Hi friends!

Thought I'd give you a quick update on my current WIP's (works in progress.)

I've got a few things going at the moment; still working on my Tegna top. (I know, it's been months!) I started it a size too large, then ripped it out, I started it a size smaller and it was too small so I ripped it out again. Then, I started it in the larger size but at a smaller gauge and I think it's gonna stick this time! 

I'm making progress on Kecia's Sweater. The rest of my yarn for it just arrived yesterday.

I'm about halfway done with the front panel at this point. 

I also started the Dagmar Sweater but after the short row shaping nothing made sense anymore so I had to throw in the towel. I'm a very proficient knitter and this pattern threw me for a loop! It was crazy difficult to understand. Going through other peoples posts on Ravelry was frustrating too since most notes said "and then I just had to improvise" or, "this is a list of the modifications I had to make," not a good sign! Paying 6.50$ for a pattern, then having to practically write it yourself=not worth it. 

Then I tried a lovely pink purple combo. 

I dyed both skeins at the same time and somehow one turned out a little darker than the other! 

​I also finished a cute pair of stripey socks using the Rose City Rollers pattern and KnitPicks Felici yarn,

and a purple, twisty headband in KnitPicks Mighty Stitch Super Bulky yarn. 

The yarns will be popping up in my Etsy shop soon. I'm undecided on whether I'll list the socks and headband or give them as gifts. We'll see!

I just got another batch of naked yarn to dye so I'll be working on that soon. I'm also on the lookout for the perfect, worsted weight sweater pattern for the upcoming chilly Fall weather. I've got the perfect, orange merino yarn just waiting to turn into my dream sweater!

Stay tuned for more exciting hand dyed yarns, and updates on both my knitted tops!

Thanks for stopping by!

​-Ashley

Hi guys!

Quick post for y'all today! I've been super busy knitting on Jakson's Socks (and powering through a big mystery project which I will reveal later this Summer) so I decided to whip up a quick "instant gratification" knit. I've had my eye on Jane Cochran's pattern Thirty Eight for ages, so I decided to grab some skeins from my stash and just go for it! 

It is knitted as one long loop starting with seed stitch for 26 rows and ending with ribbing for 10 rows. I added an extra stitch to the cast on (141 instead of 140) to make the seed stitch completely seamless, then reduced that stitch to make the rib stitches even.

It was such a quick and fun knit, I definitely see more of these guys in my future. 

The yarn I used is Biggo by KnitPicks. It is 50% Superwash Wool and 50% Nylon. It's wonderful to work with, it's very light and fluffy. I could feel the Nylon more than the Wool so (in my opinion) it has a little bit of an acrylic feel to it. Also, reviews on the KnitPicks site do claim that it pills a lot with wear. I will be selling this cowl on my website so I don't have a review as far as the longevity of the yarn.

The final product blocked up really nicely. It stretched out to be perfectly long enough to wrap around the neck twice and the stitch definition is wonderful. 

Overall, this is a product I'm proud of. I have listed in my Etsy shop HERE if you would like to own it yourself. I definitely see a few more of these in my future. I have a few gorgeous skeins of mustard Billow Cotton yarn that might turn into the same cowl...we'll see! 


I will have updates on Jakson's Socks soon! I'm nearing the finish line on those puppies! (Men's socks always take forever, why are their feet so huge!?) I also have a super secret Birthday project I want to share and a knitting book review coming up!!!

I hope you dig my fun, purple project!

Bonus photo of Moonunit helping me with each and every stitch;

Thanks for reading!

​-Ashley

Hi guys! 

My sister was so pumped about her Birthday Socks that she immediately ordered a pair for her husband! Fortunately, I'm a bit of a yarn hoarder, so I just happened to have a pile of sock yarn handy. Heh.

​ I gave him two tweedy color options and he chose the Cranberry Tweed. 

The yarn is KnitPicks Stroll Tweed in Garnet Heather. (The green is the same yarn in Dill Heather.)

The pattern I'm using is A Nice Ribbed Sock by Glenna C. on Ravelry. The pattern is a basic sock with the addition of ribbing to add extra snugness to the fit. While it is a quick knit (as far as socks go) it's definitely not a beginners pattern. She does not go into detail on the shaping techniques so if you're not familiar with the basic structure of a knitted sock this might not be the pattern for you. As for me, it's just about perfect, one small page of instructions without a lot of process pics cluttering up the works. 

