Sweater Sleeve Finished, Next Knitting Project, and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I had a good weekend seeing family and my boyfriend's family too. It is such a stormy, gloomy day today and raining off and on. There was just an explosion of thunder that made me jump. This weather is crazy! hopefully Summer is on its way...

Knitting
Yesterday I finished knitting the first sleeve of my 3timesChic sweater from Knitty.com. It was pretty easy to knit up and I cannot believe that after the second sleeve I will be done knitting the sweater! Then I have the job of seaming all the pieces together and blocking the sweater. I have never blocked anything before, so I will be researching to find out more about what is needed to block and how to block garments. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!

The front piece of the sweater with the first finished sleeve

The sleeve piece looks so wide and huge, but when folded down the middle it looks like a decent size sleeve. I think there will be some extra material in the sleeve which will make it more comfortable. I am looking forward to seeing these pieces once they are blocked, they will look much larger than they do now.

Next Project!
I found a pattern on Ravelry on the weekend for a kerchief which looks like a smaller triangle scarf/shawl. It is called "The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief" by Orange Flower Yarn. The pattern is free on Ravelry if you would like to check it out! I chose this pattern because I have had some lovely yarn in my stash for some time by Loops & Threads called Chameleon, and this project seems perfect to work with the yarn. It called for size 5 mm US 8 needles which my yarn calls for and the project can be knitted in worsted weight medium yarn.  I am excited to knit this, it looks so nice and I am used to knitting either infinity scarfs and regular rectangular scarves so this is something new for me.

Screenshot of the pattern. Click here for Pattern by Orange Flower Yarn

The yarn I will be using by Loops & Threads, Chameleon, color 'coffee'.

Reading
I am still working on reading The Nest and Little Book of Hygge, I am enjoying them, but I have been really slow in reading them. Once I am finished The Nest, then I will move onto Bridget Jone's Diary: Mad About the Boy which will be later this week!

I am joining in with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and seeing what I am working on this week! what are you working on and reading? If you would like to follow my blog to keep updated, you can follow me through Bloglovin' and Google Followers.

Have a great day!

Stitchy Saturday: Lace Hearts Knit Stitch Pattern

Hello Friends, 

I hope you are doing well. Today we had my sister and her fiance over for dinner, it was wonderful getting together and it was the first time to have them both over together, as we have had my parents and my sister over before. I loved having champagne, dinner and beer, and playing a game on the Wii console tonight, it was a lot of fun. This week I found this Lace Hearts Knit Stitch Pattern and I thought it looked so pretty and had to give it a try. I think this would look so nice used in a scarf repeated the full length of the scarf or as details on a blanket. I love the simplicity of the stitch pattern and how wonderful it looks when finished the series of rows. I hope that you like this stitch and are inspired to give it a try!

Lace Hearts Knit stitch Pattern 

swatch knitted on size 6 mm US 10 needles, and worsted weight yarn in pink color

Pattern: 

Cast On 21 Stitches
Row 1: K Row
Row 2: K Row
Row 3: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 4: K Row
Row 5: K 2, P 17, K 2

Beginning of Heart Pattern: 
Row 6: K10, YO, SSK, K9
Row 7: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 8: K8, K2TOG, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K8
Row 9: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 10: K7, K2TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K7
Row 11: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 12: K6, K2TOG, YO, K5, YO, SSK, K6
Row 13: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 14: K5, K2TOG, YO, K7, YO, SSK, K5
Row 15: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 16: K4, K2TOG, YO, K4, YO, SSK, K3, YO, SSK, K4
Row 17: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 18: K5, YO, SSK, K1, K2TOG, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1, K2TOG, YO, K5
Row 19: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 20: K6, YO, K3TOG, YO, K3, YO, K3TOG, YO, K6

End of Heart Pattern: 
Row 21: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 22: K Row
Row 23: K 2, P 17, K 2
Row 24: K Row
Row 25: K Row

Bind Off
Weave in ends

Pattern used from Studio Knit

What I thought: 

I loved knitting this lace heart stitch pattern. It was so easy to follow and it was lovely to see the heart emerging from the pattern as I knitted. I think this stitch pattern would make a lovely detail on a scarf and blanket or the bottom of garments. I think this stitch pattern would be fun to use in knits for Valentine's Day and to be used in knitted gifts to show someone how much you care. 

Knitter level: 

Beginner: The stitch is easy to follow and the repetition is easy to learn after a few pattern repeats. The pattern involves only knits and purls, and knitting two stitches together. This is a good stitch pattern to practice and become familiar with knitting lace patterns.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, it is always nice to read your comments and get your feedback. Have you knitting this stitch pattern before? if so, what did you knit with the pattern? 

