Do Something New KAL

Thank You, Tina!

2008-03-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

I'm so sorry for this late post but I was unavailable when the package was delivered to my home however, I am so thrilled to say it made it safely and everything is just perfect and wonderful. Thank you so much!

In the package were two skeins of Lion brand Fun Fetti yarns, which I already have a good idea as to what I am going to make with them, a skein of LB Magic Stripes sock yarn - yippee! I've never tried this before and always wanted to - thanks a bunch! A lovely skein of Noro Kureyon, a great pair of Bamboo knitting needles and a tube of Bodycology body lotion in the heavenly scent of juicy pomegranate - yum! As if that wasn't enough, she included the most beautiful knitting needle roll ever!

Thank you again, Tina! The KAL was so much fun even without the prizes and I'd surely join up again if there were none. The entire group of people here really made this so very worthwhile and we really have you to thank for it - THANK YOU!

February project finished!

2008-02-27T05:21:00.003-06:00

(and, Tina - I realise the official KAL is up. I'd be glad to join in on a summertime one, though. Thanks ever so!)

This is the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, featured in Interweave Knits Autumn 2006 issue. The new craft: placing beads on knits using a crochet hook.

For more info and pics, feel free to hop on over to my blog.

Cheers,

Kristina

I got my prize!

2008-02-26T18:03:00.004-06:00

Hooray! My prize for getting my (one and only) letter in January came today! Tina, it couldn't have arrived on a better day. It's snowing outside and I'm bogged down with homework and generally just feeling bad about the world, and then I get a happy package and everything is better. :)

I got three balls of bright red Bernat Satin sport and a coordinating ball of funfetti yarn. The bright colors are so much fun... my head is brewing with possibilities for a cheery hurry-up-spring project. Tina also included a tube of vanilla buttercream lotion. Mmmm.....

Here is a picture of my cat Roxy checking out the yarn. Orange is her favorite color with red a close second. She is dangerously close to violating the no cats on the table rule (I should have made up a no cats on the yarn rule right from the start... it's simply too late now....)

Thank you so much for doing all of this Tina and thanks to everyone for sharing all your projects. This was so much fun!

February new thing

2008-02-21T06:21:00.003-06:00

I'm learning how to add beads to knitting with a crochet hook, using the Swallowtail shawl pattern from Interweave Knits Autumn 06 issue!

It's been lovely hanging out here. I'll be joining the Ravelry group as well (I'm KristinaB there... pop on by and say hi sometime, or come on over to my blog Bespoke By Brouhaha!

Cheers,

Kristina

Ravelry Group

2008-02-20T18:14:00.004-06:00

Hi all - I made a little group for us on Ravelry so we can continue to share our projects and accomplishments when the blog fizzles out. The group is called doing something new.

I sent invites to everyone who posted their Ravelry name here, but if I missed anyone, please join us!

December prize recived

2008-02-19T07:25:00.002-06:00

I got my prize for December! It is two skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the Red Sprinkles colorway, a skein of Lion Brand Fun Fur Stripes in the Copacabana colorway, a set of the sock shaped dpn holders, and a tube of Simply Basic Cherry Blossom Body Lotion.

I'm on Ravelry and think friending each other is a good thing, maybe continue working as a group over there? My name there is mysticklobo.

The Grand Prize Winner . . .

2008-02-08T08:59:00.000-06:00

The Grand Prize Winner for the Do Something New Knit-a-long is . . .

(Feel the suspense building . . .)

(drum roll, please . . . )

(And maybe a bugle call? Da da da daaa . . .)

*JAYE*

Congratulations, Jaye!!

My little boy just picked your name out of a bowl, so you win!!

Please e-mail me your snail mail addy and I'll get your package in the mail to you!!

Can y'all believe we, as a collective group, finished 62 projects using techniques that

were new to us!? That is pretty cool!

Ravelry?

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000-06:00

If anyone has a Ravelry account, I think we should friend each other so we can keep sharing projects. My user name is peps. Post yours here!

Sneak Peek at the Grand Prize

2008-02-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

I'll draw the winner and post tomorrow evening. I actually have a lot of fun putting these gift packages together!

