Knit Run, Purl Run

Stashbusting 101

Posted on April 7, 2013 by H3Dakota

As with any knitter or crocheter of long standing, I have a wee bit of yarn. There is a running joke in my house along the lines of “open a drawer & you are sure to find some yarn”…

In the interest of continuing to work on my house & do some renovating, I’m also determined to knock down my stash a bit. I will admit that it has gotten somewhat out of hand. So this year, I’ve been determined to knit/crochet down the stash some. I’m making some progress on it, having managed to withhold from actually buying yarn outside of a couple skeins here or there for specific projects. I’m actually quite pleased with myself. So far this year, I’ve knit around 3890 yards or 2.2 miles of yarn. ;)

I went to my projects in Ravelry to calculate up how much yarn I’d used & discovered to my amusement this oops on my part… thought it was funny enough to share:

Running

Ugh, it’s been a bad week on the running front. In my defense, it has been a very busy week at work & I’ve been getting home late and/or tired. It will be different this coming week, for sure! In the meantime, I’ve got my brand new pedometer (the company replaced my last one, which had stopped working), so I’m good to go again!

Reading

Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram – I was in the mood for lighthearted fluff in light of the crazy week I had at work. I made a good choice in this one. It was lighthearted, funny at bits & just mostly fun. While I don’t really like her choice of boyfriend (I just can’t stomach the cocky, arrogant jock who thinks he’s irresistible to every female on the planet), the rest of the story was good. A great read for when you want a bit of YA with a dash of geek thrown in.

Knitting

I finished my Checkerboard Slippers yesterday & immediately cast on a pair for my geek. I’m trying to burn through my tub of acrylic & this pattern is perfect for it! Warm slippers that are SO smooshy on your feet, yet are totally washable & indestructible? Perfect. LOL

Today’s Ravelry Search

So how about some other patterns for stashbusting? Here are some ideas!

* I know a certain Pixie that would LOVE this blanket – it’s the Ron Weasley blanket from PoA, GoF & OotP. :)

*Oooh, and the Pixie’s mum would love this one, I think! ♥

* Clever! I bet these would be fun to knit.

* I love the story of how this hat came to be, so cute!

Aw, really adorable little sweater for babies!

Stashbusting shawl!

* PUPPEH toys! ♥

* Fantastic scrap blanket!

* Great pattern for using up small bits of yarn leftovers!

* LOL, can’t go wrong with a pattern called The Wool Eater!

Smooshy garter & bold blocks of color – nice!

* What a fun way to use up leftovers!

* Perfect pattern for TV watching & stashbusting. ;)

Gorgeous!!

* Free pattern

What are some of your favorite stashbusting patterns?

Posted in Running | Tagged Free Patterns, Knitting, Reading, Running, Slippers Grandma made, Stashbusting, Today's Ravelry Search | 2 Comments

Checkerboard Slippers

Posted on March 31, 2013 by H3Dakota

I decided tonight that I was in the mood to start another pair of slippers for myself. The last pair I’d made, I foolishly knit with plain regular wool. Really silly mistake for a household with an extra large & constantly shedding Great Dane. One wearing & my slippers were in dire need of washing. :D I loved, LOVED my pair – they were sooo deliciously smooshy.

This pattern is my ultimate favorite go to pattern. So imagine my dismay when I discovered that the site where the pattern is stored appears to be gone! Oh Noez!

Happily, I remembered that I just knit a pair for the geek’s son for the holidays – so I thought to check my hard drive for a copy. YES, I found that I had indeed saved a copy. In case anyone else loves this pattern, I’ve created a PDF of it & made it available here on my blog. I do not know who the original designer of the pattern is, so I cannot give credit – but I do know that it is a rather old/vintage pattern that grandmothers the world over have knit for their loved ones. :) Checkerboard Slippers

Running

I’m happy to report that I have also been running! Not on a regular schedule yet, it’s a bit hit or miss at this point – but I am definitely running again. Depending on how much time I’ve got, the weather & how I feel, I’m getting my feet on the street for 2 to 4 miles at a time again. ♥

Reading

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins – a fascinating take on religion & its impact on our world. Many of the thoughts I’ve long held are covered in this book – it was nice to read of someone else thinking the same way about certain aspects of religion. While I don’t consider myself an atheist, I do not believe in organized religion for many of the reasons outlined in this book. I can see where many would take issue with the book & argue vociferously against it, but for my peace of mind, science, logic & reason wins out over blindly believing myths. To each his own – believe what is right for you & keep it for yourself. :) If you are so inclined to give the book a try – it is free to read for Amazon Prime members.