​

I was hoping to have them done by the end of the month but my April Showers Sweater keeps distracting me! 

So far I'm almost done with sock #1! 
​

My sis says that these socks will be replacing a well loved pair that just bit the dust. I hope this pair will be just as loved! 

UPDATE:

Sock #1 is off the needles and sock #2 will be flying onto the needles tonight! 

I'll be back soon with another update on these lovely Tweed sock and more progress shots of my April Showers Sweater!  

Thanks for reading about my current yarny adventures!

-Ashley

Happy October!

I hope you guys are knee deep in Pumpkins and candy bars! 

I wanted to share with you a project I just finished, I'm sure you've seen the pictures all over Insta and my FB page. If you loved the yarn, or the pattern, you can find all the information in this post! Let's get started! 


I made this lovely pair of fingerless mittens as a commission for a friend;

​She was inspired by this cute pair of mittens and asked me to create a similar pair. ​

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough sock yarn leftovers to make a pair just like this so we did some research and found some self patterning yarn. The yarn we found is Regia Designs by Arne and Carlos in the colorway Fall night. 

I found a similar pattern; Fingerless Gloves by Stephanie C. Haberman. It seemed simple enough so I got out my addi turbos and got started. 

The mittens started turning out smaller than I'd hoped so I added another 5 stitches to the pattern and started over. I then got to the thumb gusset and didn't enjoy the look of the increases so I instead used a M1L and M1R increase to make them look cleaner. 

I ended up making up the pattern from this point on. I found the instructions vague and slightly frustrating so it was just easier in the end to improvise as I went along. 

I'm happy with how they turned out. The yarn was a little scratchier than the KnitPicks Stroll that I'm used to using but it blocked up really nicely and the nylon gives it excellent elasticity. I would use it again for socks and mitten projects like this. 

In conclusion! I wasn't thrilled with the pattern. I think, maybe, if I had a little more patience with it, that it would have turned out ok. But I already had a clear image of what I wanted the finished product to look like so improvising was what felt right for these guys and I don't think they suffer for it. 

The mittens are all packaged up and on the way to their forever home in the morning. I hope they have a long and productive life!

Ps. If you are looking to own a pair of hand knit Ashley mittens, these Norwegian Mittens and these Lace Fingerless Mittens are available in my shop. And remember, I do custom orders! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope your Halloween season is off to a good start! 

​-Ashley

I promised y'all some Alex model shots in his new sweater. Here they are!

He's always reluctant to model for me but he does such a good job!

​Isn't he adorable!? 

The pattern is Brownstone by Jared Flood. It knitted up super quickly (I finished in less than a month!) The pattern was easy to follow and fun to work on. I'll definitely be making another one of these in the future. 

The yarn I used is Wool of the Andes in Indigo Heather from KnitPicks. It's a touch scratchy since it's 100% Wool, it'll be perfect for layering come cold weather times. 

I made two I-cords for the toggle loops. The pattern calls for a different technique but I thought the I-cords were more visually pleasing. The toggles are from SuppliesSundries on Etsy 

Alex is very pleased with his new sweater and we're both impatiently waiting for the weather to get cold enough to sport our new jumpers. 

Not gonna lie, it was actually a really hot, muggy day during our photo-shoot but he powered through, just like he did for last years muggy sweater shoot. 

I'm thinking my next Brownstone sweater should be in a fun Tweed. I've definitely been enjoying my sweater knitting lately, I'm enthused for some cold weather so I don't roast while I'm working on them. 

I hope you've enjoyed the adorable Alex photo session. I'm off to do all manner of Fall themed things like baking stuff and putting up Halloween decorations! Enjoy this last week of September, it's almost time to carve pumpkins and hand out candy!

Happy Knitting!

-Ashley

I've been working on a fresh commission of 4 pairs of slipper socks. Two pairs of Women's size 7.5 and 2 pairs of Men's size 10. ​

This is a super traditional pattern, in fact, it's one of the first patterns I've ever knitted. I remember sitting on my Grandmas couch as a little girl, working with some squeaky, pink acrylic yarn and a pair of blue acrylic needles and learning to work the rib and garter stitch sections. I think I ended up with a pile of grubby, grey yarn with no slipper socks in sight at the end but it was still a good learning experience! 

The pattern I used is Grandma's Knitted Slippers by Zanne on Ravelry. It's pretty cut and dry but there is a rather large Errata on the decrease row. 

