So I joined a knitalong...

I have showed interest in the past in joining a knitalong but somehow, it never really worked out. I guess I just didn't want to knit what everyone else was knitting. It would have to be the perfect project for that. Instead I joined luvinthemommyhood's Summer Sweater Knitalong. How could I avoid it? You can even work on a sweater you've started before! So my goal is to finish my Repetitive Element (which is almost there!) and start a baby cardigan for a co-worker who's pregnant.
The big surprise: I'm loving this knitalong! I'm following the boards, chatting a bit, and getting lots of good tips from the other knitters. I will definitely join a knitalong again!
And here are some current shots of the Repetitive Element:

Summer Time = Crazy Busy Time...

Days, Weeks, etc... Time is just going by too fast. I can't believe it's the middle of July! Part of me is starting to get sad about the summer ending already. Crazy, right? We have been enjoying every minute of  it. Going to the pool, getting together with friends, grilling. It's just wonderful...

I'm chugging along with the knitting too. I finished my husband's hat. And he loves it! I'm making progress with the Repetitive Element and I started a new pair of socks (2 at a time) for my friend Ken. I'm starting to panic a little about all the things that I want to knit in the next few months for the Fall and Winter. I think if I write everything down here I'll actually accomplish most of them We'll see. Let's recap my new year's resolutions first:

1) Knit a sweater for myself - Working on cardigan # 2! Yay!

2) Learn to knit 2 socks at a time - Working on pair # 2! Yay!

3) Knit something for my son - not done

4) Learn Intarsia - not done

So I thought maybe it would be a good thing to combine #3 and 4 and found this project for a hat on Ravelry, It's called Little Elly Hat by Deepika. I'm in love with it. Tommy will look so cute!

Aside from the the resolutions, I also need to knit a newborn item of a co-worker, fingerless gloves for a friend, a hat for a friend, hat for my dad, hat for my step mom, mittens for Sophia and Tommy... The list just keeps going. How am I ever going to find the time for all this?

One day at a time, I guess.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer as much as I am!

Staycation = Knitcation

My staycation starts today! My daughter is celebrating her 6th birthday today and we are having a girl outing with a couple of friends. Manicures, pedicures, pizza lunch and a visit to the bakery are all in store for us today. Next week I have Monday-Wednesday of just me being at home while Dave works and the kids go to daycare and camp. I'm so excited! I have lots of things to accomplish around the house but I'm also hoping for lots of lounging around at home and the pool with my knitting. The forecast doesn't look too good but I'm going to stay positive!

I'm so happy with my socks! I finally tried the stretchy bind-off and it worked so well I'm considering using it for everything I knit! :) I learned by watching this video by Cat Bordhi.

My Repetitive Element is also coming along nicely. There's a little boo boo here and there but I'm probably the only one who would notice. I love the color and can't wait to finish and wear it this fall.

And I started Dave's hat. I forgot how quickly those knit up! I have to add more hats to my repertoire for some instant gratification knitting! LOL!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I hope to post more next week while I'm staycationing!

They are almost done!

Hi friends! Sorry for not posting in so long... Life has been getting in the way... But not in the way of my knitting! I'm making a lot of progress on my Repetitive Element cardigan. I don't have any new pictures to post but will try to post one soon. The more I work with the Plucky yarn on that cardigan the more I love it. I can't wait to wear it.
The big news is that I'm so very very close to finishing my socks! I have loved knitting them with the two-at-a-time technique. I don't think I'll ever knit a sock at a time again. Also, I'm loving the fact that this is a simple pattern. Not lace, no design, just plain old socks. I find that I appreciate the yarn much more this way.
I can't wait to cast on another pair, but first I think I will start working on my hubby's hat for the fall. This is his first request and I hope that I can knit a hat that he's pleased with and will wear. :) Let's just say he's a bit picky... And yes, he did pick the pattern. LOL.
Hope you're all enjoying the summer. We've been spending a lot of time in our community pool. It's so relaxing... And the kids love it!

PS: With Google Reader coming to an end, many people are finding other websites and apps to follow the blogs they read. I've been using Bloglovin. I really like their format. And the app is great on my Ipad and phone. Feel free to follow me there. Or let me know what websites/apps you're using to follow the blogs you read. I'd love to explore some more!

Goodbye old sock, hello new socks!

I got pretty far with my Lacy Ribs Socks. In fact, I finished one whole sock and was about halfway done with the second. But... I just wasn't loving it. I kept looking at it and thinking that I would never wear it... It's a great pattern but it's just not me. So... I frogged it. I decided to knit a simple, straight-forward, no-frills pair of socks. And... drum roll, please! I started knitting two at a time! Yeah!
It's actually pretty simple once you wrap your mind around it. I'm still working on the toes but I'm super excited about this one. Here is the progress so far:

Botanical Knits...

My copy of Botanical Knits by Alana Dakos arrived this week and I have been flipping through the pages nonstop since the moment it arrived. I am in love with every single pattern in this book. When I pre-ordered it I also got the eBook, but let me tell you that the actual book is even better. This is a paperback with flaps on the cover, that can be used to mark the page of the pattern you're currently knitting. The photography is truly stunning and the design of the book makes pattern-reading easy to follow. I also love all of the botanical ornaments filling up the white spaces on the page. My edition also came with an extra pattern, printed on card stock for the Ivy Trellis Hat and an adorable sticker page filled with leaves that have little messages to stick on different patterns.

I can't wait to finish the projects I'm currently working on so that I can get started on one of these. :)

Winging it...

I decided to just wing it. That's right, I cast on the Repetitive Element cardigan. I took my time and stared at the charts until I understood them (sort of). I realized that there were multiple charts in one chart. That's what makes things so confusing, but once I started knitting, it started making sense. I did run into a few problems when I started working the short rows, but I realized early enough and didn't have to rip back too much. Hopefully I won't run into too many problems later on. For now, I'm loving working on the yoke. Here is my progress so far:

And just because I like to torture myself a little, I looked at other designs by this same designer, Veera Valimaki. Actually, it wasn't torture at all. Her designs are so beautiful... I decided that after I'm done with this cardigan I am going to knit the Happy Street Shawl. It's really gorgeous. I picked out the yarns today when I stopped by my LYS.  I think it's going to look beautiful. This one does make me a bit nervous because I'm not used to changing colors, but I will worry about that when I start knitting it.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!