Knitting the Summer Away

I am proud to announce that it is almost my one year knitting anniversary! I believe it was just before August long weekend that my knitting for dummies book arrived and I picked up my needles and began stitching away. One year later and still going strong! Anyways, it has been quite some time since I last posted but, no worries, I have been knitting up a storm (when I wasn't completely involved with the final Harry Potter book, which I am now complete and loved!)

I have completed many projects and I have made great progress on my sweater.

Sweater Update: The sweater is going great. I've been at it about 2 months, but keep in mind that I do not work on it every single day. I've been going in spurts with the sweater where I'll work on just it and then get bored and then go back to it. I am now completed the back of the sweater and I finished the front of the sweater on Saturday. All that is left are the two sleeves and the collar. It is a turtleneck collar so it may take me a while to figure out that part. I cast on and knit about 2 1/2 inches of the first sleeve this morning and I may go back to it later today and finish the ribbing. My ultimate goal is to have it finished before the end of summer, but if not by the end of summer I hope it will be done before the chilly fall days hit towards the end of September.

Finished Projects: I just have to say that I LOVE my One Skein Wonders book. There are so many little projects in there that take next to no time. I think my pink socks were the longest project taking about a month. It is such a great little book and some of the projects are great for using up leftover yarn. One project I completed WEEKS ago is a lovely lace bookmark using Bernat Baby fingering weight yarn (which was used for my socks) it uses such a little amount I could make a ton of these bookmarks just from my leftovers:

Another project that I pulled from One Skein Wonders is my Jamaica Pouch which is just a cute little bag knit on dpn's (although I think it would have been better to knit on a circular needle, there are a lot of stitches and I was constantly worried about them slipping off). It took me about a week to knit with Bernat Satin in lovely sapphire:

A few months ago I made my very first pair of socks. They happened to be dorm socks (slipper socks) and I knit them with just cheap Red Heart. Well I started to crave another pair of them but this time I knit them up with Red Heart Strata, which self stripes. I picked a great colour combination which is quite funky. When I first started them I was not overly crazy with the way the colour was looking but as I got further on in the sock it started to look really funky. Now I just need autumn so my feet will not sweat to death in them:

Another project I completed for which I do not have a photo is this lovely diamond scarf. I had a fair amount of Lionbrand Homespun yarn left over from a pair of mittens I made in January and this scarf from Lionbrand: Just scarves was calling out to me. I was hoping and praying to the knitting gods that I would have enough yarn to complete it. Unfortunately I was about 2 diamonds short of the full scarf. It is a little short but still beautiful and soft. I seem to have a stash of scarves and practice hats in my closet.. maybe they will become Christmas presents. If not that then I think I may donate them to a Charity for people who really need something warm in the winter.

Project on the Go: Currently, besides my sweater, I only have one project on the go. It is a lovely lace scarf from none other than One Skein Wonders (seriously love this book). I'm knitting it with Patons Lacette which is just a lovely mohair blend yarn. It is a fine weight yarn but it knit with 5 mm straight needles which creates a real airy feel. I'm in love with this scarf and it has to be done by fall because it will look magnificent with my leather jacket.

Here is a closer up shot of the scarf alone (this picture does not do this scarf justice!): Upcoming Knitting Projects/Ideas: Well I broke down the other day and purchased more knitting books. I ordered them through Chapters online since you save a ton of money by ordering them through their website than actually going to the bookstore and buying them. So in the next couple days I should be flipping through Knitting Rules: The Yarn Harlot Unravels the Mysteries of Swatching, Stashing, Ribbing and Rolling, Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitters Design Journal, Not Your Mama's Knitting: The Cool and Creative Way to Pick up Sticks, and Liond Brand Yarn: Just Socks. I am quite excited to get these books. Perhaps I'll actually put down my One Skein Wonders book. I'm also hoping my mom will be able to get through to her cousin and get back the patterns of my grandmas that she borrowed her 4 years ago. I would love to have my grandmothers patterns, they may be quite dated but I used to spend hours looking at them as a child and they just hold fond memories for me especially now that I'm a knitter.
Anyways I best be off now. Happy Knitting!

a no picture entry.... *hangs head in shame*

No pictures... i know... i'm a disgrace. My camera is all the way upstairs along with my knitting and being a lazy day I really do not feel like taking pictures of everything and then having my supremely slow computer load them (the computer gods must be mad at me lately). I will try my hardest to post pics of everything I write about in this entry in the next.
Anyhoo, I had my registration appt. a week and a half ago and I was fortunate enough to get a spot in all my first choice classes, yay!! Now that course selection stress has vanished I can now focus a little bit more on my knitting.
The most major accomplishment, which occured Thursday night, was the completion of the back of my sweater! I was quite excited when I slipped those last stitches onto a stitch holder and placed it in my room, for safe-keeping, and brought out the requirements for the front. I have yet to cast on for the front of the sweater but that is a task for either later tonight or tomorrow.
I completed my PDA case about a week ago. It is very cute, a little bigger than my Palm but still works, and I've attached a very cute pink button. I also completed this very sweet lace bookmark using some of my leftover Bernat Baby, which I had used for my socks. It turned out really nicely, all delicate and girly. This bookmark is a great way to use up fingering weight yarn you may have hanging around, and as a bonus if you use sock yarn you can have a bookmark to match whatever socks you are wearing!
Today, being hot and humid and not exactly a great day to spend outdoors, I began another small project (hence why I didn't cast on the front of the sweater). It's called a Jamaica Pouch and it's from my One Skein wonders book. It's a little drawstring purse/pouch. It's quite adorable in the picture. I'm knitting it on dpn (4 or 4 1/2 mm, i think) with Bernat Satin yarn. I am done the base of the bag, which was not easy at first. Now i'm working on the sidings which is sort of like a ripple/wave (i can't think of how to describe it) pattern.
Any future projects in the works?? Well, yes, I'm hoping. There is this scarf in one skein wonders (okay there are 2 and I will choose eventually) and it's a worsted weight mohair yarn and I'm in love with the pattern. I think (emphasis on *think*) I may have found the right yarn for it, but I need to go an actually see it, it's so hard to actually see what it's like on the internet. The two options are from Patons (lacette or divine, methinks).
Well those are my knitting adventures from the past couple weeks. It seems as if these updates are further and far between due to the fact that I do not want to spend my days typing on the computer when i can be enjoying summer, but no worries, I am not abandoning my knitting. Happy Knitting and again pics next time, hopefully :P