FO Friday

I just had a knitting photo shoot in my back yard, but I can only share one of the items with you! Sometime within the few days after Christmas, there will just be a mass post with pictures of all the things I couldn't show you this whole time!

But for now, a hat I finished for Christmas!

Jen's New Sweetie Pie Hat

I made a handful of modifications to this pattern... First, I moved the cable over so it would be centered between the stockinette sections. Which caused slight modifications to the decreasing at the top. Then I also changed the final decreasing rows. It didn't decrease fast enough (in my opinion) and left an odd pointy top... I ended up just tearing it back, decreasing more quickly, and then finishing it off. It looks fine this way! (I'm sorry, but I don't remember specifically what I did... I was just winging it really. I think I ripped out five or six rounds, and decreased the same amount over two rounds.)

There are a few more pictures of it on Ravelry (linked in the first caption) if you're interested! It was a really easy pattern, and these baby cables are absolutely adorable!

And, for those of you who stopped by on Wednesday, my Ardys vest is coming right along! It's about 6.5" long now! Four cable repeats.

You can find more finished projects at Tami's!

-CH

The Beginnings of a Vest

Here is the beginning of my last big Christmas project... I'm following the Ardys pattern in the largest size. I'm using Berroco Vintage. I had to go up two needle sizes to get gauge, so I'm really hoping that I don't run out of yarn! Everyone cross your fingers for me...

I've finished the initial ribbing, which includes two cable repeats. So far, I'm enjoying it, but it's slow-going with 201 stitches per row...

The cables are pretty though! I'm hoping they'll block a little more evenly... And I'm sure they'll get better as I get more of the piece done.

Other than this, and the finishing touches on my other big project, I only have a handful of little things left to make for Christmas! How is your Christmas crafting going?

Linking up with Ginny and Tami.

-CH

WIP Wednesday!

I have some works in progress for you! There are a handful of others that I can't post here (because they're Christmas presents!), but these are a few things floating around on the back burner.

First, I'm working on assembling my cowl for my freshstitches cowl swap through the Ravelry group. One of these (the pink one) is the one I made, and the other five came from all over the country/world! I just need to assemble them into a pretty cowl. The next swap through this group will start in January if you're interested!

Cowl Swap

Next, this is another cowl I'm working on using this pattern. I'm almost through the first skein of yarn already, so I don't think it'll be quite as long as it's supposed to be but that's alright!

The other thing I'm working on is the Mystery Amigurumi CAL with the freshstitches Ravelry group. I'm not even done with the first clue yet though, and the final clue (assembly!) will be released tomorrow. It'll be soo hard not to peek at it! I might give in...

Archer Mystery CAL

The last thing I did today was to make these cupcakes for my Grandpa. He bought the part for AND fixed my car. I'm so grateful!

Also, I'm proud to announce that I am DONE applying to three out of my six graduate schools! And the other three are mostly complete. It feels so good to be getting closer!

Linking up with Ginny and Tami this week. What have you been working on?

-CH

Finished Object Friday... Sort Of

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been sort of non-existent here in the past few weeks. Believe me, I haven't stopped working on my projects! I've been in the middle of some longer term Christmas projects.. As well as finishing a lot of little ones that I'm not able to post here until after Christmas!

As well as my knitting and crocheting Christmas WIPs, I'm also in the middle of applying to graduate schools for next Fall! So between all of that, I've been a bit distracted from my regular blogging... However, I hope to get back on track very soon! Thank you for being patient!

In the meantime, here is one FO that I can share with you. I made this teddy sweater as a gift for one of my cousins for Christmas. Ravelry link in the caption!

Teddy Sweater

Anyone who's been following my blog for a while knows how much I love this pattern! This time I just followed it straight. It will fit most regularly sized animals from Build-A-Bear. Great if you need a last minute gift for the kids in your life!

Check out more FOs at Tami's.

-CH

FO ... Saturday?

I'm running very late this week, but I still wanted to throw up some pictures of what I have finished. Especially since I missed WIP Wednesday (I even had a picture ready! I just lost track of time..).

Anyway, so last week I had a few projects that I wasn't able to show you. But I have pictures of them now, so here they are, really quickly! The Ravelry links are in the captions, as always.

Jack-O-Lantern Dishcloth

Crocheted Hot Pad

Now! Onto this week's finished projects. First, I finished up this monkey from a kit I ordered from freshstitches a month or so ago. He turned out really cute! I whipped up a quick pumpkin hat for him so that he could be part of the Halloween CAL we did with the Ravelry group.

