Ribbed Fingerless Mitts Knitted

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I finished knitting the ribbed fingerless mitts by Kathy North today. I used the pattern Ribbed Fingerless Mitts from Ravelry. It was a fun and quick project and the perfect pattern for a beginner at knitting fingerless mittens.

Finished fingerless mittens

I used some fingering yarn by Manos Del Uruguay in the Alegria yarn in the Happy colorway.  I used bamboo circular needles in the size US 8 5 mm. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, so I cast on 48 stitches instead of the 32 they suggest to achieve the correct gauge. The yarn worked well with the pattern by added the extra stitches and the finished product are squishy, and soft fingerless mittens that I am looking forward to wearing this winter. You can read my notes on Ravelry here.

Knitting these mittens made me love knitting fingerless mittens and I can definitely see myself knitting some more of these in different colors and they would be perfect as gifts for friends and family. They are so comfortable and leave your fingers free for texting and knitting!

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you are having a great weekend, and I will chat with you again this week!

Have a great day!

Weekend Knitting and Baking

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. This weekend I baked some vegan brownies and started knitting fingerless gloves after searching for patterns on Ravelry. Last night we had my boyfriend's sister and her boyfriend over for a pizza and board games night. It was a fun night and it is always so fun to have them over. Today my boyfriend and I had a relaxing day in and I caught up on my knitting and then we had a lovely dinner later with his mom.

I have started knitting the fingerless gloves today and really looking forward to seeing how they take shape as I knit on. I am using the pattern Ribbed Fingerless Mitts pattern by Kathy North which I found on Ravelry. The yarn I am using is the Allegria Grande yarn by Manos Del Uruguay which is worsted weight yarn and I am using size US 8 5 mm needles. This is the first time I have knitted fingerless gloves and have not really knitted many gloves yet. I am looking forward to wearing these gloves once they are done so I can always have my fingers free and also keep my hands warm in the gloves. I once owned a pair of fingerless gloves when I worked with children at a childcare center and it was easier for me to have my fingers free and be able to still use my fingers for zipping up little zippers and any other things I had to do quickly.

Knitting the fingerless gloves cuff and using my new Fringe Supply Co. Field bag

Wound-up ball of yarn from the previous hank I purchased

I finished knitting that secret hat project for my mom and looking forward to giving it to her in February for her birthday. She chose such a lovely bulky green yarn and it was so fun to knit with because it was soft and also knitted up quickly because of its bulky size.  I am looking forward to sharing photos of the finished hat with you soon.

Yesterday I was baking some vegan brownies and I used the Dolled Up Desserts Bettie's Brownie mix. My sister bought the mix for me for Christmas and I was looking forward to trying them out! I just added coconut oil and maple syrup and the bag of ground flax seeds they provided in the bag. They are so delicious! It was nice to have a brownie which wasn't too sweet and rich and also felt a bit guilt-free because you aren't adding tons of butter as you usually would.

Dolled Up Desserts Bettie's Brownies

I hope you all had a good weekend too and had some time to knit or crochet as well. This week I will be working on knitting the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top and the fingerless gloves. I am also almost finished reading a couple of books so I will be working on reading more to finish them up.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, if you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow my blog through Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can also subscribe by entering your e-mail at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!

Blogmas: Decorating Our Christmas Tree

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I finally got my Christmas tree yesterday and my boyfriend and I decorated it today. It is a bit smaller and lighter than our tree last year which was good because it was easier bringing it in the apartment and will be easier to clean up when Christmas is done. We used the same garland as last year and we bought some new lights. They are Noma lights and are in the colors white, red, and green. I am very happy with how the tree looks in our living room now, it definitely feels a lot more like Christmas now.

My boyfriend and  in front of the tree

Take two

My boyfriend decorating the tree

All finished!

Below are a few of my favorite ornaments I have been putting up for the past few years. The first ornament is a knitted red car with a Christmas tree on top that my mom bought me for my tree last year from Ten Thousand Villages.

