#do i wear lace shawls? no. will i ever block that thing if i finish it? most likely no

[twinktosterone]

why do homework when you can start knitting lace instead 🤡

[idk-maybe-i-did-it]

Scars: Year five, Chapter nine

Remus Lupin x reader

Warnings: Alcoholics, mentions of blood, yelling, cursing

Loving can hurt

Loving can hurt sometimes,

But it's the only thing that I know

Sirius downed another shot of vodka as James pulled Y/n up to dance. His cheerful banter was broken for only a split second at Y/n's grimace by Sirius's actions, his smile plastered back again as she turned.

Remus spared a glance at Y/n as he danced gracefully with Mare, his sister looked beautiful that day, her dress had a simple layout but the sleeve atop had small, almost unnoticeable, pink fabrics layering up to the collar. Mare had earlier told her it was part of a dress her sister used to have before the accident.

Mare laughed as Remus spun her around and smiled as he dipped her with a flourish.

As the song finished James pulled Y/n over to where Remus was standing, gently presenting the flushed girl to him with a caress of his hand and a wiggle of his brows. Y/n looked dizzy and tipsy in a way, in Remus's opinion, and she looked beautiful in the dress Mare had gotten her to wear.

The bridesmaids, Y/n and two of Mares other friends, all had to wear light periwinkle dresses. They were feathery and easy to move around in and they dropped down just above her knees. Mare had also added greyish colored shawls to them and a pair of elbow length gloves the same color.

Remus slipped an arm around her waist as she attempted to find balance and he quickly, but carefully, navigated her over to the chairs with their names. _____________________________

He guided a glass of water up to her mouth with an easy hand and watched as she gulped half of it down before he took it away. " C'mon, time to get you to bed. Wait, Love who're you staring at?"

Remus moved onto his elbows beside the girl and looked at where her eyes were trained.

A man, who looked to be in his thirties, with short brown hair and e/c eyes stood outside of the Lupin's house door and was talking politely with his mother and father, gesturing towards the two teens seated at the couch. After a moment of their talking Hope pulled the door open and gave him a polite smile, inviting him inside.

Y/n shuddered inadvertently against the cold wind and pulled Remus's coat closer over her shoulders as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

The man came into the light and took a seat on the couch beside Y/n, Remus noticed the similarities between the two immediately.

She had his eyes, his jawline and the same smile his face that glowed up with sight of her.

Hope gently handed Y/n a cup of tea as she sat down on the other side of Remus, looking intently at the only other female in the room.

" Y/n this is your-"

" I know who he is."

She diverted her eyes from the man and looked down, taking a sip from her tea. Without looking up, she said, " Why's he here?"

Hope's face morphed into confusion at her question and she found herself stuttering out the answer.

" To t-take you home dear."

She finally spared another glance upward at him, her face a mask of neutral emotions and her eyes cold and skeptical. The teen locked eyes with him and kept his gaze as she took another sip of her tea, Remus's arm steady over her shoulder as he squeezed it reassuringly.

She looked upwards at Remus, her head tilted upward to meet his eyes, searching for something in them, anything to show his feelings on the matter. His eyes showed a positive attitude as he squeezed her shoulder again and pulled her close to his chest, dropping a chaste kiss to her forehead and moving his lips to her ear as she nuzzled her head into his neck.

" What'd you think I should do?"

" You haven't seen him in years Y/n, you should take this opportunity."

" I won't be able to see you though..."

" His house might be near James', I can always go over there and visit if you'd like."

" What if something happens?"

" You can always come back here love."

Y/n broke apart from the whispered discussion and turned to see the man, his elbows on knees leaning forward and brows furrowed as he looked back and forth between the two.

The man reached a hand up and pawed at his forehead as he stared at the boy holding his daughter.

" And- Who exactly are you in this story kid, and why did you just, do whatever it was you did?"

Remus launched forward immediately and leaned upwards, extending his left hand while simultaneously keeping Y/n close as to not drop her from the sudden movement while she buried her head in the collar of his shirt.

The man accepted his hand automatically and shook it as he gave Remus a once over, glaring lightly at the hold he had on his child.

" Remus Lupin sir, Y/n's boyfriend of four months, her best friend of six years sir."

Remus's face displayed a smile as he shook the man's extended hand, wincing at the amount of pressure being put on it. The brown haired man gave the boy a smile and moved his gaze back over to his grip on Y/n. His normally soft eyes hardened and Remus was quick to release her. ________________________________

Remus stood in the doorway as he watched Y/n put her trunk in the car's boot with a thump.

She turned around and glanced at her father before he nodded. The teen walked up the walkway and met Remus by the door, hooking her arms into the pockets of his jacket where his arms lay, lacing their fingers together. She pulled his forward lightly and he unlaced their fingers, instead opting to pull her closer while simultaneously slipping a hand to the dip of her back, dipping her backwards with a flourish. Her arm came up to his neck and she stared into his eyes, their noses mere centimeters apart.

