Author: beverly

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Almost There

Almost There. The studio is coming along. My Fire tablet can’t take a good picture or I don’t know how to use the feature to take the best shots.This is the etagere that will hold ten bins of yarn. Right now, it is sitting in the corner by the closet but after putting the table and chairs in place, it is going to move across the room and kitty corner to where it is now.

It is going to be a comfortable room. I enjoyed sitting in it yesterday. The sleeper sofa which may end up on the opposite wall, is 6 ft long. Mr. Honey thinks the wall itself is about 12 feet long but I’m thinking more like 9 or 10. I need to measure to make sure. In my mind’s eye, the sofa is along that wall when you walk in the door looking at this wall here. Can’t really picture it the other way.

The studio is not the only thing that’s almost there. If you recall from the last post, I have 10 projects going. That is now down to 7. There are a few other finishes on the horizon. Just a couple more and there will be enough for the next Look Book. There’s also a free pattern coming, too. Now that the country is on lock down or lock out, my life will not change at all. I will still knit, go over to the condo and work on the business side of life.

But I am of the vulnerable class and I did have a small case of flu last week. It is the first time I’ve been grateful for having the flu shot within the last year.

I’m gonna try and take better pics. I’ll use the phone.Take care of yourselves and each other. See ya soon.

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It’s Ready

It’s Ready. It’s all painted and the yarn has started to move in and I can’t believe this is going on.

As the new space is filling up, the old space is emptying out and both of these yin and yang events are having a way with me. Right now, the thing that is bothering me is all the yarn will still not fit. 
Bins will be out in the open and not on shelves. Oh, the drama.

The big furniture. The sofa sleeper, bookcase and table all have to be brought in at some point.

The flooring for the living room and hall has been chosen. Of course, it’s not in stock and will take 1-2 weeks to get here but that’s not a thing. There’s so much more to do in getting the house ready.

In the meantime, knit wise,There are 10 open projects. The idea was to have a production line but things erupted. Four of them are one session away from being completed.This is my latest completed item. The pattern and the finished item are both available in the shop. This page has yarn reviews.

The etagere will be coming over next. It needs to be taken down. Photos coming, of course.

 

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And So It Begins

The closing is done and we are readying the condo for entry and readying the house for departure. And so it begins. The first room in condo to be tackled is my studio. The room, as the condo, was in pretty good shape when we got it. It’s white and the carpet needs cleaning. I really want all the carpet removed and replaced with laminate but that won’t happen. Carpet will remain the bedrooms and new flooring will be in the living room and hall spaces.

This is what three of the walls looked like after Mr. Honey started prepping the room for painting. I chose a really pale gray for the main color. A dark gray for the contrasting color – it will go on that pillar in the corner and around the inside edges of the window. The curtains are out. Blinds will be there instead. The trim will be a bright white. I am thinking of painting the doors white but haven’t decided yet.

The room is 13×14 and that closet is twice as big as the closet in the house.

The design plan is to use our octagon table as the ‘desk’ over by the window. There will be a two cushion sleeper sofa against the wall by the door. The wall you don’t see. On the wall adjacent to the window will be a stand or a bookcase where the television will be. The room will be used as a guest room when needed.

So, where will all the yarn go? The closet, though bigger, won’t hold all the stash. I have placed some yarn in huge bins that will fit in the closet. i’ll stuff the bags in there, too.  I eliminated about 8 smaller bins. I have a white bookcase, which Mr. Honey insists on calling an etagere, it should be able to hold two of the bigger bins per shelf and there are five shelves. That will leave about 3 rogue bins. I really want a non-cluttered space.

I don’t know how close the real thing will come to the idea in my head. The main thing will be to have a lighter, airier space than the one I have now.

The entire condo is getting a facelift with the paint scheme and new flooring. I’ll keep you posted.

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A Change is Gonna Come

A change is gonna come. We are moving. This time next week, we will have closed on the condo. So, the house looks like disaster. We haven’t put this house on the market yet and it will be weeks before we do. I am trying to be systematic in going about it. 

The first thing I want to do in the condo is put the bathrooms in order. We will be going back and forth and we will need toilet papers, towels, air freshener – All that jazz. 

Mr. Honey will be doing some painting and we may be getting some new flooring before we start to settle in the furniture. The most exciting part will be setting up the new studio.

we were looking for a 3 bedroom but ended up with 2. But the studio will be a combo studio and guest room. Or rather, it could be a guest room. We are getting a sleeper sofa for the living room as well as the studio, so there will be options.

The room is larger than the one I have now but still don’t know if it can hold all that yarn. I am consolidating as much as I can.

I am looking forward to the move but I am also sad. I have spent most of my life in this house. This house is next door to the house Mr. Honey grew up in. We are starting way over.

