Really?

Has it truly been nearly a year since I've posted? That's so hard to believe. I've been slowly knitting my way through the months and will post some new pictures soon.

The Year Ahead

With the turning of the calender's page I begin to think about the projects I'd like to complete before the end of the year. Of course my list is a few miles long, but I know that I have to be realistic about it. After all, as much as I'd love to churn out a sweater each month, I know that I am just not that fast.

However, when I told Brianna that I do plan to have 12 pairs of socks finished at the end of the year, she smiled and suggested that they each have a theme for the month. I think it's a great idea! My January socks are Sunny Skies. In a way, they represent the roller-coaster of emotions that we are both going through. The ups and downs of realization that she will soon be out there on her own and I will be living alone for the first time in my whole life. The colors of the socks are cheery sunflowers against the vivid blue sky (this is a NerdGirlYarns colorway and it's even more bold in person).

While I do plan to have a pair completed each month, there will have to be an exception during Tour de Sock. Even though I know I won't likely finish each pattern in the time given, I do know that I'll have them all started and hopefully finished soon after the TdS ends. I'll be a sponsor again this year and have some awesome skeins to add to the prize pool.

I am currently working on a sweater for myself and will have that one finished by the middle or end of March. Strangely enough, I have a short story to go along with it and I'll share that with the final shot of the sweater.

In the meantime, I'm also working on Brianna's birthday blanket. It's not a quilt since the top is all one piece, but there will be two layers. The bottom is this soft, black, fluff fabric I found on clearance and the top is a red flat sheet that has been trimmed to fir the fluff. I'm embroidering around the edges (the picture is the design for the corners), then I'll sew the pieces together. I think it will be pretty cool when it's all done. Since the time is of the utmost importance right now, I'm hoping to finish it within the next week so that Brianna can use it before she heads off to boot camp. After that, she won't be able to use it again until she gets to wherever she is stationed and that won't be for a few months (boot camp, MCT, then the school for her field). Well, at least she will have it for next winter.

On to the plan of the year:

• Twelve pairs of socks (at least 4 will be TdS)
• Dragon Scarf
• One sweater for Brianna
• One large shawl
• One sweater for me
• Embroider my bath towels
• Finish Brianna's blanket
• Embroider my own blanket
• Two rounds on the Universal Love blanket
• Finish and mail the Craft it Forward gifts
• Spin all the dyed fiber I have (leaving the bare stuff for a future plan)

Whew! That looks like a lot when I write it all out, but I am pretty sure I can do it. What's on your crafty list?

End of Term

I can't believe that it's been so long since I posted here! Things have been pretty busy for the month of November and I'm glad that it's over. And I'm even more glad that it's almost time to open the new shop.

In the crafty news, I finished my shawl! I need to soak it in hot water and really get it stretched out (the top should be much longer), but the final stitch was bound off late last night. When I get it properly blocked and all that good stuff I'll get a few more pictures.

 In this first image, you can see that Lyra is supervising my pinning skills. I'm pretty sure she thinks that I'm not doing it right. When I pin it out later, I'll move that bottom mat to the side and stretch the top out to cover most of the four mats. I'll have to use the smaller ones from KnitPicks for the bottom edge. This is going to be a very large shawl (compared to the others I've made).

In other news, I've finished the embroidery portion of a gift I'm making. I haven't decided if this will be a wall-hanging or a pillow, but I'm leaning toward a pillow.

I've learned so much about this machine! Keeping track of how many stitches are in each block is essential to avoid running out of bobbin thread. A block is a portion of the pattern that will all be stitched in one shot. For example, the dress was one block while the butterflies were another block. 

 I've also learned that no matter how careful I am with the threads or which brand I use, there is always a chance for tangles and snags. For days like that, I need to be patient and remember that everything will turn out in the end.

And now, it's time for a short break before planning the next OWL.

I do hope that you are all having a great Monday!

Planning ahead

Here it is, the middle of October, and I'm already planning a project for January. Crazy, right. Firebrunette (on Ravelry) suggested a knit along and the pattern will be Krydda. I am so excited about it and I want to start now. There is even a Facebook group for everyone to gather 'round and show off pictures and such. I have no idea what color I want mine to be, but I'm dyeing lots of Morgaine this week and will have sweater packs in the shop very soon. It's going to be great!

In the meantime, I still have a lot of other projects that need to be worked on. I'm in the middle of getting some of the Traveling Scarves finished up. I've finished one and am nearly finished with the other. One more after that until a few more get mailed out to me. It's my hope to wrap this chapter up and close the book on it. I also have made some progress on the shawl and am hoping to get to 50% within the next week or so. I know that next month will be busy with writing and other shop-related things, so I'll be pushing myself a lot. There is still a hat that needs to be started and a pair of socks that I ended up frogging. Maybe I'll restart them next month. Oh, and a couple scarves that need to be made. Yep, the last few months are going to be a little hectic!