His voice came out husky and low and filled with love.

" I'll miss you Y/n. Make sure to come back to either mine or James' if you need anything mi amore."

He smiled down at her with a simple, bashful smirk and Y/n laughed at him lightly, shaking her head.

" You always loved your Italian..."

She sniffled and Remus pulled her back up, slamming his lips against hers full force before she let go.

As the female closed her door Remus could've sworn he'd heard her say 'Until we meet again.'

If only he had know the exact date he would next see her, he wouldn't've let her leave. ______________________________

" What do you see in him Y/n?"

" He makes me happy, he makes me feel loved F/n."

" Yeah but, what makes you love him? I'm not criticizing you or anything I'm just curious kid."

" What makes me love him is the fact that he's been here with me ever since I was eleven and didn't know what to do, he stuck by me when I was sad and didn't get mad when I was the same, he showed me love and respect and he showed me that he cared by staying through it all. I know that my memory isn't all that perfect right now but I remember that much."

The man bit his lower lip in thought, his hands gripping the pickup trucks steering wheel tighter, before he nodded his head and turned down a familiar road she'd seen so many times before.

" Okay then, I respect that." ________________________________

Y/n's P.o.V.

" F/N YOU CAN'T JUST IGNORE THEM ANY LONGER AND YOU KNOW THAT!"

" I KNOW THAT M/N BUT I CAN'T STAY HERE ANY LONGER!"

" Just one more night F/n. One more night to explain and let them choose."

Liz came over and cradled my head to her chest while we tried to block out the noises of our parents. This was a weekly occurrence so it wasn't hard for us to block it out, it was no use trying to listen in anymore anyways. We knew what they always argued about, Me, Liz, the house, our schooling, Liz's condition, auntie Candy, auntie Angeline.

" Come on Y/n, let's try to lay dow-'

Screams.

Screams were what erupted from the hallway, a masked man shoved into the room we were in. He had our mum in a choke hold and kept on kicking her, punching her, slashing her as we-

" Y/n? You okay kid?"

" Oh, yeah, yeah I'm okay. Just thinking."

He leaned forward and went to shuffling the cards again, passing me ten of them where I laid them down atop the same glass table we used to play garbage at when we were younger.

I arranged the ten cards in two rows face down on my side of the table as he did the same. Then I picked a card up from the good pile and looked down at it.

7 of Ace.

I traded out that card for the one in place of the facedown seven card and placed the new one there, looking at the one previously in place.

3 of Diamonds.

I kept on switching cards until I got a blasted 7 again.

F/n snorted and flicked the card from my fingers with a snap, taking it for place on his arrangement.

We went on this way until I filled up my deck thrice and he gave in.

He stood up and grabbed our glasses.

" We ran out of tea kid, let's go back in before you kick my ass."

Since when do you curse? You never cursed while I knew you.

" Yeah, yeah okay. No. No F/n no, I'll get the notebook, you go and try to find something else to do."

I turned around and took the pen from his hand before I dropped it on the counter beside him. The house wasn't fancy, it wasn't big or small, but it was a house. He grew up on a farm when he had been a boy so naturally, we live on the ranch with him too.

We.

I'm stupid.

We don't live here anymore, mum and Liz are dead.

I stumbled, almost dropping the notebook in my hand. An arm came to rest on my side as I tried to find my footing again. " You okay Y/n? This stuff's been happening all week, you've been spacing out and stumbling everywhere."

" Well, in my defense I am very clumsy and I space out a lot."

A shallow, hollow and numb, laugh cascaded my lips seamlessly as he eyed me with concern.

" Yeah, I forgot, you wouldn't know. Y'know, seeing as you've been in and out of my life since I was seven. Mostly out."

I turned and looked at him, my face neutral as he gaped at me, his face saddened.

I spun around on my heel and stood on my tippy-toes to grasp the tea kettle.

" This is how it goes F/n you can't just expect to randomly walk back into my life without complications. If you did, then you've expected someone else's kid."

" Y/n, you know I didn't mean to. Me and your mother just, had some differences to sort out."

I turned and glared at him with a heated passion, my voice coming out cold and with snide.

" No, you can't keep using mum as an excuse. She's dead, I watched her die and you, what did you do? You sat with a knife in your leg and stared at her as she was beaten bloody and killed. So do me a favor, and don't bring her up okay."

I figure I went a bit too harsh on him but that doesn't really matter.

What matters is the fact that he's using his dead divorced wife as an excuse for leaving me.

" I didn't realize taking care of a teenager would be this hard..."

