A New Notion

 I really needed a notions bag for my pyramid sock bag. My measuring tape and stitch markers like to hide in the corners of the bag. I've been complaining about it for months. But! I finally did something about it!

I wanted a notions bag made out of the same, or similar, fabric as my sock bag. I finally came across one on Etsy. And it was on sale! Couldn't pass that up.

 The notions bag is from Simply Irresistible on Etsy. It's very roomy, which I didn't think about when ordering it. The pyramid bag isn't the easiest thing to fit a rectangle bag into. However, I got it to fit without having to fold anything, or anything looking odd. I've got it laying flat on the bottom of the sock bag. The zipper faces the zipper of the sock bag, so I don't think I'll even have to take it out of the bag to get into it. Does that make sense? Whatever, it works and I am super pleased!

I was surprised when I first opened the notions bag. Inside there was another little notions bag! Yay! I always have need for bags of any size and the little purple bag is the perfect size for a measuring tape, small scissors, and some stitch markers. 

So yes, I had a really good experience shopping at Simply Irresistible on Etsy. You can check out shop by clicking HERE!

Mermaid Socks!

I finished my Mermaid socks! If you recall, I got this yarn as part of my birthday gift this year. It is from Norah George Yarns in the colorway Mermaid. It's on the Super Sock base which is 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon.

I love the colors in this yarn! It is such a happy pair of socks. I am so pleased with them!

Graham

 I recently knitted the Graham hat by Jennifer Adams. It's a free pattern on Ravelry. I wanted a hat that I could throw on and wear with anything. Especially in the mornings when I have to do the school run.

It was an easy and fast knit. And I love it. I wear it all the time. I used Berroco Vintage which is a 52% acrylic, 40% wool, 8% nylon blend. The color is 5145 which is black. I bought it from Jimmy Beans Wool and I'm pretty sure it was called Granite on their site. It was a great yarn to knit with. I have an issue with 100% wool so this is the perfect blend.

So if you're looking for a fast knit hat that is easy to wear, and a great looking/great to knit with yarn then I totally recommend Graham and Berroco Vintage!


There is a reason I have pretty crappy pics of this hat...Captain really felt he needed to be involved. Seriously, I have like 12 pics with him in them and very little of my hat. He is handsome, though.

Castiel Hat

For my birthday my brother Peter and sister-in-law Ashley gave me a gift certificate to Simply Socks. I used it to buy Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in the Juniper colorway. I knew immediately that I would use it to make the Castiel Hat by Woolly Wormhead.

I started it and slowly knit on it when I had the time. On Easter I knit on it while driving down to my brother's. It's a four row repeat and rather easy to memorize. The yarn was a dream to knit with and I think it goes so well with the Castiel pattern.

 I finished and blocked it. Then woke up the next morning to a chilly house and unexpected snow. This hat went on my head and kept me warm while the house heated up. Oh yeah, I love this hat!

My one and only complaint about the yarn is that online the picture showed a skein that has a lot more pinks, greens, and purples in it. The skein I received had way more blue and yellow. So in that respect I was a bit disappointed. However, I love the yarn and would happily knit more of it (I do have another colorway picked out that I need to save my pennies for!). Plus, I love the pattern and would have no problem knitting it again, And I do love this hat even if it's not quite the colors I wanted. I will still wear the heck outta it!

You can check out Simply Socks to find Hedgehog Fibres and all the great yarn they carry by clicking HERE!

You can head directly to Hedgehog Fibres by clicking HERE!

You can check out the Castiel Hat pattern and all the awesome hats by Woolly Wormhead by clicking HERE!

Easter Dishcloths

Just before Easter I decided I needed to knit some dishcloths to give as gifts. And by 'just before Easter' I mean I had three and a half days to knit 12 dishcloths. Sure, you think, dishcloths are quick and easy. Hahahahaha. Ha.

I wanted to knit three sets of four. The half day had me knitting one and a half dishcloths. It also had me realizing that, 1. Cotton yarn is such an unforgiving yarn to work with and 2. Between life and kids, I was going to really need to push to get these dishcloths done in time. On the first full day I got three and a half done. The next day was Good Friday which the kids had off from school. I pushed through and got four and a half completed! That left three and a half for Saturday. I was also going to be spending quite a bit of time in the car Saturday. So I was the crazy lady knitting like mad in the car to finish off dishcloths.

Happily, I got it done and three sets of four dishcloths were given out on Easter to my dad and brothers/sisters-in-law. They were all very happy and pleased, so job well done...even if my poor hands hurt and my size 7 needle now twists in the socket ;-)

In case you're wondering what dishcloth pattern I used in my crazy endeavor, or if you have cotton yarn you want to torture your hands with, it is Gramma's Dishcloth and it is a free pattern on Ravelry. I used the hardy Lily's Sugar and Cream cotton yarn.

Bill & Fleur Get Married!

 Bill & Fleur Get Married! is my first yarn purchase from Norah George Yarns. Again, I think the name of this colorway is a Harry Potter thing, but I'm not an HP fan so I can't be positive about that.

 Anyway, this is the BFL Sock base which is 80% superwash Bluefaced Leicester, 20% nylon. These are just such happy colors together and make me think of spring. And yeah....I even bought a shirt to wear just with these socks.

 Unfortunately/fortunately, I ended up getting a crazy amount of sock knitting time during an ER visit on the morning of my birthday, and waiting room knitting at a specialist the next day. So much time spent waiting-waiting-waiting that I finished the sock.

 For some reason I cannot get a good picture of these socks. To be honest, I am terrible at picture taking, so user error is the issue here. Still, I love these socks and the cheerfulness of the color just makes me happy!

You can check out Norah George Yarns by clicking HERE!

Birthday Yarn from Norah George Yarns!

 Mark and the kids got me these two skeins of sock yarn from Norah George Yarns for my birthday!

The mostly purple one is 4 Privet Drive and is on the BFL Sock base which is 80% superwash Bluefaced Leicester, 20% nylon. The pink colorful one is Mermaid and on the Super Sock base which is 75% superwash Merino, 25% nylon.

I love Norah George Yarns. The colors are beautiful. There are a lot of Harry Potter colorways, but since I am not a HP fan I just pick out the colorways I like. Conversion rates and shipping from the UK does make this a more pricey yarn for those of us in the U.S.. It has become one of my special occasions yarns, hence these being birthday gifts.

Here they are caked up (that's some Berroco Vintage in the back). I picked the sock bases based on how much I liked the way the dye looked in each picture. I'm not too picky about sock bases. I do like it to have some nylon content, but I've knit socks out of several different combos and am pretty happy with them all.

I've cast on the Mermaid, but I have not had a lot of sock knitting time. Usually I can finish a pair of socks in a week, but I've been pushing to get my sweater done. Hopefully, I will have some finished socks to share soon!

You can check out Norah George Yarns by clicking HERE!