The next ornament is the two marshmallows wearing Christmas hats and holding a heart that says "Our First Christmas" that my mom bought for my boyfriend and I because it was our first Christmas last year living together. The knitted mouse was a purchase I made while at the Christmas market in the Distillery District a few years ago. It is so cute and I love that it is knitted most of all!

 We also put up some Christmas lights in the window this year. They are up on the inside of the window held up by using command sticker hooks. I am happy to have some lights on the front window now to spread a bit more Christmas cheer along with others in our building who all have lights up in their windows too. We are looking like a very festive apartment building now.

Thank you for visiting my blog! This week I will be working on finishing knitting the second stocking, Knitting the Wool and the Gang top, and working more on knitting some Christmas gifts. I will also be working on finishing course work and finishing up this semester. If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow my blog through Bloglovin', Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email at the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!

Progress on Resolutions and Goals For the End of 2017

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Today is day 7 of NaBloPoMo! it has been going by fast and I have loved it so far!  Today I worked more on trying to untangle the mess of alpaca yarn that came as a hank of yarn. The ball I am forming has gotten larger, so that is promising and I am hoping that soon I can start knitting the toe up socks I told you all about in October. In the meantime, I have been knitting up my stocking and have knitted four stripes which I am happy about.

I thought today I would share the progress on my New Year resolutions that I made at the beginning of the year. I have always done a progress update in the past on my resolutions to myself just to see how I am doing and if in the short time left in the year, I could do anything to also add to my progress. In the past I liked to write a list of resolutions, then every month I would write progress notes on how I am doing. Now I mostly just write down goals each month in my planner of what I'd like to accomplish. At the beginning of the year, I wrote a list of resolutions and I also shared with you a post on my three words here.

My three words for the year are: Radiant, Balanced, and consistent

Radiant:
I believe I have been radiant by being true to who I am and embracing my strengths and the features I love about myself. Before the end of the year, I would love to really appreciate myself more and be my best self to end this year amazing and start the year off right.

Balanced:
This has been a very balanced year so far in terms of keeping myself centered and balanced emotionally. I have been working on keeping things in check and not getting too overwhelmed. I also kept my life balanced by having a good amount of spending time working on my own and having alone time and also time to see my family and friends.

Consistent:
Consistency at the beginning of the year meant to continue to be consistent in work and also in my personal life. I was thinking I would like to put in a consistent effort in my job and in some of my personal goals. I have seen consistency in my regular exercising, self-care, attention to relationships, knitting, and blogging. I have developed more of this skill at keeping going with working on things that are important to me instead of getting sidetracked by unimportant things and losing track of my goals. I look forward to using more consistency when I get a job as well and continuing on with all these things and also being consistent at work.

Photo source

The resolutions I wrote down in my notebook at the beginning of the year:

• Knit a sweater: finished knitting the sweater on November 2nd, 2017. Please click here to read my blog post about completing the sweater.
• Knit with real wool: Knitted a hat using Patons Roving yarn which is 100% wool. Please click here to see post.
• Read 25 books: I have read 6 books and I will be finishing a few more soon.
• Get down to my goal weight: did not this year, but I have lost 13 pounds this year!
• Grow my blog followers: grew Bloglovin' followers from 35 in May 2017 to 44 and counting now November 2017.
• Post on my blog once every week or every two weeks: I have been more consistent this year with posting on my blog and I have really enjoyed chatting with you all more often! Glad I made my blog a priority this year!
• Go on a trip with my boyfriend: we went to the Dominican Republic in April 2017. Please see blog entry here.

It has been a great year so far and I have accomplished most of what I wanted to at the beginning of the year! 

Goals for the remainder of the year 2017 would be:

1. Finish the books I am currently reading to add them to my books read list
2. Lose 5-10 more pounds
3. Continue posting consistently on my blog
4. Knitting socks with alpaca wool 

And... to have a great rest of the year, happy and healthy. I am looking forward to making my next list for next year. 2018 will be a great year!

