My First Ugly Sweater (okay, so technically it is a shell)

I have taken the next step in knitting; making a full size garment. NO longer will I be limited to hats and scarves, now I have the freedom and the experience to move unto more challenging projects.

For my first garment I decided to make this shell from Hot Knits. I am told that sweaters have buttons down the front so I guess this is a shell. I choose a nice bamboo /microfiber blend yarn that was on sale at Joanns. I bought 8 balls just in case I ran out of yarn but I think I will have 1-2 skeins leftover at the rate it is knitting up. It's fairly warm but not overly so. I was looking for something to wear over a regular shirt and this will do nicely as part of an ensemble for spring.

So far I have finished with the back piece and I am about 2/3rd's of the way through the front piece. I have made so many mistakes it's almost laughable but I thought that it was more important to finish the thing than to get every stitch perfect so I decided to power through until the end. It looks fine from a distance but up close some things don't quite match up if you're used to looking at knit pieces. I guess that's a secret we'll keep between us knitters, shhh!

More things are coming on the horizon. I have started making my own patterns and will be testing them out in the up coming months. In other big news, I am starting my own knitting shop! I have all the business paperwork finished with and am currently in the process of finding yarn and needles retailers! 

Homemade wash cloths

These little cotton washcloths are amazing! They are made from all organic cotton and feel so soft and lather so well. They are also a very quick knit which I really appreciate! They only take an hour to an hour and a half and only use half a skein of yarn!

I found a pattern on instructables for something similar but I really didn't like it. It was confusing; for example the number of cast on stitches really didn't correspond to the actual pattern. I tweaked it a bit and switched to a smaller size needle to make these little guys.  Hope that you enjoy them!

Doctor Who mania

Recently I discovered the new Doctor Who on netflix and I have been hooked ever since! I especially liked Chris Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor. He just REALLY captured the essence of the role; a timelessness and an excitement for adventure. I'm watching season four right now. They don't have season 4 on netflix yet, but I bought it on itunes. It's a shame but I just couldn't wait. Actually I still have to wait because they have only released up to Silence in the Library.

I finally finished my scarf!

I have finally after what seemed like months finished my remainder scarf! I love Malabrigo merino wool and I have been saving up some yarns from other projects just to make this scarf. It took almost a month to get it to the right length but I am very happy about it! Kya!!! I love the colors. The only thing is that I wish that I had a little more pink to balance it out. I only had the tiniest bit and it is on one side of the scarf. It's funny because I don't really like pink as a color but it helps with the vibrancy of the other colors. I know, no pictures! I will take some and add them later.

I have actually been working hard on a lot of projects. I have just made a set of handtowels and I have finally started on my first sweater! Although, my mom says it is technically a shell because sweaters have buttons. Who knew? I will post those soon!

Instructables is Awesome!

Is anyone else addicted to Instructables? I LOVE IT!!!! I think that my first project will have to be the 5 minute Mug Brownie.

Sorry guys...

I have been really sick over the past few days. I'm starting to get better now but I still have really low energy. I'll be updating again soon! I promise.

While I was gone I made several knitted projects along with my very own homemade marshmallows! I took pictures for you to see but for some reason I can't find the cable for my camera. I remember seeing it a few days ago but I was way too tired to write anything then. I know! Lazy-lazy. Ahh here it is! Pictures will be uploaded in a few minutes.

Peek-a-boo!

This is a homemade tea cozy! They're not quite as popular here in America as they are in England, but the basic concept is that they are "sweaters" to keep your tea nice and warm! It can also double up as a beanie in an emergency, lol.

Whenever I think of a tea cozy I think they are haunted because of the short story the Haunted Tea Cozy by Edward Gory, lol.

I had the opportunity to drop by the local Japanese bookstore and treated myself to some beautiful origami paper. I really only remember how to make paper cranes and boxes. I was thinking about expanding my origami knowledge at some point. 
Now this little bracelet came out perfectly. Did you know that these knitted bangles are selling for as much as $180? They are so simple to make too! I found a guide online to make them but I ended up just winging it and it turned out fine. I really didn't like the stitch that the other pattern called for so I substituted with some cables and knit it in the round on some double pointed needles. I was using the remaining yarn from the fingerless gloves that I made a few weeks ago and did not have all that much yarn to work with. In the end I had to stretch to make it fit but the overall effect is quite nice.
Ahh... homemade marshmallows. I was inspired to make these after I tried the marshmallows the neighbor of my best friend from high school made. They are soft and oh so melt in your mouth! Now I had no idea that you could make your own marshmallows. For me, marshmallows were this bizarre confection that surely must be made with specialized equipment but that is so not true! All you really need is a hand mixer, a saucepan, and a couple of bowls and you are on your way to making your own delicious marshmallows!

New Years Resolutions

1. Blog everyday

2. Make a sweater

3. Exercise more

4. Cut back on junk food

5. Remember to take vitamins everyday