Pictured above are a skein of Magic Stripe sock yarn, one of Noro, and two red FunFettis, along side a knitting needle roll. When unrolled and opened up, this case has 34 pockets and will hold dozens of pairs of knitting needles and accessories (Needles not included.) I'll problably throw in another little goodie or two, since I have to run to town this afternoon.

THANKS TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS!!

2008-02-04T08:46:00.000-06:00

I want to say a great big THANK YOU to all of you great participants! Thanks so much for making this KAL so much fun!!

GRAND PRIZE DRAWING: I'm going to post a picture of the Grand Prize tomorrow, then I'll be drawing a name for it on the 7th. (I'm kind of evil and thought it would be fun to build some suspense! Mwaa ha ha!!) You will get your name in the pot once for each letter you have earned in the past 6 months. So don't forget, tomorrow I'll post a picture of it and the drawing will be on the 7th.

MORE DO SOMETHING NEW KAL: You want more? Okay, then. I'm thinking that I'll try to do a short summer DSN KAL, maybe running from June to July. Then another one at the end of the year, maybe from October thru December.

I'm going to leave this KAL blog up, so y'all can feel free to post here anytime you'd like. I'll try to post updates about the upcoming dates from time to time.

The January winner is . . . .

2008-02-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

The winner for the January winner is . . . Pepper!

Congratulations Pepper! Please e-mail me with your snail mail addy so I can get your package in the mail!

Goodbye, so long....

2008-02-03T21:35:00.000-06:00

I have really enjoyed this KAL!!!! I have completed more projects with this KAL than I have done in my entire time knitting. I just hate I wasn't able to finish anything for February. I had to prepare for my first trial!!!! Yep, only been barred for 2-3 months and I have a trial. I am first chair or the lead attorney!!!!

So I only got to finish half of one of my socks. If I had finished them, they would have been the first time I did cables in a project, first time I did an eye of partiridge heel and first time to make up a sock pattern on my own. I love what I have done so far and if the site is still up when I am done, I will put a pic on here. If not then it will be on my Ravelry page-I'm Innerpeace1081.

If there is another DSN KAL, I will most definitely join. Thanks, Tina for hosting such an amazing site.

Shalanda

Goodbye to January....

2008-01-31T22:43:00.000-06:00

Introducing Cat, a capelet:

Firsts:
Making somewhat of a garment and doing quite a bit of seaming.
Doing a project nearly entirely of ribbing (with exception of the decreasing).
Learning new stitches! (k2togbl)

It fits me but I'll either be giving it away or frogging the entire thing as I'm not happy with it, all in all.

More details on my blog.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This KAL has been so much fun for me and I'm so glad that I joined. I met so many new and lovely people along the way and have a lot of new blogs that I've been reading and will continue to do so. Additionally, I have challenged myself to go beyond my comfort zone, branch out and Do Something New each month which was obviously the point of this KAL, but it has given me the confidence to step up the pace as a knitter and try those projects I had been wanting to but didn't have the courage to. So Tina, thank you so much for putting together this KAL! It was a great idea and so much fun!

Jaye

Ugg--they're done!

2008-01-27T13:10:00.000-06:00

I made the UGG-type suede booties from a DIYnetwork.com pattern for a set of newborn twins. I've seen many comments that although the pattern says it is for 3-6 or 6-12 month babies, the booties turn out to be toddler-size. So, I went from needle size 4 & 5 to 1 & 2 and reduced the cast on to 12 from 26. I made other changes to maintain the proportion. Anyway, the something new for me is re-working a pattern. Oh, I've added a stitch here or subtracted one there, but have not changed a pattern so drastically, especially one with shaping.

You can find the changes I made posted on my blog. See ya again in February!!
Cheers, Annie.

My First Socks!

2008-01-22T07:44:00.000-06:00

I finished my very first pair of socks this weekend and I am submitting this well before the deadline to ensure that I finally get a letter in this KAL!! I started these back in October, finished the first sock in November... then experienced my very first outbreak of SSS.

Without further ado, here they are!!

It's the starter stockinette pattern from the book "Knit Socks!" Done in worsted weight yarn (Wool-Ease, so they are washable). They are really thick and so freakin' warm!