" You realize that just because I'm walking to my bedroom, that doesn't mean I can't still hear you right." ________________________ Yeah Yeah Yeah, I know this is really frigin short but uh, I have my own reasons for the shortness of it. Just be glad, I could've made it as short as I am. ______________________ Drop a vote, drink some water, eat some food, take screen breaks and remember You Are loved! ^ - ^

[szopenhauer]

If money was no object, would you change your wardrobe? I would add to my wardrobe more than change

How do you/did you get to school? walk, then by bus

Have you ever been in trouble for something you honestly didn’t do? yep

Is the idea of having a secret admirer creepy or romantic? creepy

What was the last song you sung out loud? https://youtu.be/wycjnCCgUes

Were you excited to learn to drive, or scared? worried that I’ll waste my money

When was the last time you felt incredibly tired? today

In your opinion, who doesn’t deserve to be famous? many people

Was it hard for you to get up this morning? not really

When was the last time you colored with crayons or colored pencils? few months ago

Do you feel comfortable talking about your disorders, if you have them? depends

Where did you go on your last field trip? not sure which was last

Do you think you make a good first impression? no

Do other people’s first impressions stick with you? might

Have you ever had to give up on someone? sure

Would you rather break up with someone, or them break up with you? them break up with me (not my decision) but usually it’s the other way around

Do you think it’s okay to like a cover more than an original? umm...

Are you calm in emergency situations? depends

Who are you most attached to? my dad

What do you depend on other people for? money mostly :(

What goes through your mind when someone breaks up with you? depends

Do you match your shoes with your outfit? sometimes, it’s not that I have enough shoes to do that lol

Do you feel more comfortable with a male or female doctor/nurse? female 

What was the last thing you bragged about? not sure what was last

What’s the ugliest thing on your wall? umm...

Who’s your favorite philosopher? Schopenhauer because of all the memes

Do you think Freud was out of his mind? well I prefer Jung

Einstein? he was cool

Who’s your favorite painter/artist? I like many 

What day is it? Friday

Are you wearing anything blue?  nah

Do you know anyone named Graham? just bread :P

Are you sitting next to anyone? not currently

Do you dislike the last person you Facebook messaged? nope

Who’s the quietest of all your friends? K. always was 

Are you home alone right now? If so, where are the people you live with? my mom’s home, my dad is at work

Are you a chocoholic? noooo

Is there a song that reminds you of the person you love/like? Do you listen to that song often? one of them is t.a.t.u. - All the things she said

Do you listen to music while you fill out surveys? sometimes

In the past week, what song have you listened to the most often? not sure

While playing video games, do you prefer being first or second player? second 

How many people do you depend on? not many

How many people do you think depend on you? they could live without me

What is the worst color combination? brown and black?

Have you ever injured yourself walking around in the dark? yeah

What’s so scary about clowns, anyway? nothing to me and it’s annoying that they’re part of so many horrors

When was the last time you acted like someone you’re not? sigh...

How many hats do you own/wear? shitload

Do you ever receive comments on your weight? ppl are jealous of my weight so basically my illness :(

Is there anything that you do just to make other people happy? of course

What was the last thing that you wrote down [with a pen/pencil]? not sure what was last

Has anyone told you that you have a nice smile? my gf only

Are you uncomfortable with being photographed? yup

Do you like playing tic-tac-toe? I always win What about hangman? I played it couple of times Are you dangerously in love with someone? woah 

Are you cute or sexy? cute Is English your 1st language? it’s not Did you ever perform in front of your entire school? elementary - more than once Did your older sibling ever tell you freaky stories that you believed? one time she told me that school was flooded and there were fish and frogs and then I said that to my mom and she called me a liar and got mad even tho I explained to her it was my sister’s idea :(  Are you single and proud? you can be single and proud as well as be happy in a relationship too, I am in one now  Are you more happy when you’re with people or alone? 90% of time alone What do you think about guys shaving their legs? that’s their life Do you wear lipstick? nah Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced. I don’t wanna talk about it

What music album would be used for a movie about your life? soundtrack to my life would have to be a mix of songs from different bands/vocalists

Who was your first crush and what made them special? she was just adorable with her clumsiness and her perfect body and that face and voice and she was just a pretty cool friend to me and I wanted to take care of her so badly, she was the very first girl I ever had a crush on irl if not in general but she was hetero and she changed a lot (not in a good way in my opinion) Write about your first kiss. Was it everything you wished or hoped it would be? I... I never imagined my first kiss before it happened?...

Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life. How could this knowledge have helped you? blergh

Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people. there’s no such thing, it’s all about the person  If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it? What problem would you like to solve? absolutely, my health issues Name something you found; what was it and where did you find it? I’ve found shitload of stuff but one thing was the most odd and that’s a taxidermy ferret shawl someone left on a bus stop - at first we thought with dad it must be alive but we came closer and realized someone lost their piece of cloth and we took it  Describe the longest amount of time you have ever been away from home. almost a month, I was in hospital Name a celebrity or famous person you wish would take you out on a date. - Have you ever seen a ghost? it seems, it was not just white but a little bluish, no legs and weird face - shaped like in a clay, mostly transparent, slightly glowing, it was in open doors of my room, I woke up with a weird feeling that someone’s watching me and I got really scared so I hidden under a blanket and didn’t look there again until morning, I was trying to convince myself it’s just a shirt that was hanged in the hall but mom said there wasn’t anything like that there at night, now I wish I could see that again hoping I would try to do something more brave about it, I kinda worry I was rude towards them whoever it was 

