SparkleShan

This year I will....make more time for knitting and crafting. My soul NEEDS to be creative on a regular basis. I can't really explain it but when I can't do this I feel out of balance and like something is missing from me. That's why this year our family has made every Sunday "craft day". This year I will finish WIPs that have been sitting for years. Like my first finished knitting project of 2021 that I am wearing in this picture. It is the  #outlinewrap  pattern designed by  #beatajezek  that I started in November 2015. It's been sitting for years 95% done. So I decide to make a plan to work on a WIP on my two days a week at the hospital during my lunch break. And I finished this in a week and a half! Yarns:  @maplewoodkindercoop   #bohoknitterchicspins  indie dyed &  @fleeceartist_handmaiden  purchased from  @colorsong_by_twitchyhands This year I am going to step fully into my power and continue to elevate my vibrations and those ...

Last week I did not post a Work in Progress because I was still only working on my Boxy Sweater that I posted the week prior, so I thought that would be boring to post about again since I haven't really made any new progress on it. This week I continue to work on my Boxy Sweater and I am actually at the point now where I separated for sleeves, the end is in sight! I also decided to work on a shawl that I started months ago that was written by my dear friend Brittany Wilson, the Rise and Fall Shawl. You can get the pattern on Ravelry! This shawl calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn and I am using hand dyed yarn from Brittany (BohoknitterchicSpins) and hand dyed yarn from Sunrise Fiber Co. You can find both shops on www.Etsy.com I still have a ways to go on the shawl, but I really love the colors on the yarn and I want to wear this soon.

I have finished a few knitting projects since March that I will now share with you. I finally got my hands on a skein of Madeline tosh holi festival in DK Weight and I knit the Latu Hat with it. This colorway is so much fun and I have been trying to find it for a while. I took a trip to Knit New Haven (which is an hour drive from me) on the hunt for another yarn and they happened to have this one too, so of course it had to come home with me. I also finished my second Ishbel Shawl. This was only the second shawl I ever knit 5 years ago and it took me about a month and a half to finish. This time it only took me about two weeks to finish it. My cousin had twin girls in March and I had to knit them something using this awesome hand dyed Unicorn Poop Yarn from Sunrise Fiber Co. So I knit two Tiny Trees Baby Vests. I knit another pattern for the second time, the Hitchhiker Shawl using some awesomely bright hand dyed yarn from Atomic Blue. Last time I knit thi...

This week I cast on for a Craft-a-long being hosted in Colorsong's Ravelry group.  I am using Fleece Artist Trail Socks in the color Passion flower to knit an Ishbel Shawl by Ysolda Teague.  I knit this pattern 3 or 4 years ago and I love it and have been wanting to knit it again. I bought this yarn for a shawl (I didn't have a particular one in mind) from Colorsong yarns, so I thought it would be perfect to use for this along and pattern.     I finished working on the Magine Shawl by Ambah O'Brien and it is now blocking. I couldn't wait until it was dry to get a picture.  I really love how colorful this shawl is, thanks to the awesome Knit Circus gradient yarns.     Knitting all these shawls is really inspiring me to come up with some shawl designs. So I am working on a swatch sample for a design I have in my head for a three colored shawl. I knit the sample using some Sunrise Fiber Co mini skeins that I bought 4 years...

Here is another free knitting pattern that I designed to show off that sparkly sock yarn we all love so much.  It was my second Shawl design ever and I am sharing it for free with you here :)  I would love for you to knit my shawl and share it on Ravelry by linking to the pattern page.  Thank you and happy knitting. Aurora Sparkle Shawl By Shannon O’Neil MATERIALS Needles: 1 US #7/4.5 mm 24” circular needles Notions: - Tapestry needle - 1 stitch marker Yarn: Craftypuppylover handdyed Fingering Weight Yarn. 438 yards, 3.5oz GAUGE   23sts/35 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch before blocking. Gaugeis not super important so don’t worry if yourgauge is a little off this                                   PATTERN Set-up: CO 3 STS Row 1 (RS):   *k1,m1, rep. from * to last st, k1. (5 ...