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you would like to keep updated on when I post blog entries, please follow my blog on Bloglovin', Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email in the top right corner of the blog.

Have a great day!

Finished Knitted Bat, Decorating for Halloween, and Reading On

Hello friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend, I spent time with my family, and catching up and going for a birthday dinner since my birthday was at Thanksgiving and we get busy with having the holiday dinner.

I have finished knitting this little bat for Halloween. I used a pattern that I found on Ravelry called Violet the Little Bat. It is a very simple pattern, and great for beginner knitters too! I wanted a quick and fun project for Halloween and it was the perfect project for me right now and so adorable.

First, I knitted the body and head by knitting in the round and increasing stitches, then decreasing stitches when getting to the bat's head. Then I moved onto the ears which were also knitted in the round to make the ears fuller. I did not add stuffing to the ears though as it is not requested in the pattern. Then for the wings, I still used the circular needles but did not knit in the round for the pattern. I added the eyes with some gray yarn sewn on with my darning needle. You can make your eyes using a different color and knit the body a different color from the wings if you prefer. There are many possibilities with making this project your own and being creative.

Bat hanging up on wall. I used one of the ends of yarn from sewing the wings on the body to create a loop to hang the bat.

I have been continuing to work on sewing the 3timesChic sweater seams as well. I am working on sewing the second side now and then I will be working on the neck edging. If you would like to read the entries I have written over the year about knitting my first sweater, please click here.

Sweater in progress

I decorated the apartment for Halloween and fall today. I had a few out already but it takes a little bit more time to take them all out and put them around. I just kept the decorating to our living room and put a few of my favorites on shelves. I don't really have a lot of decorations right now with little storage space.

Below are two pumpkins from Michael's that I bought last year, and the cat with a sign saying "trick or Treat" from the Milton farm craft fair a couple of years ago.

Pumpkin patch

I knitted the pumpkin below last year and it was really fun to knit up! You can see last year's post and how to make the pumpkin here.

Squishy pumpkin

This is my favorite Halloween decoration I own. I have had this small haunted house since I was a child. I am pretty sure I bought it from the dollar store but it is still in good shape other than the one ghost missing a head! But I guess that can make it even spookier! I like how it opens up to show inside the house as well, these are so fun for kids and adults too.

Haunted house, opens up to show many spooky inhabitants

I enjoy decorating for each holiday and it adds to the fun of celebrating. Will you be decorating your home for Halloween this year? And what are your favourites?

I am still reading My Not so Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella and Mercy for Animals by Nathan Runkle on my online Overdrive account. I have been reading them on my phone, which makes them easier to bring them along with me wherever I go and have some time to read. The books I am reading are both so interesting and I will be trying to read more of them before they both are due very soon and will go back to their lengthy hold lists.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, AskatKnits for Unwraveled Wednesday, and The Little Room of Rachael for Yarning Along.  What are you working on and reading this week?

Thank you for visiting my blog! If you would like to keep updated on when I post an entry, please follow my blog on Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can include your email in the subscribe by email button at the top right corner of this page.

Have a great day!

Knitting a Bat for Halloween and Got a Wool and the Gang Kit!

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend visiting my family and my boyfriend's family. It was my birthday yesterday and I enjoyed going for lunch with a friend, face timing with family, and going for dinner with my boyfriend. I am now only one year away from thirty years old and thinking I really want to make it a good year! A lot will be happening and I am looking forward to the year ahead. 

Knitting
I have been busy with different knitting projects lately. I have been working on sewing the seams on the sweater. I now have one sleeve and side sewn and working on the second this week and knitting the neck edging. It has been slow progress for me, I am thinking that I am not a fan of sewing seams after this experience like many of you said you were not when I started knitting all the pieces for the sweater.  I am looking forward to finally being done though. 