*btw my grandma said that after death some chemicals leave the body and fly like a fog through the cemetery if casket and grave aren’t blocking it too much Describe your note-taking style and habits. everywhere and usually not in line, can be even upside down, just random, different size, clue words etc. Do you believe that we are all here for a reason? What might the reason be? suffering to deserve heaven? Have you ever done something just to feel the danger, or to feel alive? I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that's real What are all your thoughts on god? overthinking... What did you learn today?  for example - that explaining things to people make me realize more than just thinking about something What 5 traits do people first notice when they meet you for the first time? ask them Have you ever carved your name or initials into a tree or stone? poor tree :( In what ways have you traveled? car, bus, train, bike, even a little bit by ship What historical events happened the year you were born? nothing interesting

Do you watch really old tv shows or movies from the 1970’s or earlier? sure

What would you do if you saw a complete stranger dealing drugs in public? nothing If you don’t have to be up by a certain time, do you like to sleep in as late as possible? no longer than 11 am What are you wearing at the moment? Is it for any particular reason? pajama because it’s past midnight and I should be asleep but I have to finally finish this survey then dry my hair and drink some water first Are either one of your parents retired?  my mom is and my dad will be soon Do you buy a lot of DVD’s, or do you tend to just watch everything online for free? watch online, I have no money for buying movies that I’ll watch less than 3 times Does everyone in your household own their own computer? nope

Are you a good gift giver? I try my best and been told that I am despite not being rich 

Do you know what XOXO stands for? hugs and kisses

What’s the first person who comes to your mind when you hear the word blue? me

Have you seen any of the Harry Potter movies? first ones

Do you like your significate others siblings? I don’t know her brother

Have you ever recieved a singing birthday card? omg I loved those and I wish I got one :(

Do you remember who your kindergarten/pre-school teacher was? I liked her so much I’ve been sending her cards on holidays years after

Were you ever a girl scout or a boy scout? never

Do you own anything made of lace? hmm...

How many people do you share a name with? I don’t know anyone with my name

Imagine your dream home, does it have a fence around it? if it’s not an apartment then of course it does, highest possible and thick as I don’t want to see or be seen by my neighbors

Do you own any yellow shoes? yep

Can you type fast? very

In school were you bullied? I was

Are you sarcastic? yeah

Do you read the newspaper? nah

If you died today where do you think you’d go? hell :(

Have you ever been to therapy? few times, didn’t help

Do you use online dating? did

Did you miss alot of school? I was sick often

What was the last thing you got falsely accused of? not sure what was last

What was the last thing you ordered online? shirt, I’m waiting for the package now

Have you ever been kicked out of a store? no :o

Do you feel like you accomplished anything today? hmm...

What is/was your favorite teen magazine? trzynastka or however this shit was called

Would other people describe you as creative? I guess

What color are your slippers? grey and white

Are you haunted by memories of stupid things you’ve said and done? constantly

Did you like high school or college better? didn’t go to college

Who was your favorite Olsen twin? I didn’t have a favorite 

Do you ever listen to Celtic music? used to, with John

Do you know a lot of rich and spoiled and selfish people? had classmates like this and neighbors too

Do you enjoy mornings? rarely, not really

Have you ever feared going to jail or thought about what it would be like? thought

Did you know that the zodiac signs (the regular ones) are Greek? ok

Have you ever learned about Greek mythology in school? didn’t like it

Do you stay up late? as you can see

what do you hear right now? nothing

what is one thing in your life you feel truly guilty for? personal

have you ever been slapped in the face? I’ve been slapped without any reason, I was bullied

how about punched? hit with a ball only and my head was hit with a bottle too once

have you ever come up with a memorable quote yourself? I’ve been quoted 

what do you think about masturbation? personal

What color did you first ever dye your hair?: either red or black

What’s the color of the bath towel you use most often?: green

Ever eaten a piece of dog or cat food out of curiosity?: ewww, nooo

Can you name one song by Prince?: Purple rain for example

Would you rather paint or make pottery?: paint

Are you currently taking this survey before or after 9pm?: after, I started over 5 hours ago...

Is the sun shining bright outside right now?: it’s the middle of the night!