Lately I have come down with a knitters disease called startitis.  It's when you keep starting new knitting projects when you haven't finished the ones that you already have on the needles.  I currently have 8 or 9 projects on the needles.  This week I am trying to be good and work on 2-3 projects at a time and finish them before I start anything new...again. So work in progress Wednesday is when you show off what you have been working on this week.  This week.  I finished a bulky cowl test knit for designer Brittany Wilson.  I am also finished a simple garter stitch shawl, Asterism, for my daughter using Knit Picks Glossing Fingering Weight yarn in a blueish color that looks like the Tardis blue.  She's a big Doctor Who fan and wanted me to knit her something in that color. I am also working on the Magine Shawl designed by Ambah O'Brien, using a gradient yarn by Knit Circus Yarns. I am hoping to finish this shawl by next week so that I can contin...

It's been a while since I did a knitting work in progress Wednesday and boy do I have a few things in progress. I'm still slowly and hear and there plugging away on the Boxy Sweater that I started in October. I still have another 9 inches of stockinette stitch before I even start the arms. And did I mention its in fingering weight yarn?? I am also knitting a second Terrafrom shawl with sparkle sock yarn that I dyed myself. I am going to add a second skein of some sparkle sock yarn that I also dyed myself, that is a little bit light then the current skein to make it longer and give it a cool ombre effect. My little sister is having a baby girl at the end of August so I am crocheting her a blanket. I am using some Cotton ease yarn that I have had for about 5 years, since they live in Virginia and the baby is being born in the summer I wanted to make a light weight blanket she can use right away. I also started a Bias Wrap in the left over Handmaiden mini maiden s...

My first project I finished knitting project, the Herbivore by Stephen West, after my 7 month knitting break. I started this back in April and it was more then half done so it was a really fast finish. I gave it to my mom for her birthday. I knit it using hand dyed sparkle sock yarn from my friend Carrie, It was an easy, fast knit so I would definitely knit this again. Excuse the crappy cell phone picture.

Every Wednesday I am going to post about my current crafty (mostly knitting) works in progress. This week I am still working on the herbivore shawl in my lovely sparkley hand dyed sock yarn.

In honor of Pi Day, we are doing a Pi Shawl Knit a long in Bohoknitterchic's Ravelry group. I am knitting the Doubloon Shawl . This will probably end up being the biggest thing I have ever knit once I am done, as it calls for 2000 yards of lace weight yarn. I am using a yummy alpaca, cashmere, silk blend yarn hand dyed by my friend Carrie. This is my first time knitting with lace weight yarn. Here is a shot of my progress so far.                                                   

I am in love with Fleece Artist Yarns. I knit the Strange Bird shawl using Fleece artist Merino 2/6 yarn in the most awesome colorway, Pinata. The shawl is rather small and only used 127 yards of the yarn. The blocked size ended up being 24 inches by 19 inches. I think if I knit this a second time I would go up a needle size since I am a tight knitter and this came out pretty small. The picot binding took forever!                                                   

My Friend Brittany Wilson designed an awesome shawl, Gowan , and I did a test knit of it for her. I knit the shawl using hand dyed sparkle sock yarn from another friend Carrie. I used about 380 yards of yarn and the size of the shawl after blocking was 51 inches by 22 inches. You can check out Brittany's other awesome pattern designs here .                                           

One of my knitting goals for 2012 was to knit at least 12 shawls within the year. I am happy to say that I succeeded in meeting my goal! The first shawl I knit is one that I actually designed myself, the Madeira Spring Shawl . I designed this shawl to use hand spun yarn and I wanted it to be a light weight airy for spring time.  The second shawl I knit was a variation of the Maderia Spring shawl, with a few alternations. I made this shawl smaller for my daughter. The third shawl that I knit was the Traveling Woman Shawl . I have been wanting to knit this shawl for a long time and this far its the most intricate shawl that I have ever knit. I knit this with some lovely hand dyed yarn from LushMommy. The fourth shawl is another one that I designed myself, using LushMommy yarn. I knit this as a comfort shawl for a friend that lost a baby.   Shawl number five, was another Traveling Woman Shawl, because I loved knitting it so much the first time. I knit i...