new knitting projects

I took a short break to recover from knitting that blanket from Mother's Day, and now I'm back at it! I'm having so much fun knitting again, and I'm planning tons of new projects that'll be ready just in time for our cold weather.

The first project on the left is a chunky rib scarf for Johnny. I cast on 56 stitches and have been doing a k8p8 pattern. The purple yarn is for a similar scarf for me. That one will probably be 48 stitches in a k4p4 pattern. The yarn on the right is for another blanket for our house. Not pictured is the yarn that'll be used for an awesome shawl. I'm so excited to get that kit and start playing with the pattern.

Whew, four projects should take me through the end of 2015, right? 

I'm on the lookout for an easy lace-style shawl/wrap pattern for my stash of Madelinetosh prairie yarn. If you have any good (and super easy) patterns, let me know! You can also find me on Ravelry if you're on there.

knitting a blanket

Let's continue the crafty theme this week…

I caught the knitting bug big time after finishing my little potholder. I started and finished knitting a small lap blanket in under a week for Mother's Day. I had the yarn and needles, but I suddenly had the crazy idea to get this one done in a tight time frame. It reminded me of how I used to put off huge research papers and cranked out my best work in under a week.

Really, though, this blanket can be done in 2-4 hours if you go with no major breaks. However, I only had a couple of hours after work to get this done, usually during hockey games (GO BOLTS!). The massive size of the yarn (Lion Brand quickie yarn in Salty) and the size 50 needles made this a breeze. It's a really great project for a beginner who knows how to k2p2. 

My blanket was based off of the Loopy Mango Nantucket Blanket pattern. I pretty much followed it to a T, minus the yarn. I knitted until I felt like it was a good length. I didn't fix the few major mistakes you can see because I liked the personality they brought. 

This was another win in the follow-through department for me. Not only did I finish a blanket, but I finished a blanket that was meant as a gift in under a week. I am totally still capable of finishing big projects. Knitting has become more than something to keep my hands busy. It has helped me regain all of that motivation I lost once my big life project wrapped up.

Has doing something crazy (like knitting a blanket) ever helped you find or regain anything in your life? I feel like its such a good medium to help in these weird moments we all have, and I want to hear your stories.

my first knitting project

I decided to pick up some yarn and knitting needles a few months ago on a whim. I didn't know what I wanted out of this impromptu purchase, but I was watching a lot of Netflix and wanted to feel like I was being a little more productive than I really was. Enter knitting…

This is technically my second project, but it was the first one I finished. It's nothing fancy. It started as a swatch to practice my purl stitch and ended up being large enough to be a potholder/thing I use when my bowl of soup is waaaaay too hot to handle. I used size 8 needles and cast on 24 stitches of this random yellow yarn I found on clearance. I did four rows of garter stitch before switching to a k2p2 pattern and finishing on another four rows of garter stitch. I didn't get ribbing because the amount I cast on was off for that pattern. I was adding stitches at some points and I lost count more than a few times. It's not perfect, but it is the first thing I've finished since school ended. 

The practice I got on this project really helped. I now know two different stitches and how to cast off. I also understand what I need to do to get a basic ribbing pattern. But more than just practice, this project is the first thing I've completely follow-throughed on in 2015. It's so cool to use something that I created, no matter how basic it may be. I created this, and that was the kickstart I needed. 

What was your first breakthrough on a new hobby or project? Do you have any tips for the beginning knitter? I still have a scarf that's sitting on my table to finish, so any tips are created appreciated.