Tag: knitter

Knitting, Crochet & More

Fall 2025 Knitting Plans

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Collage of talked about patterns.

Hello and welcome to a bit of a planning post. I know summer is technically still with us here in the northern hemisphere until Monday, September 22nd, but I am a planner at heart and felt like I needed to get some planning down on paper to focus this fall so I have some great pieces to wear throughout fall and winter this year. This winter I am trying to knit quiet a verity of things from slipovers to winter accessories, but here are the 6 patterns I really want to make this Fall!

The first two on my list are two WIPs I have been working on for longer than I care to admit. These would be the DRK Everyday Cardi by Andrea Mowry and Maple Vest by Yun Jeong. The DRK Everyday Cardi is a really comfortable purl side out high neck cardigan with ribbing detail along the raglan increases. I love the textural detail of this that just makes it a smiple and timeless peace I can easily thrown on. I am making it out of Mountain Meadow Wool Tweed Sport in the color way Shale Fire I am about halfway done with the cardigan at the time of making this. As for the Maple Vest, this is a layering piece I cannot wait to wear. I am not a huge vest person, but one again the little details for me with this pattern. I like the split hem with ribbing and cabling along the sides and bottom hem. I have really been enjoying playing this texture lately. I am making this knit with both Chelsea Luxe Eighty Ten Ten in Sunflower and Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair in Ocher brown.

Next is a little winter cape called Waltz by Miki Teragaki, this pattern was published in their book called Knit Pop: Designs for the Modern Maker, which has a ton of great pieces. What really drew me to this cape is that it can easily be a little accessories to use to dress up an outfit, but also function much like a cowl or scarf and keep you warm. It is a mixture of ribbing for quite a few inches and then transitions into beautiful cables. I ended up getting some beautiful yarn from fionakayknits in a beautiful white with pops of pink and purple that I think would allow the cables and such to really show, but also have a pops of color.

As for next cast on plans I am going to get The Weekender Light by Andrea Mowry on my needles since I am buddy knitting this with my lovely friend Allison! This is a really lovely purl side out long sleeve sweater with ribbing at the shoulders and a drop sleeve! We both bought the same kit at Rhinebeck 2024 together, which was such a blast to get to hang out all day together! The kits we got were created by Loop Fiber Sudio that utilizes their colors Everything In Its Place as the main color and A Place for Everything as the contrast color along the shoulder ribbing and sleeve cuffs to give it a little pop!

The last two projects I really hope to finish next are recently acquired yarn! While I am trying to make it a priortity to get through my stash, I am continueing to add some yarn into my yarn closet after finishing a few projects. I figure as long as I am using more than I am taking it, all is good! Anyway, I am planning to made a beautiful tank pattern called Twist Loop Top by Other Loops, that has a large beautiful cable down the center of it. I am using Pascuali Saffira in the color way 016, which is a really lovely blue color, which is missing from my closet. The next is Yuki No Hi No by eri shimizu, which is a chunky mohair cardigan that has a contrast color sew into it around the edges. While I love the idea of the contrast color, I think I am going to personally leave it out because I am making this cardigan out of Kokon Yarn Chunky Mohair in andromeda, which is a mix of lilac, light blue, and gray. I really want these colors to shine and don’t want to get in the way of them too much. Another bonus of this pattern is that it is made of chunky mohair so it is warm as can be, but very light.

So, those are the six knitting project I really hope to have finished over the next few months so I can wear and enjoy them during these upcoming cooler months. Let’s see if I stick to this plan or completely change it by the time the official start of fall kicks off, what are you planning on making this fall?

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Monthly Digest & Wrap Up

Monthly Digest & Wrap Up | January 2024

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Hello and welcome to a little recap of January 2024! I cannot believe that this month is already over, I feel like it flew by and I have no idea how it happened. But, I have to say the year is off to a really great start! I went on a real fun adventure, I finished a few projects, and I even read a few books. I know…I actually read not just one, but multiple books. Did I get my reading mojo back? Time will tell, but let’s get into what has been going on in January!

Instagram January photo dump.

