Ok Everyone!

I am one like short on my Facebook page to start the giveaway, so if you are reading this and haven’t gone over to the Facebook page and hit the like button, if you have already liked it, I highly encourage you to share this post and the page with your friends!

Thanks for all the support you all have given me since I began this blog 22 months ago. 

Getting a Jump on Next Winter

Hey Everyone!

It has been far too long since I last did a “What’s on my Needles Wednesday” post, so I figured now is as good of time as any to bring it back. 

This week I have a size 10 knit for kids sweater going, an eight strand braided cable scarf and a winter hat. 

For the sweater I am knitting up I am using all red heart yarn in light sage, buff and a cranberry color. 

I had a skein of lion brand fishermen’s wool in oatmeal that I would start something then decide to do something else, I finally decided to use it for an eight strand braided cable scarf. 

I am making a hat out of lion brand alpine wool in Chili. I wanted to try this yarn so I am using what I bought for a warm winter hat. Trying to cast on the hat and knit off the first row was a pain in the butt. Beings that it is more of a roving, it is loosely spun and the strand kept pulling apart half way across the knit off row. Once I finally got the first row knit off it has become easier to work with. Last night I went and picked up a second skein so I could finish my hat. 

   
   

Lion Brand Yarn Alpine Wool

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my yarn review series. I know I have done at least one in the past. Let’s just jump right in.

I recently purchased a skein of Lion Brand Yarn Alpine Wool in Chili, at my local Joann fabric and craft super store to try. I decided to make a hat out of it. I am maybe 1/3 of the way done with my hat and at least 1/2 way through the skein. Needless to say, I will be making a trip to Joann’s to get another skein. 

Pros: 

It’s a bulky yarn, most skeins (that are simply dyed) are 100% wool. It is soft for wool. 

Cons:

It’s more loosely spun, so I had pulled apart the strand in knitting off the first row all three times I cast on the project. Fortunately the last time I was close enough to the end of the row and had enough left as a tail to cast on  and work the yarn to get the remaining stitches I needed. You only get about 93 yards in a skein so you need at least 2 skeins to make an adult size hat. 

I am glad I tried this yarn and am looking forward to being able to wear it for winters to come when it does get cold enough outside to wear it. 

Once I complete this project I will not be purchasing any more of this yarn for my own use. Between the issues I had with casting on and knitting off the first row as well as the cost to make just one hat is not worth it for future projects in my mind. 

Knitting is more than just a hobby.

Hello my fellow knitters, and anyone else who finds knitting blogs interesting!

Where to begin. That is a task in and of itself. I am currently working on an 8 strand cable scarf (pictured below), and a size 10 sweater for World Vision Knit for Kids sweater. For not having a lot of time to knit, my sweater is knitting up super quick. I have about 3 more inches to go in the body before I do the front sleeves. It is crazy how quick this sweater is knitting up for me, with working full time, and of late full time and then some.

I spent the last hour or so working on updating my knitting spreadsheets that I have going on my computer. I added the columns and formulas I needed for this year. I also did columns and formulas for 2016 – 2020. Beings that it is now almost May, and i had yet to make the columns up for this year, I decided that I might as well just do it through 2020 and be done with that for the next six years.

Knitting is totally my creative outlet. It more than makes up for the mundaneness and lack of creativity I have in my day job.

I have been spending a lot of time this past week watching YouTube videos about knitting, and looking up patterns, as I want to get better, and be able to knit more complex patterns. I tried knitting socks once and gave up while trying to turn the heel. I want to give it another try, and really try this time.

I also have a couple skeins of lace weight yarn in my stash to make another leaf lace wrap/scarf for myself. Now that I have the baby blankets for my cousin and his wife done (I just need to get them shipped), I will have more time to work on projects that I want to work on. I know I have talked about it in the past, about having a personal project and a charity project in the works at the same time, and that is the case 95% of the time. I rarely only have one project in the works these days.

Beings that I have a size 10 sweater in the works, it is nice to have a smaller project to work on, when I only have a few minutes to knit, before I start work, or I don’t feel like working on as big of a project when I am tired after working 10 hours. I would love to be able to get paid to spend time working on projects, blogging about them, as well as craft store adventures and hauls.

Over the next few months, as I get some of my own stashed yarns knit into fantastic projects, and as next fall gets closer I am going to get out more, and go track down the locally owned craft stores here in Portland, and buy some yarn from them and write reviews on the shops, and the yarn for you guys. If my goal to be a better knitting blogger is going to ever come to fruition, I am going to start having to do the work myself. I can’t afford to jump in to it full time, and just make it my career, but I am starting somewhere here and now. I am making this goal happen.

For those of you who read and follow me for my charity knitting projects, rest assured that those are going nowhere fast, and will continue to be an integral part of my blog, and pictures and so on and so forth. I am just wanting to increase my skills and create so much more in the way of fall and winter accessories that are not only cute, but very practical.

Upcoming Giveaway

Hey All!

I am going to be starting a giveaway on my Facebook page, beginning May 1st. I am going to be giving away 2 skeins of Lion Brand Fishermen’s wool. If you are interested, head over to The Knitters Notes Facebook page, and like the page for more details as the become available.

Feel free to look around the Facebook Page, share it, and make sure you like the page before May 1st. 

Baby Blankets for a new Cousin

Hey Everyone!

For the past few months I have been working ow two baby blankets for one of my cousins and his wife who are waiting until the baby is born to find out the gender. With that in mind I set to work knitting up two blankets for them. I made a pretty turquoise one, and a sunflower yellow one. Either blanket could be used for a boy or a girl, so they could use one or the other or both for either a boy or girl.

For these blankets I used the basket weave patter that I typical use for baby blankets. I used Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn in Turquoise and Sunflower Yellow.

I used size 9 needles, and used 10 stitches X 10 row blocks, with a 5 stitch border on each end with 5 garter stitch rows at that top and bottom. I did 15 blocks across and 17 blocks long.