Charity Quilting

A couple more fun quilts pieced by Mary. This kitty quilt is wonderful!

Sometimes I see members of quilting groups on Facebook ask where they should donate their quilts. There are so many charities that would love to have them. As you know, I work with Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 46

Peacock Petals Crochet

Last week I shared the slow progress on the Peacock Petals Shawl. 

I continue to work on it a little each afternoon. I love watching the slow color shift and the lacy stitches forming. This is at row 40. A little over half way. Right now the edge is a little ruffly, but I'm sure blocking will settle it out. This is a project where blocking will play a vital role in getting the lacy to really sing.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Yarn Leftovers

I had this mishmash of leftover yarn and wanted to make it into one ball of yarn for a project. I put it in order from the smallest ball to the largest or what made sense from a color perspective.

I used this video about how to make a Russian join. Such a simple and effective way to join together two pieces of yarn.

It is pretty invisible when done, too.

Then I wound it up into a single cake that weighs in at 240 grams. This is bound to be a fun shawl. I just have to pick the right pattern.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Stanwood Needlecraft large ball winder
Knit Picks yarn swift

Charity Quilting

Last weekend I dropped I off some kid quilts at Annapolis Quilts for Kids and grabbed more quilts to get quilting. Even simple quilts can have a big impact. 

The simple meander is a great way to get back into the swing of quilting. 

You can support Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quilt posts on purpose. 

Here is the EpochConverter for 2019.

2019 Charity Quilt Count: 44

Peacock Petals Crochet

I picked up this yarn on a whim at the local A.C. Moore. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I wanted to give it a try. 

I found the Peacock Petals Shawl and thought it was a good match. This is a free pattern that packs a punch. The first few rows are nothing fancy. They are lacy, though. Using this fine cotton yarn is going to make this a light and breezy shawl. 

I made it through the fist section without too much trouble. I think I'm better at reading charts than I am at reading written out directions. That may be more about me than it is about the pattern designer. The good news is that both written directions and a downloadable chart are included.

Once I hit the second color change it was time for some interesting stitching. This isn't going to be a quick project, but I'm sure it will be stunning when done. This is one of those projects that blocking will really make the difference. I'm loving the changes in color and the developing motifs.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Machine Embroidery Snap Tabs

This weekend I had a terrible time managing to crank out a sock. Those of you who are here for all the other crazy projects I guess this is good news. For me, it was cranking five socks to have one suitable sock. I did manage to kitchener some of the toes on socks from last week, so I was productive. 

I decided to take a break from socks to stitch up a snap tab for a friend. 

The design is from String Theory Fabric Art. They have so many amazing and geeky designs.

I know a Star Wars person, or two, and this is the perfect small gift. If you are a machine embroiderer and want to check out String Theory, the Facebook page is a great place to start.

I also stitched this sweet design because I am what some people call a Browncoat. So many great projects and so little time.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Magna-Glide bobbins (absolutely the best for my embroidery machine)
KAM snaps
Pellon Stitch-N-Tear
3/4 Inch Swivel Trigger Snap Hooks

Cranked Socks

This week I spent some time cranking socks.

On Monday, I cranked these wild socks with some yarn I picked up during the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May. It's so much fun seeing how different yarns knit up. I paired it with some highlighter yellow for the toes.

On Tuesday I put together this cart for told hold my yarn.

I'll fill all those levels with yarn shortly.

I even worked on my next pair of hybrid socks.

Wednesday I cranked these socks using Knit Picks Felici in the colorway called Time Traveler.

2019 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 11 pair (no odd socks)
• Hybrid socks: 1 pair - partially cranked and partially hand-knit) and pair #2 picked up and heels started, almost to picking up the toes
• Hand knit socks: 1 pair

Crochet Madness

I had to make another Cakes Two to Tango shawl. This time with this monochromatic cake and one with a little more oomph.

Getting started it had contrast, but not much punch. 

The shift from color to color was fun, though. 

The resulting fabric for this one is just so scrumptious. 

Then, when I got to the end, the colors really started popping. 

When I make something like this I always wonder how it would have come out if the colors had shifted the other way. 

Overall, a great finished project.

