Monday Pinspiration

Happy October! Fall is one of my favorite seasons, with winter being a close second (I know I'm probably in the minority on that one). I've already started bringing out the hand-knits and wearing some of the new socks and cowls I spent the summer knitting whenever I can. It's a great time of year to be a knitter!

There are so many amazing patterns coming out right now that it's going to make it tough to stick to my holiday gift and baby knitting list. I'm looking pretty good for my holiday knitting, but I have three friends who are expecting - a total of four babies to knit for! It's time to focus, and not let anything bright and shiny distract me.

And yet, my Pinterest account suggests otherwise. I've been coming across such great new patterns and unearthing some previously undiscovered ones along the way, so naturally my Ravelry queue is threatening to return to eight pages once more. Perhaps the only way I've avoided that inevitability is to pin something instead of queueing it.

As of presstime, I've managed to resist startitis, having still only 3 WIPS on the needles: a super-secret test knit, a pair or socks, and a monkey (more on those last two this Wednesday!). But oh! such things I would knit it I had all the time in the world - I certainly have all the yarn in the world!

Here are a few recent highlights from Pinterest to get your needles moving!

Hats & Mitts to Knit:

Scarves & Cowls:

And my newest board, For the Babies:

There have also been some wonderful tutorials my fellow crafters have shared via their blogs & youtube. I have collected my favorites on my Free Advice board:

Comments

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

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