Thrummed Mittens & Mail Goodies

Last weekend, I put the finishing touches on my Thrummed Mittens, then gave them a nice blocking in Wrapture (I could still smell the lingering jasmine during this photo shoot)! As luck would have it, my husband got a very fancy digital camera as an early birthday present from his parents, and he took some really great photos of my finished mittens...a process I apparently didn't enjoy.

Consequently, he's now going to be doing a LOT more photos for my patterns and blog posts! I mean, it's night and day, the difference between these photos and the photos I've been using from our much-older digital camera (or my cell phone...or instagram...).

You can get all the details on the yarn and fiber used in this project on my Ravelry project page. I used to pattern and video instructions from Marly Bird's excellent Craftsy class, Mittens and Gloves Galore (click here for a full review and a special discounted link for my blog readers)! I am so excited to bust these puppies out next winter!

I started the week off with some goodies in the mail: first, this month's shipment from the Sweet Georgia Fibre Club, which is some very interesting Masham top. Those who know me well are aware that pink is a color that doesn't often find its way into my stash, so I'm curious to see how this particular colorway spins up; maybe the pink will be subtle enough that I don't mind knitting with it - or it will at least be equally balanced by the green and the purple.

Yes, perhaps it will be the exception to the rule, kind of like the hot pink Nick Cave t-shirt that made its way into my closet, which is filled with black t-shirts (and a few gray, blue, green and brown ones, I suppose - much like my yarn stash, I think I'm sensing a theme!).

The second goody is my prize from the recent Holla Knits! blog tour: three skeins of Yarn Hollow Gemini, a bamboo/cotton blend yarn that's perfect for summer! I'm not sure what I'll make with it just yet, but I am excited to work with this very pretty yarn.

I have more yarn goodies from Doodlebug to share with you, but that will have to wait til I have time to have my lovely assistant photograph them - and today is his birthday! Soon, we will be heading to Hot Doug's in accordance with our birthday traditions!

I hope to meet you back here tomorrow for a special Caturday post. I don't want to give it away, but it does involve dinosaurs...and awesomeness. At any rate, I hope you'll be as amused as I was!

Thanks for stopping by this week - for more FO Friday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis blog!

Have a crafty weekend!

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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