Knitting Dragonflies

In my hiatus from blogging and knitting I missed the fact that Google Reader has been retired. Yes, I guess I’ve been living under a rock. I’ve had to reset my email passwords etc.. Working on my Citron Shawl , I know! Shawls look a mess when I’m knitting them and then beautiful after blocking! So I’m left trying to figure out how to read my blogs!  I’ve looked into Blog Bridge, and Feedly, what are you using? I’ve bought several knitting magazines, and been trolling Ravelry, looking at patterns and inspiring knitters and their projects. Patterns I’m loving!! Sideways Rib/Cowl Hood from V.Vine ( rav link ) free The Lonely Tree shawl (free pattern A basic super soft merino hat from PurlBee (free pattern) Thanks to all of the great designers!

The Iced sweater that has stopped me in my tracks is now enjoying some attention. I’m almost out of yarn, and even though this yarn is discontinued, of course, I found some on eBay. But don’t really want to put more money into this sweater. (subject to change… ha) I’ve decided, after looking at many magazines after my surgery, that the fall trend is showing many vests. I decide to put my sleeves on hold and the bottom also, and start on the collar. I only have 3.5 skeins of yarn left (85 yards apiece) so if I can get the collar done, maybe I can then decide if I need to finish the sweater properly. Or…..just turn it into a vest. Would I wear a bulky vest? Not really sure I care at this point, I just need to get some momentum on this project. Until then I’m going to leave you with some great pattern links I’ve found…. http://us.knitsmc.com/files/patterns/freepattern_select_1762_en.pdf , this is a knitted shrug pattern, looks simple with a dolman sleeve , super easy pattern with a

While going through my stash in my stash busting mode, I came across my first hand dyed, hand spun. Three bulky bright orange skeins of merino yarn (12 oz). It is still in there despite my many attempts to incorporate this yarn into, well, anything. I was reading Claudia’s blog; The Knitting Blog by Mr. Puffy the Dog ,  and she had an idea to make a shawl for visitors in her home. Our house is always on the chilly side, and I thought that was a excellent idea. Adding a bright wrap for visitors would be a welcome item indeed! Before dye                                       After dye post, see post here I finally decided that a big pop of color in the Baktus scarf would be pretty, whether under a coat, or over a summer top to keep the chill off, a super bright touch of orange would be perfect. I choose the Lacy Baktus version from  Strikkelise on Flickr . This was a quick and fun project. I forgot how wonderful it is to knit with hand spun yarn. Since the yarn is bulky,

The Holidays are approaching and everyone is buzzing with activity. Here are a few knitting related links that have caught my interest. Learning to knit? KnitPicks has all kinds of video tutorials! A good variety of needles , if you need some. You can have tons of fun looking around at kpixie , yarn, patterns etc.. I like the selection of crochet kits they have. Maybe a good gift idea. Another online store the Loopyewe is fun, and Sheri has a great blog . Here are her free knitting patterns! Favorite mittens is a book on mittens, This book is a "best of" her previous two books with a revision in some instructions. Here is a nice freebie Knitting Daily's Crochet quick Gifts, free e book download. Always a good thing. Rowan books for any knitter, here is the Classic Winter knits Technorati Tags: Free knitting patterns links , various interesting knitting ideas

As you all can tell by now, I love a free pattern. I am a nut when buying knitting books and magazines. But nothing gives me the thrill of finding a great free pattern. With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite places online to search for that perfect pattern. 1. Knitting pattern central 2. The Daily Knitter 3. Crystal Palace Yarns 4. Knitty this should have been #1, I love this online mag!! 5. Knitpicks 6. Lion brand yarn does have alot of free knitting patterns, the ones I have picked out have had mistakes in them, and it is irritating to have to keep signing in. But maybe I have just had bad luck with my picks. 7. Chicknits 8. Woolworks 9. Craftbits 10. Helloyarn These are just a few. There are so many out there. I will pay any amount of money on yarn, but for some reason, if I have a free pattern, I'm a happy girl. Keep on knitting....