Hey, I Finished More Stuff!

Wow, I'm really on a tear here! Two more projects were finished, and I mean completely finished last week.

This first one is a cross-stitch piece I had started several years ago. I didn't have a lot to finish on it, but it's 40-count linen, so not the easiest thing to work on. I had to have the Ott-Lite close by and concentrate to see those teeny threads. I decided that, since I already have about a bazillion cross-stitch projects waiting to be framed, I would make this into a pincushion. I didn't have a pattern, so I just winged it and stitched it together by hand. You can't see the side seams, where there are a couple of tucks (getting around the corners was tricky), but it's cute and it was easier to put together by hand than wrestling with it under my sewing machine foot. It's about 4 inches by 4 inches by 2 inches. It will sit next to my stitching chair. I've needed a big pincushion for a while, so this was a satisfying finish.



I'm a little embarrassed to discuss this next piece. This is a scarf I started who-knows-when for an older lady who I consider one of the cooler friends I have. I don't get to see her that often, but she's such a joy to be around. This soft rose is the perfect color for her, and I'm so happy it's done. The really embarrassing thing is that I haven't touched it in ages, and when I got it out last week, determined to finish it, I found that I only needed to knit 7 rows and bind off. That's right, SEVEN ROWS! What possessed me to stop working on it when I was so close to the end? I'll never figure it out. Well, it's done and ready to be presented to her at last. The yarn is Kidsilk Haze and the pattern comes from the Vogue On-The-Go book, Scarves Two.



Another reason I'm feeling so virtuous is that I not only finished stitching and knitting these two projects, I actually finished them. I made the pincushion the same afternoon I put the last cross-stitch in the piece, and as soon as I bound off the scarf, I blocked it the same day. Can it be? Am I learning self-discipline? My normal finishing method is to finish the stitching or knitting and leap joyfully into a shiny new project. Not this time. Whaddya know. Things may be changing a bit at Chez Spingirl!

Wanna see something really cute? The picture on the left is my daughter holding my son the day after he was born. The picture on the right is her daughter holding his son. It's so cute I can't stand it, I really can't.

Finished Projects!

Yes! I have five, count 'em, FIVE finished projects for the 52 Projects in 52 Weeks group on Ravelry. What a great group. It meshes so neatly with the blog and may actually cause some major finishing activity on my part. Shazam!

Here we have the Blue Heron Bulky Chenille scarf. Again, it's one of those colorways that just doesn't do well in photographs, especially with all the texture. I got this at a discount from my LYS because it was a tangled mess and the owner gave up and sold it to me for half-price. I love a deal, don't you? It was well worth the time spent untangling it, and was a quick K3P3 pattern that I knitted a little loose. I washed it and threw it in the dryer, so it shrank and softened into a lovely kittenish feel. Definitely a success.

Here are the finished Numma Numma Toasty socks. I showed them a few posts back, and you can see the color a little better here, but it's still not perfect. The other picture was too dark; this one is too light, so imagine it in between, and you'll have it. These socks feel fabulous on my feet, and I keep stalking The Loopy Ewe, hoping to grab more. Though more sock yarn is not something I really need right now!

This is a sampler I started about five years ago, in memory of my best friend who was killed in a hit-and-run accident back in 1993. Since I started it, several other close friends have passed away, so it's kind of a memorial of all those I've loved and lost. I do have hope of seeing them all again in the resurrection promised in the Scriptures, so this has not been a sad project--more of a reminder that we can enjoy each other's company again in the future.

I'd already made one of these Noro Striped Scarves, and I haven't the faintest idea where, when, or why I bought more Kureyon to make another, but this is another easy, quick project. I do find myself sort of buried in scarves, so I may have to think about who might like a scarf this winter. Or I may be a selfish pig and keep them all for me me me!!

As I was working on this scarf, it occured to me that I could spin my own two colorways and get the exact shades I want for another of these scarves. I must put that on my to-do list. I foresee a pleasant afternoon spent at the local fiber shop (and yes, I live close to a LFS that has a terrific fiber selection) choosing the colors to spin for My Very Own Striped Scarf In Exactly The Shades I Want.