Knitting

First – let me say… WOW. I could not believe the reaction to my coupon code on Ravelry. As of right now, there have been 767 downloads total of my patterns! O.o Some folks posted the coupon code in groups on Ravelry, which really caused it to take off. For the folks that posted it, but linked to my blog post in doing so – I say “thank you so much!”.

I finished my Devin sweater finally, YAY! I had intended to knit longer sleeves on it, but by the time I hit the sleeves, I was terribly bored with knitting it. It ended up with short sleeves, but I like it just the same. It’s comfy – loose fitting – and will look pretty cute with a blouse underneath it, I think. Today I wore a white polo under it & that worked too.

Today’s Ravelry Search

I started going through my library the other week & updating my Ravelry library. I have a ton of magazines that I hadn’t put into my library, so I’m working on getting it caught up. I love the feature because it’s much easier to find patterns I would like to knit on Ravelry, then find the appropriate magazine on my shelves. :) So this search tonight is from my pattern library on Rav – hope you enjoy!

* I love brightly colored crochet afghans. I really do!

This sweater caught my geek’s eye some time ago. I got the pattern, but haven’t gotten round to knitting it yet!

* Such a pretty scarf!

* The Bow Pouch – this image is actually mine, I knit it for my sister. I love the pattern – you knit a wee pouch on the other side – perfect for slipping a key, stitch markers or maybe even an iPod shuffle into.

I love Doris Chan’s designs. I have her book Everyday Crochet, but I’ve not crocheted anything from it yet. Really must remedy that!

Ah, the Hacky Sack Hoodie! I’ve knit 2 of them – this image is the one I knit for the youngest manlet. He still wears it, 3 years later, so I think it was a hit with him. :) Yes, that’s Leonardo with him. LOL

* This pattern is a new addition to my library – and one I totally intend to crochet! I even have the yarn wound – I started a few rows, but I’m not sure how much more I’ll work on it right now.

See, another brightly colored blanket! ♥

* Another really great crochet afghan!

* I love scrap rugs too!

* Stunning square – the hardest part was picking a picture! They are all beautiful.

* Well, of course this pattern is in my library!! ♥♥♥

* Free pattern

Have a fantastic week!

Posted in Running | Tagged checkerboard slippers, Doctor Who, Free Patterns, Knitting, Reading, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 5 Comments

What to give for a 5 year anniversary?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by H3Dakota

You know, the birth of this blog & the birth of my knitting addiction coincides with my very first design that I published on Ravelry, my beloved Severus socks. So I went & looked it up… April 22 will have been 5 years since I published that pattern! Wow! So I’ve also been knitting & blogging for 5 years too. What better way to celebrate than to offer up a free pattern? From now until 11:59pm on April 30, you can use this coupon code on my Ravelry store to get any one of my patterns for free. ♥

5YearsOfSeverus

Running

Well, I haven’t been out for a run in a couple of days, but the youngest manlet & I have been out walking with his girlfriend on a regular basis. I’ve really come to love this time with my family, it’s fantastic. Even better than sitting around the dining room table, talking during dinner – no need to yell at anyone for talking with food in their mouths! ;)

Knitting

Yes, still working on my Devon (sort of) sweater. I haven’t been knitting too much on it the past day or two. Work has kind of kept me busy, plus I’ve been reading. I’ve also gotten hooked on a word game or two over on Lumosity. LOL

Today’s Ravelry Search

* Could this get any cuter??

♥ You know I can’t resist a great photo, especially for a great pattern!

* Another great photo!

Great way to use up some of your colorful sock yarns!

* Seriously, I love that he struck a pose for this shot – almost more than the total geekiness of the sweater, actually! :)

Really cute, I love this bag! Wish there were some projects for it!

* ZOMG… a TARDIS apron! ♥♥♥ Almost wish I cooked. LOL

Om nom nom, Guinness mittens! ;)

SO adorable.

Hard pressed to say which pattern is the cutest, but this one looks to be the most work!! Worth it, I should think, though.