For Women's size; Decrease Row 1 (rs): Work in ribbing on 9 stitches, P3tog, work in ribbing on 3 st, P3tog, K1, P3tog, work in ribbing for 3 st, P3tog, work in ribbing for 9 st. (29 st remain)

For Men's size; Decrease Row 1 (rs): Work in ribbing on 11 stitches, P3tog, work in ribbing on 4 st, K3tog, P1, K3tog, work in ribbing on 4 stitches, P3tog, rib 11 stitches. (35 stitches remain)

I would also recommend starting the decrease rows 1.5" from where you would like the sock to end, not .5" like the pattern suggests. 

For the first two pairs (pictured above) I used Bernats Sheepish which is 30% Wool and 70% Acrylic. It's machine washable and dryer safe. It holds up pretty well but it does have a tendency to pill and it's a pain in the butt to frog because it's so wooly. Otherwise it knits up like a single ply wool yarn but with the added bonus of being super easy care. 

For the second two pairs I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease which is 80% Acrylic and 20% Wool. This is a super user friendly yarn, it's also machine wash and dryer safe, it holds up forever and is super nice to work with. I'm not a big Acrylic yarn fan but this stuff is much better than your 100% Acrylic/Red Heart type options. 

I wasn't given any color parameters to stick to on this project so I stuck with my favored jewel tones. I think they turned out pretty cute and cozy. 

For my next projects I'll most likely be starting a fun, smokey blue linen tank top for the Yarniacs Colors of Fall 2016 KAL. I'll also (probably) be starting on a new set of fish themed mugs! People can't seem to get enough Aquatic Mugs! This will be my last set for a while though, I'm getting a little burnt out on ceramic painting!

 I'm excited to get this commission out the door and start on some fun, new projects! 

​Thanks for stopping by!

-Ashley

Thought I'd stop by and give you a quick update on some of the crafty adventures I've been on lately. After finishing the Never Ending Slanket and Susan's Winter Shawl, I decided I needed to make some smaller "instant gratification" projects. I started by knitting Alex a new Winter Beanie for school. 

This turquoise beauty is a replacement for the wonderful hat I made him last year. It was a gorgeous, deep gray, Celtic Cable knit, 100% alpaca Ski Hat, which he wore for the entire Winter season then managed to leave on a bus somewhere. (I'm still getting over the loss.)

This new hat is made using the pattern Graham by Jennifer Adams. It's a quick, easy knit that's totally reversible. I think it took me about 4 days to make it. I used Bernat Sheepish which is 70% Acrylic and 30% Wool. It's splits a bit, is a pain in the ass to frog and pills like crazy. It's super soft and durable though and knits up with great stretch and is machine washable. I'd recommend owning a Lint Shaver if you're going to use it though, otherwise your project is gonna look like a big ol' cotton ball in a month. 

Next, I decided my goal in life was to learn to knit TWO SOCKS AT THE SAME TIME!!! How is this possible, it's some sort of wizardry! I grabbed the book Knitting Circles Around Socks and got to work. 

Not that Alex is spoiled or anything, but these are also for him. He's gonna be the best dressed guy on campus. 

Turns out knitting two socks at the same time doesn't take Witchcraft! It just takes some patience, two sets of double pointed circular needles, and some really good instructions. I'm not quite done with them but I'm definitely going to be using this technique again. I'll probably be trying Fish Lips Kiss Heel by SoxTherapist next time since the gals on my knitting Podcasts (TwoKnitLitChicks and Yarniacs) just can't stop raving about it! 

I'm using KnitPicks Stroll sock yarn in Dove gray. It's super soft Fingering weight yarn, 75% Merino Wool and 25% Nylon. It's wonderful to work with and it's machine washable, which is awesome. This is my first time using this yarn so it has yet to be tested for durability. The reviews on KnitPicks.com are awesome though so if all goes well it might become my go-to sock yarn. 


The last project I wanted to share with you is almost a Work in Progress, except for the fact that I haven't started it yet...

That's right. Mug Painting! 

A few years back I made a few of my family members these beautiful, hand painted mugs at a Ceramics Shop downtown. I painted them with all these lovely stains and had them professionally fired! They were glorious, I wish I had pictures. But, somewhere along the way, most of these treasures ended up getting accidentally broken (you know who you are!!!) So I decided to embrace the current Pinterest CRAZE and pick up some oil based permanent markers and some plain white mugs and make some replacements! 

