Day Seven: Looking Forward

Today's topic was a bit of a challenge to write about. I am essentially a lazy crafter who likes to set lofty goals but have no expectations of meeting them. Knit exclusively from the stash, learn something new with every new project, design a sweater pattern or two, crochet one project a month. Yup, all of these were past crafty resolutions that fell by the wayside. But that never stops me from looking forward to looking ahead. At the beginning of this year, I resolved to fill the blank slate of days with fun projects. So far, I am happy to report that this resolution is being met :)

I also recently bought a whole bunch of Lopi yarn and The Top Down Icelandic Sweater class on Craftsy. Looking forward to learning more about this iconic sweater style and yikes! steeks!

Also looking forward to exploring some unusual knitting concepts with the help of these two books.

It's past time to jumpstart my inner Monkey!


(To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY7 into your search engine of choice. Thanks once again to Eskimimi for all her efforts in organizing this annual event. I have so thoroughly enjoyed reading about knitting & crochet from the many different perspectives out there)

Day Six: A Tool to Covet

What my treasured sets of Addi Click knitting needles mean to me:

♡ The ability to cast-on an almost limitless number of projects without having to

    -- endlessly search for the correct needles called for in a particular project
    -- cope with delayed gratification when said needles cannot be found

    -- clean up the resulting mess made from the fruitless frantic searching of said needles

♡ Being able to try on a top-down sweater without having to
    -- transfer a gazillion number of stitches to scrap yarn

    -- come up with excuses for not trying on the sweater

♡ Not having to deal with The Black Hole

   -- otherwise known as my needle storage bag

I have tried many sets of interchangeable needles in the past (knitpicks & hiyahiya among them) and the Addi Clicks are by far my favorites. Well worth the hefty price tag for their convenience and quality.


(To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY6 into your search engine of choice)

Day Five: Something a Bit Different

beaded butterfly? dragonfly? hexipuff

The ability to embellish any swatch of stockinette that dares cross your path is a necessary skill for any aspiring Peacock. Here is a video of a quick hexipuff transformation which illustrates how easy this is.

(Song: Butterflies by Minipop. To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY5 into your search engine of choice)

Day Four: Color Review

Today's topic deals with a subject that is close to my heart: Color! When asked what is your favorite color? I would probably immediately answer with autumn hues like orange, brown and burgundy.

But when shopping for yarn, it is the blues, greens and pinks that usually capture my attention and wallet. I tend to favor knitting with bright color combinations in the spring/summer months and more muted ones in the colder months. Confused you yet? In looking at the previous year's projects, you can see that I am all over the spectrum when it comes to my color choices. One dominating theme, however, is combining a bright color with a neutral one.

I also love it when unexpected colors are used together, such as the acid yellow with purple in this sweater.

My inner peacock loves Noro! And Noro wanna-be's!

(To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY4 into your search engine of choice)

Day Three: Infographic - Lost in Translation

I thought that it would be fun to see how my ravelry favorited patterns correlated with the actual projects that I finished. To my surprise, at the top of my FO list were hats! Of which I own zero. Hmmm...very interesting. Also of surprise were the higher than expected number of FO's listed under toys, home decor and ornaments. I have always thought of myself as a sweater knitter, but it seems that I am gravitating more to smaller projects. This is most likely due to a lack of time and a shorter attention span. Although from the high number of cardigans & pullovers that are in my rav faves, I still mainly dream about sweaters. And you? Do your rav faves match up to what you actually knit/crochet?

 

(Knitting paper can be found here. To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY3 into your search engine of choice)

Day Two: A Mascot Project for the House of Peacock

My mascot project is an idea that I have been thinking about for some time. First, I would knit a blank canvas in the form of a simple, classic raglan sweater. It would be in a neutral, un-peacock-like color such as a heather brown or tan or grey. Then I would whip out the yarn needle in order to add all sorts of embellishments using embroidery and crewelwork to the front of the sweater. I would love to do something nature-inspired like in these lovely fingerless mitts. As an added nod to the House of Peacock, this sweater pattern would make a wonderful use of some colorful wooden buttons in my stash.



(To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY2 into your search engine of choice) 

Day One: The House Cup

Welcome to the first day of Knitting & Crochet Blog Week! I am so excited to be joining in on the fun for the third year in a row. To kickoff the week, we were asked to describe our crafting style by choosing from among four Houses.

 

I bet it isn't hard to guess which House I picked :) Yes, I am most certainly proud to be a Peacock! Colorful yarn, pretty embellishments and cute buttons are my passion and joy. Even when I try to exercise restraint and knit a classic grey something or other, my natural peacock tendencies always win in the end.

 

I am happiest when knitting with colors that stand out from the crowd.

And buttons! Don't get me started on those!