* Breathtaking. Just gorgeous!

Ok, this picture had me giggling furiously. :D

* Free Pattern

Have a fantastic week & thanks for stopping by! ♥

Posted in Running | Tagged anniversary, Free Patterns, Knitting, Ravelry coupon code, Running, Today's Ravelry Search | 8 Comments

Ah, landscaping!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by H3Dakota

♥ Too pretty to pass up ♥

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been working hard on redoing the landscaping in the front yard. My oldest, the determined beast that he is, ripped out all the old Azaleas & Japanese Boxwood bushes. There were also a good number of Ixora branches that kept popping up through the Boxwoods since I got the house nearly 10 years ago. They have been a constant source of annoyance for me. While I love Azaleas, I have terrible luck with them in that they tend to get really “stickie” – no leaves, just really tall branches. They still bloomed beautifully, but the rest of the year they looked awful. I tried pruning them back, fertilizer, no luck. Darn it.

So, after he ripped everything out, we cleaned out all the roots that we could & the replanting commenced. I went with hibiscus this time, which is a classic Floridian landscaping choice. Some are classic peach & red, but this one from HibisKiss is my favorite – I planted 4 of them. :D

This version is named “Spin the Bottle”, LOL! I fell in love with the colors & the name was just the icing on the cake. Click the picture to see the full size pic.

I also planted strawberries & a blueberry bush for the oldest – well, for me too, because I love berries! But I knew how thrilled he would be to have some fruit bearing landscaping.

First blooms on the blueberry bush!

Found this really cool solar light at Home Depot – at night, the balls light up & change colors! It’s really pretty cool.

Running

Still plugging away! Obviously since I’m not posting pictures of my awesome St. Patrick’s Day Halfathon medal, I didn’t make it to the last halfathon this past weekend. But, I think it is better that I didn’t push it – I had a rough week last week where I feared that I pushed it too hard. My hamstrings were killing me, right at the back of my knees – I worried that the 5 miles I logged on a treadmill had done its usual job of giving me an injury. Happily, all seems better now, but in the meantime, I scaled back running a bit, just in case.

Reading

Replay by Ken Grimwood – Wow, wow, WOW. I’m terribly sad that this author is no longer with us. I loved this book so much. I like any story that gets me thinking & this one is one of the top of my list for doing that.

Jeff Winston is 43, boring job, failing marriage – overall, just not happy with how his life has turned out. One day he has a heart attack & dies, right there at his desk at work. Only to wake up again in his 18 year old body, in college, with his entire life in front of him again… and he remembers EVERYTHING that happens in the next 25 years. Would you change your life if that happened to you? ;)

Do yourself a favor – if you haven’t read it, go find a copy & do so!

Knitting

I’ve made it to the shoulders of my Devon (sort of) sweater, YAY! :)

Sneak peek.

Today’s Ravelry Search

I just scrolled through the recent additions to Rav tonight to see what caught my eye or made me smile. Every pattern below is free, enjoy! :)

Hee! :)

Yeah, you all know how much the various owl patterns get me. ;)

Aw, cute bunny for those celebrating Easter or Spring Equinox.

Super dainty gloves!

♥♥♥ Naturally, I love this one.

Gorgeous feather & fan pattern for the crocheters in the crowd!

Squeee, hedgehog!!

Monty Moo!! Of course this Cheesehead is gonna love cows too. :D

Wow, I really love this scarf.

I love bright & colorful patterns, especially blankets. They are just happy making.

TMNT!!!! ♥

Oooh, tawashi Easter egg! I really like this.

ZOMG, PENGUINS!!! With really cute hats! ^__^

Geek heart melts… BBT inspired – I’ve been loving Amy Farrah Fowler’s afghan since the very first episode it was on. :)

Happy Monday!

Posted in Running | Tagged Big Bang Theory Afghan, Florida landscaping, Free Patterns, Geek, hibiscus, Knitting, Reading, Running, Today's Ravelry Search

As You Wish…

Posted on March 13, 2013 by H3Dakota

This past week, I’ve had 3 little bits that came up in conversation, my news feed & in my wandering through Ravelry that coalesced in my brain when I was pondering my next blog post. The first is an apparent utter failure in my job as a geeky parent: neither of the manlets remember ever seeing The Princess Bride. Yes, this failure on my part is difficult for me to admit to, as I can’t imagine going through life without quoting it at least once a week, if not more. ::hangs head in shame::

Next, this incredibly awesome story of a father who is the exact opposite of a failed geeky parent: he hacked Donkey Kong so that 3 year old daughter (who loves to play Princess Toadstool in Super Mario Bros 2) could play as Pauline and save Mario. ♥♥♥ You can now also download the patch yourself – he’s provided the link on his YouTube video.

