I think u can see what has been going on... lot's of ripping... I just wasn't happy with how this shrug looked... there was a ridge of garter stitch in between the different pattern rows.. and the stitch pattern I was using was making the sleeves wide... so I thought about it a bit(almost half of the day yesterday was spent debating with myself) and decided what I needed to do was a vertical stitch of some kind.. some decreasing....>



More knitting.....>



peek-a-boo... umm ... where was I.. ooo.. yes.. wow.. it fits nice and comfy .. yay.. finally we are moving forward and there is actually more knitting going on then ripping..



BTW .. this is the first time that I have knit with lion brand cotton ease and I'm loving it.. the center medallion is knit with Berroco Love it and the body and sleeves are knit with cotton ease.. the yarns are very similar.. the cotton ease is a little denser I think but also has a nice drape.. they work well together.. I could make the entire shrug with either yarn.. I'm going to make this shrug again with different yarn in different colors.. In case u haven't noticed... I had originally planned to use the cotton ease for the turtleneck tank from Fitted knits.. but some people do not look good in high turtlenecks.. and I'm one of them.. so I decided to scrap that project.. and I just happened to need a yarn that was similar to the Berroco love it.. I'm knitting the sleeves on a size 8 needle so they are going pretty fast.. I have 3 balls of cotton ease .. I hope it's enough to finish.. I used almost the whole ball of love it on the medallion... I might need to run and get one more ball of the Berroco love it to finish this shrug the way I would like .. sigh..


P.S. I want to thank everyone for their nice comments and encouragement.. sometimes I think my projects get a bit muddled... so it's nice to get some feed back.. (^_^)

Progress on my medallion shrug... I seem to be having the same problems that I encounter on the other shrugs... I rip more than I knit sometimes .. or I rip everything I knit.. even so.. there is progress... then there is a the big decision of .. should I knit or crochet.. this time I chose to knit a pattern that I could have crocheted.. I'm still debating if I should rip it and change to crochet... this is the point I'm at right now.





Tuesday night was my SnB meeting .. NYGK..and we had been running around all day.. cleaning carpets and other stuff .. so by the time evening came around for once I didn't really feel like knitting. I had 3 projects with me..` 0.0 .. the diamond shawl.. medallion shrug .. and a sock.. humm...
well first I working on the sleeves of the shrug for a bit.. didn't like what I was doing so i put that down.. then I picked up my shawl.. hummm .. I'm ashamed to say I haven't worked on it for awhile.. and I couldn't figure out what row I was on.. put that down and started working on a sock that I haven't worked on in awhile.. humm not sure of the row I was on but started knitting any way.... when I got in the car to go home after I picked up my bf.. I noticed there was a problem with the pattern on the sock.. I did the same row twice... probably when I first picked it up.. so ... I ripped it back to the boo boo.. and fixed it.. hummm.. then I looked at the medalion shrug.. ew didn't like the sleeves.. ripped then out also.. so basically all the knitting I had done at my SnB I ripped out.. oh well .. I spent yesterday fixing it all.. is there a moral to this story.. maybe...




All fixed and looking pretty.. shew..

I can't seem to stop now... this is the beginning of another shrug.. heheh.. I don't know why I used green again.. well I had a brand new ball of Berroco love it and I didn't want to add it to the stash.. not much u can do with one ball.. so.....






I started with a knitted center medallion and I'm adding the sides to begin the sleeve.. I'll post more later.. the charcoal yarn is lion brand cotton ease.

just JaYdEn

I casted on the turtleneck tube vest from Fitted knits the other night.. and.. duh.. I didn't READ.. where it says it's made from the top down.. so I thought i was making the bottom and wow it looked so small... I would fix it in the morning.. then I did read and found out that it was the neck I was knitting and not the bottom.. shew.. so because I thought I was knitting the bottom I knit more than the 5" the pattern called for.. which ment I had to rip.. which I did then started on the "under front" which I was able to try on last night and realized that for me it was still too long...(it actually went up over my chin) and I would fix it in the morning... so this morning I tried it on again and though eww.. this is unattractive on me.. so I have the choice of ripping it out again and making it shorter or scrapping it and using the yarn for a different project.. that's where I am at this moment..

















Some more pictures of the monster.. my thoughts are that it's not totally bad...

Finished and blocked.. Ill take better pictures and post those soon.





































