FO Friday: Overdue Projects Edition + Winner!

I finished my Emmanuelle Sweater a few weeks ago, and it's been in heavy rotation ever since. It's hard to believe that this is the first chance I've gotten to take proper photographs, but that's just how things have been lately.

This is the second sweater pattern I've knit by the designer, Mercedes Tarasovitch-Clark, and I really like the way it fits. I'm not super-great at intarsia, so I do find myself wishing that my chevrons were a little neater; if I were doing it all over again, I think I would knit the front and back pieces and then add in the chevrons with duplicate stitch afterwards just because I hate intarsia so much. I realize that is a totally insane notion to even entertain, but that should only speak to my true feelings where intarsia is concerned. Maybe someday I'll make friends with this technique, but it's not likely to happen any time soon.

At any rate, the instructions were easy to follow and I had no issues with my yarn substitution; the only change I felt to the need to make was to knit full-length sleeves (which was easy to incorporate into the instructions as written). All in all, I am totally thrilled with how my sweater turned out and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves chevrons.

I thought it would also be fun to share the four FO's from last month's Scalloped Rib Sock KAL in the Baah Yarn Ravelry group. It was so great to see everyone's color choices, and my pal Lauren even went the extra mile to knit her socks two-at-a-time with an afterthought heel.

Our four KAL finishers are (clockwise from top left): AmeKnits' socks in La Jolla Pink Tourmaline, LaurenS's socks in The Wool Dispensary Useful Stimulant in Wild Rumpus, Avalanche's socks in La Jolla Raspberry Toffee, and Kittycait's socks in La Jolla Cape Cod. There are a few more socks-in-progress that I'm looking forward to seeing soon, too. Thanks to everyone who joined in the KAL next month!

This is probably a good time to mention that all of the patterns in my Ravelry Pattern Store are on sale for 50% off through November 30th if you enter NOVEMBER at checkout. Now is a great time to buy the Scalloped Rib Sock pattern, plus there are lots more quick-to-knit options for your holiday gifting needs.

Last but not least, it's time to announce the winner for the Lucky Cat Craft Giveaway. Congratulations are in order for Sharon Harris, whom I'll be emailing to arrange for the delivery of the prize: two luxury rovings from Lucky Cat Craft! Don't forget, you can visit the Lucky Cat Craft Etsy Shop & save 15% on your order with the coupon code LUCKYCAT now through November 30!

Whew, that was an action-packed FO Friday - thanks for sticking with me! 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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