Find the pattern on Ravelry: Cakes Two to Tango. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Lion Brand Mandala is available on Amazon, though you might be able to find it cheaper locally.

Cranked Socks

I promise, the blog will not become all socks, all the time. Even if it feels like it right now. Sitting down to learn a new skill takes time and dedication. You won't get good at something doing 15 minutes of it once a month. You have to practice consistently to get good at something. Crafting is like that, too. I've focused a great deal on the machine sock knitting, and I think I've learned the basics well enough to somewhat reliably get a sock when I try to make one. Not all the time, but most time. I haven't even read the directions for the ribber, so there is still so much left to learn.

These are my current hybrid socks. Hand knitting is a process and not a fast one. I do enjoy hand knitting, though.

I learned a little more about yarn differences and tension this past week. Both of these socks are knit with the same number of stitches; both in length and circumference. What changed between the two socks was the yarn (the white is a thicker yarn, though still a sock weight) and the stitch tension. This was a great way for me to work with adjusting tension to get the fabric I wanted.

I then shifted back to tension appropriate for Knit Picks Stroll and finished the odd socks to match up with last week's odd socks. 

I'm still working through Kitchenering (sp?) the toes closed on pairs I knit a couple weeks ago. It isn't a difficult process, but I do need quiet and to pay attention to what I'm doing. 

I finished this pair on Sunday.

2019 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 9 pair (no more odd socks)
• Hybrid socks: 1 pair (partially cranked and partially hand-knit) and pair #2 picked up and heels started. 
• Hand knit socks: 1 pair

Cranked Socks

All aboard the sock train!

When I'm trying to accomplish something I roll from one sock right into the next. This is what I call a sock train. Knit a sock, add some waste yarn, knit another socks, add some more waste yarn, repeat. This way I really only have to set up to knit once. From there I can just keep adding to the train. This was my Saturday afternoon sock train. It looks like four socks, but there were only two good ones in there. The other two were wound back up and are ready to be knit again.

If you've ever dropped a stitch while knitting, you might be familiar with picking up dropped stitches. I didn't pick these up. I knit on until I could add some waste yarn, and started another sock. Because I'm not stopping to fix something that is faster to rip and re-knit. I'll just move on and return to this sock later.

The Sunday sock train was six socks long. Two were bad and four were good. This is where a couple from Saturday got knit back up.

Last year I dyed some yarn using a couple egg coloring kits.

I had it caked up and it seemed perfect for making some socks. The leg and foot of the socks are somewhat ho-hum, but the short-row heels are great!

On Sunday afternoon I had two finished pairs and one odd purple sock, and one odd egg color sock.  So many socks to knit! On the top is my favorite set-up bonnet.

2019 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 6 pair (+2 odd socks)
• Hybrid socks: 1 pair (partially cranked and partially hand-knit) and pair #2 picked up and started. 
• Hand knit socks: 1 pair

Cranked Socks

I knit this pair last week. One on Tuesday, and the other one Wednesday. So many socks waiting to be finished.

I managed to finish sewing up the toes on a couple pairs from last week. This pair with the contrast heels and toes came out great!

Then, I tried to knit some socks and it just kept not working. I don't know if it was the yarn, or the tension, or what. But I used all three set-up bonnets and made a big mess. 

In the end, not one single socks. All of it ripped and wound up for another go. Some days go better than others. At least ripping back is quick and somewhat painless. 

2019 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 4 pair
• Hybrid socks: 1 pair (partially cranked and partially hand-knit) and pair #2 picked up and started. 
• Hand knit socks: 1 pair

Hybrid Socks

I know I'm sock obsessed. It's summer. I don't want to go outside. I don't want to sweat. I would rather sit in the air conditioning and knit socks. At least I'll be ready for gift giving this winter.

I've been working on these hybrid socks (partially machine knit and finished by hand) for a couple weeks now. 

I managed to finish the heels over the weekend. They fit as well as hand-knit socks made with afterthought heels. A fine project if you like take-along projects.

I even started another pair of hybrid socks. This time with the dark rainbow Knit Picks Felici and some electric blue.

2019 sock knitting count:

• Cranked socks: 3 pair
• Hybrid socks: 1 pair (partially cranked and partially hand-knit), working on pair #2
• Hand knit socks: 1 pair