Would you rather watch a horror movie or a romantic comedy?: romantic comedy ^^”

[dummerjan]

it’s the perfect chilly autumnal weather to make tea, light some candles and curl up in bed with a knitting project i miss knitting so much i really want to finish and block and finally wear my shetland lace inspired shawl and i crave the relaxation and comfort knitting gives me there’s nothing more amazing to see a piece of clothing come to live on your needles or to see how a lace pattern develops and everything lines up perfectly i don’t think i’ll be able to knit again this year and i’d rather wait too long to be safe than to not give my hands enough rest and fuck them up all over again but i fervently hope i’ll be able to knit again in january when i’ll be in the netherlands by the sea for a week that’s where i knit my first project last year and i haven’t stopped ever since - well until now one of the best things about knitting is that even on my laziest, least-functioning days when all i do is watch netflix or youtube i can be productive and have a visual textile reminder that i did get something done that day i really do miss it

[measured-words]

Dreamwidth Update: Knitting Woes

Like many a knitter, I have a stash. I try not to accumulate stash, but of course I'm not successful at this goal. I try to only buy stuff with projects in mind, so that I can know for certain that I have enough yarn for whatever it may be. And then I also try and find good stash busting projects. I'm failing *really hard* at the latter rn and I'm sad :( I have a really gorgeous yarn that I bought for socks, only it is 100% merino, and the last pair of 100% merino socks I made didn't even last a season before they had major holes. This is the same brand. The yarn is gorgeous! I don't know what else I would ever wear it as, though. Its waaaaay too bright for me. I have no idea what to do with it :/ When I was in Gloucester last summer I bought two skeins of complimentary colours. They were the same base alpaca but had been dyed by sisters. I figured that would be enough to make a little shawlette of some kind, but apparently I was wrong. I have 430 yards (215 each) and I can't find anything I really like :/ I have 400 meters of my 'drowzee' yarn that I dyed - pale yellow and brown. It isn't really enough to do much with either I have a million shawls already and I hardly ever wear them as it is. I don't think I've worn my Queen Anne's Lace, not really, since I blocked it. It needs the ends trimmed still. Sometimes I get encouraged when things turn up n the pattern search, but then I realize that the smaller yardage is for the smaller *size* and to try and get it to actually fit *me* I don't have enough. Or I'll find one that I like and realize that I don't have the *proportions* I need - like it takes 400 total, but 300 of one and 100 of the other. Then there's that pattern I was going to start tonight which says it needed 400 yards and then when I looked at it more closely, the actual yardage was 300-400 of one colour and 200-250 of the other. That's a minimum of 500 yards. That's some bullshit. I am not impressed. Anyway. I'm working in Pulled by the Sunset still and it is coming along nicely but slowly. I just finished a pair of socks (mostly - they need their ends woven in) that I messed up one of them is longer in the leg than the other and I didn't figure this out until WAY too late) for a friend. So I need a secondary, more portable knitting project. That isn't socks. ...*sigh* I'm sure I'll find something I can do from my stash! But not tonight - too sleepy. Night, internet! comments Comment? http://ift.tt/2qhdyJU

[banaandbean-blog]

Its hard to believe I’ve almost been knitting for a year.  I started out 2016  by taking a knitting class in January with my oldest daughter and I started my first actual project on February 20th, 2016.  I’ve definitely learned a lot since starting my first project.  I can now actually read my stitches which is a huge help!!.  I can now figure out where I was without having to count rows or stitches.  Yay!!  Those two things were so tedious when I first started and I’m so very glad I don’t have to do that every time I pick up my project like I did in the beginning. I also can cast on without having to watch a YouTube Video to jog my memory and I can do several different types of stitches although I still sometimes have to check out the YouTube on some of those.  Thank goodness for YouTube!!  I can also read patterns and have learned quite a bit of the lingo,  my stash is growing along with my needle inventory, and I no longer feel uncertain about trying something new.

So here is my thought.  Since everyone is doing their last year in review I was thinking maybe I would do a little different take on it.  Instead of just talking about what I accomplished, I’m going to list out the projects I took on, what I learned from the project, and whether or not I finished it and my thoughts on the pattern.  I hope this will not only be informative for anyone who is just starting out, but will also give some insight to those of you looking for different patterns to try.

Project #1:

Lovely Ruffly Shawl by Rebekah Liddicoat Cast on to February 20th, 2016

Savannah’s shawl

I made this for my youngest daughter to wear in Hawaii.  See I had this amazing idea that I was going to knit my youngest daughter and myself a shawl and my oldest would knit herself a shawl and then we would all wear them when my hubby and I renewed our vows in Hawaii in June.  Being my first project this took me until May to finish only leaving me 6 weeks to actually finish my shawl.  I came close to finishing, but my oldest dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it until her shawl was unraveling, so she basically had to start over and I decided I would not finish mine so she didn’t feel left out.  The good news is my youngest wore her’s in Hawaii and absolutely loves it!!

I used US size 7 needles for this with a 32 inch cable.  In my knitting class we were taught on straight wood needles so this was my first time using a cable.  The needles were wood and I can not for the life of me remember the brand.  They were ok to knit with.  After trying lots of different needles I’ve decided I much prefer medal needles as the stitches slide easier.  My main struggle with this project was moving my stitches on the needles as I am a really tight knitter.