I started knitting a bat for Halloween over the weekend and using a pattern from Ravelry called Violet the Little Bat. It is a simple pattern and I am enjoying it so far. I have knitted the body/head and ears and going to start working on the wings. I would recommend this pattern if you still don't have a project for Halloween and are looking for something quick to knit up.

Knitting bat, done the body and ears, working on knitting the first wing

I received this Wool and the Gang kit from my sister for my birthday. It is the Farrah top in the billie jean color. I am so excited to start knitting this tank top once I am finished more of my current projects. I have been looking at all their amazing projects on Instagram for over a year now and think it will be a lot of fun to try one out!

The Wool and the Gang bag for the kit

Kit contents: four balls of up-cycled yarn, pattern, and a needle

Reading
I am reading My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella. I had started reading this book earlier this year, then I ran out of time on my loan from the library, and because there are so many holds on it,  I only got it back a couple of weeks ago. I am really enjoying it again and love this easy read. I was reading Love the Wine You're With but I was not getting into it as easily and still debating whether I will continue with reading it. I also got my loan recently from the library which downloaded online for Mercy for Animals by Nathan Runkle and I have been glued to this book ever since. In this autobiography, Nathan discusses starting the organization Mercy for Animals and sneaking into factory farms to expose them for their maltreatment of animals. I have my hands full with all this reading but I think I will read through them fast since I am really enjoying the books right now.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, AsKatKnits for Unwraveled Wednesday, and The Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along.

Thank you for visiting and if you would like to keep updated on when I post blog entries, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email at the top right of this page. 

Have a great day!

Stitchy Saturday: How to Knit the Chickadee Bubbles Stitch

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. This week I decided to knit the Chickadee Bubbles Stitch. I found a lovely photo of the stitch on Pinterest by @woolvan knits and I wanted to give it a try. I love the look of this stitch and it was a lot of fun to knit up!

Chickadee Bubbles Stitch 

For my swatch, I cast on 20 + 3 stitches and knitted the 12 row repeat three times

Pattern:

Knit 4 below: Insert needle in stitch in the 5th row down, drop stitch off needle and unravel 4 rows down, and knit, catching the 4 loose strands behind stitch. (Directions with photos below)

With color A, cast on a multiple of 4 stitches + 3.
Row 1 - wrong side: purl.
Row 2 - right side: knit.
Row 3:  purl.
Row 4: knit.
Row 5: purl.
Row 6:  knit 3, * knit 4 below, knit 3; rep from * to end
Row 7: purl.
Row 8: knit.
Row 9: purl.
Row 10: knit.
Row 11: purl.
Row 12:  knit 1, * knit 4 below, knit 3; rep from * to last 2 stitches, knit 4 below, knit 1.
Repeat Rows 1 - 12

Knitting pattern from Knitting Stitch Patterns. 


Instructions on how to do *knit 4 below: 

1. After knitting the three (row 6) or one required stitches (row 11), on the next stitch, count five holes down below the stitch

2. Then put needle through the fifth hole below the stitch

3.  Drop the first stitch on the left needle, then pull the stitch down until there are four rows of dropped stitch visible

 4. Then wrap your yarn around the right needle to make a knit stitch and pull through

 5. Once you have knit the stitch, it will look like the photo below, then continue on to knit three stitches

 It will look like the photo below once the three stitches are knitted, then repeat steps 1 through 5 to complete the knit four below step in the chickadee bubble stitch pattern.

What I thought of the stitch pattern:
I loved this pattern, it is so fun to knit up and does not take a lot of time. I really love the finishing texture and I think it would be so fun for a hat and give it such a fun unique look.

Knitting level:
I think that this could be done by a beginner knitter because it looks hard, but it requires mostly knit and purls and then if you follow the photos above to knit the "knit 4 below" technique, it is not that difficult to do.

Thank you for visiting my blog and if you would like to keep updated on when I post more Stitchy Saturday posts and other posts during the week, please follow me on Bloglovin' and Google Followers.

Have a great day!