If you would like to see other Stitchy Saturday posts you can click here. If you would like to follow my blog and keep updated on when I am posting new stitch patterns or blog entries, you can follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Have a great day!

Socks off the Needles and a New Book to Read

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I have had a great long weekend, it was Victoria Day on Monday so it gave us an extra day off on the weekend. I saw some friends on Sunday and did some Spring Shopping, and on Monday I caught up on my knitting and did some studying for my courses.  I was really busy with my online accounting course yesterday, writing an assignment so I was not able to write a blog post on my usual Tuesday sadly. But I am here today! :)

I finished knitting the socks today that I have been working on, and I am so happy that they are finally off the needles, I loved following the basic socks pattern on the Bernat Sox label. I would definitely buy this yarn again and follow the pattern provided.

Bernat Basic Socks, Bernat Sox fine yarn using 2.75 mm needles

I put them on today and they are so cozy!

I am still working on the sleeve for the 3timesChic sweater. It is coming along well. I am ust knitting in the pattern now because I am finished doing the increasing.

I am almost finished the Nest and The Little Book of Hygge. I should be finished by next week. Once I am done, I am excited to read this book called "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" by Helen Fielding.  I saw all the Bridget Jone's movies, but I have never read the books. I am enjoying my green tea right now in one of my favorite mugs, and now I am off to see what you are all working on today!

What are you working on and reading this week?

Joining in with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along

Thank you for visiting my blog and if you want to follow my blog to be updated on new posts, you can follow me through Bloglovin' and Google Followers.

Have a great day!

Stitchy Saturday Basket Cable Stitch

Hello Friends, 

I hope you are doing well. I have been busy today working on this lovely stitch. I love the look of this stitch and its weaved appearance is so nice to look at. I enjoyed knitting the stitch, it was fun and easy to knit up and looks amazing. I hope that you will give it a try! 

 Basket Cable Stitch 

Pattern: 

(when it says C6B/F in the pattern, put 3 stitches on a double pointed needle or on a cable stitch holder and put it either in the front (F) or back (B) of the other stitches.
Row 1 (WS) K2, P to last 2 sts, K2
Row 2 K to end
Row 3 K2, P to last 2 sts, K2
Row 4  K2, (C6B) to last 2 sts. K2
Row 5 K2, P to last 2 sts, K2
Row 6 K to end
Row 7 K2, P to last 2 sts, K2
Row 8 K5, (C6F) to the last 5 sts, K5.

Repeat rows 1 to 8.

Pattern and video tutorial from Bundle in a Basket Blog 

What I thought: 

I really enjoyed knitting this stitch pattern. The pattern was easy to learn and follow. I think that this pattern kept me interested because it is repetitive, but the pattern changes when moving stitches to either the front or back. I really enjoyed this stitch and will try to incorporate it into my knitting projects.

Knitter level: 

Beginner: The stitch is easy to follow and the repetition is easy to learn after a few pattern repeats. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, it is always nice to read your comments and get your feedback. Have you knitting this stitch pattern before? if so, what did you knit with the pattern? 

If you would like to see other Stitchy Saturday posts you can click here. If you would like to follow my blog and keep updated on when I am posting new stitch patterns or blog entries, you can follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Have a great day!

A Recipe to Share and Knitting Project Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have been busy knitting the sock and the sleeve this week. I was knitting a lot of the sock yesterday, trying to get more of it knitted. It was so hot outside here yesterday, I was sweating when I got home from a walk I took for 40 minutes. It is so nice to have the warm weather now and today was hot as well. But it is also humid, which I dislike. I have been working away on my online courses, I have my first accounting assignment on the accounting equation next week so I have been preparing for that by writing down the problems several times so it sticks. It has been a busy day fitting in school, blogging, and cleaning but somehow I got most of the things done that I wanted to.

Vanilla Blueberry Overnight Oats
I wanted to share this delicious overnight oats recipe with you that I have been loving. It is the first time I have tried overnight oats and now I am hooked and want to try some more combinations. The one I am sharing with you is the "Vanilla Blueberry Overnight Oats" from Fitful Focus and I originally found the recipe pinned on Pinterest. This time I used a Mason Jar I bought from Loblaws Superstore which worked better to mix everything but before that a simple bowl worked just fine as well. When you take the jar out in the morning, it tastes delicious, all the flavors have mixed together and it is ready to eat. It has a firmer texture and I use a spoon to eat it out of the jar. I was happy I could reach my spoon all the way to the bottom of the jar. I was concerned because the jar looked so tall!

The next morning after being put in the fridge overnight.