Owen the Monkey

Next, I finished my turkey, which I've shared with you on a few occasions. I love the way he turned out, even though I made a mistake! You can't really tell unless you've made the pattern though, so no harm done. I think he needs a little hat.. Maybe a fedora? Thoughts? He needs something on his head..

Alvin the Turkey

Next up, I finished this hat up this afternoon. I've already worn it and I love it! I wish I had made the ribbing one or two more rounds.. But it is long enough, so I don't want to join the yarn again. I might end up sewing a fleece lining into it. We'll see!

Divine Hat

The last thing I finished up was a cat toy for one of my friends! I saw something similar on Pinterest.. But when the link only took me to the picture, I decided to improvise it. It's not as cute as the original, but I don't think her cat will mind. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!

Fish Bones

I'm linking up (late) to FO Fridays over at Tami's. What did you make this week?

-CH

Playing in the Leaves!

I know I promised you tons of FOs today, but I only have pictures of two of them. It was raining all day here today, so I wasn't able to get pictures of the other two things I wanted to share!

I did, however, get pictures of the toddler hat and mittens I made while we were playing in the leaves yesterday!

Cozy Hat

This is my second time making this pattern! I'm just as happy with it this time. My gauge was actually off this time, and I thought it would be way too big for my friend's son (pictured), but it fits great! And he'll be able to wear it for a while since it is bigger. Doesn't he look like a model in that picture?

Way Basic Toddler Mittens

I made him these mittens to match too. This is the best picture I have of them actually on him--and can you blame him? It was about 77 degrees here yesterday. He was a good sport for a while though.

I'll share the two other things with you next week (or maybe some time over the weekend if I can manage to get some pictures. It's supposed to be rainy for a few days I think.

Linking up with Tami for Finished Object Friday! What did you make this week?

-CH

Some Non-Christmas Projects

It's odd that I only have two things to share with you today, because I've been a busy bee all week long! I've finished four projects (almost five!), so all of those have to wait until Friday. I do have two things to share with you (I'll save the one that's almost finished until Friday as well).

The first is a potholder. I'm using a tutorial that I found on Pinterest (interested in following me on Pinterest? Find me here!). ! I've since located it on Ravelry, so I'll link to that page in the caption. The tutorial for it is really well done. It's making a nice thick pot holder! I can't wait to finish it and try it out.

Favorite Crocheted Hot Pads

The other thing I'm working on is more of something I'm planning to be working on. It's another freshstitches pattern--Alvin the Turkey. I made the two feet in the photo a few weeks ago, and haven't had another chance to work on him. Especially since I was busy pumping out teddy bear sweaters! My goal is to finish him for Thanksgiving!

Alvin the Turkey

That's all I have to share with you for today! But prepare to see oodles of stuff on Friday! I'm linking up with Tami and Ginny this week. What have you made?

-CH

FO Friday!

I have a couple things to share with you today! As promised, I got the teddy bear sweaters for my sister finished. I also finished the scarf that I shared with you as part of work-in-progress Wednesday (and have since started a matching hat!).

I guess we'll go chronologically then! Monday night, I finished the last of seven teddy bear sweaters. I'm definitely ready to take a break from them! But here they are, in all their cuteness! My sister is responsible for the bears to fill them, and they are supposed to be done by this coming Wednesday. These sweaters have already been mailed to her, so hopefully by next Friday, I'll be able to share a picture of all seven bears in their sweaters with you!

Teddy Sweaters

Next is the scarf I made for my boyfriend's dad for Christmas! He'll get a matching hat (using the Turn A Square pattern), and possibly gloves depending on how much yarn and time I have left.

Rib Stitch Scarf

This only took me two days to finish! It's made with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, and knit on size 15 needles. I cast on 28 stitches to start, and worked a 2X2 rib until it was as long as I wanted! (The tan sections are 30 rows each). My Ravelry page is linked in the caption.

That's all I have for you this week! What are you working on? Linking up with Tami of course.

-CH

WIP Wednesday - A Christmas Scarf

I can finally say that I have the teddy bear sweaters FINISHED!! Seven of the same pattern, and I'm ready for a break. I'll be showing them on Friday, but if you want to see them in the meantime, I will be putting them on Ravelry right after I finish this post!

Rather than getting back to the Christmas presents I've already started, I started yet another one! This is a scarf for my boyfriend's dad. I made one for a friend two years ago, and he liked it. So I'm making him a similar one! If I have the yarn leftover, I'll make a matching hat or gloves.

