Knitting Dragonflies

This was a chill Thanksgiving, I decided to try a crochet pattern & make some quick table ornaments. I found some cute pumpkin/gourd crochet pattern & decided to try it out. I also found some cute acorns but haven’t gotten those made. The pumpkin pattern is in a small/medium/large size. Fast and fun. I was attracted to this pattern because she had made them in non-traditional colors and they were so cute.. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Pattern: Pretty Pumpkins by Kris Moore Free link , she blogs Here Pattern Crochet Acorn by Kristi Tullus Free Link , she blogs Here  

I’ve been in a productivity slump. Well I’ve been gardening and doing life, but falling way behind in the fun fabric & yarn stuff. I happened across this YouTube of Fairy Little who vlogged knitting a sweater in 24 hours. I have a sweater I’ve been stalled on for 3 years (I believe, may be longer) After watching this time lapse video, it was like a kick in the pants for me. I thought “Yes, I can do that!, (well maybe in a weekend or week), Now I’m trying to decide if I’m frogging the pattern & starting over as that was when I stopped. I had to heavily modify  the pattern and……need I saw more? Check out the video & thanks Fairy Little

I have been knitting, but not blogging for quite a while now. I’m getting organized and back into blogging. Colder weather is here and it is time to get the needles out. I decided that I would start by dragging out all of my unfinished projects and take stock & decide which ones I’ll frog or finish. I’ve had a sweater on the back burner for years, I’m not happy with how the pattern was turning out and you know how that can stall a knitter. So I’m determined to be ruthless and not knit, (well not start anything big) until all of my UFO’s (unfinished objects) are taken care of one way or another! If there are any other knitters out there that would like to join me leave a comment! Next post will be a ruthless inventory (I hope) of what I’ve got going on.

http://publicdelivery.org/dave-cole-knitting-machine-mass-moca/ Above photo is from   Arjen Noordeman In 2005,  MASS MoCA  (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) presented a monumental and uniquely American sculptural installation by Dave Cole. Cole’s project  The Knitting Machine  comprised two excavators specially fitted with massive 20′ knitting needles which produced an oversized American flag, which can be seen as both a celebratory gesture of pride and a commentary on America’s role in world affairs. When the flag was removed from The Knitting Machine it was folded into the traditional flag triangle and was on display in a presentation case which Cole described as  slightly smaller than a Volkswagen Beetle , accompanied by the 20′ knitting needles, and a video of the knitting process. There is a video of this also  http://publicdelivery.org/dave-cole-knitting-machine-mass-moca/#arve-load-video If you are interested in smaller American Flag patterns I've lin

Working on the shawl pattern arlequin shawl (free pattern). Love the pattern. I started with 3 skeins, 100% wool yarn & hand dyed them. I decided it needs two more.  I'm not sure if these all go together. The one on the far left is not what I had in mind, it got muddy while dyeing, now I'm undecided.  I'm working in each skein with several rows of colors to make the transition/ gradient look effect.  Any suggestions? I'm trying to decide if I need to try to dye another skein up. Thanks for any thoughts!

Fall is coming and I’m getting in the mood for it. I like to have some small, easy projects to work on, to take “on the go” and/or while watching TV, sitting outside etc.… I was looking around for some yarn in my stash and ran across some from another project. Two skeins of Red Heart Boutique Treasure in the colorway Abstract. This yarn is an acrylic/wool blend. I love it, and have made another item with it. I have washed and worn it for several winters and it has not pilled on me, and I like the acrylic/wool blend, getting the best of both worlds. It is what they call Aran weight. I would say a slightly bulky yarn. It knits up fast and has a nice drape & feel. I love the variation in the colors which have a nice length to the transition. Yarn Weight: Aran Blend: 70% Acrylic, 30% Wool Needles: 6.00mm (US 10) - 6.50mm (US 10.5) Ball Weight: 3.5oz Yarn Length: 138m (150 yds.) Gauge: 16-14 stitches, 22-16 rows to 4" Super easy pattern: I cast on 45 stitches on # 10.5 need

I’ve been in a major knitting slump and was in JoAnn’s buying something else, this yarn was a spontaneous buy. I had no idea what to knit with it, so I decided on the pattern on the label. Yarn Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, this yarn is 100% acrylic, it is a singly ply twist with a very soft silky feel. I like the long repeats of color, which is extremely vibrant.I thought it would work well for a gift to someone who didn’t want any wool in it. Very happy with the light ness of the shawl, I would describe the yarn as DK weight. The yarn feels so nice that I bought another two skeins for another project. I ended up using 3 skeins of the yarn, due to making a crochet lace boarder. Boarder was single crochet across, turn. Then chain 3 sc in 2nd chain, chain 2, skip one single crochet in the previous row and sc in the next one. repeat until the end. This forms a picot like little edge. I also did a single crochet across the top of the shawl to reinforce it. (the yarn is single