This has been more stressful than I expected. I will be happy when we are free to go back and forth and work together to make this our place. But I will miss the privacy of the house. 

Any ideas on how to make a move out and a move in easier? I need all the help I can get. Drop a note in the comments with tips and tricks!

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Not Feather and Fan

I really like the feather and fan stitch. So imagine my surprise when I discovered the stitch I was doing was not the feather and fan stitch.

I think of the feather and fan as a beautiful stitch, full of texture and a great look. When I saw the Ice Yarns Magic Glitz, I knew I would put the two of them together.

I have to say, I’m pleased with the result. I will have a lot to say about the yarn when I do the review. I can give you a heads up…I’m gonna like it. Putting the stitch into a round for a cowl was a nice little challenge and it ended up as an intermediate level pattern. It’s available at designbcb. And at Ravelry.

This won’t be the last time I use the stitch. I already have it in two other Glitz cowls and it is going into a hat and gloves.

So, what’s the difference between shale and fan and feather? Fan and feather uses more stitches and is thicker. Almost everything is the same except it takes more stitches to do the fan and feather than shale stitch.

It will probably look the same to some people but you should be able to detect the difference upon a closer inspection. I do intend on using both together and an afghan is raising its hand to be selected.

Do you have a favorite stitch? I don’t know that I have a favorite but there are some enjoyable stitches out there. With the knowledge I discovered, I now enjoy two where there once was one being called the wrong name.

I’d be interested in knowing your favorite stitches. Leave a comment below and I will check them out. I’m always on the lookout for a good stitch to create something beautiful.

 

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Grocery Shopping in Chicago

Grocery Shopping in Chicago. Market place bag in Purple. Available at designbcb

Grocery Shopping in Chicago. The Market Bag in Renegade

 

 

 

 

 

If you go grocery shopping in Chicago and you don’t bring your own bags, it will cost you $0.07 per bag. Now, that’s not a lot of money, depending on how many bags you will need. Three bags is my goal. A great deal depends on the checker. It can end up being almost a bag for each item.

I started bringing my own handmade bags. This saved money and allowed control over how the bags were filled. I have one firm sided back someone made for me and I have my market bag I knit myself.

I’ve nagged myself to get Farmer Market bags in the shop. It would make sense to have something that would get folks to the shop over the warmer months and also provide a service. I love using my bag so it would make sense that those who are far more eco-friendly than I could use them.

So, here they are. And there’s one in wine that’s complete and one in orange still on the needles. What can I say? They are a pretty quick knit and the pattern was fun to come up.

I’m using two different yarns for these bags. The always reliable, Lily Sugar and Cream and Village Yarn from Herrschners. I will do reviews on each of them at a later date. (You can find my yarn reviews here.)

If you want to purchase the bags ready to ship or made to order, check them out here. Did you get it? Check them out? Anyway…

You can also make them for yourself or for someone else. I have to admit, I think they make a great gift by itself or bundled. Make one and fill it with other eco-friendly items like paper goods, soaps, towels and give them to the student or first time homeowner. Get the pattern.

Fold them up and keep them tucked in your bag or glove box so they’re ready for grocery shopping in Chicago. It shouldn’t cost you extra because you have to make a quick trip for a few things. This way, you’re ready and saving the planet and some coin.

 

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The Claire Cowl – Free Pattern

I admit, I am late to hop on the Outlander train. Hadn’t heard about it; hadn’t seen it. The first thing that brought it to my attention was, of course, The Claire Cowl. Then all the different knit accessories.

Then the controversy. You know. The hullabaloo about whether the knits were authentic for the time. Imagine, there are people debating whether something is authentic in a show where the lead time travels across centuries. Oh, the irony.

In any case, this is a very simple but impacting knit for the beginner who wants to make garter stitch more interesting or the experienced knitter who wants to knock something fabulous out the park in short order.

I didn’t bother looking at the patterns because it is a pretty simple knit up. So I just made my own. It’s right here and you can download it free. Claire Cowl

If you aren’t able to download it. Here are the instructions:

The Claire Cowl

Yarn: Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca Solid
2 skeins in Night
Needles: Size 19 straights
Size L crochet hook to join ends

Cowl is worked with two strands of yarn held together

  1. Cast on 18-20 stitches
  2. Knit every row until desired length
  3. Cast off
  4. There are several says to join the ends of the scarf to form a cowl. You can take a tapestry needle and see the ends together.
  5. You can take a size L crochet hook, or whatever size you chose that will hold the yarn, and crochet the ends together through the front loops only.
  6. You can do a version of a 3 needle bind off by not casting off immediately. Instead, put the working needle through the first stitch in the needle and through the first stitch in the other end, knit them together, repeat with the next stitches and then bind off.
  7. After binding off, weave in ends.

