New Yarn and Some WIPs

These past few weeks I have really caught the knitting (and crochet) bug. And it is perfect timing! Today is a cold and blustery November Sunday, the perfect day to stay cozy inside with some tea and some knitting! I actually have a ton of projects I am working on right now that I thought I would share. And after binge watching some knitting podcasts last weekend (I will do a blog post later this week sharing what I have been watching) I was inspired to buy some more yarn for more projects so I will share that too. ….because you can never have to many WIPs (work in progress) right?? Right???

Wisconsin is currently experiencing a huge surge in Covid cases. I am a lab manager for a local hospital and we have really been feeling it, both with the amount of patients we have had and with my staff members getting it too. This makes socializing right now not pretty much impossible because a) I need to stay healthy so I can go to work each day since we are already short staffed and b) I can’t risk getting it and bringing to to work and exposing other people, both coworkers and patients, or exposing anybody I want to socialize with. So knitting has really been helping me stay sane.

My first WIP is the NAVEEN sweater by Regina Moessmer. I have been working on this one since last fall. I was doing really well but then I got to the sleeves and then just….stopped. But after sitting untouched for months and months I finally picked it back up. I am working on the second sleeve and it should be done by this week! The yarn is Cascade 220 in the color Sparrow. It is a greyish yellowish yarn. When I was first looking at yarn I couldn’t decide if I liked this color on not. Even now I am still not sure. I almost want to say it isn’t a “nice” color, and yet it is strangely appealing to me. I guess because it reminds me of the female gold finches that visit the feeder outside my desk window. I don’t think I will actually wear this sweater outside of the home. I like long sweaters so I added some more rows and even though tried it on as I went it still turned out more like a too small dress that a long sweater! I am not talented enough to rip back and not have it turn into a disaster. My stiches always getting twisted or dropped. But I still love the sweater so much and I will look forward to having it as a house sweater for the long and dark winter days to come.

This blanket is something I have been working on for probably close to 9-ish years? The pattern I am using for the granny squares is Bear’s Rainbow Blanket by Purl Soho. 10 (11? 12?) years I bought the Frog Tree Pediboo yarn for a sweater but then went with a different yarn. So this stuff sat untouched. I finally decided I was going to learn to crochet and use it for a lap blanket. Years would go by where I wouldn’t touch this project. But this year I decided I was going to buy anything new and finish all my current and old projects. HAHAHA! While THAT goal was a horrible fail and I bought lots of stuff for new projects I did make a ton of progress on a lot of my older projects have have slowly been finishing them! I made so much progress on this blanket. While I am not sure I will finish by the end of the year I know it will probably be done by spring!

I found this pattern, Acorns and Oak Leaves by Jessica Richardson, via Instagram and fell in love!!! I think I am going to make some garland for my still in progress (surprise surprise) reading and knitting nook. I don’t really have a timeline, I just pick this project up when I feel like making something small and fun.

My family is currently in the process of buying a cabin!!!! I thought it would be special to crochet some items for our new little cabin. This project technically isn’t even started yet so I don’t know if I can really call it a WIP, but I thought I would add it anyways! I plan to use the pattern Double Thick Potholders by Ashleigh Kiser to make some pot holders! Everything seems more special when it is hand made.

Ok so now for some new yarn! I have project ideas for some of the yarn but not for all of it.

The Vuono Hat by Ronja Hakalehto (and the sweater it is based on) is something I have been dreaming about knitting. When I was at my local yarn store the other day I couldn’t decide on what color to make! I knew I didn’t want to use grey since I tend to wear a lot of blacks and greys and wanted a little color, but I couldn’t decide between the dark, rich purple and the dusty pink. So I got both! I will probably give away one of them when I am done.

This yarn is so beautiful and when I saw it was dyed in my own state I had to get it. I am thinking I am going to use the pattern Sailing School Socks by Helen Stewart. I have two pairs of socks I knit myself and I love them! They are so cozy and warm! I love wearing them on the weekend. I want to knit a lot more socks in 2021 and maybe have some as gifts to give for Christmas next year.

I honestly have no idea what I want to make with this. I just loved the color so much I had to buy a few skeins. Maybe a hat and mitten combo of some kind? If you have any pattern suggestions please send them my way!

This final cake I have no idea what to make with either. I just loved the brow shades of this yarn! Maybe a scarf? I have a few patterns saved on Ravelry: Glenvalley, Road Trip, Kaitlyn, and Imbolc’s Light (minus the beads) are a few I am looking at.

Well that is it for now! I have a few more WIPs I will share soon and a few projects that I finished and never put on Ravelry. I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday! Like I said in the beginning of this post, keep and eye out for a post later this week if you like knitting podcasts because I would love to share some of my favorites!