Spring/Summer 2012 Magazines

I simply adore Knitting and Crochet Magazines! I actually have too many and I know that I will never knit every pattern in those magazines. But, how I would like to try!

So, recently I picked up some new magazines to add to my library. They are the Crochet Today March/April 2012 issue, the Debbie Bliss Spring/Summer 2012 issue, and Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2012 issue.I will try to give a brief overview of each issue and what stood out to me. I will also talk about the patterns that I have plans to knit or crochet.

Crochet Today March/April 2012: This issue had some absolutely lovely patterns. There were patterns for women, children, holiday inspired, and much more. There is a total of 23 patterns. The patterns I plan on crocheting are the Bright Stripes Skirt by Robyn Chachula, the Obi Cardigan by Elena Malo, and maybe the Lantern Pullover by Cristina Mershon.Debbie Bliss Spring/Summer 2012: Ok, there are soooo many projects that I want to knit in this magazine that it’s not even funny. Almost every single picture was pure inspiration and I could see myself in so many of those patterns. The colors used in many of the patterns were just gorgeous, the lace patterns were just beautiful and romantic, and the children’s nautical clothing was adorable. This issue contains 30 designs. I will post pics below of a few stand-outs.Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2012: This issue had some truly wonderful patterns and quite a few that I would like to make. The issue had a great article on the history of circular needles, beautiful patterns with lots of color, great lace projects, and a section of patterns that focused on blush pink. The patterns I dream of making are the Curve Hem Top by Vicki Square, the Stripe Tunic and Cowl by Kazekobo, the Color Zig-Zag Top by Katherine Hunt, the Slit Shoulder Top by Margaux Hufnagel, the Lace Beret by Deborah Newton, the Lace Triangle Shawl by Helen Bingham, the Lace Panel Pullover by Laura Zukaite, and the Lace Top and Cowl by Carolyn Noyes. Whew! That’s a lot of patterns. A few pics are below:Alrighty. That concludes my brief overview of the knit and crochet magazines that I recently purchased. If you’re looking for some inspiring and up-to-date patterns you should definitely give these magazines a try.

Forced To Take A Break…from knitting

Well, since last week was Spring Break at my job and it was extremely quiet with no one around I decided to knit. So, starting Monday through Saturday I was knitting non-stop. From sunup to sundown. A knitting feen. Guess what?

My right wrist started to ache on Sunday and I was forced to admit that I needed to take a break from the knitting. So, I knitted one more square for my Mitered Afghan on Sunday because I just couldn’t resist 😉 and I decided to take a 2 day break from knitting.

This just pains me so much to be forced to take a break. All I can think is that I am no longer on schedule for my Mitered Afghan and that I want to finish it so badly before the end of April. I also started putting the edging on the Martha Stewart cowl (Using my brand new KnitPicks Interchangeable Circular needles. Love em.). And I promise you I became so addicted to that cowl and I really wanted to finish it 😦

So, today is the last day of my mini “break” from knitting. I plan on buying a wrist brace to control the movement of my wrist. I am going to see how this works out first and then I will look into changing my method of knitting. I use English Style but, I hear that Continental Style is better for the wrist.

A Crafting Moment: Handmade Cards (for Church Deacons)

My church recently appointed some new deacons and I wanted to give them a card congratulating them. I made these cards using blank cards that are found in Walmart’s crafting section. I also found the stickers with the cross and stars in Walmart’s crafting section. The cut-outs were made with construction paper and adhered with Elmer’s glue. The writing was made using stamping stencils also found in Walmart’s crafting section. On the back of the card, I posted my name so, they would know it was handmade.

Just a quick crafting idea for Christian cards.

Progress

Yesterday I got quite a bit accomplished with my knitting. I only have 2 active works in progress (WIPs) right now. They are the Mitered Square Afghan and the Martha Stewart Cover Cowl. I have a fear of having too many WIPs and never finishing any of them so, I try to have no more than 3 WIPs at a time. So, even if I get tired or bored with a project I continue to work on it.

Let’s talk about this afghan. I started this afghan back in 2007 for my boyfriend at the time. I did about three rows then, stopped. I had the afghan tucked away in my yarn stash for 4 years and didn’t think I would ever pick it back up. Then one day I was on Ravelry and I got inspired by the many different versions of this afghan. So, I picked it back up and started working on it. I plan on finishing this afghan by April 15th because I want to start on another afghan and I REFUSE to have two afghan WIPs. LOL. To make sure I stick to finishing this afghan I made a calendar telling myself to knit 3 mitered squares each day. It’s been working 🙂

The pattern is super simple and very easy to memorize. The yarn I am using is Red Heart Super Saver. The colors are Dark Sage, Hunter Green, and Frosty Green. Obviously, I am sticking to the shades of green. I plan on having this afghan for the rest of my life and I figured green is a great color that usually goes with most decor.

Moving on to the cowl that started in Winter 2011 and won’t be worn until Winter 2012. I finished the cowl cabled portion yesterday. The pattern told me to stop at 29 inches and even though I kept measuring the piece I still went over and it’s 30 inches in length. Oh well. Also, yesterday I made another miscrossed cable 😦 So, the total count for miscrossed cables on this cowl is 4. I plan on fixing them during the finishing process. Today I plan on starting on the edging for the cowl and hopefully if the Lord wills I will finish by the end of this week. BTW, the yarn for the cowl is Red Heart in Aran Fleck.

Pictures of my progress…