Cloud Cardigan

I fell in love with this bolero before I even knew how to knit lace.

It seemed perfect for the Patons SWS that Teddy Bear rejected. Two balls would have been enough for a bolero, but I wanted a cardigan so I'm working on about my 5th ball.


The sleeves are challenging me since the would have been bound off by now if I'd stuck with the pattern.

I'm going to have at it again today, because aside from that, the pattern is great.

Flower Scarf

I want to make my own coat. I found a pattern that's supposed to be really easy, except I can't find a fabric I like.

I want a brown and light blue plaid. I think this is why I don't sew much. All that work and I want some fabrics that I want. I can't even find a border print for the dress I wanted to do. We just don't seem to have a big selection in stores in my area.

Anyway. I envision wearing a flower scarf with matching gloves with my coat whenever I get it done. Before fall ends I hope.

Here's what I have so far.


Everything was copesthetic when I first sat down to make this scarf. For a hot second I thought that I might make these as Christmas gifts because it takes so little yarn and time. Then I got to the flower.

Impossible to do on DPNs I say! I had to go to circulars for sure and since I don't have size 5's I had to use my size 4 Addi Turbos. Do you see the nasty kinks this flower put in the cord? Uh! And all the little finishing details after that are irking me for some reason. And because I had to go down a whole needle size, my flower shrunk.

Warning!: Do not start that flower while experiencing PMS. I still have to crochet around the edge of the flower and will be using those long tails you see to do that. The pattern keeps saying to cut these 36" tails. Wayyyyyy too long in most cases and the length of the tails just added to my frustration. I could have just used one ball (110 yds) if it wasn't for those too long tails.

Otherwise, the project still went quickly because it was so small. It was actually a diversion from my Cloud Cardi whose modified sleeves are challenging me.

Pattern: Flower Scarf
Yarn: Queensland Bebe Cotsoy 50% Cotton 50% Soy, Very soft!
Colorway: Light Blue
Needle Sizes: 5 US, 4 for the dumb flower
Yardage: 115?
Time to make: 4-8 hours.

Chemo Hat

I made Teddy Bear a hat that covers her ears. She rejected it.

Color was great, but the yarn too scratchy. It was Paton's SWS in Real Rasin. Hah! You thought I didn't know the color, didn't you?

Well, I really fell in love with the look of the yarn. Even though it's not the softest in the world (it's really not that bad) and its splits if you're not careful, I thought that it would be perfect for my Cloud Cardigan.

So I gave up on her and bought a fleece hat from Old Navy for just $1. She loved it. Then I ran across this ear flap hat on Ravelry and decided to give it a try with my scrap. Great idea.

Pattern: Chemo Ear Flap Hat
Yarn: Lorna's Lace Shepard Sock Multi & Lion Brand Cotton Ease for the trim.
Coloryways: I don't knoooooow. =P
Amount used: About 95% of one skein sock yarn held double. Scrap amount of Cotton Ease.
Needle Size: US 6
Hook Size for trim and flower tassels: F
Time to make: about 4-6 hours

Only thing I didn't like was the gap in the back. I don't know how to fix this. This hat can be easily converted to crochet. Any experienced crocheter can read this pattern over and will know exactly what to do. I can help you with that if you like.

Still Spinning

It was only my second class. So this means only the 3rd and 4th hours of instruction. And by the end I had...

THIS!

I wonder if I can make as much during my last class. She'll be bringing alpaca and her drum carder. Grrrrrr. I wanted to make enough to possibly make another Hemlock Ring Blanket, but the carding will be so hard to resist.

First Yarn

Well, I've been wanting to learn how to do this for years now.

As usual, I tried to teach myself. I used a bottom whorl drop spindle.

It didn't work out.

I got all kinds of frustrated and discouraged. All I was left with was NOT any yarn, but hurt feelings and disappointment. I don't know why I get so emotional with this yarn. Sometimes I think I must be sick in the head.

Well, I finally found a class near me. With a store I like. For a reasonable price.

For $79 I get 7 hours of instruction, all the roving I can use, use of a wheel ( there were 4 different types, with the possibility of checking the wheels out with a credit card number), personal instruction, and Teddy Bear was well received although she was up in every new spinner's business.

This was invaluable. I mean, the instructor couldn't hold my hands, cause I needed to use them. But, she was sitting right in front of me guiding me with her words and suddenly I experienced an epiphany and began to spin some yarn fairly uniform in size without breaking the strand or hanging up the wheel with my tangles and mistakes.

Believe me, I've had quite a stressful week that left me with feelings of devastation. Well, while making my yarn, I didn't think at all about my stresses. Nor was I ever even hungry. Hmmmmmm.

You see this right here?! What's that in that picture, bloggers. Huhhhhh??? Yayee, yaay-eeeeeee!!!!! You KNOW!


That there is 100 grams of a combo of thread, lace, fingering, DK, aran, and chunky weight yarns all in one center pull ball. Isn't it beautiful?

Next week I will be making another one and spinning it into two ply with this one.

Oh yes, my February Lady Sweater is completed, but I haven't found buttons I like yet, or accessories to go with it. I'm trying to step my posting game up, so I want to do it right this time.