I also finished the front edging on the monster... all it needs is a button.. I'll take better pictures of this too.... and I casted on again..!!

I'm on the last row of the body and of course ... I ran out of yarn... sigh.. what should I do.. run across town and purchase another ball of yarn for $10 for 1/2 row at the bottom... or.. just use one of the other yarns.. humm.. that's a tough one.. hehe

















with that dilemma solved..( I used one of the other yarns to complete the final row) I've been moving right along and have completed both from and back on the upper body.. there is just the trim left to do.. so far I'm liking this..

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful Dads in the world.. (^_^)

Here is the green thing.. up to date.. all is done except the front edging.. I had to run to my LYS to purchase one more ball of yarn for 2 rows of single crochet.. of course... hopefully I'll finish this some time today...


















This is the shrug I recently finished.. it's crocheted with 100% linen yarn which gives it wonderful drape.. I think this is my favorite shrug so far... the linen makes it perfect for Florida and just right over a tank top.. (cold air conditioned buildings)

















Of course when u finish a couple of projects you start new ones.. I have joined 2 KAL's and did I cast on either of these projects.. noooo.. on a whim I started this... I'm using yarn from my stash which I add one new ball of Filatura Di Crosa Malva to tie it all together. There was some kind of mix up on the second lace pattern.. I was following the directions and getting a completely different pattern.. I ripped and did it again with the same results... so I ripped and did what I thought it should be.. instead of the shell pattern the directions were giving me.. I made more of a checker board type pattern alternating rows of 3 chain.3 double crochet and I think it looks more like the picture... my groups of double crochet aren't as tall as in the ones in the picture so maybe they used a treble stitch. Well what ever they used ... they didn't give u the correct directions.. I checked the web site and I guess the book is so new that there isn't any errata up yet for it... well anyway all seems to be working out now..

yes.. here it is.. the green monster shrug... it's starting to develop a reptilian look... nice I'll look like some kind of lizard when I wear it.. anyway.. the bodice and bottom edging are finished and one sleeve.. so one more sleeve to go and the front edging.. hopefully I will get most of that done today...the only thing is.. it doesn't look like I'm going to have enough yarn for the front edging..which means another trip to the yarn shop.. geezzz... I'm sort of in denial about this.. so I'm going to use all the yarn up first to see if this is actually what is going to happen.. maybe the yarn will stretch a lot..and I wont have to go to the yarn shop to purchase one more ball for a couple of rows of crochet..































In the mean time I have joined 2 kals.. one is the Leaf Camisole from Knit1 magazine..
and the other is the Fitted Knits-along.. from Stefanie Japel's new book. I have the yarn for both project I plan to knit already.. and I'm still working on the boarder of my diamond shawl.. I hope to make it to Orlando Knit Wits this sunday.. hopefully I'll get some work done on the shawl. back to knitting.. all that yarn is screeming at me.. ( oo nos now I'm hearing yarn talking)

Yay some progress after all that ripping.. every few rows I've been graduating to the next size needle so this will have a little drape towards the bottom... I tried it on today and it's not bad.. a little weird.. but not too bad ....

















In person it looks more green for some reason it looks grey in pictures... I'm going to repeat the same pattern on the sleeves for hopefully a little bell like sleeve that will come to the elbow..

















mean while.. yesterday I had to go to the grocery store for food.. (knitters need food too).. and this is what I saw by my garage door.. so scary!!! a black widow.. it was a good size too.. and then my bf wanted to save it in a jar.. 0.0..!!! all I could think was "NO THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN"!!! hehehe that's a phrase I borrowed from my little gnome mage on WoW... and it didn't happen..

kNitTy!!

The new knitty is up!!!.. check it out here.. Wow.. this is a really nice summer issue. I like almost every pattern.. lots of socks.. tanks.. and a cute hat from Marnie MacLean... little lion dish cloths..I can't resist these.. I want to make 2 of the socks in this issue.. I luv short little socks....
In the mean time.. I'm still working on my green monster shrug.. which continues to plaque me every inch... I will not give up.. there has been 2 major froggings.. and one dropped stitch that I didn't see until I had to figure out why my pattern was off like 8 rows after.. but I'm actually making progress.. and hope to be finished some time maybe this week.

wHaT FinGeR aRe YoU

This is what finger I am.. hehe.. what finger are u??