~~***~~

Running

I’m still plugging away at running whenever I get the chance (or feel up to dodging the wind & rain lately). If I don’t run, then I’m walking with the manlets & their lady friends. We’ve been competing on the 10,000 step challenge – and lately, the youngest manlet’s girlfriend has been beating the pants of both of us! ;) It’s all good, we’re having fun with it. We even walked to our local Dairy Queen for ice cream – it’s only 1.5 miles from home, so a good 3 mile walk helped burn off some of the ice cream calories, right? LOL

I am, however, stepping out in a minute or two for at least 3 miles. :)

Reading

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt – my book club is reading this one for the month of March (our theme this month is Irish). I’m halfway through the book now & don’t want to write up my review just yet. Suffice to say, it will no doubt be an interesting discussion!

Knitting

I’m still knitting on my version of Devon. It’s very slow going, I admit – getting distracted by too many other things to do, really! :) I had the yarn arrive for the mitts that the oldest manlet asked for, so those will be going OTN soon. I also have been seriously considering starting up a crochet BAM afghan at some point… but I’ll have to see how the other projects go in my queue. LOL

Today’s Ravelry Search

* I love the name, it makes me smile. :D

* This square was actually the 3rd item that had this theme on my brain this week. I’ve been looking at 12″ square afghan patterns, thinking I’m overdue for a crocheted afghan again. :D

* ♥ I love double knit projects!

* Interesting looking hat – I bet it would be fun to modernize it!!

Seriously, how cute is this picture?!

* Really pretty booties, I’m surprised there aren’t more projects for this pattern!

I love everything about this sweater – would be worth investing in the book, I’m thinking!

* SQUEEE!!! So cute & way better than wearing a sheet or towel on your head.

* Aw!! I bet I know of a person or two that would like these in adult size. ;)

WOW! The designer has a wide range of Disney princess patterns.

Super cute!!

How fun is this skirt?!

Can’t have a princess theme without including THE Princess! ;)

* This pattern has a couple really nice projects done for it, it looks super cute on everyone!

* Sweet – another adorable hat for dress-up!

Pattern calls for worsted, but I think it would be even more gorgeous in a lighter weight yarn.

* Aw, cute baby hat!

Fun scarf! It’s a Japanese pattern, but the notes say that it is fully charted. :)

* Free pattern

Happy Wednesday, all! We’re on the down slope now… LOL

Posted in Running | Tagged Free Patterns, Knitting, princess, princess knitting patterns, Reading, Running, Today's Ravelry Search

Where does the time go?

Posted on March 7, 2013 by H3Dakota

So my oldest manlet became officially engaged some time ago – they have been together for 2.5 years so far, but have no plans for the wedding as of yet. My geek’s daughter is now also officially engaged & he’s feeling my pain. :) Our kids are adults now & it just seems like yesterday that my manlets were little boys learning how to walk. Happily, though, both couples seem perfectly content to wait for quite some time before officially tying the knot. I’d told my manlets not to get married/have kids until they are at least 30… we’ll see if they both heed my words! ROFL!

Running

I’ve managed to get out & run almost every day of the week for the past couple of weeks. That includes several runs with the oldest & his lady friend. YAY! I’ve also done several miles with the youngest & his lady friend, but at a walking pace (for now! LOL). Decided to take today off & give my legs a bit of a rest. I’ll have to make up for it tomorrow & go for 4, I think, but the rest will be good for me. No sense in pushing it too hard & ending up injured!

Reading

Several members of my knitting group have formed a book club too. I’m super excited about it, as I’ve never gone the book club route before. New experiences are fun, especially when done with people you already know! ;) We just met to discuss the first book we read, which we really started back in January…

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey – 1920s Alaska, an older married couple & the child they made of snow. Or did they? Is Faina real or just a figment of their imagination? This story is beautiful – the descriptions of Alaska alone make the book worthwhile. Yes, it is a sad story. Does it end sadly? Well, I think it really boils down to how the individual reader decides. I do know that this book spurred a fascinating discussion in our group about women & the “maternal instinct”. Some women have it, some don’t – but unfortunately, even in today’s society, women that do not have it are deemed less or even heartless. Not everyone is cut out to be a mother & it is the strong & courageous woman that admits to that.

