It may not be Fall quite yet, but football has started, kids are headed back to school (my oldest is starting preschool!), the weather is cooling off just a bit, and I am getting the itch to knit.  The leaves will be falling before we know it.  I’ve found myself digging through my yarn stash and browsing patterns online trying to decide which project I want to tackle first.  I would really like to work through some of my stash this winter, but some of the projects I want to do will require new yarn purchases.

First up is a scarf for me.  I thought I was going to make this two years ago, but just never got around to it.  That’s why it’s first on the list this time around.  I started it last night, but didn’t get very far.  I’m hoping to watch a movie or two and work on it this weekend.

Next on my list is to attempt making Evie some pants, or “longies” as they’re called in the cloth diapering world.  I’ve found a couple patterns that adapt for those of us who don’t cloth diapers so I want to take a stab at it.  It may be a bit of an ambitious goal.  If anyone has any longies patterns that they love, please send a link my way!

I also have some Christmas gifts in mind, mainly for my three nieces.  I’ve got some cute girly yarn in bright colors (seen on this hat) that would make some really cute hats or other items.  I haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do with it, but the wheels are churning.

I’d also like to crochet Evie another Roselette top.  They’re just so cute and I’m pretty sure she’s outgrown the ones I made last year.  She may get a few more wears out of them, but they aren’t going to make it through the entire Winter.

Oh yes, Halloween is just around the corner and I have a little trick up my sleeve. As soon as I can get some time alone in my craft room there will be a little treat for one of you!

I’ve been sitting around patiently waiting for an invite to Ravelry for a while now.  I kept thinking surely my turn would come up soon.  Lo and behold, during a quick e-mail check last night I saw the invite sitting in my inbox.  I signed up right away, but I don’t have much time to play there just yet.  I have a feeling I could get sucked in for hours before I notice.

I’m really impressed with the site after getting just a quick look around.  I think it will definitely be a great resource for me as I learn my way through the knitting basics.

Speaking of learning, I’m still working on that darn Grace beanie.  I started (and actually finished) another one during a car trip this weekend.  It was coming out perfect until I got distracted by a toddler and let my stitch count get off.  I went ahead and finished it out anyway as it was just a test with some spare yarn.  I’ll be starting another one soon to go with the blanket I recently finished.

I also knitted up another quickie infant hat over the weekend that I have yet to take pictures of.  It may be a while before I’m able to post pictures though as we are heading out of town on vacation on Friday.  I’ll have a very limited internet connection while we are gone unless I can find some free wi-fi somewhere.

Technorati Tags: ravelry, grace beanie, baby, hats, knitting

So it appears that I may have gotten in a little over my head with the Grace Beanie. It didn’t look that hard from the pattern, but apparently I’m more of a novice than I like to admit. I did my swatch for gauge, then started in on the beanie. What I didn’t do was practice the heart pattern. That part didn’t go so well.

I was knitting along as happy as could be on the beanie when I discovered that the heart pattern wasn’t looking so much like a heart. The holes in the pattern weren’t lining up correctly. Trying not to get frustrated, I pulled out my trusty knitting books and double checked to make sure I was doing the slip, slip, knit and the yarn overs correctly. Apparently I was doing something funky with the yarn overs, so I decided to back up a bit and rip.

With my new knowledge, I started in again. It still didn’t line up. I decided to put down the beanie I was working on and grab a different yarn so I could see my stitches better. I figured I would make a quick swatch of the heart pattern and figure out what I was doing wrong. Three tries later and I still can’t seem to get it to come out right. At this point, I figure either the pattern is wrong or I am just doing it wrong. What do you want to bet it is the latter?

I’m still working on it though. I refuse to give up because I really want to make the beanie. In fact I have plans to make several of them if I can ever get it right. It is times like these when I wish I had some knitting friends around here to help me out.

Technorati Tags: knitting, grace beanie, slip slip knit, yarn over

One of my favorite things to make lately is baby blankets. I loved crocheting them so I figured knitting them was the next step. When I first started knitting I started out with hats because they are generally a pretty quick project that I can finish in a day or two. Since I knew my sister was going to be having a baby soon, I decided to see what kind of knitting patterns I could find for a baby blanket. I wasn’t sure I was up for knitting a blanket with my newly learned and still quite clumsy knitting skills but I thought I would give it a try if I could find something that looked simple enough.

I searched and searched my knitting books and the internet and I finally found something I thought I could handle. I discovered the Broken Rib Baby Blanket through Knitting Pattern Central. I adapted the pattern slightly to use some extra chunky yarn and size 17 needles (look at me already changing things when I barely know what I’m doing!). I managed to finish the first blanket in only two weeks knitting in the evenings on weekends when I had spare time. I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out, but it actually looked quite good. My sister loved the blanket and I was very proud of myself for finishing it just in time for her impromptu baby shower.

Since I enjoyed making the first one, I have now started on a second one. It seems like everyone I know is pregnant right now, so I think I’ll be busy for a while!