Last, but absolutely not least, I have actually finished a sweater!! Staggering, isn't it? This was started on May 11 and finished on June 27, so that's a pretty short length of time for me, at least when it comes to finishing big projects. True, I might have gotten it done sooner if I hadn't been knitting socks and scarves and whatnot, but the 52 Project thing means I have to whip out a quickie project now and then to stay on track.

The pattern for this called for two colorways, just like the Striped Scarf, but I had these 12 balls of one color, so I just juggled the two balls a bit as I was knitting so the colors wouldn't fall next to each other. Sometimes it didn't quite work, especially as there's so much orange in this colorway (note the bottom of the sleeve--that's what I mean) but I love how it came out. It looks very Kaffe Fasset-ish to me. I'm not thrilled with the neckline (because I knitted two extra rounds, and it's too much) and I made the sleeves too long, but I'm still happy with it. I may get up the gumption to rip out those two extra rounds on the neckline and cut off an inch of the sleeves, but for right now I'm just going to pet it.

I feel quite pleased with myself. Finishing is such a kick! Oh, and just wait until you see the Girasole! The Ranco Multy was an inspired choice (ok, not so much a choice as the only thing I had in the stash that I thought would work. Close enough to inspired for me.) I have my slant issues worked out, so it's proceeding at an unusually rapid pace. That's my kind of knitting!

Two More Finished (okay, I cheated a bit...)

Two more Finished Projects on Saturday! Ok, ok. Neither of them was on the First List, but they were both on the Second List! I'm not sure why it matters exactly, as long as I'm getting things finished. Though the angora blend yarn won't really be finished until it's knitted into something. I ended up with a little over 300 yards, so I have to look through my patterns for something appropriate. I would have liked to have done a shawl, but it's not enough. So I'm thinking about mitts instead.

I hope to have pictures up in the next day or two. I've tried doing pics myself, but I just don't have a clue about how to make them look good. So I need the semi-pro in the house to take them for me, after he gets done with work, grass-cutting, home repairs, and TV-watching. Meanwhile, here's a peek at my gorgeous peonies:
I did manage to take this photo myself, after about 15 tries. (Good thing it was a digital camera! What a waste of film otherwise.) This doesn't really do them justice. The entire shrub is covered with these blooms that look like scoops of vanilla ice cream, with a cherry on top (and the odd ant here and there.) They smell delicious too. The New Dawn roses on the front fence are about to pop soon. I can't wait to see them--one of the first things I planned when we bought this house four years ago was to cover the split-rail fence out front with pink climbing roses. It's taken a couple of years for them to get going, but the biggest one is absolutely packed with buds.

Coming soon: The Tale of the Walnut-Dyed Fleece, and Why Do I Keep Stitching When I Know It's WRONG?

Two More Finished (okay, I cheated a bit...)

Two more Finished Projects on Saturday! Ok, ok. Neither of them was on the First List, but they were both on the Second List! I'm not sure why it matters exactly, as long as I'm getting things finished. Though the angora blend yarn won't really be finished until it's knitted into something. I ended up with a little over 300 yards, so I have to look through my patterns for something appropriate. I would have liked to have done a shawl, but it's not enough. So I'm thinking about mitts instead.

I hope to have pictures up in the next day or two. I've tried doing pics myself, but I just don't have a clue about how to make them look good. So I need the semi-pro in the house to take them for me, after he gets done with work, grass-cutting, home repairs, and TV-watching. Meanwhile, here's a peek at my gorgeous peonies:
I did manage to take this photo myself, after about 15 tries. (Good thing it was a digital camera! What a waste of film otherwise.) This doesn't really do them justice. The entire shrub is covered with these blooms that look like scoops of vanilla ice cream, with a cherry on top (and the odd ant here and there.) They smell delicious too. The New Dawn roses on the front fence are about to pop soon. I can't wait to see them--one of the first things I planned when we bought this house four years ago was to cover the split-rail fence out front with pink climbing roses. It's taken a couple of years for them to get going, but the biggest one is absolutely packed with buds.

Coming soon: The Tale of the Walnut-Dyed Fleece, and Why Do I Keep Stitching When I Know It's WRONG?