Week 8 - all done!

Hellohello!  I'm a bit late posting, which is funny because I actually was finished a few days early this week!  Well I got a bit caught up watching Megamind with my boyfriend tonight and forgot about posting.  It's such a funny movie!

Well here's this month's lot!


I didn't show the doubles this month, so there are actually 2 green squares, two blue squares and 2 blue hats, a total of 4 & 4!



a close up of the ribbed hat in pink, I really like how this one works up.  I did it a couple times last month too, but this time I felt fun and decided to add some pompoms!



here's a close-up of the pompom, it was pretty easy to make and I think it really adds to the cute!

Has anyone tried the new patterns I posted last week?  I did, they turned out kinda cute, but I did it as a present so I'm not counting it as part of the challenge.

TWO MONTHS DOWN! only 10 more to go! it's awesome...

Week 7, all done!

It's the end of week 7, and I'm pretty proud to still be on top of everything.  V-day has come and gone, with nothing too special happening since both my boyfriend and I were working.  Also, this week's beanie AND square are complete.  Go me. 

Today I've decided to share a couple cute beanie patterns, one crochet and one knit.  These patterns seem easy and they sure do look cute!

Baby's Apple Beanie:
http://houseofplatypus.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-pattern-apple-fruit-hat-for-babies.html

This cute beanie can be worked for numerous fruits.  I used to have a strawberry and a grape beanie as a kid, I loved them!  Show me the ones you make!

Square Knit Beanie:
http://www.craftbits.com/project/child-s-hat-square-beanie

An adorable fun beanie that's good for those who like to knit on two needles and aren't quite sure about how to decrease their stitches.  This pattern is a simple square, sewn up two sides.


Try these out!  They look like fun!  See you all at the end of Week 8!

Week 6, still going strong!

Hello everyone!  It's the end of week 6 and I'm posting just under the wire (again).  This week was full of many things.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Regretsy.com, which also gave me something to do while my boyfriend played his video games.  I ran a couple events at work, started my new position, and promised to bake cupcakes for the V-day potluck.  I used my slow cooker, had awful bouts of insomnia and made some doctor's appointments.  I also had some naps, both delightful and unsatisfying.

My challenge week finished smoothly, with a knit cap in blue, a twin to last weeks', complete, and my 3rd square in bright green almost finished.  I'm going to have a lot of identical squares, but I really want this yarn gone.  Plus, I've been getting good mileage from my yarns.

Today after work I discovered that the 14" Susan Bates metal knitting needles were on clearance for only $2.99 each!  That better than my discount so I snapped up 3 pairs on the spot!  Honestly, I dislike the long needles, they get in my way and always seem to whack my elbows, but for baby blankets and wide shawls, they're easier in the long run that the shorter ones I use constantly.  Plus, as we know, I hate working in the round, so long needles it is!


On we go to week 7, best of luck with the knitting/crocheting and and early Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Week 5!

Hello again!  I tell you, the time is FLYING.  This week has been pretty busy for me, I got a new position at work, and while it doesn't give me a lot of hours, it's a lot of days.  I also am currently fighting off a cold, and the congestion is killing me, so this week's installment will be short.

Here's another easy easy baby cap pattern I found on KnittingontheNet.com :
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/kidsrollbrim.htm

They have a whole separate section for baby hats with different skill levels, so it's fun to go look through!  Best of luck with this next week, and I hope I get better soon!

1/12 of the way there!

 Hello everyone!  How are you all doing?  For anyone following along with this challenge, how was the first month?  That's right, the first month is over, can you believe it?

I think that January might be one of the harder months, just getting into the groove of the challenge, forming a new habit.  My January was full of ups and downs, and I know I didn't get to knit as much as I'd hoped, but I still managed to finish this month's goals.  As promised, I do have a picture of my completed pieces:




...4 beanies, 3 squares, and that green stuff on the needles at the top? Another square, just not quite finished.  I've used a few different yarns so far, my favorite is still Caron's Simply Soft.  I just love Simply Soft.  I find it easy to work with, truly soft (I don't have to bandage my fingers when I use it, unlike almost all other yarns), great colors, washes well, drapes well, is warm, and cost-effective.  Simply Soft has a lot of yards per skein so it goes a long way!  I also enjoyed working with Lily's Sugar 'n' Cream yarn.  I used it for a baby beanie and then the variegated pink square.  The drape and ease of the square pleasantly surprised me, so I'll probably find myself doing that again.  I also use this yarn for pattern dishcloths, so the difference a couple needle sizes makes in texture was rather interesting.  My unfinished green square is Impeccable.  I don't really like it, but it was 29cent clearance yarn, so I wanted to put it to good use.  I do have to bandage my fingers when working with it though, which is a pain.  My variegated preemie beanies are Bernats Baby Jaquards, which was alright to work with, although not as soft as I had initially thought.  Cute colors and lightweight though, which is a plus.  I may be buying more.

As we move into the month of February, I feel like I'm off to a good start, and hope to keep the momentum going.  I hope everyone else can too!  See you all next week!

Week 3!

Hello!  It's the end of week three.  Barely, like I just made it under the wire!  Maybe I should start updating on Fridays instead of waiting for Saturday.  I always seem to cut it a touch close when I wait...which is silly since I'm always done early!

Yep, done early!  Once again I've got a beanie all done.  Unfortunately my arm was still acting up this week so my square isn't quite complete.  I'll take some time tomorrow to finish that off.  Still that puts me at 3/3 for beanies and 2/3 for squares.  Doing pretty well so far!  I hope everyone who's decided to join me is doing well too!

Next week I'm going to post a picture will all the caps/squares I've done this month.  Almost 1/12 of the way there!

Week 2 - complete!

Alright, made it in the nick of time! 

Second week of the Challenge, how's everyone doing?  I've stayed on top of it again, with Week 2 going successfully~  It was a close thing though!

At the beginning of the week I lifted something in a funny way at work and tweaked something in my elbow, which meant I had to lay off the knitting for a few days.  It's feeling better now, but it does stress how important it is to rest occasionally when doing a repetitive motion, and to take care of yourself.  I didn't manage to get a picture this week, but I'll be sure to snap a pic next week!