In the bag

 During the Ravellenic Games, I competed in the Bag Jump event for my team Voie de Vie Paris Metro Version.  Our captain, Denise rounded us up by having us all focus on Voie de Vie patterns.  I decided to do two, a hat and this clutch.  Sadly the hat became part of the Aerial Unwind but the clutch made it through the finish line!

I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in the Lake color way.  This is one of Denise's very first patterns entitled "The Melina Clutch."  The pattern is free on Ravelry and was an enjoyable crochet.  It took me only a couple of days from start to buttons.  I love the way the stitches line up on the front of the clutch and even though I wasn't sure about my button choice, I can't imagine using anything else now.  This took a little over a half of a skein of Cotton-Ease so you could really make a ton of these for a quick, easy, affordable gift!  So you wonder what does my clutch hold?  Nothing fancy.  Just all of the circular needles I scored off of Ebay a few months back. :-)

I still spin!

 Voilà, my most recent spinning project!  This took me so long to do on my spindle mostly because I really wanted this fiber to come out perfect.  This was 4 ounces blue faced leicester of fibery goodness from Holiday Yarns.  Michael got me this for my birthday, last year and I started spinning it on my birthday this past year!  I do eventually get to these things...

As for the details, I spun 188 yards of worsted weight and plyed it on itself using a center pull ball.  Don't ask me what I plan on making with it; I never have plans or make plans, I just spin.  One of these days, I will spin for a plan!  Anyone out there spinning anything?

Overdue FO

 This was a shawl that I finished a long time ago but forgot to have the hubs take photos.  This yarn is from Jill Draper in her Hudson base.  I won this yarn from a contest my local yarn store, Yarn Cupboard, held about a year ago.  Hudson is a a worsted weight squishy yarn.  I've really been into the squishy yarns lately...

 It also took me forever to pick out a pattern for this yarn.  I decided on the shawl by Caitlin Ffrench called Terribly Simple.  It was an extremely easy knit, as the pattern suggests.  I just kept repeating the rows until I knew I couldn't play yarn chicken anymore.  It's more of a shawlette size but I love the bright colors.  It makes me hopeful for spring.  

COA and FOs

 This was a project from our second cast-on-apalooza that I finished.  I used Splendor Sock by Jill Draper, a fingering weight yarn coupled with the Wingfeathers pattern by Cal Patch of Hodgepodge Farms.

 Because it was crochet, this project flew by for me once I sat down and worked for more than five minutes at a time on it.  The pattern has a two row repeat once you get into it and is easy to remember.  The pattern consists of working with treble crochets, which I don't often do but was enjoyable all the same.

Once I finished, I knew I couldn't get away without blocking it, so I got out my blocking needles, gave the shawl a bath, and stretched until I couldn't stretch anymore.  I was amazed and how much it grew and how the pattern stood out afterwards.  

If you're keeping a tally on my cast-on-apalooza projects, here are the stats:

• Ripped 2 projects - Stormcloud Shawlette and Persephone Hood
• Finished 2 projects - Maize and Wingfeathers Shawl
• Still actively working on the other 4 projects - 2 sweaters, a scarf, and a shawl

TinCanKnits = Awesome!

 Make way for the glamor shots!  First up is the pattern from TinCanKnits called Maize.  This pattern is from the Simple Collection which has 8 patterns that a beginner can follow by playing with the knit and purl placement of stitches and still get something pretty cool that could be mistaken for advanced knitting.

 This pattern gets my vote because it's two patterns in one.  You can opt to make either mittens or fingerless mitts.  I went for the fingerless mitts because I already have a pair of mittens that I use often and my other fingerless mitts are looking pretty beat.  I love the ribbing up the side especially.  Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like these could pass for store bought.  But nowadays, is that really a compliment?

Another reason why I like this pattern is how the thumb gusset comes together and the make 1s lend a nice little curve on either side of the thumb.  I used Manos Maxima which is the cushiest worsted weight yarn I've ever worked with.  I have about four different hanks of this yarn and have already made my way through two of them.  I recommend pattern and yarn very highly!  Now, go knit these mitts, you know you want to!

