Knitting Competition!!

About a day after I finished the Covert Knitting project I joined a knitting competition on a message board community I belong to. I found my pattern, but I had to find yarn. Thankfully, I had just the thing in my yard stash! I chose the yarn I dyed using Koolaid back in July of 2009. I still love it!

Here is a picture from last weekend. I'm about halfway finished with it now.

Covert Crafting, Part 3

And now it's finished. A month and a half late. I'm so proud of this project. I learned a new cast on and I learned how to graft two pieces of yarn together. And even better I am no longer totally intimidated by charts!

Thanks to my guestroom bed and my lovely model Paula!

Covert Crafting, Part 2

A little while ago, I posted about a project I'm making for someone on behalf of another person. I had given myself a deadline of August 30 to finish it and because of some other issues I failed miserably. I'm going to jump back on the knitting wagon and get it finished in the next week or so.

So far, I'm really happy with how it's turning out. I'm excited to see what it's going to look like once it's finished and blocked. I really think the person I'm knitting it for will be very pleased and surprised!

Dragon*Con 2010!!!

We just came back from what appears to be our annual trip to Atlanta, GA for Dragon*Con 2010. We drove into town on 9-1 and left on 9-8. That first night a very old and dear friend of mine, Vanessa, took us out for dinner and to catch up. We had a great time. It's always fun seeing old friends when you have a lot of catching up to do!

I wanted to share the pictures we took while we were in Atlanta. None of them are great quality, but I hope you enjoy!

If you'd like to know who any of the people who aren't wearing costumes are, please let me know.

Covert Crafting

For the past months I've been involved in a secret friends gift exchange with a message board community that I'm a member of. The last exchange I was in I made a pillow.

I editted the picture for the faint at heart. It's not every day you see profanity in pillow form.

This time I have some ideas for my person and I'm making something for someone else. And of course I've decided to do something far past my skill level because I like to make my life easier. I've spent a lot of time planning this week. I have a copy of Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. I looked through and found a beautiful shawl to try. Of course since I have no idea how to read from a chart, this pattern only has a chart and not written line by line instructions. So that I could make it make sense in my head I wrote out the instructions in the charts. TIme consuming, but I know how to read a chart now! Then I typed everyting out because I have the handwriting of a serial killer. Then I was ready to start my test knit so that I could try out the parts that I expect to cause my problems: new cast on method, patterned right and wrong side and the chart itself. The cast on and the first 8 rows were easy garter stitch. Then I started the ninth, and first patterned row and discovered that my painstakingly written instructions for the first 16 rows were wrong. I prevailed though.and managed to get through 4 rows after I figured out my mistake without dropping a single stitch or miscounting. Monica 1...knitting pattern 0.