SparkleShan

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...

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...

Wow I didn't realize how long it's been since I last updated this blog. A lot of has been going on in life. I'm getting ready to retire from the Army in a few short weeks. And then I will be doing nothing until I start cosmetology school in the middle of July. I will being going to Paul Mitchell School in North Haven for the next 11 months full time. I also started two college classes online 3 weeks ago just for fun and for something to do when I'm bored and not working. I'm taking a Buddhism class (I'm Buddhist so it's fun and I know most of the stuff) and a Hinduism class. It's weird for the first time I have my homework done early and am not waiting until the last minute before it's due.  I have finished a few knitting projects since I last posted. Most recently was a second Frisson shawl designed by an awesome designer and friend Brittany Wilson. I knit it in a yummy silk blend yarn by Handmaiden Yarns called mini maiden. You can download t...

This past weekend was crazy with the knitting work in projects. I actually managed to spend time on all of my active projects on the needles and finished two projects! I am still working on the Boxy Sweater, the Stole with One sleeve. I am also working on the Terraform Shawl/Scarf for a Fall knit a long, with hand dyed yarn from Bohoknitterchic . I also started the Sastrugi Cowl, designed by my friend Brittany Wilson, with Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit angora/mohair yarn and that yarn is a dream to knit with. I also worked on one of my own shawl designs.   

It has been a long time since I posted a work in progress, because I haven't knit anything this the beginning of April, but I started again last week. Currently on the needles, I am knitting a Stole with one Sleeve out of a bunch of different fingering weight yarns and leftover skeins in blues and greys. It is a lot of garter stitch and I still have a long way to go!   I am also knitting the Terraform Shawl (pattern from ravelry) out of hand dyed yarn by Bohoknitterchic in the Rooster colorway from her Fall Knit a long. I have been working on this mostly because I want to finish it in time to be entered to win a prize in the KAL.  

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!                                                   

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...