WIP-ing on a Thursday

Current WIP count: 7

Having a job isn’t helping me keep track of days at all, so no alliteration for today’s post title. I’m sure we’ll manage.

I have finished the first sleeve on the boyfriend’s jumper, but haven’t picked up stitches for the second one yet.

If you think that sleeve looks a bit long then you’re right. The boyfriend and I like our jumpers and coats to come down past our wrists, for maximum warmth and snuggly-ness. He has tried it on and approved.

The blanket is coming along nicely, with four squares now finished.

I’m dithering a bit over that latest square. It’s all very red and orange and part of me wants to sub in some more yellow in the second one, but I also want to stick with the pattern and keep both squares the same. What do you guys think?

Hannah

xXx

October review 2020

Stash used this month: 0.5

Total stash used this year: 43

Stash added: 2

Stash remaining: 327.25

I’m really not getting through stash mountain as quickly as I hoped. That seems to be what happens when I can’t stop knitting socks; they’re such addictive little things, but not exactly yarn munchers.

All I’ve managed this month is a pair of socks for the boyfriend and two blanket squares.

Of course, stress-buying yarn isn’t helping either. I really am trying to cut down on that.

I’m now starting to think about Christmas presents, as well as a couple of December birthdays, so there should be something other than socks and blankets to show off this month! Even I’m looking forward to that.

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 28.10.20

Current WIP count: 8

We all knew it was only a matter of time before I started another blanket, and this week I found I couldn’t resist any longer.

This is the beginning of another Beachcombing blanket. My last one was in mostly blues and greens so I decided to use my hot colours this time round. I’m not totally convinced that the dark brown (showing up as black in photos) works, but a few other people said they like it so I’m going to keep it in there.

I’m starting my temporary job tomorrow – training starts at 8am sharp! Wish me luck!

Hannah

xXx

FO Friday 14/08/20

You bet I waited til the depths of Summer to finish off a blanket!

Despite the oodles of natural light, I cannot seem to get a true picture of the colours, but trust me when I say it’s BEAUTIFUL.

This is a Beachcombing blanket designed by Eleonora at Coastal Crochet. I decided to do it as a stash buster and it didn’t half make a dent in the mountain! According to Excel this beauty used up 17.5 skeins of cotton, which had been sitting in my stash since 2017. That feels gooooood.

Now back to socks again so I can play with my yarn without sweating buckets.

Hannah

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WIP Wednesday 12.08.20

Current WIP count: 7

The Beachcombing blanket has been languishing for a while because I wasn’t sure what to do about the border.

Of course Eleonora designed a lovely border for it, but it involves these big bobbles that look like bouys and I’m really iffy about appendages on my yarny makes. It’s far too easy for them to snag or get caught, and I had visions of one of the bobbles tearing off and unravelling the whole border.

So I didn’t want to do that, but I had no idea what to do instead. Until Monday, when I came across this video for a wavy shell border.

Waves and shells fit nicely into the seaside theme of the blanket, and it looks good – win win!  Plus it’s a bit of a yarn-muncher so that’s helping with stash mountain as well. Now I know what I’m doing it’s whizzing along and I should be able to cross this off the WIP list by the end of this week. Hooray!

Hannah

xXx

June review 2020

Stash used this month: 9.75 (I think my maths for this one has gone wrong somewhere, but the next two stats are definitely correct according to Excel)

Total stash used this year: 34.75

Stash remaining: 325

 

Oooooh I’m getting closer and closer to that 300 mark. I definitely think I can manage it before the end of the year, especially if I make sure to look at my thicker yarn and don’t just focus on sock yarn forever more.

 

Charity makes

One pair of adult socks.

Plus a quick pair of toddler socks.

Makes for myself

Rainbow slipper socks

And a whole bunch of work on the Beachcombing blanket, which is (once again) where most of the yarn got used up this month. My totals are going to plummet when this thing is done!

Makes for others

I finished the boyfriend’s socks and he loves them. He was disappointed to learn they had to be hand-washed though.

And that was June, apparently. I can’t believe it’s already July and we’re halfway through 2020. What a year…

Hannah

xXx

Thursday WIP-ing

Current WIP count: 9

Aside from socks I’m mainly working on my Beachcombing CAL blanket at the moment.

I frogged and redid those top and bottom wavy rows so. many. times. That’s how I got a couple of weeks behind, but I’m catching up now. The hope is that I can fly through these simpler rows and be ready to do the final week on time.

We shall see!

Hannah

xXx

May review 2020

Stash used this month: 6.25

Total stash used this year: 23.75

Stash remaining: 334.75

Woo I’m on a roll! I do love making socks, but what with my glacier-like knitting speed and the teeny tiny yarn, they really don’t use up much stash. It’s the Beachcombing CAL that’s gobbling up all those skeins, getting me closer and closer to the 300 target.

This month I’m using some chunkier yarn to make thick socks so that should really help with the count.

As for last month:

Charity makes

None this time. It’s hard to be motivated when I know I’m not going to the post office for a while so can’t send them off.

Makes for myself

I finished my socks! So proud.

And there’s been a lot of progress on the Beachcombing blanket.

This one might not end up being for me, but as it has no destination at the moment I’m making it purely for my own enjoyment.

Makes for others

I’ve almost finished the boyfriend’s socks. Just in time for the weather to turn more stereotypically Scottish, so they might actually be needed. Yay (ish)!

There was also a lot of baking, mainly sourdough crumpets, but that doesn’t help much with stash mountain, does it?

So onwards with the yarnery!

Hannah

xXx

Not really moving that WIP list along, am I?

Current WIP count: 8

I’m a bit behind with my CAL blanket, since the squares took foreverrrrr to dry. At the weekend I’d had enough and got the hairdryer out to finish them off so I could finally get on with it.

After that the boyfriend and I spent about twenty minutes shuffling the squares around until I was happy that the randomly bright-looking squares balanced each other out. It was…interesting trying to make sure the colours all worked while keeping the squares with the same pattern apart, but we got there in the end.

So now I’m joining, joining, joining and looking forward to starting the next crochet part; the border.

I’m pretty excited about it!

Hannah

xXx

Well that didn’t last long

I’m up to date with my CAL squares, ready for the last two to be released tomorrow.

Except, as you may be able to see, I did not keep up with sewing the ends in as I went.

I never learn.

Now, opinions please – I feel like the top left square doesn’t quite fit with the rest. Even though I used the same palette as the other squares, the way the colours sit together looks soooo different to me. Any thoughts? Did you notice it? Or am I just over thinking this? Please let me know!

Hannah

xXx

WIP-ing on a Thursday

Yesterday was bad, but today will be better.

The blanket CAL calls for another 2 squares this week, and it’s a bit of a challenging pattern. I’ve finished one:

And started the second, mixing up the colours again:

I can’t say I’m entirely sold on the colours for the second square, but then I wasn’t too sure about the first one and that turned out pretty in the end so I might just carry on. Orrrrr I might frog and start again. Who knows.

These squares are so fiddly that I haven’t had much chance to work on anything else. But I’m determined to finish the ribbing on Flax this week. It’s virtual knit night tomorrow, which always helps me focus, so it’s totally doable.

Hannah

xXx

Ends and ribbing

Current WIP count: 8

I’m still working away at my Beachcombing CAL

I’m even being a grown up and working the ends in (almost) as I go, instead of leaving them all to the end. That’s my task for today.

Turns out the only thing I like less than sewing in ends is doing ribbing on 2mm needles. This is as far as I’ve got:

But in my defence, I did accidentally pull out a needle yesterday and had to start again.

I will get there eventually!

Hannah

xXx