Now I want to try socks in sock yarn, smaller needles, and maybe a stitch pattern on the leg. I feel so empowered!

gimme a "J"!!!!

2008-01-21T08:18:00.000-06:00

Hi all: here is my January project completed!

My new skill was learning to knit cables without a cable needle. This was fun and easier than I thought it would be... and I think I did OK at it! :-)

For more information, check out my blog.

Cheers and good luck to everyone else!

January Project

2008-01-20T08:09:00.000-06:00

This month I will be doing another pair of socks. The thing that will be new will be the cables I am incorporating into the socks. I don't have a pattern per se more like guidelines. I casted on 64 sts on s3 dpns and am doing a 12 stitch cable over 18 sts to compensate for the drawing in of the cable. So far they fit. I will update with a pic so. Hopefully I can finish the socks before the end of the month!!!! :)

cabling without a cable needle

2008-01-19T07:40:00.000-06:00

Look ma, no hands!!

This is a detail from the Gathered Pullover I am making... I tried a technique of making cables without a cable needle. It's great! (and I highly recommend the pattern, which is simple knitting yet I think will look very good when done, hopefully by tomorrow).

More photos to come when it's done.

The December Winner is . . .

2008-01-17T21:21:00.000-06:00

Betty (MysticLobo)!!

Congratulations, Betty! Please email me your mailing address and I'll get your prize in the mail to you!

We've only got a couple of weeks left on the KAL, so keep those new things a-comin! At the end of the month, I will have the January prize drawing. Then, around the 5th of February, I'll draw for the big grand prize!

My January project is finished

2008-01-17T06:23:00.000-06:00

Here are my double knitted mittens, my project for January. This was a fun knit and now I have 2 pair of mittens instead of one.
Here from one side;

And here turned inside out;

I have used Lett Lopi yarn from Island, knitted on needles 4,5mm .

This is sad, it is the last entry to this KAL. But it has been a really great KAL! I have made a lot of new friends, I have learned a lot English, and I have tried 6 new things within knitting - great!

intended project for January

2008-01-14T07:56:00.001-06:00

Happy belated new year, everyone!

Thought I'd drop a line and let everyone know that I've finally decided what my Do Something New project will be for this month: learning to knit cables without a cable needle!

I will be making a sweater from the Gathered Pullover pattern from Interweave Knits' Winter 2007 issue:

The cable pattern doesn't look too taxing, so I'm hoping to be able to manage it by the end of the month. Am starting tonight. Will be using some form of Rowan Cotton that I got in a swap.

I first read about this in Melissa Leapman's Cables Untangled (which has some lovely patterns and is a really good resource for anyone wanting to learn about cable knitting). Grumperina also has a helpful tutorial on this topic.

(Anyone who is really bored and who doesn't usually visit my blog is also welcome to check out my general To-Do List for 2008.)

Wishing you all great health, wealth and creative fervour in 2008!

Happy New Year everyone!

2008-01-06T16:16:00.000-06:00

Since I, not once I think, have knitted new things according to my list, why then, as the last project in this KAL, am I going to knit cables??? Just because I said so in December??
Oh no - my January project will be double knitted mittens!!
I have started and this is great knitting, making one color inside the mitten and one at the outside, and a bit with both colors...

I'm a miserable failure

2008-01-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

I didn't finish the swallowtail shawl on time to get my D. I am still working on it, maybe I will finish it this month.

Congratulations to all of those that did finish their projects.

Happy New Year to all.

Pattern corrected and moved

2007-12-31T19:49:00.001-06:00

The pattern for the Stormy Morning Shawl has been corrected and moved to my Yahoo site. My ISP decided not to offer webspace anymore. :( The the pattern is here. There is also a pattern for a pair of elbow length gloves. They were my son's Christmas present.

December project

2007-12-31T19:33:00.001-06:00

Here is my December project! Just under the deadline too! I have dubbed these Dobby Socks. I used the monkey socks pattern by Cookie A. I love this pattern. The colors came about due to the fact that I used the wrong size needle on the first sock and used too much of the ball and did not have enough for a second sock. I refused to go and get another ball of that yarn and just used what I had! I love them and will wear them when I am around the house and listening, reading or watching Harry Potter!!! Vive le' house elf resistance!! ;D