Ribbed Scarf

It will be mostly dark brown, until the tan section at the other end. It's going really quickly on size 15 needles with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together! I should be able to finish it up either this week or next (depending on how distracted by other projects I get), and cross one more thing off of my Christmas list!

I'm still working on reading Wicked. And I'm still loving it!

What are you working on this week? Check out Tami's and Ginny's for more works in progress!

-CH

Four Sweaters Down, Three to Go!

I've mentioned before that I'm currently working on teddy bear sweaters for my sister. Well I have four out of seven done! Here's what I have so far:

I have to make a pink one, a brown one, and another purple one. I'm pretty pleased by the way they're turning out! My deadline (to have them in the mail to her) is one week from today. So I think I'm in pretty good shape!

However, my aunt is mailing her something on Monday, so my goal is to finish them by then so that I can send them with her things.

That's all I have for you this week, since I've been trying to finish up these. What have you been working on? I'm linking up with Tami again!

-CH

Teddy Bear Sweaters and a Concert

So, I'm still working on the teddy bear sweaters for my sister. I'm only on the second one (you'll see the finished first one on Friday!). But I did cut out all the letters for the rest of the sweaters. Please pretend that the 'E' isn't upside down..

Here's what I have so far of the second sweater! It's really close to being done. After this one, five more to go!

Currently, I'm reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I've seen the musical twice (once on Broadway), and I'm finally reading the book! I'm only 25 pages in, but it's already so good!

And just because I'm so excited about it, I have to share what else I've been up to! Last night, I went to a Motion City Soundtrack concert that was nearby with my boyfriend and some friends. I got my picture taken with the lead singer, and he autographed my ticket! I had an absolute blast! I don't know if any of you are fans of Motion City (or have heard of them), but I love them!

I'm linking up with Ginny and Tami as usual. What have you made this week?

-CH

Baby Gifts and a Jump on Christmas!

Well I missed WIP Wednesday this week... It was too late by the time I remembered. It's even too late right now for Friday, but I'm going to make do!

Last week at church, I found out that a girl in our congregation just had a baby girl! I wanted to whip up some quick gifts for her. I also used this opportunity to use up my scraps from the BFF Cowl Swap I'm doing! Here's what I came up with:

Crochet Baby Beanie & Baby Head Band

Best Bunny

I think they turned out really great! I couldn't be happier. Hopefully the new mom will love them too!

Next up is the first of three reindeer that I'm making for my aunt for Christmas. Between my sister, my cousin and I, we're making Santa's whole herd of reindeer! So we're each responsible for three. This one is the first one finished out of all of them! I made a few changes to the pattern, and they're all in my Ravelry notes (which are linked in the caption). However, they're not very organized yet since I have two more to make and I'm just going to put them all together. You can message me if you want specifics about my modifications!

Happy Reindeer

What did you guys make this week? Linking up with Tami's.

-CH

Mooove Over for a Cow!

I've finally finished the cow I've been working on! It was commissioned for a girl that I work with. It's been slow-going, and I'm not really sure why.

Milk Cow

I'm so pleased with the way it turned out! Just like the last time I made this pattern, it come together a lot better than I thought it would. The only difficult thing about this pattern is attaching the head to the body. They are both made separately and then attached, so it's a little hard to know where exactly to attach them. The hardest part though is getting it to stay up rather than hanging down in the front. But look at this face!

I also did finish the first out of seven teddy bear sweaters for my sister. Well it's mostly finished. It still needs a yellow felt "C" on it, Weasley style. But the knitting is done!

Linking up with Finished Object Fridays over at Tami's. What have you finished this week?

-CH

A Cow and a Dishcloth!

I'm soo close to being done with the cow! I have all the pieces made now. Even though I only had three legs done when I took this picture (there was only so much daylight left!), I do have all four done now! I've also decided to leave off the horns because it's cute without them! (Also because my embroidery of the face is a little crooked, and I would have had to redo that... Shhhh)

Milk Cow

I'm loving the way it's turning out! That blue variegated yarn is going to be the scarf. Ravelry link in the caption! If you want to see my FO from the last time I made this pattern, it's here.

The other thing I'm working on is the second September Dishcloth knit-along! It just started today, so if you're interested in joining, the link to the group thread is here!! I'd love to have you join in! My sister is also doing the KAL. Here's what I have so far:

It's not much, but there's something exciting about the beginnings of a knitting project! Especially when it's a mystery knit-along!

I forgot to take pictures of our caterpillar friend today, so hopefully I'll remember to grab some tomorrow before we leave for Pennsylvania! My boyfriend has a med school interview on Friday and I'm going with him. While he's actually in the interview will be the perfect time to work on some little teddy sweaters I think.