Skills I learned: Cast on, Stretchy Bind Off, KF&B, Blocking

  I finished the project May 5, 2016.  For the most part I really enjoyed knitting this shawl and I love how it turned out with the ruffly edge.  The only part I didn’t like about the project was the rows that were KF&B the entire row (especially that last two rows after having what felt like a million stitches already on the needles, but it was necessary as this is what makes the ruffle) and this pattern had no stitch count which was tough for me being a new knitter.   Otherwise the pattern was an easy knit and super easy to follow.

Project #2:

Firefly by Lydia Brown Cast on to March 2016

This project was the shawl I was knitting for myself for my vow renewal.  I decided to cast on to it while I was working on my youngest daughters shawl to hopefully make enough progress that I would be able to finish both by June.

I used US size 8 needles for this with a 32 inch cable.  This was my first time using medal needles and it was so much better than the wood needles I was using on my daughters shawl, but I hadn’t made the jump to Hiya Hiya Sharps yet so the tip was a little fiddly for picking up the stitches.  I used Medelinetosh Merino Light in 293 Sun Rose and absolutely love the feel and color of my shawl.

Skills I learned: K2tog tbl, PM, SM, YO, Aggressibely blocking to exaggerate the diamond shape

I didn’t actually finish this project until September. Once I decided to not finish it in Hawaii I set it aside for a bit and worked on a few other things.  I absolutely love the way this shawl turned out and the pattern was amazing.  It was really easy to read and memorize and it had a stitch count which made it easy to make sure I had the correct number of stitches for each section.  Plus you don’t end up with a ton of stitches to bind off at the end which is really nice considering most shawls aren’t this way.  Total stitches at the end were 391.

Project #3:

Pretty Lace Hand Warmers by Purl Soho Cast on May 2016

This is a project I started because my friend and I were going to go to a Hot August Nights event at our local winery and we had to dress up as people from the 40’s.  I wanted some lacey knit gloves to go with my dress and I stumbled across this free pattern on Ravelry and thought it would be perfect.

I used US size 5 needles for this with a 32 inch cable.  I ordered a pair of addi needles for this.  I also used Oh! Loops Twist Knot in The Queen and Her Games colorway.  I absolutely loved the color, but the needles were impossible.  At one point I was using another pair of needles just to help me get under the stitches.  A single row was taking me over an hour and it was so frustrating.  Every time I worked on it I wanted to throw it across the room.  I eventually bought a pair of hiya hiya sharps and my friend helped me move the project to those needles and then it was a bit better.

Skills I Learned:  Knitting with magic loop technique, knitting in the round, SSK, K2tog, M1R, M1L

Does this count as a WIP if I don’t like it??

I never finished this project.  I finished one glove with some help from my best friend.  The glove fits weird.  Its really tight and the cuff rolls down and won’t stay where it should.  The pattern in my opinion was probably the worst pattern I’ve ever read.  There were so many pictures and pages it was hard to navigate through.  It didn’t help that I didn’t see the tiny page numbers until I was almost done, but overall it was not a fun knit for me.

  Project #4:

Lydia & Sarah’s Oh! Memories by Lydia Brown Cast on end of May 2016

My First Square

This project I started over memorial day weekend while I was camping before I went to Hawaii with the intention I would work on it during the plane ride and any time I was in the car or had any downtime while I was on vacation.  When I started it I was thinking in my mind that my blanket would be big enough by the time fall soccer started to cover myself to keep warm and knit on it during soccer games and practices.  This was not quite the case for me.  I ended up getting 4 squares done by the time soccer started so it was big enough to keep my knee warm or a small patch of my leg, but I could not figure out how to knit on it and stay warm since it was so small.

I was gifted a pair of US size 1 carbon straight needles for this project and I absolutely love them.  They are so light and easy to use and even though they are really long and straight they don’t bother me at all.  The only downside I have found to these needles is every once in a while because they are so long, they have managed to poke themselves through the side of my project bag.

Skills I Learned: All the stitches were ones I’ve already done, but I did learn how to pick up stitches to add on a new square and this knit has helped me understand better the meaning of RS and WS.

Knitting on my memories blanket. 

I love this knit and am hoping to do a lot more work on it in 2017.  It is super easy and relaxing to work on.  Even with being super easy I’ve made my fair share of mistakes to learn from.  One time I picked it up after setting it down for a month and started knitting the RS on the WS, so that had to be taken back out, and one of my miters is going the wrong way since I started the square wrong.  I like that its something that I can make mistakes on and learn and grow and not be stressed out about the mistakes.

Project #5:

Just Another Vanilla Sock by Sarah Stevens Cast on end of July 2016

The toe is so cute!!

This project I started for my hubby.  I bought yarn and needles in April to make my hubby a pair of socks and just hadn’t gotten around to it.  So on the way to the lake I YouTubed how to cast on to a toe up sock and cast on to his sock and continued to work on it while at the lake that day.  I was so excited I got the toe done in one day!!  I was going to have his socks done in no time…or not.

I used US Size 1 1/2 and Malibrigo Sock Caribeno (474).  I absolutely love this colorway and the yarn feels so soft.  My hubby has tried them on at different times to make sure everything was fitting and he is so excited for me to finish.