Mason jar with all the ingredients mixed in, the evening before

Same jar, from above of all the ingredients mixed together

Ingredients:

1/2 banana
2 small handfuls of fresh blueberries
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1/2 tbsp Almond butter (I used light smooth peanut butter instead)
1/2 cup of oats (I used rolled oats )
1 tbsp chia seeds

For topping (I have been mixing the topping into the overnight oats which works well too!)
Small handful of granola 
1/2 tbsp Almond butter (I used light smooth peanut butter instead)
Handful of blueberries

Recipe from Fitful Focus 

As for my knitting projects, I am finished shaping the heel on my second sock, and I am beginning to knit the foot. For the sleeve, I am still knitting the 9 rows of increases every 5 rows. Next for the sleeve, I will be knitting in the pattern until the sleeve is 17.5 inches long. Once I knit the sleeve to that length, I will begin decreasing to bind off the sleeve. 

Finished shaping the heel and onto knitting the foot of the sock, two more rows of increases for the sleeve 

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoyed the topics shared and discussed today. If you want to keep updated on blog posts and see what I am up to, you can follow my blog through Bloglovin' or/and Google Followers. 

Have a great day!

Knitting, Gifting, and Reading

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I hope that you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I had a great day with my mom and I was so happy she liked the blog post I wrote up about her and the knitted gift I gave her, which I will be talking about today.  Today I was doing some reading for one of my courses and then did some training and an exam online. I was also knitting my sleeve earlier and did some exercise. I did the daily workout on Toneitup.com.

Reading
So lately I have been reading a couple of books here and there, but not reading too quickly. I am currently halfway through The Nest and still towards the beginning of The Little Book of Hygge. I am enjoying both and look forward to reading on and discovering more about the family in the Nest. I must make more time to read them. I was thinking of 30 minutes before bed every night just reading to wind down instead of trying to cram reading in right before bed and when we are too tired and want to go to sleep. I have not been reading as much during the day because I get busy with other tasks, maybe I will today!

Knitting
I am still working away on the sock that I have been knitting with Bernat Sox yarn, and following the basic socks pattern. I have not picked this up too much in the past week because of trying to work on my other project which is the sleeve and also getting started on my online courses. I have been knitting up the sleeve for the 3timesChic sweater and so far I am increasing every fifth row twice. It is a relaxing knit because I can knit this while watching television or listening to Youtube videos or podcasts.

I knitted a bookmark for my mom for Mother's Day using Patons Astra yarn in the color of "Hot Lilac". I used this pattern for the bookmark, which I found while perusing Pinterest and looking for gift ideas. I love this stitch pattern, it is the horseshoe lace stitch pattern. If you want to know more about it, you can visit a Stitchy Saturday post I wrote awhile ago.
 

I am joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, and with The Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog to see what I am knitting and reading this week! If you would like to follow me to keep updated on when I post entries like this one, you can follow me on Bloglovin' and Google Followers.

Have a great day!

Happy Mother's Day and a Note for my Mom

Hello Friends!


I hope you are all doing well. This is a special post for Mother's day and I will be showing it to my mom. She is the most wonderful mom that I could ask for. She is so caring, compassionate, supportive, kind, and funny. I love her so much and she has always been such an amazing mom to my sister and I!

I am so grateful that she is always there for me and supporting me. She always encourages me to work hard on my knitting and blogging because she knows how important these things are to me. She encouraged me to go back to school when I was feeling unsure about my last career. She is my best friend and I love her so much.

Thank you Mom for everything you do for me, and our family, we love you so much!

Thank you for visiting my blog! Happy Mother's Day to all the blogging moms out there! I am amazed at how you make time to create wonderful projects and also take care of your children and make it all look so seamless.

Have a wonderful day!

Stitchy Saturday: Diagonal Stitch

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I found this fun and easy diagonal stitch pattern on the blog Purl Avenue this week and had to give it a try! I loved the simplicity of the stitch and how beautiful it turns out. I knitted it up quickly and was happy to see the diagonal stitches turned out nicely. I hope that you like this stitch and give it a try just for fun!

 Diagonal Stitch

Pattern:

Multiple of 8 sts + 6

Row 1 (RS): P3, *K5, P3; rep from * to last 3 sts, K3.
Row 2: P4, *K3, P5; rep from * to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 3: P1, K5, *P3, K5; rep from * to end.
Row 4: K1, P5, *K3, P5; rep from * to end.
Row 5: K4, *P3, K5; rep from * to last 2 sts, P2.
Row 6: K3, *P5, K3; rep from * to last 3 sts, P3.
Row 7: K2, P3, *K5, P3; rep from *& to last st, K1.
Row 8: P2, K3, *P5, K3; rep from * to last st, P1.