Books

This month I ended up finishing a tome I started all the way back in August of 2023. It took me just over 5 months to finish reading American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. This non-fiction biography of Oppenheimer was mainly started because I wanted to know more about the live of the main character of one of the biggest blockbusters of 2023. It was very informative written in an engaging manner, but it was very long at about 700 pages. I think it mainly took so long because I every time I wanted to read it, I felt like I didn’t have enough time to dedicate to it. When reading it, I would want to sit and read for longer periods of time because there were no real natural stopping points throughout. I ended up giving this book 3 stars, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was a middle of the road read, but I am really happy I read it.

The second book I read this month was very different, it was actually a reread of a childhood favorite The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. I am not sure why, but I really felt the need to reread these books in December and since then I have read the first two books in the series. One thing I noticed was how much I missed when I first read these books as a kid. They really do touch and hint at some tough topics. Regardless of this, it was really fun to see what I could find as an adult and remembering the story and flashbacks to when I first read them. I am planning on continuing my reread of the series throughout the year. I ended up giving this book 4 stars.

Making

This year is off to a great start with my first finished project being a gift knit for my mother. A sweater of all things. I actually started it and finished it in the same month. That has not happened in a long time. I made the Six Little Flowers Cardigan (ravelry) by Uma Murphy in a really pretty purple color. It was fun making a sweater for someone else and their excitement while trying it on throughout the process. I am tempted to make this pattern again in the future because it worked up so quickly while using size us 11 and 17 knitting needles. Plus, it is an easily customizable sweater as well.

The second project I ended up making myself a new pair of gloves. I used the pattern, Gloves No. 1 (website) by My Favourite Things. This is the first time I have completed one of her patterns and I can tell why people are always knitting up their stuff. I really liked the layout of this pattern and how it just got right to the point without trying to look pretty. It was written clearly, gave resources, and didn’t have fluff. I am in love with the neon yellow I ended up using for this pattern, it was called Electric Feels by a Homespun House. Another first for me, I never used their yarn before either and it worked like a dream! I will be ordering more in the future.

Adventures

This month one of the biggest adventures I had was a day trip to NYC to visit some friends with my partner. One of these friends was one from high school we have not seen in years and the other was visiting from Boston to see a show. We ended up going to central park, the MET, some yarn shopping, and out for a lovely dinner. It was great to spend some quality time with friends. It is something I honestly need to do more often. With everything going on, sometimes I forget to make it a priority.

Monthly Stats

  • Knitted Items: 2
  • Crochet Items: 0
  • Garment: 1
  • Accessory: 1
  • Yarn In: 1,260 grams
  • Yarn Out:1,250 grams
  • Yarn Year Total: +10 grams
  • Books Read: 2
  • Fiction: 1
  • Non-Fiction: 1
  • Pages Read: 913

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Hauls & Unhauls

What I Got for Christmas

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Hello and welcome to a little post where I share the things I was lucky enough to get from my loved ones in my life. I am attaching some pictures from my instagram account and then I am going to go into some detail into what they are.

The first picture is showing the cover of a knitting book called Mouche & Friends by Cinthia Vallet it is accompanied by the yarn to make two of the stuffed animals described in the book. There are three pink, 1 orange, 1 cream, and 1 brown to make the adorable pigs inside.

The second picture are an assortment of Maple and Thread items. My parents got me the jumbo binder so all my knitting needles can be in one home all together. They also got two pages for my needles to fit in as well as the holders for the needles themselves. They also got me the project page as well. I am really excited to get organizing!

The third picture is an array of small items. There is a brown patch work square based bag from Joji & Co, there is also a bunch from stuff from Katrinkles, these include a darning loom, sweater tags, and project hibernating tags. There is also purl strings so I can try on my sweaters as I knit them, a coco knits makers keep, and really cute needle minders by Hawthorn Handmade that look like a basket of yarn and cup of tea with cookies.

The last picture is of my new boots in a brown color. These boots are called Blundstone and I got the Chelsea Boots to be exact. I have heard really great things about their quality and how they age so I am really thrilled to get these.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read what I got for Christmas this year, in my next post I am going to be sharing my goals and ambitions for 2024!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More

52 Weeks of Socks | Week 01: Intersections

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Hello and welcome! Todays post is going to be a little walk through in my experience in knitting my first pair of socks from 52 Weeks of Socks published by Laine. For this first week I ended up actually picking the first pattern in the book, who would have thought? When I first brought up this series in my post, 52 Weeks of Socks | Series Introduction, I said I was going to pick pattern from a bottle. I ended up getting my hands on some beautiful yarn that wouldn’t work with just any pattern so I ended up picking differently. The name of this pattern is Intersections (Ravelry) and was written by Marceline Smith. Anyway, here is how it went!

