crazy payoff!

I watch a lot of podcasts these days and one of my new favorites is The Fat Squirrel Speaks. If you're up for some fibery fun, you should definitely go check her out. She's hilarious! Really. Go! I'll be here when you get back... =)

Over the holiday season, Amy Beth (of the above podcast) had a contest in her group on Ravelry for everyone to post their crazy. Mine? Knitting way too many things for Christmas! She did the drawing and guess what? I won an ebook! Such cute patterns too. This is the ebook I won:

I think that hat on the right will be the first one I try. Love it!

I also was gifted a pattern from a friend for my birthday! Aren't I the lucky girl?! I've seen this shawl (Piper's Journey) on a few podcasts and love it. I'd planned to buy the pattern when I was ready to start it so had it in my queue. =) Isn't it pretty?

I've seen this done in two colors and love the effect! The garter will be nice and relaxing and that lace edging is just enough detail to keep it interesting. This might end up being the year of the shawl for me. =)

Speaking if shawls, I've started on the shawl I'm testknitting but all this overtime at work is killing any knitting progress! It's just far enough along to start showing the pattern well when stretched out, but it's still so tiny!

It's difficult to stretch it out and take a photo. I promise a good shot when it's completed and blocked. =)

I did finish the hat I posted last week:

Not a great pic, but it was dark already when I finished it up on New Year's Eve and had to take a shot to post for the KAL. =)
(project details on Ravelry)

Want a peek at some of what I plan to use use up this year?

The fingering weight yarn on top is what I'm using for the current shawl. The oatmeal color yarn underneath is destined to become a sweater, though I don't yet know which pattern. The cream wool on the left will become a sheep hat:

Isn't that adorable?? I plan to dye some of the skein green for the grassy part. No new yarns, remember? =) I also have a bag of baby-appropriate yarns:

Mostly cotton and cotton blends with just a two small skeins of acrylic.

And I just had to share my little goofball:

Reilly's a good distraction from all the paid work! =)

feeling a little crafty... and froggy

Last week, a friend asked if I'd be interested in testing her new pattern and of course, I said yes! I was especially interested once I saw what I'd agreed to knit. lol

Isn't it cute? I jut love the little cabled owl that has been popping up everywhere the past couple years.

With my limited stash in the rv, I didn't have the super bulky yarn she used for hers, but I did dig around and came across some Jo Ann Sensations Caribbean in a sparkly variegated green and held that double. I wasn't quite thick enough, but made a nice little sleeve for my iPad. After the photo shoot, I decided a handle would be useful so I single crocheted around the top and added slit handles to turn mine into a bag.

Details and a link to the pattern page can be found here.

I also finally pulled the crochet purse/bag out and finished it!

It became a nice little basket for the bathroom cabinet to keep items organized. I love how the variegated yarn flashed on this! I think I'm going to use more of this yarn to knit or crochet a net bag to tote my shower items to/from the shower building at the rv parks.

I also have been working a bit on my alpaca blanket and was working on block #4:

I kept feeling like I was wasting my time though. An alpaca blanket in a household with critters? Not very practical. Add that to the fact that the yarn is so thin it's knit up on US6 so the progress is going at a snail's pace? Yeah, not so excited. I love the yarn though so a couple days ago... I frogged it! 

At this moment I have exactly ZERO items in progress. lol Deciding what's next. I have yarn for 2 sweaters and some miscellaneous yarn as well. Decisions, decisions...