Some of you know that I'm expanding out just a little bit and I thank you guys for all the wonderful messages of encouragement. I am hoping to get a few new items into the shop very soon, too. It's going to be fun!

For now, I hope you're all having a fabulous day! I know that the weather is pretty crazy in a lot of places in the US right now and I sincerely hope everyone stays safe.

Making stuff!!!

I've been pretty busy with the crafting lately and I have pictures to show!

My OWL:

A special hat:

And some spinning:

I hope you are all having a wonderfully crafty week!

Post by Alina Shea Creations, LLC.

Have you been missing posts?

Here was a great explanation of why you can't see some of the posts on FB -

Post by Alina Shea Creations, LLC.

Beginnings and second beginnings

It usually happens this way: I await the approval of my OWL, refreshing the pages several times an hour. As soon as the approval is given I cast on and knit happily away, smiling at my progress. The next day I continue knitting, blissfully aware that this is the coolest thing I've made so far. Then it all comes to a screeching halt when I decide to dry-block (pin the project out without soaking it or anything like that) for pictures and I see that the edging just won't do and the cast on seems like it will break if I block it any harder. With a heavy heart, I frog all the stitches and count my blessings that it was only two days worth of work.

I was able to start over last night and got a few more rows completed this morning before heading out to work. I am looking forward to those moments after I get home when the cats have all been petted and kissed and forgiveness for leaving them has been granted, the water has been consumed, and dinner has been started... then I can knit some more before Brianna gets home.

I am in love with this project already. The pattern is lovely, simple, and elegant. The yarn is a dream to work with and the dye job is amazing (I know it's my own, but I don't know how it happened, the colors turned out so pretty and have an ethereal quality... I think it was one of those days when I just ran on intuition and hoped for the best). The beads are tiny, and will give it the look of tiny mist drops on a spider web. And it's just for me. Not the me 50 pounds from now, but the Me right now.

I have started another shawl, too, and am looking forward to seeing it take shape. I love the beginnings of the project since it seems to go so quickly. The top of this one is primarily stockinette so I am able to work on it while watching movies with Brianna. I finished the first eyelet section and am ready to keep going. It will be for a friend and I am determined to have it completed before the end of this month.

I hope you are all having a lovely crafty day!

Planning a new term...

I am really looking forward to next Monday! Not because it's a Monday, but because that's when the newest HPKCHC term starts. I am really hoping that I'll be able to get all the classes turned in each month. I think that, between taking good care of myself and knowing that I have fewer things to deal with, I should be able to finally get the Order of the Serpent, First Class. And I know what I want my OWL to be, too! This term I will be considered M3 (which means I've been around a while now).

I realize that not everyone will understand what I'm talking about, but for those who do... isn't it exciting‽

So, I have several patterns picked out for watching shows & movies with Brianna, a few picked out for when I'm waiting for her to finish the poollee training, and some that I will work on while I'm sitting quietly listening to a book or music. Some of these will be going toward the Craft it Forward gifts that were supposed to go out last year while others will be for my own use.

The OWL I am planning is a pattern called Morrígan and I have several skeins of lace yarn that should work for it. Once I get home and finish up the daily chores I'll be working on swatches. The other classes will be scarves, hats, mini-socks, and a couple smaller shawls. It's going to be a fabulous term!

In ASC news, the Superheroes and Villains is off to a great start and I've got plans for the Women on Marvel, too (I'm hoping to list them by my birthday). I've worked out the kinks for dyeing in this new kitchen and things are going a little more smoothly. I'd love to get to the point of building a studio, but that will wait a little bit longer.

I hope you're all having a wonderfully crafty summer!

Superheroes!

The latest one is posted and Spiderman will be available until the end of the month. Happy crafting!

Post by Alina Shea Creations, LLC.

If you are interested in a monthly auto-pay, that is now available. This will give you the option of an automatic payment ($24, US only) each month for the Superheroes and Villains club and expires after 11 months (the remainder of the club).

Completed!

I finished Brianna's sweater! I was so excited to get it bound off and dyed. Since I was still pretty sick, the kids helped with the dyeing portion of it. Anthony held the wet sweater above the pot while I instructed him on when to lower it a little more and Brianna helped with pinning it out to block. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

And now to plan out the next big project. I have several Craft it Forward items that still need to be done and I really am going to try and focus on them. In the meantime, it's break month with HPKCHC and I am just not sure what I want to work on. Perhaps that shawl that I started for the first year I was in Asheville. I haven't worked on that since I got pneumonia the first time and the year is nearly up. Here is the current progress:

I think it's time to pull it out of the basket and see how much I can finish before the end of August. After all, we did have some pretty chilly days and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all progresses.