Casting On

52 Weeks of Sock Book with the completed toes of two socks in a multi colored yarn and a mini skin of a golden solid placed on the floor.

I ended up casting this pair of socks in early March of 2023. I ended up using a limited edition color way from TheLittleWolfKnits in her Catamaran base. This pattern is written toe up, which is something I am new to, but casting on and completing the toes went well and flew by. At this point in time I was thinking about having a contrasting heel and cuff, so I wound up a mini skein as well.

The Process

These socks took me some time, not because I was not enjoying them, but because I had a lot of gift knits I needed to get done. I picked them up for a bit then would put them on the back burning, leading to these taking about 3 months. I will say, I really did like working on these socks. The pattern repeat was really easily memorized and even after putting it down for a few weeks at a time I had no problem picking up where I left off.

I think the only downside to working on these socks or frustrations I had was purely my own fault. I ended up knitting these in tandum, which is something I usually do. I decided for some reason to pull from the inside of the ball and the outside to do this. Usually I am smart and split the skein, but I don’t know why I felt it was a great idea to pull from both ends of the ball. This led to tangles needing to be fixed before starting my knitting session. It wasn’t horrible or a huge deal, but it cut into my knitting time and was annoying.

Final Socks

I ended up finished June 30th, 2023! I am in love with these socks. They are my first all over lace socks and I will say I really learned a lot from them. Always split my yarn if I knit in tandem was a huge one. On top of the practical lesson I learned I like doing a heel flap and gusset from the toe up more than cuff down. While I can and do pick up stitches in my socks normally, I enjoyed this process a ton more and it has inspired me to try some other heel, options such as the Shadow Wrap Heel (Ravelry Link). Spoiler alert, I used it this heel last week and I loved it so much. Anyway, I also realized if I do lace I might invest in US 1.5 needles. While they do fit very well while wearing them, I really have to tug to get them over my ankle. Overall, I feel like this first sock was a huge success and I am inspired to keep on going with this series/challenge.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Monthly Digest & Wrap Up

Monthly Digest & Wrap Up | January 2023

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Hello and welcome to my monthly Digest post where I talk about the things I made, books I read, and other random things I did in January. This first month of 2023 had a few ups and downs, but over all it was a good start to the new year. I actually read not one, but two books! I also completed a lot of projects that were lingering on my needles.

Books

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, I ended up giving this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed the story and I realized that Bardugo’s writing really pulled me in pretty quickly. I cared about characters quickly and needed to keep reading to find out what happens next. I actually have the second book in the series on loan from the library and I plan on getting than read ASAP because I enjoyed the first so much.

Knit 2 Socks in 1: The Easiest Method Ever for Knitting Two Socks at Once by Safiyyah Talley, this knitting reference book I picked up back in October at NY Sheep and Wool festival. I really have wanted to learn to make socks from a sock tube and I thought this book would be perfect. She does a really good job of describing the process and I am hoping to tackle this type of project this year and will for sure have this book open next to me.

Crochet & Knitting

Baby sweater wit textured yoke

Anker’s Sweater (Website|Ravelry), I already wrote up my stand alone post on this project because I really loved the process and outcome. You can find the post linked here, Finished Object | Anker’s Sweater by PetiteKnit. It was a dream to knit and I love how adorable the tiny sweater came out.

Multi colored granny stripe scrarf handing on ladder

Granny Stripes by Lucy of Attic24 (Website|Ravelry), this was a year long scrappy project where I took a ton of leftovers and just added them to an ever growing scarf. I used the mentioned pattern as a guide in making this, but did not stick to the cast on amount.

Half of a scarf hanging out of a bucket bag.

Sophie Shawl by PetiteKnit (Website|Ravelry), This I think was my favorite make of the month. I used up some leftovers from another project and ended up making what I called my Cruella de Vil shawl because it is half black and half white. It is perfect to wrap around and keep warm as well. The knitting process was straightforward and it was a great mindless TV knit.

Gray slouchy hat.


Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition by PetiteKnit (Website|Ravelry), this is the second time I made this pattern. I ended up making this one to gift to my boyfriends Mom who loved the one I made for myself. I ended up modifying it by adding roughly an inch in length to the body of the hat to make it more slouchy.

Random Things

Mocktail in glass with sock being knitted and project bag.

Since I don’t really drink I wanted to enjoy a fun drink on New Years. I ended up coming across a recipe called Sparkling Blueberry Ginger Mocktail by Minimalist Baker. It was super yummy and easy, I plan on making it again the next time I get some blueberries. It is really nice because you can adjust it to your taste by adding more or less sparkiling water.

I also took a change this month to go to an open knit night at one of the yarn shops I shop at. I was not really sure how it was going to go because I never have gone before, but it was nice. I got to meet some new people and got some progress on one of my many WIPs. I am not sure when I will be able to go again, but I certainly plan on trying to go again.

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More

Finished Object | Anker’s Sweater by PetiteKnit

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Hello and welcome to a little post where I share some of the details about my most recently finished knitting project, the Anker’s Sweater (Website|Ravelry)! This project is a top down textured yolk sweater with some raglan increases, the rest of the sweater is stockinette. This particular pattern is made for sizes 3 months to 8 years. So, it works up super quickly! I ended up making the size 9-12 months so it can be used next fall/winter by the baby and their parents. I figured, they would get a ton of stuff for when the baby is very tiny, so having something for down the road would be helpful.

Picture of completed baby sweater on a comforter.

Why This Pattern

Well, I made this project for a few reasons, the first being I made an adult T-shirt version of this sweater in the past so I was very familiar with the construction already. This is for sure a beginner friendly pattern, but already knowing kind of how it was going to work up was for sure a selling point on the pattern. I also had yarn that I could use for the project already in my stash, so I wouldn’t have to wait to receive an order or take a tip to a yarn store. Normally, I would have no qualms about doing either of these, but I found out about the shower about a month before it was set to happen. Time was for sure not on my side to complete this project.

The Yarn

For this project it calls for two strands of fingering held double, which tends to be a DK once combined. Taking that into consideration, I took a peak at my yarn stash, I had a large enough pile of worsted weight yarn and did a swatch. It worked out so I decided to use Encore Worsted Solids & Heathers from Plymouth Yarn. I also liked that it was made of a material that could be washed with a little less care. Always good for baby things. I ended up using a green/blue color called 678 Light Green Forest.

While Knitting

Picture of half finished sweater next to its project bag with a wintery scene fabric on a couch.

This thing worked up so quickly, it was kind of hard to believe. I have never made a baby sweater, so that might be why I thought it was going to take longer. I knew, obviously, that it would work up faster than one of my sweaters, but honestly, it was kind of staggering how fast it went. On the first day I was already 60% though the yoke, the second day I was already entirely through the yoke and halfway through the remaining body. Only two days and I was working on other projects. The arms also only took about a day each, this really is a fast knit, I didn’t even knit the smallest size. The one thing I noticed while working is I did not enjoy working on such small circumference with a thicker yarn. It was more so noticeable the first 10 rows of each sleeve. It felt like there was just too much around my hands, but once length was added it was perfectly fine.

Thoughts Overall

I really think this is a great simple pattern with a little something going on for visual interest. It is a combination of simple stiches, and uses them to make something that looks harder than it is. Obviously, it still takes some work, and those increases can be tricky if you are unfamiliar with them, but a quick tutorial on youtube will fix that quickly. It was also well written pattern, it was all straight forward. Also, I just want to make it clear, I did not make any modifications to this pattern other than working with worsted weight yarn. So, this really shows how much I enjoyed this pattern, I tend to make modifications to wearables these days. I think I would for sure make this pattern again since the process was fun and enjoyable and the outcome was super cute and I cannot wait to gift it.

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Current Reads and WIPs

Current WIPs and Reads | January 2023

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Hello and welcome to a midmonth check-in where I am sharing the things I am currently reading and my works in progress and share how I am feeling about each of them. I am happy to report I am finally reading a bit. Not nearly as much as I have in the past, but I am making some progress in that regard. Due to this, I am reading a few books that I am going to be talking about. On top of that I have two projects I am working on as well. Without more rambling, here are my current reads and WIPs

In progress knitting projects and my eReader on my bed.

