Life & Little things...and Knitty Things

Happy New Year! Kicking off 2018 on a knitting spree! Make yourself cozy, grab a cup of tea or coffee...

I live in Michigan where the air hurts my face for at least 5 months out of the year so knitting is ALWAYS an option :) I started knitting as a kid like 7 or 8 yrs old. My grandma and aunt taught me and it kept me busy for years (basic knitting: scarfs, washcloths that sort of thing) then in high school it was sort of forgotten about and then picked back up again after graduation while browsing different craft books from the library. I still stayed pretty basic knitting accessories mostly. This year I'm trying to expand my horizons and tackle and attempt some other cool knitty goods that I've always wanted to try or that I've pinned to my Pinterest etc...

Ive been addicted to watching the wool.needles.hands - fiber for the people yarn podcast and Tayler the lovely hosts and designer/dyer of the yarn started a Knit a Long #KAL for her fire pit mitts pattern so I jumped right in and cast on after watching a few videos on youtube about how to magic loop because me and DPNs  don't mix well...

I had such a blast whipping up these fire pit mitts for my hubby! I'm definitely going to be making myself a pair soon!

Side note: I love these Lykke driftwood circulars. They are gorgeous and smooth to work with. The cable can be a little stiff though.

Little dude was wanting a Minecraft "tube" as he calls it lol! I whipped this up right before Christmas for him. No pattern just eyeballed it all the way so it was pretty simple.

Then I was browsing the web and came upon Brome Fields website and their chunky knits. Oooooooooh I just love me some chunky knits so I started up their "decisiveness" cardi/sweater and I'm still going on it...

pretty easy and basic pattern but the project is getting heavier and heavier as it grows lol! and it needs to grow even more because I need like 40" in total for the length I'm looking for.

It's currently living in a tote I made myself years ago with some fun prints but I love it! It's roomy and holds bigger projects like this one :)

Youtube is quite amazing and addicting lol! Lorelei Eurto got me hooked on these sock knitting tutorials and wow what a difference Magic Loop Toe Up Sock knitting makes! Where has this been all my life? Have I been living under a rock? 

I went from being terrified of socks to casting on two different pairs. What the what? Yes!! and I'm LOVING IT!! it's so addicting! slow going but a nice little small project that can easily be picked up and put down. So it may be a while still before I'm wearing any of these but in the mean time I'm having so much fun!

Sidenote: ChiaoGoo red lace cable needles are my kryptonite. They are sooooooooooo incredibly lovely to work with. The cables are like none of any other type of brand I've ever tried. So pliable and easy to work with. No snagging. Sharp needles but not to sharp that they split my stitches and they're smooth and fast...and I can't stop ordering Chiaogoo circular needles.

So when I'm not at the office or out on appointments I'm hibernating in front of the fire with coffee, tea and knitting. There are just too many knitty things I want to cast on!

What crafty things are you working on? Are you knitter? Crocheter? Painter? let me know what you like to work with. I'd love to hear about it!