And another row seamed

My afghan is coming together. Although slowly.

It is nice that it keeps me warm as I am working on it now.

I've also been a bit busy in the kitchen. I have a new cookbook for making bread. It is delicious...

then another 2 sandwich loaves in the same day.

If I keep going like this I'm going to need bigger pants! Hopefully Spring will be here shortly and I can get back to walking.

This is also how the homemade vanilla is looking like:

It is so nice to take the lid off and sniff a little! Heavenly vanilla!!

Afghan progress...so close

I was going to take you back and show you each square that I hadn't blogged about. However, why don't I just skip all that and share with you how the afghan looks today?!

I finished all the squares I needed! I do have each square in my Ravelry project page if you want the details.

As you also may be able to tell, I've seamed the top 3 rows of squares together. I also seamed the individual squares to each other in the bottom rows, just need to connect those rows.

Although I haven't totally finished this yet, and have gone beyond my goal of seaming done by Christmas - I am still proud of what I've been able to accomplish on this with all that has been going on in my life at the same time. 

Snack anyone?

It has been HOT around these parts! Looking back at the weather for the past 2 weeks our temps ranged from 98 to 86 and can you say humid?

I did finish the last square I last left you with. I have to say it is so nice to be working on a small project like this during this type of weather.

Pattern: King Charles Brocade Square from Sampler Afghans
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted
Colorway: Blaze Heather
Needles: Knit Picks Circulars US 8mm
Ravelery Project Page

I also think I'm going to change the name of this project from GAA to Sampler Afghan. I think it is only fair since I now have more square from the Sampler Afghan book that The Great American Afghan book.

My work schedule looks good for the next week, so I hope to knit up a few more squares.

Hope you are staying cool where ever you may be!

GAA Orange?!

Yes I'm adding orange. The color is actually a burnt orange that goes really well with the navy blue and dark green.

I had some time out on the deck yesterday and managed to get this much done of the next square. I should be able to finish this with another free night at some point this week.

I've really thought about my color choices and I'm definitely sticking with the darker colors. However, that only gave me three colors when I really wanted to have a 4th. So, I just put in an order through Knit Picks for the Basalt Heather.

I think that is it! Now that I've decided on those, I feel much better about the afghan as a whole.
 
I'm also holding off purchasing the yarn for the edging, as I want to concentrate on knitting the squares, place them, knit them together THEN decide about the edge.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing chores...you know all those that I ignored during the week since I was busy knitting squares! 

We also had quite the meal on Saturday night as DH and I decided to have a surf and turf night.

Delicious!

GAA Hearts

This is my favorite square so far:

Pattern: Sampler Afghans #27 Valentine Hearts
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton
Colorway: Prussian Heather
Needles: Knit Picks Nickel US 8mm
Modifications: Did not repeat final row
Ravelry Project Page

It is probably since I've loved the color blue since I knew the color....or that there are hearts all over it. Or both. However, one thing is certain my fingers need a break!

So, I decided this afternoon to put my finished squares together:

and I do not like the colors together.

I like the 'navy', 'dark green' however the other two colors I do not like. So, technically I'm back to having 2 squares completed.

I am not going to frog the other 3, however I'm putting them aside. The next square I'm going to start is the dark orange colorway and I'm thinking I may add that to the dark green and navy.

What is that song, two steps ahead, one step back?! Who knew it applied to knitting.

GAA another square

Ok, so you can tell I've been parking in front the TV. In my defense, the past 2 days have been in the 90's with high humidity....

Pattern: Sampler Afghans #60 Cloverleaf Eyelet
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton
Colorway: Envy Heather
Needles: Knit Picks Nickel US 8mm
Modifications: Ended last repeat at row 6
Ravelry Project Page

So, I have 4 done...although there is laundry to get done, workouts that have been skipped for 2 days....

GAA Progress

The last I left you with the Great American Afghan, I had knit the following two squares (before I went back to lace knitting!):

Flower square

 Heart square

Well, within the past couple of days another has been finished:

Pattern: Great American Afghan
Square: Seed Square
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton
Coloway: Green Tea Heather
Needles: Knit Picks Nickel US 8mm
Ravelry Project Page

I really need to step this up if I have any hope to knitting all my squares by the end of September!

Where have I been?

Studying. In the industry I work in we are required to obtain licenses and some of us have gone on to acquire designations. With those, we are required to get 45 continuing education credits every 3 years.

Well for the past 10 weeks I've been studying for a measly 16 credits. This included a $800 course fee, 20 hours of webinars, 70+ hours of self studying a 898 page book. It ended today with a 100 question proctored exam that I passed!

Life can now resume.

Having dealt with so much of that studying I only had a limited amount of time for knitting.

So, quick knits with minimal thinking were required. Thank goodness I have my The Great American Afghan Book....

I have since finished it today after my exam. However it is pouring rain outside and my completed photo looks awful. So, I will post that when it stop raining (which unfortunately appears to be at least 7 days away per the weather forecasts)

Details:

Pattern: Great American Afghan Square #14
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted
Colorway: Haze Heather
Needles: Knit Picks Circulars US 8

I also just CO on my third square. It is from the Sampler Afghan and the pattern is Elm Seed.

Now rain rain go away....

Flower Square #1 FO

2 days! That is how long it took me from start to finish on this square.

If I keep this up I WILL finish my afghan by September!

Pattern: The Great American Afghan
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted
Colorway: Green Tea Heather
Needles: Knit Picks US 8mm Circulars

Now I need to find another pattern....

Flower Square #1

If you've been following me in Ravelry you've probably heard me say that I was trying to get my knitting mojo back.

I needed a project that was a relatively quick knit. That would provide me with something finished within a few days or even a days' time. Something that wasn't that a hard pattern. A project I could knit in front of the TV.

I found just the project.....The Great American Afghan.

I'm going to try and get my squares done for September. However, I'll still need to give myself time to knit them all together after that deadline. I hope to be done with the entire project by Christmas. Maybe this will turn out to be a Christmas present to myself.

Here is what my first square looks like at this moment:

I'm using Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted in the colorway Green Tea Heather. I'm knitting with my fabulous Knit Picks Harmony US 8 circulars.

At the rate this is knitting up I should be done tomorrow.

So, what have you started for a project after a lull in your knitting?