Repeat rows 1-8.

Pattern used from Purl Avenue

What I thought: 

I liked this stitch and thought it would make a lovely blanket. I was thinking that you could use two or three colors while making this stitch pattern. One could be for the purls going diagonally and one or two could be used for the knit stitches in the pattern. This would look amazing as a blanket. 

Knitting Level:

Beginner: I found this stitch easy to follow and the simple knitting and purling made it perfect for knitters of all skill levels. I think this would be a fun stitch to try for a beginner knitter because the results are wonderful and it does not require too many complicated instructions.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, it is always nice to read your comments and get your feedback. Have you knitting this stitch pattern before? if so, what did you knit with the pattern? 

If you would like to see other Stitchy Saturday posts you can click here. If you would like to follow my blog and keep updated on when I am posting new stitch patterns or blog entries, you can follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Have a wonderful day!

Knitting a Few Projects and On Getting In Shape!

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I have been busy with knitting and I also started some online courses this week as part of an online Office Administration Certificate. Time for a career change for me. I started Tuesday and I am getting into the swing of things, reading textbooks on Accounting, Project Management, and Microsoft Word. I am enjoying going back to school and learning new subjects that I have not learned about before. I am glad I can still sneak in some knitting breaks into my day!

I started knitting the sleeve this week for the 3timesChic sweater I have been working on. I am halfway through the increases and I love how repetitive and simple the pattern is. I like how it is looking so far and it is kind of cute that it looks like a smaller version of the sweater right now. The sock is coming along, I used the Bernat Sox basic sock pattern to knit them. I knitted more of the sock last night (while watching Hockey Wives) and this morning, so I am almost at the turn of the heel. My goal is to finish it for next week!  I am still working on my special project for Mother's day, which I will be showing you next week!

I also wanted to share with you that I am loving the Tone It Up fitness videos. My friend told me about their site initially and I thought I would check it out only once and awhile if I am bored with my other videos, but I got hooked on their workouts and their fun and energetic videos. I joined the Bikini Series this year. Which includes a weekly workout schedule as well as includes recipes to try and other fun stuff. It is free and only requires you to make a username and password. I am hoping to tone up and feel great for the summer. If you are interested in checking out the Bikini Series you can go to Tone It Up website to read more!
I have already lost 10 pounds since January. It has been a bit of a struggle, but I am still working on the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge hoping that eating clean and exercising everyday will show some results. I do feel great and so much lighter and energetic than before I started working out and eating well. I work out around 3-4 times every week and try to squeeze a workout in the morning when I am most motivated. It has helped to keep consistent and also to try to eat cleaner and drink more water. I also have been drinking one green tea each day and this has become a daily routine around 3 pm and I am loving it.  I also try not to eat after dinner, that was a tough one to start following but it gets easier!

My weight and mat, did some exercise today!

I also wanted to share that a flower popped up this week from my peace lily plant. I think it will open up soon!

Peace lily

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you want to keep updated with my blog entries, please follow me on Bloglovin' and Google. 

Have a great day!

Knitting a Sleeve For My First Sweater

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I am doing well today,  It is another gloomy day here in Toronto. I think it will be raining and cloudy for quite some time. It is horrible what people are going through in my hometown of Montreal, Quebec as well as other parts of Quebec. I heard about all the flooding they are experiencing, hope they find relief from the flooding soon.
I started knitting the first sleeve of my sweater today. I was a bit confused at first because the pattern says use a US 8 (5 mm) circular needle for the sleeves, but then it says to knit wrong side and right side and gave the pattern for each so I realized they want us to knit on straight needles after all. I am glad that was cleared up so I could start knitting the sleeve. I am at the third row of increases now and have two more rows to increase one stitch on each end of the sleeve, then it calls for an increase of two stitches in a row every five rows nine times.  I was a bit disappointed that I could not knit the sleeves in the round on the circular needles but I am already planning on my next sweater involving no seaming at the end or less at least. Has anyone else had a sweater pattern that called for knitting sleeves on straight needles? it seems odd to me but I am new to sweater knitting.

Beginnings of work on the first sleeve 

I am still working on the second sock as well but I have not picked it up for awhile as the weekend was very busy. I also just started some online courses today as part of a certificate program in Office Administration. I have been reading and getting prepared for writing assignments and going to school again. I am so happy to be able to still post on my blog today. I am hoping I can juggle three courses online, blogging, and everything else I do. I think it will be doable! hopefully.

Joining in with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On. and Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, I really appreciate the time you take out of your day to come see what I am up to over here. If you want to follow my blog you can find me on Bloglovin' and you can also follow me through Google!