Knitting

I finished up the Faux-Hard Garter Slip Scarf last weekend. I was looking at the finished projects & saw that our knitting group’s much loved Uncle Tim had used the pattern to knit up a dishcloth. What a fantastic idea, I thought! So yes, I immediately pulled out some cotton & knit up a new one for my geek. LOVE IT. So, thanks Uncle Tim!! :)

I started knitting a new sweater for myself – I’m modifying the Devon tank for it. I plan to add sleeves to it, but otherwise I’m keeping it about the same. I can’t find my 4s though, so am knitting it with 5s – it’s going to be big, but hey, that’s ok. :)

Today’s Ravelry Search

Let’s end this post with the same topic we started it with for some fun. ;)

* I absolutely LOVE this crochet dress!

Oooh, pretty!

* Something old, something new… ;)

::blink:: Call me old fashioned, but I’d really rather not see the bride’s knickers as she walks down the aisle.

I’m torn on this one – I love it, I think. LOL

* With the right dress, this necklace would be stunning.

* Have I mentioned my love for most things vintage? ;)

Again with the vintage stylings! LOL

When my friend Michelle got married, she toyed with the idea of knitting her bouquet. I loved the idea too!

* When it comes to flowers, I believe I prefer the crochet versions just a little bit!

* One of the prettiest veils I’ve ever seen, I love this pattern. :)

Here is the same pattern, but with a Gator twist! I had to include this one because my geek’s kids are both Gators and my kids (which includes my daughter to be) hope to be. Plus, she’s just so happy & gorgeous in it. :D

* Free pattern

Have a terrific weekend!

Posted in Running | Tagged bridal knitting, Free Patterns, Knitting, Reading, Running, Today's Ravelry Search, Wedding | 2 Comments

Finding inspiration in different places

Posted on February 24, 2013 by H3Dakota

So my geek & I were watching something yesterday… he commented on something & I responded with “all I noticed was that sweater she’s wearing”. LOL It got me thinking, though, about inspiration & some of the unexpected ways we feel inspired. I’ve been inspired by many things I’ve seen in movies or shows, of course, whether it’s knitting or running. Sometimes it just happens when I see someone jogging down the road or someone goes past me wearing a cool, vintage hat. The more you look around, the more you’ll see things that just might spur a bit of inspiration in you, too. :)

Running

Yes, I’m still keeping up with my running! I’ve also been getting the weights going heavier lately & finally started feeling the effects. It really doesn’t do much good to lift 10 or 15 pounds if you don’t feel a thing afterward. I moved the weights up & got my muscles feeling all warm & jelly-like… and felt a twinge of soreness the next day, w00t! Not so sore that I can’t move, just the right amount that lets me know I worked the muscles.

Reading

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells – what a terrific read this one was! I really enjoyed the world that the author created in this series. It’s a bit fantasy, bit sci-fi, a bit advehttp://h3dakota.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpnture with just a touch of romance. Moon, the main character, doesn’t know what he is in terms of species – all he knows is that there seems to be no one else like him. He tries to live his life among the groundlings, but never quite seems to find acceptance in any of the communities of his world. At last, he finds his own people, called the Raksura. Can he fit in with them & can he accept them – and can they accept him?

Knitting

I’m still working on the Faux-Hard Garter Slip Scarf. I’d hoped to finish it this weekend, but someone kept distracting me. :D I have another project planned, but I have to wait on the yarn for it, as the manlet wants fingerless gloves that are thick & a bit fuzzy. Rowan Kid Classic perfectly fits what he’s looking for, so I’ll have to get the yarn. I found some available on Ravelry, yay, just waiting to hear back if it’s still available.

Today’s Ravelry Search

So I thought about my love for vintage patterns & felt inspired to showcase some of the awesome patterns that are out there along with an example of a finished project… a bit more challenging on my usual search! ;) Enjoy! I’ve linked the original photos back to the pattern page.

Original Pattern Photo/Modern Project Photo