Happy Humpday

I finished up the Dream Stripes Prayer Shawl with more than a week to spare before the next meeting of the group.  I still have another skein of the white yarn left, and since this worked up so quickly, I will get some more in a contrasting color and make another one for the next meeting.

I really like this pattern and may have to make one of these for myself later this year.

Amanda talked me into joining a dishcloth group on Ravelry and I made one of their patterns.  I've had this pattern in my library for awhile, but never got around to making it.  I was originally going to make a scarf with it, but it does work up quite nicely for a hot pad.

More fun craftiness from Pinterest!  I used pages from a knitting catalog to make a woven coaster.  Too lazy right now to track down the tutorial url, but I will do that another day.  This took mere minutes to make and was a pretty mindless project.  I will be making more of these to store around the house.

I started a baby blanket for my hairstylist, who is expecting her second this July.  I have wanted to make this pattern since I bought the magazine back in 2008, but didn't think about it when she had her first 2 years ago. It is working up fairly quickly (when I actually work on it), and I'm hoping to have it all completed by the end of March.

St. Patty's Day Pincushion

Amanda and I decided to start another project.  No knitting or crocheting this time.  We are each making a pretty cross-stitch pincushion.  I finished the backstitch, cross-stitch, and Rhodes hearts last night while listening to an audio book.  I hope to have the Kloster blocks and buttonhole stitching done this week so I can do the sewing and stuffing next weekend.  This is a quick project that will add a nice pincushion to my ever growing collection.

I have not finished the Dream Stripes shawl as I had hoped this week.  I wound up starting it over after my last post.  I didn't like the way the edge slip stitches were working up in this yarn.  I opted to use a 3-stitch garter edge instead and it is working up much nicer.  I am finally done with the stripes and have started the lace border, so should be done in a couple more nights of knitting.

It is time to pull out the quilting again.  I have let them languish too long and need to get back to them.  Hopefully I'll have some time to devote to them this week.

Salt Scrubs, and Prayer Shawls, and Pincushions, Oh My!

I tried a new scrub.  Citrus salt scrub this time.  Loved it!  Will be using this one many more times.  Bought a little mason jar and made a batch to give my sister for her birthday.  Added a coconut scented bar of soap in a hand knit lacy bag and a hand knit face cloth and called it a spa set.

I also finished a bit of embroidery this month.  I made a pincushion and coordinating needle book for a swap on Ravelry.  Also crocheted a lacy edging on a hankie.  I fashioned the pincushion after one I'd seen on Pinterest, and it just seemed to want a companion.  My partner seems well pleased with them so the endeavor was a success.  In the same swap I received a nice fat quarter that I plan to turn into a pincushion and needle book for myself.

Both of the previous projects were completed as gifts for others, so I excused myself from my "finish two before starting one" resolution.  As such, even though I finished both, I am not allowed to start another one.  I've gone a bit off the wagon with that resolution however.  I think when all is said and done I am ok, but I quit paying attention to how many I started vs how many I finished.

I did finish a silk shawl last week that has been on the needles for a few months and am very pleased with it.  I've worn it a couple of times now and have gotten some nice compliments on it.

A new prayer shawl is on the needles and is going quite quickly.  I started it yesterday, and if I continue at the pace I'm currently on, it should be finished next week.

Not much completed on this project yet, but I envision it going quickly once I decide to make it my main project.  This will be an adorable baby blanket for my hair stylist, who is having her second this July.

I am on a mission to reduce my sock yarn stash this year.  I really don't need a bunch more hand knit socks, so I'm planning on making shawlettes with as much of it as I can.  I cast on this one last week and it's a pretty mindless knit while I watch television, or listen to an audio book.  I am using 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden sock yarn.

Along with finishing projects, I am taking a good look at all of the ones currently in the works to see if I really want them.  Several of them have hit the frog pond this month.  One such project was a sweater I had started for my husband a couple of years ago.  I decided to repurpose the yarn as a jacket for myself.

Hopefully, I'll get better at updating this new blog as time goes on.  Bad habits die hard I guess.