Have a great day!

Stitchy Saturday: Daisy Flower Stitch

Hello friends,

I hope you are doing well. I found this pattern on Pinterest today and thought it looked so pretty. It is Spring now but we have not yet experienced the Spring weather, it is so cold and rainy here right now. Let's hope for some warmer and sunnier days ahead. Maybe knitting more daisies will bring more sunshine and flowers in the near future! 

 Daisy Flower Stitch 

Pattern:

Multiples of 4 stitches + 1

I cast on 13 stitches (12+1) stitches for the swatch above

Row 1: Knit 
Row 2: K1, *P3Tog keep on needle, YO, P3tog, K1 * 
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: K1,P1,K1, *P3Tog keep on needle, YO, P3Tog, K1,* P1, K1

Pattern used from Studio Knit 

What I thought: 

I loved this stitch, it turns out very pretty when alternating colors. I alternated colors at each knit row and it was much easier to see the daisies emerge. I think this would be a great stitch for all knitting levels, it is a simple four row repeat, two of them just knitting and easy to learn the pattern repetition. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, it is always nice to read your comments and get your feedback. Have you knitting this stitch pattern before? if so, what did you knit with the pattern? 

If you would like to see other Stitchy Saturday posts you can click here. If you would like to follow my blog and keep updated on when I am posting new stitch patterns or blog entries, you can follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Thank you and have a great day!

Front Piece of Sweater Knitted (& May the Fourth Be With You!)

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I finished the front piece of the 3timesChic sweater that I found on Knitty.com. The front piece was a little more difficult than the back piece, but the instructions were not too difficult to follow once I read them through a few times. This week I started knitting the neckline, I started with the right shoulder and that side of the neckline, then I moved onto the left. Below are some photos, they will also look different one they are blocked which I plan to do! I am happy with how the front turned out. I am hoping also once I block it, it will give it more shape and also be longer and wider I am hoping that it fits properly. I am sure every beginner sweater knitter has this worry that the sweater they work so hard on won't fit, even after taking measurements. I guess we shall see once it is all done.

If you are interested in learning how to knit a sweater, then I recommend this pattern as a good basic pattern to start off with. I have never knitted a sweater before but I read this pattern through and I felt like I could knit this. Some patterns look intimidating, but this one was not too scary for me as an intermediate knitter and would be great for beginner to intermediate knitters. I feel accomplished for having finished the front piece and back piece and now there are just the sleeves left then I have to sew the four pieces together and I will be done!

Also just for fun because it is May 4th otherwise known as Star Wars day, I wanted to share this amazing puzzle my boyfriend just got for his birthday. I am helping him put it together! :)

......and a cute photo I found today on Pinterest!

Photo source 

Thank you for visiting my blog, if you want to keep updated on all my posts and want to see more posts like this, then you can follow my blog on Bloglovin' and Google Followers.

Have a great day!

Knitting Socks, Front sweater Piece, and Reading

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I am doing well, I have been visiting family this past weekend and the beginning of this week and catching up! I am so excited it was the first day of May yesterday, it was a dreary wet first day with pouring rain most of the day much like today, but we are getting closer to the Summer! 

Knitting 

I have been working on the second sock and the front piece of the sweater. The second sock is coming along quickly and I think it will be done soon once I get momentum one day and just finish it while watching podcasts or one of the shows I am watching on Netflix. After having to frog a lot of the front piece of the sweater piece last week it took some motivation to pick it back up again and to start knitting the neckline of the front piece of the sweater.  This morning I picked it back up and started to work on the right shoulder. I put the 31 stitches of the left shoulder on a stitch holder and continued on with the right shoulder. I decreased every three rows along the neckline. Now I am finished with decreasing and will continue knitting until the piece from the armhole measure 10 inches. Then I will pick up the stitches on the holder and do the same thing for the left shoulder. 

3timesChic sweater front piece in progress, working on the right shoulder 

Bernat Sox basic socks pattern, working on the second sock

Reading

I am still reading the Nest by Cynthia D'aprix Sweeney and The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. I have been busy with other things the past couple of weeks and not devoting enough time to read these books and finish them in order to start a new one. I have "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty on loan from the library now and I am looking forward to reading it because I loved reading "Truly Madly Guilty" by her and I have heard Big Little Lies is even better so I am excited to dive in. I have a lot of books on the go right now so I will make an effort to finish The Nest this week so I can start Big Little Lies soon.

Joining Little Room of Rachell for Yarning along 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today and I hope that you come back again soon! if you would like to keep updated on my blog posts and not miss one, you can follow me on Bloglovin' and Google Followers!

Have a great day!