The heel is done

  Skills I learned: CO for toe up sock (I used the Judy’s Magic Cast On), P2tog

I have not finished these yet and to be honest hadn’t even touched them since September.  I finally picked it back up last weekend and finished the heel and now am on the leg for the first sock.  I am bound and determined I am going to finish both socks in the first quarter of this year.  One thing I have realized by knitting these, my hubby has huge feet.  I can’t wait to knit a pair of socks for my youngest.  They are going to go so quick!!

Project #6

Looking at Her by Lydia Brown Cast on August 28th, 2016

I had the yarn so I started another shawl even though I knew I was going to be participating in a HPKAL. 

I cast on to this pattern to by some time until my Harry Potter yarn arrived.  I knew I wasn’t going to finish it in 2016, but am hoping to have it finished by the spring so I can wear it.  So far I absolutely love how the two colors and knitting up together.

I’m using US size 5 Hiya Hiya Sharp needs and yarn is Cottage Garden by Oh!Loops and Alcaucil by Malabrigo.

Project #7:

Rikke Hat by Sarah Young Cast on September 1, 2016

Mom’s hat is all done!!

I cast on to this hat to make for my mom for Christmas.  My good friend had made several of these Rikke Hats and I thought they were super cool looking and thought my mom would just love it.

I used US Size 4 and 7 Hiya Hiya Sharp needles with a 16″ cable with the Oh! Loops Loop to Loop Madam Rolanda Hooch colorway.

Skills I learned:  Switching to a different needle size during the project.  Switching to magic loop once the stitches were too tight.  Closing off the top of a hat.

I really liked this pattern. It was super easy to knit and easy to follow.  It did surprise me how long it felt like it took to get through the pattern as it got really repetitive after a while.  This being one of the reasons why I didn’t finish it until January 7th.  I missed Christmas with this one, but my mom absolutely loves it and I love how the colors pooled to make this beautiful diagonal strip pattern.  I will definitely make another one of these hats.  I have even purchased yarn to make one for myself and it’s on my to do list for 2017.

Project #8:

Drop Stitch Cowl by Abi Gregorio Cast on the middle of September 2016

Working on a cowl for Savannah. 

I started this for my youngest daughter with my first ever Harry Potter yarn purchase for Oh!Loops.  I actually bought I think around 12 skeins of yarn from her different Harry Potter updates and I had each of my girls pick a cowl pattern, hat pattern, and glove pattern that I was going to use to knit them items using this beautiful Harry Potter yarn I had purchased.  I had also purchased Harry Potter yarn for a pair of socks for my hubby, a hat and shawl for myself, and a hat for my mom.  Of all those items I only got this cowl done for Savannah and the hat done for my mom.  I am however still planning on knitting the rest and have come to the conclusion that I now have until next winter to get them done.  Stress adverted!!

I used US size 15 Hiya Hiya sharp needles and Oh!Loops Bulky in the Tonks colorway.  I absolutely love how this knit up and the bulky was amazing to work with with these huge needles.

Skills I learned: dropping YO without working them

It’s all done and I LOVE how squishy it is!!

I finished this item by the beginning of October.  Its the first project I’ve ever finished in two weeks.  The pattern is super easy and fast and fun to knit and I love how it turned out.  I’ve even purchased yarn to make myself one.  Although for mine I will add more stitches and make the cowl bigger as I don’t like things tight on my neck.  For my daughter this was perfect and she absolutely loves it.

Project #9:

Here’s Looking at You by Lydia Brown Cast on September 28th, 2016

The start of Savannah’s hat to match her cowl

When I cast onto this hat for Savannah to go with her Cowl, the only Christmas knitting I was doing was making a hat for my mom.  I cast on and figured I would have this done in a month and she would be able to wear it with her cowl this winter.  In my mind I was thinking “she is going to look so cute wearing her hat and matching cowl when we go to Ice Fest in January.”  Well unfortunately this did not happen.  By the beginning of October I had decided I was going to knit my two sweet nieces hats for Christmas and because I was making them hats I also needed to make my other two sweet nieces and nephew hats too so no one felt left out.  Needless to say I did not finish the project in 2016 and its not much farther than it is in the pictures.  My goal is to finish this in time for her to wear it for winter in 2017.

For this I am using US size 3 Hiya Hiya sharp needles on a 16″ cable with the Oh! Loops Fashion Knot Tonks colorway.  Since the needles are so small, I am thinking I am going to be working on this for a while.

Project #10:

Sous Son Aile by Lydia Brown Cast on October 1, 2016

I cast on to this pattern to participate for the first time in the Harry Potter Kal hosted by Oh!Loops.  Lets just say this was a sock-tastrophe.  It took me several tries to even cast on to the sock and then I made several mistakes that I had to rip back out and start again.  My last mistake being knitting the wrong row in the pattern.  That was when I got a bit discouraged and that is where my sock sits.  I have every intention of knitting this pattern and starting again, but with the Christmas knitting that happened, I have yet to do it.

