A Beatnik in Vivid Orange

My second attempt on a Norah Gaughan design is the ever-so-popular Beatnik cable sweater, which had been on my queue for quite some time. I really enjoyed making it, even when it got a bit time consuming or boring at times.

The design is modern and retro at the same time, and it features a neckline that is to die for! (One of the main reasons I wanted to make this pattern)

Summer No-show Socks

Something new I tried very recently, is the concept of no-show socks. Socks that can be worn to provide comfort or to prevent the creation of blisters, and at the same time give the impression of a bare foot. Sheila Toy Stormberg over at Ravelry is really into this type of socks and has produced patterns for many different versions.

I followed Skimmer Socks, and it was pretty neat.

Rainbows on my hands

One of the most colorful(and cheerful) projects I've made to date, is a pair of gloves made by only one strand of yarn. Throughout. The yarn that does the job of creating this beautiful Rainbow effect is Sock Hop by Dancing Leaf Farm.

The pattern on the other hand, is of my own improvisation.

Halyard: the story of turning a dress into a sweater

Well, this is embarrassing, I have been so busy with studying and finalizing my Master Thesis, that I haven't posted a single thing for two months! (i.e. you can blame them, not me xD)
Even though a new exam period is shortly coming up, I hope I will be able to post a bit more frequently. If only, I have been making (some) stuff and when I don't write about them soon after, I forget!

So, today I will write about a sweater I made in December (!).

Weaving and a Nostepinne

I have been on a repair frenzy lately. It might be because I am studying non stop and that gets me into this mood, but the advantage is that I get things done that I have been postponing for a long time. One of these things, is the addition of patches on a pair of jeans.

A Lopapeysa for Schnewi

A while ago I came across a picture of cat dressed in a Lopapeysa, and immediately, I thought, I should make one for my cat too! Our winter has been rather cold too, so helping my cat stay warm would provide an extra to the cuteness, right?

Hats in the power of three

There was a time that my hands were itching to make a hat and instead of just making one, I made three! For two out of three I wanted to experiment with increases, binding off and different ribbing. The one that stands out was a present for my mother: she asked for a slouchy warm hat and even gave me the yarn! But that yarn has an interesting story.

Dragons

For more than 6 months I had been expecting to leave the country permanently in October (last month) for a job offer in Zambia. I didn't mention it, because, well, things can go the other way easily. Some difficulties came up from the other side and now I am waiting indefinitely to see wether the plans will ever be completed or not. 
The situation is a bit fuzzy and this delay is not entirely a bad thing, since I didn't manage to finish some things I planed for the University, but it still threw me off my preparation mode.

Pen tablet glove

It was summer and I needed an instant satisfaction knit. I also had on my mind to create a glove that would allow me to draw on my tablet screen without any unwanted issues. That is how the pen tablet glove was created.

Spellbound

During the summer months, and even though I had various projects in my hands, I got the urge to start a cotton top. I had Spellbound in my queue for a while, and since I had enough stash of cotton yarns I decided to go for it!

Swedish [stash bust] mittens

Here is a project that I totally forgot to blog about! The Swedish mitts, as I would like to call them, took place in February and March, but due to a few procedural mishaps, I didn't write anything about them until I got around to fix my (sad) mistakes.

Wedding gifts pt2 - Vulpix

The second wedding gift I completed was Vulpix in a vivid combination of dark grey and light green.

 

Wedding gifts pt1 - Sharktooth

Yesterday I failed an exam and disappointment was inevitable. After coming home instead of finding some time to rest, I threw myself to work to feel better. I managed to finish quite a few things, which means that today I got to have time to write for the blog. Yay!

Pencil cases

Exam period is here again (frankly, it feels like it never ends!) so I don't have a lot of time and intellectual energy to sit down and write blog posts. Even though I have at least 10 drafts right now...

That's why for now I am keeping it short. A couple of months back I wished for simple and mindless knitting and a way to use up some of my wool stash, so I came up with the idea of knitting a few pencil cases for my Etsy shop.

Kusafiri Shawlette pattern release

I am very pleased to announce the release of a new pattern, the Kusafiri Shawlette. 
It has spent the previous month in testing, and with the very helpful work and input of MadTatter, riverwatcher, mum2five, it is now ready! ^^

A summer shawl

After completing the last cycle of knitting lessons, I was left with a few materials and among them were also a few cotton yarn skeins. Looking for a way to use them up, I came up with the idea of a simple summer shawl.

Crochet hooks

About a month ago, I (lately) realised that on ebay one can find lots and lots of kinds crochet hooks on very low prices. (from China of course)
So since my collection of crochet hooks was very small, I decided to buy whole sets of crochet hooks and compare their quality and usability. Each set didn't cost more than 3-3.5 euros, so even if some of them didn't work properly, no harm done!

Bundle of swimsuit tops

I have been quite productive in the summer crochet department, for more than a month now I have been knitting swimsuit tops.. some as custom orders, one for myself, and quite a few for the Etsy shop.

I hadn't quite realised how many I made until I started documenting my progress for the corresponding Ravelry project: 10 bikini tops in different sizes and color combinations.

Random bits {baby booties, a cat cave, wooden shawl pins}

I have been doing quite random things lately... I have officially entered exam period, but for it I have been studying for two months already now. I am in the fever of completing what is left to pass for graduation and although I may not be sure about the outcomes (of this exam period) I know for sure that I am getting tired of studying. xD

Plus, at the same time I spent a lot of time adding mom's stuff on my Etsy shop (check out all this awesome stuff!) (and a few of my own.. he he) and life has been.. hectic. 
Nevertheless, I still manage to find some time to knit. 

What does failure feel like?

For sure, not like the first time you experience failure in a knitted garment. I recently finished a garment that overall is greatly executed, but looks good only on the cloth hanger. Sadly, it needs to be ripped apart and I was amazed that this realisation brought a disappointment much milder than the first time this ever happened.