It’s just that simple. You can modify it by using a single strand of chunky or super chunky – you will still get a stunning piece when you double it. You can make it longer or wider. Just add stitches and keep knitting.

 

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The Finish Line

 

I can see the finish line for the blanket. Which means I will continue until I reach the desired six feet mark or until it’s time to leave for the party. The first update, the blanket was in the infant stages. 

Remember this from last month? The time when the world was new and dreams were tangible? The good old days.

 

 

 

A few scant weeks later and here we are. As you can see, it takes up the space. It no longer fits on the small table but it was fun trying to get it to. But I know that doesn’t really give a good look to the stitches, though you can definitely see the texture. 

 

How about this one? I can’t believe how the light changes in the same room only a few feet apart. This is taken without the flash and the colors are not that bright.

But you can see it. It might seem like it’s big enough but it’s still too much of a rectangle. Needs to fill out a little more and it will be good to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news, I have been using chunky yarn and made two cowls and have a third one on the hook.This is using the Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca. I have the idea of making a less chunky but still chunky version of this cowl using the Tea Cakes. This is using two strands of yarn. That makes it very chunky and cozy but also makes it very expensive.

 

I’ve also started using Ice Yarns Glitz! It’s taken a while to get there but it’s on the needles and the work has progressed a far cry from what you see here. 

I’ve also started doing some embellishments but haven’t done any photos but they are coming. I did say I was ready to start doing the 2020 stuff, right?

I still have two more things to start. I pulled some cotton yarn to start my market bag – one of two market bags; one knit, one crochet. And then I need to start the fingerless gloves.

Did I mention we also just purchased a condo? Nope, not busy over here. Not at all.The finish line seems to have moved.

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Happy New Year

Don’t judge me. It took me a minute to remember I haven’t yet posted this year. I was doing the last few orders and the final was shipped off a few days ago and now I am free…

…to start working on 2020 items. I did take a few hours off and played some Candy Crush Soda but then it was back to work. Though there are no deadlines so the work is a little more relaxed.

I have three items on needles or hooks – not counting the afghan I need to finish for Mr. Honey’s family gathering next Sunday. It is a crap shoot to see how finished it gets. I measured it yesterday and it was a little over 2 feet long. I’m headed for 6 feet. It’s 3 rows to the inch. 

Let’s do the math, shall we?

It’s 31 inches as of this morning. We want to get to 60. 60-31=29. 3 rows to the inch. 29×3=87 rows. 9 days. 87/9=9.666. I think the 666 is significant. 

This seems doable. I will show you the process I am making in another post. When I have the camera upstairs. But 9 rows of 171 stitches could be manageable. Someone wake me up from this dream.

It should also come to no surprise that I changed the pattern. The intention to do the fast and easy blanket was real. But you all know I am a chronic changer. But hey, it’s still an afghan and it’s still being crocheted, so that’s something. I did think about how to create knit stitches but time didn’t allow it.

I will be more than happy to post my version right here on the blog when it is done.You really should have known I would change it. I mean, it’s a baby blanket and I just told you I have 170+ stitches to a row. Do you think that would have been my only change? It’s like you don’t know me at all.

As I was saying, I have three things currently going and two more items that will probably get their start today. I have a Claire Outlander cowl started (it’s way too basic to even call it a pattern but I will also post how I did it and you won’t have to buy it.) I also have another cowl and then some embellishments – currently hearts. The first of the fingerless mitts will be started and the first of the market bags.

I have my first orders of 2020. I kicked one off pretty quickly and the other was a pattern. I’m excited for the new patterns coming. Of the five items that are going on, only the embellishments are the only things I’m not doing from scratch. There are other things I want to do that I will use a pattern (as far as my condition allows.)

All in all, the beginning of the year looks really hopeful and creative. So Happy New Year!

Looking forward to it. I don’t do resolutions. Do you?

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New Year’s Eve

Sometimes stash diving is a good thing. I have almost three skeins of this Caron Big Cake in Pistachio Macron and was wondering what to do with it. I’ve made a long scarf with it and that’s about it. 

I started the family afghan for the giveaway but I wasn’t liking how it was looking. I was using a solid color and I thought it would look better in a stripe or a variegated yarn. I was thinking of buying some when I realized I had to have something in the stash. I saw it when I was looking for something else. Perfect.

 

There should be enough to make a nice sized blanket. Each cake has 600+ yards and I have two and a half. It might make it to lapghan size; which is fine.

My December yarn haul is almost complete. I am contemplating some cakes from Paintbox because they sent a nice 20% off coupon and I can get a nice 5 ball sample for less than $25. So tempting. I know I don’t need it…but still.

We’re headed out to the movies for our annual New Year’s Eve celebration. See a movie that starts in the old year and ends in the new. I have a dozen orders to get out. And some new ideas I want to get to.

Hope this new year is all you need it to be!