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

Humid.. hot.. rainy.. yep.. summer is right around the corner .. the storms have started.. it has been a very dry spring and we actually need the rain.. good bye warm.. breezy.. dry weather.. hello sticky heat.. (this view is from my back window.. I see this view when I'm at my computer and when I knit.. which is most of the time)

















I started on some pattern swatches today .. both knit and crochet.. theyl seem to be working out for some projects I'm working on and a few I plan to start..


















Today I'm working on abandoned projects.. umm .. remember the green monster.. I'm determined to finish it no matter what.. really I am..!!!

















and of course to finish this shawl.. I hope to make a few pattern repeats every day.. hopefully to get this done soon too.... so that means I have to start knitting now!!!.. ttyl.. (^_^)

*+*Holy Samurai Champloo..!!!!*+*

So pink!! My 4 hour baby sweater is finished but it took me way longer than 4 hours.. I must be the slowest knitter ever.. I decided to break up the pink with some black ribbons and 2 antique buttons. As this is a gift I'm sending it along with a set of pink ribbons just in case she doesn't like the black.. I like the black though...
I now have.. 3 projects cast on in various states of completion.. and .. um.. yarn for 2 more projects..one is the turtleneck tube vest from Stefanie Japel's fitted knits.. the other is crazy crochet sleeveless summer top.. I'll post pictures in a day or 2.. and ..!!!..

















Holy Samurai Champloo..!!!! it's the complete set...this is a belated bday gift from my son Hui.. omg..<3...<3..<3>

A finished baby blanket and booties.. just right for a little baby boy.


















Blue is for boys and pink is for girls..


















A just about finished pink baby sweater, just right for a little baby girl. I should have this finished in about an hour or so.. Here is the pattern.. a quickie baby sweater.. supposedly you should be able to finish it in 4 or 5 hours.. well I must be slow because it took me longer.. but it's still really cute. I can add buttons or a ribbon when Iit's finished.. I'm not sure yet which I'm going to use yet.

















Little by little I'm filling up this bobbin. This is my attempt at sock yarn. I'm almost half way through the roving .. then I will start filling up the next bobbin.Unfortunately this is not washable wool.. but the colors are pretty.. I'm excited about the thought of spinning sock yarn and then actually knitting socks with it.( like I actually need more sock yarn.. I seem to be collecting lots of sock yarn lately) I really don't think I need to buy sock yarn for at least a year now.. unless of course I go on a sock knitting binge. It could happen..

dAnGeRouS

Remember this tank top.. well I wore it the other night and ... um.. little by little it started stretching.. and it didn't seem to spring back the way it did when I first tried it on.. as the evening wore on .. it actually started to get dangerously low.. I kept hiking it up.. (which didn't help at all) I'm going to wash it and see if that might help it tighten up a bit.. then I'll have to wear it around the house for an hour or so to make sure that it's safe to wear in public again..

















This is what I have been working on for the past 2 days.. my bf's sister is having a baby in a couple of weeks and I wanted to knit a few items up for the babies arrival. They already know it's going to be a little boy. This will be her 3rd child. There's not much u can knit for summer baby in Florida.. So I'm whipping up a soft garter stitch blanket and some booties. Babies always seem to have sweaty feet so I don't know if she will use them.. maybe in the air-conditioning.. I want to finish the blanket today as I'm over the half way mark and have started decreasing. The yarn I'm using btw is Moda Dea Aerie in cream and lt. blue. It's velvety soft... and this is the reason I haven't touched my diamond shawl..>.< .. no progress there in the last few days.


















The mail man delivered some fiber yesterday... I ordered the soft pink one which is a mohair blend and it took a while to get here so the seller sent me and extra 4 ounces of a pretty blue blend.. I purchased this on Ebay from Jehovah Jireh Farm... and now I'm itching to spin but I need to finish knitting my baby gifts.. I can work on a few projects at a time.. but I really like to work on one and finish it completely before I start something else.. or sometimes I'll do a gauge swatch for the next project I plan to do orI'll even cast on and work a few rows before finishing my wip.. and my spinning gets put aside " until I finish my current project". Maybe if I spin and hour a day ..that would work.. but I know me and I would have to spin 2 bobbins and ply it before I would stop. Oh well.. I'll work something out.. It's a beautiful day in Florida today..in the 80 deg. range not humid and very breezy.. The perfect day..