I used US size 2 needles with a 32″ cable and Oh! Loops Fashion Knot in the Loyal Companion colorway.

This pattern looks amazing and is easy to follow.  I saw in the Kal that lots of people finished it and it looked amazing.  I’m not sure what why I was struggling, but like I said it was a sock-tastrophe for me.

Projects #11 & 12:

Be Mine by Lydia Brown Cast on October 16th and November 1st 2016

Zoey’s yarn on the left, Lilly’s Yarn on the right

I originally decided to make two of these hats, one for each of my nieces, as part of the Harry Potter Kal extra curricular activity for October.  I felt this was the perfect opportunity to make my nieces something for Christmas.  So now instead of just having my mom’s hat to knit for Christmas I had added two more project to knit too.  I did come really close to finishing the first hat for the Kal as I finished it on November 5th.  Only 5 days late!!

I used US size 8 hiya hiya sharps on a 16″ cable and a natural skein and blue and purple skein for my niece Zoey’s Hat and a natural skein and a pink and black skein for my niece Lilly’s hat.

B3 stitch so pretty, but a killer on my hands

  Skills I learned: B3 (bind 3 stitches together. Slip 1 stitch with yarn in back purl wise, knit 1, yarn over, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over last 3 stitches) This was by far probably the hardest stitch I have done so far.  I think with DK weight yarn or fingering it wouldn’t be so bad, but trying to do this stitch with bulky yarn was super hard for me.  Something I am going to work on.

Zoey’s Hat turned out so cute

Lilly’s hat almost done

I knit the first hat super fast and overall it was a fun knit.  The only issue I had was the bulky yarn and the US size 8 needles.  After a while my hands were killing me.  I did run into a huge catastrophe with Lilly’s hat.  I’m literally working on it a couple weeks before Christmas and I can’t find the second skein of the colored yarn I will need to finish it.  I looked everywhere!!  In the car, in all my project bags, under my bed…everywhere.  I could not find the second ball of yarn anywhere!!  With time ticking down to Christmas I ripped out everything I had done so far on her hat to use another skein of yarn I had two of in the bulky that were the same colors.  The pink was just a bit darker.  Needless to say I did not get her hat done before Christmas!!  I was feeling pretty bad about it too!!  I felt like the worst aunt ever!!  How do you explain to a two year old that you just didn’t get her hat finished in time.  Fortunately my niece is super sweet and I showed her what I had finished on her hat at Christmas and she is really excited for me to finish it.  I only have 5 rows left!!  YAY!!

Projects #13, 14 & 15:

Barley by tincanknits Cast on to Mia’s Hat November 21st, Dominic’s November 30th, and Emma’s December 13th, 2016

Yarn for the three hats

I decided to do these three projects in November after I realized that I was giving two of my nieces hats for Christmas and leaving the other two and my nephew out.  My friend told me this pattern was a super fast knit so I decided it would be the perfect pattern to use to quickly knit three more hats for Christmas.

Dominic’s hat

Mia’s hat

I did not have US size 6 needles on a 16″ cable like the pattern calls for so I knit the whole hat on my US size 8 Hiya Hiya sharps with a 16″ cable.  I used three skeins of yarn from Oh!loops that miss Lydia dyed up for me.  The purple was for my niece Mia, the seahawk colors for my nephew Dominic, and the burgundy for my niece Emma.

Emma’s hat

I was able to finish all three of these hats by Christmas!!  YAY!!!  And everyone love them.  The knit was fun, super easy, and really fast.  The only thing I would do differently next time is add a few more rows to Emma’s hat.  I used the adult size small for her hat and it didn’t quite cover her ears.  I also changed Emma’s hat to have a hole in the top so she could wear her messy bun out the top of it.  She loved this!!

Looking Back:

Looking back at 2016 and being my first year of knitting I am really happy with how the year went.  I leaned a lot of new skills and became a ton more confident in my knitting skills.  I cast onto 15 projects and completed 8 of them by the end of the year.  I found my preferred needles being the Hiya Hiya Sharps and have collected a ton of different sizes in those needles.  One thing I have not found yet is my preferred type of yarn.  So far I like everything I have knit with and I feel there are pro’s and cons’s to each type.  I am hoping to expand on that this next year.  In 2016 all my knits were with fingering, bulky, or worsted.  My goal for 2017 will be to find patterns that use some different weights than what I’ve already tried and to expand my knowledge of yarn a bit.

I think my favorite part of knitting is being able to share this wonderful hobby with other fellow knitters and share items I make with those I love in my life.  There is no better feeling than finishing a knit and knowing I made the whole thing myself with my own two hands!!

I can’t wait to see what all I can accomplish for 2017!!

  2016 in Review Its hard to believe I've almost been knitting for a year.  I started out 2016  by taking a knitting class in January with my oldest daughter and I started my first actual project on February 20th, 2016.