prices at Michaels. You can use the 40%-off coupon, of course, but buying one skein at a time just isn't ideal-- especially if you don't get into the store very often. Oh well. Life goes on! ;o)
(Oh, and if you're a fan of silky acrylics, another Big Box Store option is Red Heart Soft Yarn. It costs more than Simply Soft and isn't quite the same weight, I think, but it has a similar shine and softness.)