Drops Design

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Hello again knitting world

OMG! I can't believe it's been 3 years since my last post. A lot has happened since then, a lot has been knit since then. I discovered a really good yarn work website. It's called Ravelry, and it is awesome. It has tons of patterns, free and not. It also has message boards and forums covering any topic you could possibly imagine. I am a member of a dish cloth swap group, which is really fun. Each month there is a different theme for the swap, and you send stuff to someone and they send stuff back to you. Here's a picture of what I received in the February Valentine's themed swap.

I'm also working on my second pair of socks. I got a great sock book, Socks a la Carte. The pages are cut into sections so you can flip through and choose a cuff, a body, and a heel/foot. The pattern I'm knitting right now is just a basic rib pattern, I think I'm going to need a little advice before I can move on to the more complicated patterns. The yarn I'm using is really pretty though, so it doesn't need a complicated pattern to make it pop. See:

I already have an outfit picked out to wear with them when they're finally done. Well, it's time to get back to knitting, hope to post again real soon.

The contents of my knitting bag

I've been lugging my knitting bag everywhere with me lately, and it just keeps getting heavier. Here's what's in it.

1. Toddler slippers I just finished knitting, am going to felt tonight. Cross your fingers for me.
2. 100% wool & mohair yarn used to knit the slippers
3. Size 11 plastic dpns. This is the first time I've knitted with plastic needles, and I love them.
4. Knit One, Felt Too The felting book I ordered from Barnes & Noble. It's got great instructions, and so many patterns I'll actually do.
5. My sock pattern, and the beginnings of my 2nd pair of socks. I've decided to have a sock on the needles and in my purse at all times, for when I have a few spare minutes.
6. Kitchner stitch instructions. I know having these is going to come in handy one of these days.
7. Stitch holder
8. Shawls The other book I ordered from Barnes & Noble. It's also got really great patterns.
9. My dish cloth patterns.
10. Scissors, a must have.
11. I Taught Myself Knitting I taught myself knitting with this book. I keep it in my bag at all times, in case I forget something. It's a great reference tool.
12. Darning needle, another must have.
13. Beginnings of a diagonal drop-stitch shawl. This is the first thing I've ever cable stitched, it will also be my first drop-stitch project, if I ever get to the stitch dropping point. It's also the first pattern I've knitted from a chart.
14. Washable wool yarn I got for making baby booties.
15. An unfinished baby booty. I got through the checkerboard pattern, but the edging instructions don't make sense to me, so I got frustrated and put it down at this point.
16. A sock of the month yarn & pattern I got from The Knitter. It's knitted on size 0 needles, and has cable stitches, so I'm a little intimidated by it.
17. The rest of my needles I'm not currently using. I keep them in an eye glasses case. It's very handy.

I also have a pen, a pad of post-its, and a cable needle. I love post-its. You can put them directly on the page you're working off of to keep track of what row you're on.

Now you know what's in my knitting bag, what's in yours?

Finally!

I finished my socks!!!





I haven't been blogging because I've had a really busy summer, and I've been kind of embarrassed that it was taking me so long to finish my socks. They're done now, though, so I'm either going to have to start blogging again or come up with a better excuse.

I ordered a couple of new knitting books from Barnes & Noble yesterday. I got a felting book and a shawls book. I've never felted anything, so it should be fun to learn a new technique. Also, I hope everyone in my family needs a shawl, because they're getting one for Christmas!

Have a nice day!

I'm going yarn shopping tomorrow

I'm going to take my mother with me to Guthrie to SWAK. It'll be my first time to go to a store totally devoted to yarn. I'm very excited. From what I've heard, they have a WAY better selection of yarn that say Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I'm going to try to find other things to do in Guthrie so we can make a day of it.

I started knitting baby booties for my cousin's baby. I'm almost finished with the first one. It's a really easy pattern. It only took me a couple of hours to do. I don't think it looks very good. I just grabbed the yarn & needles I had with me and started knitting to see what the pattern would look like. I don't know if I'm actually going to give her the first pair I make. I may play around with a couple of different yarns before I decide on what the finished product will be. When I do decide, I'll post pictures.

Sock Update

The sock I'm working on is coming along quite nicely. I finished the heel, and am on the home stretch. If I'm lucky, I'll finish it tonight and have pictures to post tomorrow. Next I think I'm going to try my hand at cable knitting. I found a poncho with cable knit that I'm going to attempt. Either that, or cable twist socks. I've really enjoyed knitting socks, so I think I may stick with them for a little while.

Yesterday I was looking at the different kinds of yarn I can use for socks, when I came across this. It's white yarn that you can color yourself. I also found instructions for dying yarn with Kool-Aid. I'm going to have to try this stuff out.