PUFFS!

...and I'm still making more!

Winding down...

 The past few days I've been cranking out projects like it's my job.  Mostly because I am on winter recess from my for reals job.  I finished the Melina Clutch and was very pleased with the finished product.  I love the buttons and I loved working with the cotton-ease from Lion Brand.  It was so soft!

 After, I popped out a baby hat for babeh #3 using more of the Manos Maxima left over from my Maize mitts.  I love this green and I can't seem to get enough of it.  I have more yarn left over and I'm debating on making little baby mittens to match...

Then I decided since I got some projects done, that I would take a little hexipuff break and just puff until the end of the Olympic games for the Modular Event.  I have about a half dozen already done and finished a lot of the mini skeins I first got when I started on this crazy project.  Now I've broken into the sock scraps given to me by my awesome friends.

Is there a last minute project you want finished by the end of the Ravellenic games?

Double Dipping

This is a project that I actually started during the Ravellenic games and will count towards a couple of events (Bag Jump and Stash Skeleton).  This WIP will fit these events by becoming a bag, The Melina Clutch (designed by Denise VoiedeVie, to be exact, and it's using yarn that has been in my stash for over six months.  Truth be told this yarn has been in my stash for a few years.  I'm using Lion Brand Cotton-ease to make the clutch that will eventually hold all my DPNs in one place.  I'm optimistic that this will be done within the day or two.  I've made way more progress since taking the above picture!

Ravellenics 2014 Showing

Yummy!

You can see some wings, eh?

 This was my last project that I finished before the Ravellenics commenced.  I will give more details when my glam shot is posted some time this week.  But for now, it's crocheted and I love it!

Big dreams - little bag

 I decided that I was going to need a bigger bag when I started planning on which events and projects I would tackle during the Olympic games.  Thank goodness for winter recess or I would've barely crossed the finish line on any event!

Before...

...After

 My first finish line I crossed was the Aerial Unwind.  This event had you rip out a project UFO or FO that you knew you weren't going to finish.  This was a project from the first week of cast-on-apalooza.  It was the Storm Cloud Shawlette using my handspun but unfortunately, it just wasn't doing anything for me.  My handspun wasn't doing the pattern any justice either so I gave it to my friend, Angela to give to her mother-in-law to weave.

Before...

...After

 I didn't plan on crossing the finish line of Aerial Unwind again but I did with the Persephone Hood designed by my friend, Denise.  I just wasn't getting the fabric or look I wanted so into the frog pond it went!

So soft!!

Just this afternoon I crossed the finish line of WIPs Dancing (Finishing a WIP by the end of the Olympic games) with the Maize fingerless mitts by TinCanKnits.  More details to follow as I have a photo shoot schedule tonight with the husband.

Are you kicking some booty on any projects during the Ravellenics?  I may have a few more to squeeze in before the closing ceremonies!

Bam!

Cast-on-apalooza ended last night and rather than ending with the lace project I had no needles for, I decided to end on a color work note!  I had a knitting class over at the Yarn Cupboard to learn how to use two colors at a time in my knitting.  It was so much fun!  Our teacher was great and so knowledgeable about all things knit.  I felt like she was a knitting superhero that would swoop in as soon as she knew I needed help, it was awesome.  Above is the beginning of the 'My Favorite Things' scarf, which I'm loving!  I started with shamrocks, giving my Irish heritage a shout out and I'm moving on to musical symbols with the black and white.  I feel as though this project will be never ending because I have so many favorite things! 

Next weekend starts the Olympics and, of course, I will be participating in the Ravellenic games on team Voie de Vie.  I have a couple of ideas for what I events I will be participating in but I'm most excited for the Aerial Unwind, because I am itching to frog a project that I have on the needles currently.   

This week I plan on digging into my COs from the last four weeks of craziness and actually finishing something this week, but it will be hard to stay away from my color work scarf...