My Current Reads

I am currently about half way through Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. I am buddy reading this with Misty’s Book Space and it has been really fun reading this book in small chunks and talking about it weekly. So far I am enjoying the book, the author has done a really good job with setting the mood and establishing the characters and setting. There have been a few things I could have done without, but over all I am enjoying it. I am very much in the phase of I need to keep reading to see what happens next, which has not happened in a really long time. I am very happy that it seems like my reading mojo might be returning.

The second book I am currently reading is Sundial by Catriona Ward, this was also a buddy read, but I did not keep up with it sadly. I am still reading it though and I will finish it! I will be a good buddy reading partner lol. I am enjoying this story, it is a horror thriller, but I am enjoying Ninth House a bit more at this point. But, I have a ton to read still so I am curious to see if I feel the same by the time I finish them. I think the main reason is this is more a thriller\horror where as Ninth House is more fantasy/mystery dark academia. Both are written well and, like I said, I am liking them both.

My Current WIPs

The first project I am really focusing on is the Sophie Shawl by PetiteKnit (Ravelry|Website), I started this project in December of 2022 and I would really love to finish it and use it. I am over halfway done at this point and the width of the shawl is getting smaller from here on out. I think I should be finishing it within the week. It is going to be more of a scarf than a shawl in my option. I am also enjoying making one half black and one half white, The second project I am working on, which is more of a background project is the Big Cozy Cardi by Andrea Mowry (Ravelry|Website). This is more of a long term project that I am working on a little each day. I am loving the pattern and process for sure. It is going to be a big oversized cardi with a mohair collar, so it is going to be super comfortable.

What are you currently reading or working on?

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More

52 Weeks of Socks | Series Introduction

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52 Weeks of Socks book, a stack of 3 yarn balls, a gall jar with pieces of paper in front of a circle pillow leaning against a wall on the floor.

Hello and welcome to a bit of an introduction for a series I am going to be doing over the next year. In 2022 I picked up a knitting booked called 52 Weeks of Socks published by Laine. I flipped through it quite a few times, but never made a pattern out of it. Then a few months ago I watched a video by Eliza Okay where she slowly makes her way though this series. It kind of inspired me to really get into this book and give the patterns a go.

The main reason I was hesitant with working with this book was how I felt I was so inexperienced with the techniques within the book. When I first picked up the book I had never done a toe up sock, I never did cables, I never even looked at a chart before. In addition to all of these, I had never used DPNs in my life. A lot of the patterns, at least the ones I took a look at, needed to use DPNs. Now you can manipulate a pattern to be done on magic loop or 9-inch circulars, but I also had no experience in doing that as well. I honestly felt like I didn’t know enough to do any of the patterns, which made me sad, but I knew that one day I would learn a lot of these things and be able to tackle it.

Now, at the end of 2022 I have done a lot of the things I was hesitant about I have worked on in other projects. Mind you, a lot of the sock patterns had combinations of these new things. I decided the best way to work on these other skills was to learn them mixed in one at a time into things I already “mastered” or at least knew well enough. I did two toe up socks in 2022, I did a shawl covered in cables, I used charts on a few projects and I even used DPNs on a project! Oddly, even though I felt more confident in my abilities and really enjoy making socks, I never really picked up the book again. I think because at that point, it was just a book in on my shelf and I had other sock pattens to make that I also owned. Then I came across Eliza‘s video and subsequent videos working her way though it, I was inspired to take the book out and start working my way though it.

Now, I am not only going to make socks out of this book. I am going to be making a little series out of it to share my initial feelings, how the process went, and my other all thoughts. Now, since the book has so many patterns I needed to figure out how I was going to maneuver working through this challenge/series. There were many way to do this; working through it chronologically, random number generator, or throwing the book like Eliza tried to do in one of her videos. I ended up landing on another option, which you can see in the picture above. I wrote each number on a strip of paper and then place them all in a jar. When I need a new sock pattern, I can just go and pick a number out! Nice and easy, as well as random, which I prefer.

Now, since there are 52 patterns in this book, I don’t really plan on making them all in a year, but over a few years. My goal this year is to make 6 socks out of this book. I figured two months per pair would be manageable, especially since some are more complicated than others. I am hoping to get a mix so I can fly through some and be able to take my time on some more challenging patterns. Either way, no matter how this works out. I am very excited about this new challenge and sharing it with you all.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.