(To search for more blogs participating in today's topic, please type 4KCBWDAY1 into your search engine of choice)

Yarn Fumes

One of the best things about being a knitter in Maryland is having the opportunity to attend Maryland Sheep & Wool which is held annually on the first full weekend of May. This year's festival proved to be as fun and amazing as ever. It was especially wonderful to talk to and watch experienced spinners since I am trying to learn how to spin on a drop spindle. They were so patient while answering my beginner's questions as to the best fibers to start out with, drafting techniques and so forth. But all their wonderful fiber advice flew out the window the moment I stepped into the Loop booth. Fiber candy everywhere...it was impossible to resist!

bullseye bump in arctic spruce (merino/corriedale/nylon/angelina)

Another hard to resist purchase was at the popular Tess' Designer Yarns booth, where I walked away with 660 yards of cotton candy yarn.

I have several fun projects planned for this yarn, one of which is the Color Affection Shawl. Yes, I have caught the affliction/infection!

combined with neon rose and gossamer by Madelinetosh

And then there was the impulsive no plans but it must come home with me now buy of the day:

The yarn fumes and fried twinkies made me do it.



(Go to WIP Wednesday and join in the fun! I also want to say a huge thank you and shout of excitement for being one of the ten finalists in the 'Something A Bit Different' Creative Blogging Award. There are quite a few WIP Wednesday regulars on this list and I am thrilled to be among their company. Please check out the many creative posts for that day by typing 3KCBWDAY5 in your search engine.)

Crafting Balance - 3KCBWDAY7

Participating in blog week has been such a blast! A huge thank you to eskimimi for her hard work in organizing this event. Also, hugs to all of you for your creativity, inspiring words and kindness. You make me want to push my crafting and blogging further. In fact, it was mainly because of all the cool crochet projects that I have encountered on so many of your blogs (in particular here, here and here) that made me want to get serious about learning how to crochet. And boy, has it been a fun journey!

Quiet Love

Now the biggest challenge is to find a good balance between my ever growing knitting projects and my new crochet love. The current strategy is to have one crochet project always on the hook so that my skills do not get rusty. So far this has worked out well since the crochet projects that I am drawn to right now are very simple, spontaneously colorful ones.

Blooming Flower cushion

I would say that these make perfect counterpoints to my more involved knitting projects. Although I am finding it harder and harder to resist starting more crochet projects. A larger WIP basket might be necessary soon!

Improving Your Skillset - 3KCBWDAY6

Today's topic ties in with one of my New Year's crafting resolutions which is to challenge myself to learn "something new". So far this year, I have intentionally picked projects that allowed me to challenge myself a little bit more. The following is a short list of some techniques that I would like to improve upon or learn this year.

Colorwork: stranded, brioche, mosaic

Cables

Lace

Unique sweater constructions: sideways, SusieM's contiguous method

News ways to embellish my hexipuffs

(Muckle Cowl,  Aidez Cardigan, Baby Chalice Blanket, Spoked Cardigan, Beekeeper's Quilt)

Henry's Dream - 3KCBWDAY5

Have you ever wondered what our abandoned projects think about while they wait for us to notice them again?

Henri the Knitted Bear: pattern by Rachel Borello Carroll Cityscape artwork: by my niece
Song: One April Day by Stephin Merritt

A Knitter for All Seasons - 3KCBWDAY4

Today's topic was an interesting one because it made me reflect on how very much the seasons influence my creativity. The types of fiber, colors and patterns that I use are all clearly linked to the calender, as shown by the following examples:

Winter

Winter knits consist mainly of cozy items like cowls, mittens and sweaters. My fibers of choice for winter are wool, wool blends and alpaca. Cool colors like grays and blues can be found on the needles.

Spring

For me, Springtime is a pause between Winter and Summer. So for this transitional period, warm accessories with a hint of green are a good choice, as well as lighter weight sweaters.

Summer

Summer is one of my favorite times to knit. I love to experiment with different fibers like hemp, bamboo, linen, corn and cotton. This is also the season when I have the most fun with colors. Projects range from small accessories to shawls and sweaters.

Autumn

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year. Colors that reflect the beauty of the season, like red, orange, brown and gold are my obvious choices for shawls and sweaters. And black for Halloween!

Even my hexipuffs are seasonal!

Now I have a confession. At this point, you might be saying to yourself, "Wow, this girl is so organized!" Umm, not quite. While most of these knits were started in the "right" season, many of them were buried unfinished in the knitting basket when the next season came along. So my summer knits often were not finished until the depths of winter. It totally does not make any rational sense, but that's how I roll.

My Designer Hero - 3KCBWDAY3

Classic yet Modern. Flattering. Comfortable. Versatile. I came up with this list of criteria for sweaters after knitting one too many disappointments. My knitting self-esteem was at an all time low and I despaired of ever making a sweater that did not scream "potato sack"! Then one day I discovered the fabulously wearable designs of Heidi Kirrmaier. Three and a half sweaters later, I am still amazed by her talent. Not only are Heidi's patterns fun and interesting to knit, they are also clearly written and easy to follow. Her designs are not flashy or trendy, but quiet and filled with simple, lovely details. Wearing one of her sweaters makes me feel like a million dollars. What more can a knitting gal ask for?

Buttercup

Grapevine

Vitamin D

Nanook