Kitty is obviously excited to help. I might also paint a little Valentines Day Mug for Alex while I'm at it but he's getting pretty spoiled as it is so, we'll see! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Ashley 

This Summer my wonderful Step Mom sent me a lovely box of Wool yarns. This pink Cascade 220 Paints yarn was not my color but I knew who it would be perfect for; Alex's Ma! I couldn't decide whether to make a shawl or felted slippers for her, to ensure the perfect gift I had her pick out the pattern. 

The first shawl pattern we tried was Autumn Blush by Joji Locatelli but the Cascade 220 yarn was just too springy and squishy to conform to that delicate stitch pattern. (I'll definitely be coming back to that pattern though, it's super fun and complicated.) We ended up switching to Pure by cabinfour, which is a much simpler stitch pattern and perfect for showing off the beautiful color changes of the hand painted yarn. 

I altered the pattern to add an extra stripe of stockinette after the twisted stitch section so I could use every last bit of the delicious Wool. 

It's so warm and squishy! It's the perfect color for Spring but wooly and warm enough to wear throughout the rest of the Winter. 

The pattern was super simple and easy to follow. I think it would be a perfect knit for a beginner who is looking to learn increasing and yarn overs for the first time. 

And don't worry, I'll be making something adorable for my Step-Ma too soon! She will not be left out! 

I was definitely feeling the Winter blues in January and I think working with such a bright, cheerful yarn helped to get me out of my Post Christmas funk.  

I hope you like my latest creation, thanks letting me tell you all about it! 

-Ashley

November is here! Time to start planning my Thanksgiving menu and putting away my spooky Halloween decorations! I hope you guys are enjoying the colder weather and the Holiday vibes as much as I am. I'm still working on putting together the ultimate fleece lined Fall wardrobe but in the meantime I wanted to share this fun shawl I made with you. I knitted this shawl during the Summer and now it's finally cold enough out to wear it. 

It's almost impossible to photograph sparkle yarn! I promise, it's sparkly. 

This guy whipped together surprisingly quickly. It's called Kouyou, which, according to the author, Angela Tong, translates to Fall Foliage or Red Leaves. Perfect for this Season. I'd definitely recommend this pattern, easy to read, lots of pictures and great results. 

My only complaint is the yarn requirements, I could have made the Large size but the pattern told me I didn't have enough yarn! Bummer. I had 474 yards of sparkly yarn so I made the Small (420 yards) instead of the Large (520 yards) and I had half a skein of yarn leftover! Guess I'll be making some matching glitter mitts.  

The yarn I used is Sunseeker by Cascade Yarns. It's 48% Acrylic, 47% Cotton and 5% Metallic Thread. It's washer and dryer safe, which is convenient. I'll probably still lay this guy flat to dry with blocking pins though so it retains it's lovely shape. It's a basic, worsted acrylic blend yarn and it does have a little bit of scritch to it but I'm hoping with a wash or two it'll soften a bit. 

Can you see the sparkles!?

I'm going to be rocking this sparkly wonder with my faux leather jacket, a light sweater and some cozy leggings this month. Bring on the rain! I'm ready! 

Hope you had a fantastic Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by!

​-Ashley

Just a quick post for y'all today!

​I thought I'd share a couple of the cute hats I've been making lately. This is a fun, simple pattern that's well written and easy to use. You should make one, you never know when a Viking Helmet could come in handy!

​This one is the newborn size. 

This guy is the adult size. 

The pattern is called Lael Viking Helmet by Mamachee on Ravelry and is not free BUT it comes in many sizes so you're likely to use it over and over. Like I have. 

I used Lions Brand Wool Ease for mine and it turned out nice and soft and wonderful. It's 80% Acrylic 20% Wool, and you can toss it in the washer and dryer. Magic. Though for this project, with the polyester stuffing in the horns, I'd suggest not tossing this hat in the dryer, the fluff might get lumpy! Nobody wants lumpy fluff. 

Give this pattern a try, it whips up in no time and the hardest part is figuring out which directions you want your horns to face. 

Now go forth and make yourself a silly hat! Have a great weekend! I'm gonna be Pumpkin carving with the girls, I'll take lots of pictures to show off our Pumpkin artwork next week!  

​Thanks for stopping by!

-Ashley