Also, it'll be a good time to start reading Othello. Since I planned to start it last week and still haven't....

I'll have my cow finished for you on Friday! Linking up with Tami and Ginny. What are you working on?

-CH

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Hey guys! So, like I said, I only have the one thing to share with you. I thought I might finish the first sweater, but I haven't even worked on it! Oh well. Here's my turtle for you! Ravelry notes are linked in the caption.

Tino the Turtle

 He was a gift for my boyfriend because turtles are his favorite. Here's another shot! (There are more on Ravelry)

The only other thing I made this week were peanut butter cookies for my sister! It's the absolute simplest recipe! Only four ingredients, and no refrigeration required!

Peanut Butter Cookies
-recipe from a church cookbook

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Roll dough into small balls, roll in sugar. Press balls flat with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

That's really all there is to it! And trust me, they're delicious.

What have you been up to this week? Check out Tami's!

-CH

Work in Progress Wednesday!

Hey guys! So I really don't have much to show you today. I've made no progress on my cow since last week.. So I didn't even take a picture of it again. I do have a new finished object to show you on Friday though! So you can look forward to that.

For this week, all I have are these sleeves. This will be another modified teddy bear sweater that I'm working on for my sister! There will be seven in total this time. So far though, it's just the sleeves.

Here's something I wanted to show you last week. When I was taking my photos for last week's WIP Wednesday, I noticed this little guy making cocoon on our front steps! I forgot to add the picture to last week's post though. I figured I could try to do a weekly update throughout the winter! Here are last week's picture and this week's. I can't believe the change in just one week!!

One last picture to tide you over until Friday. Tonight's sunset! It was prettier in person, but this is a decent picture I think.

I'm still reading Russel Brand's book, but I honestly haven't touched it in about two and a half weeks. I'm thinking about starting Othello since my sister is reading it for her Shakespeare class, so we could compare notes!

Anyway, check out Tami's and Ginny's for more things going on this week!

FO Friday

I have a handful of things to share today! Two of which, you saw on Wednesday as works in progress. I had Wednesday and Thursday off of work this week, which worked out very well with my "get things done" attitude. Now if only I had worked on getting existing projects done, instead of starting new ones and finishing those...

First up, I finished the Blue Bird from Stacey's Craftsy course, Amigurumi: Woodland Animals. I just love him! Ravelry notes are linked in the caption.

Blue Bird

You didn't see this next one on Wednesday, because I just started him yesterday! And finished him up about an hour ago. I had to take photos inside because it's raining, but I'm still pretty happy with him! He's the bear from the same Craftsy course as the Blue Bird. The colors are some I had in my stash (actually, all of the yarn in today's post was stash yarn. I just happen to have a ton of the navy - 1500 yards or so).

Teddy Bear

Finally, I finished up the mystery dishcloth knit-along that I started on Monday this week. If you didn't see it on Wednesday, my sister and I participate in a Ravelry group that does two mystery dishcloth KALs every month. This was the picture cloth. It's called "Yoga- Bow Pose."

Yoga Bow Pose

I'm linking up with Tami for FO Friday! I'd love to see what you've finished this week!

-CH

WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along!

Well it's Wednesday again! I have a ton of things to show you! Well, I guess only four. But that's more than usual!

First up, a knit-along dishcloth! My sister and I are part of a Dishcloth KAL group on Ravelry. They typically do two mystery knit-alongs every month. We're currently in the middle of the first one. Here's what I have so far. Any guesses on what the picture will be?

Next up, the cow I showed you last week! I got the head done for this week as well. The head still needs two ears and two horns. Ravelry notes are linked in the caption!

Milk Cow

Next is a project I haven't yet shared with you. These pieces belong to an Eeyore I'm making for my boyfriend's mom for Christmas! All I have so far are the ears and the bow (for the tail!), but I do hope to get more work done on him soon. The pattern is available on Etsy here.

Eeyore

Finally, of course I have a hook in another freshstitches project! This one is the Blue Bird from Stacey's Craftsy course Amigurumi Woodland Animals. I'll probably finish this one up tonight. I'm not sure if I'll do the bear from the course next, or if I'll jump to one of her other patterns first.

Blue Bird

I am still working on reading Russel Brand's My Booky Wook. I'm having trouble being inspired to read it! I'm considering starting The Fault in Our Stars now and just reading two books at once...

Check out more WIPs at Tami's and Ginny's!

-CH