Weekend Wrap Up ~ Goodbye Scarf, Hello Cardigan

Mardi Gras Scarf

This week I finished and sold the last Mardi Gras scarf I will be making this season! I've been working on it for some time and was very pleased that it sold locally before I was even able to put in in the store. It was just in time though, the first Mardi Gras parade happened in town yesterday. She was able to wear it to the first parade of the season.


A lot of my time since that's been finished has been directed toward the custom cardigan. I've added quite some length to it but a project of this size won't be done overnight. I will say I am really enjoying working on it and it's coming along nicely. I really love the sheen the silk gives to the garment. 

I have added a good 6 inches since this picture was taken

After some consideration I've decided that Innov8iveKnits is getting a twitter account! It has been created but I'm not actively tweeting just yet. I'm still working out some things on it and how I want to utilize it. If you would like to get ahead of the game and follow me now you can find me there @Innov8iveKnits and I will certainly follow you back. There's also a link to follow me on the sidebar of my blog by my facebook & pinterest. I'd love to have you!


I also wanted to plug a reminder about the temporary closing of my store in March for my Wedding. The store will be closed between March 8th and the 22nd. If there is something you want to purchase soon you may want to consider doing it before then. You are more than welcome to message me during that time if you like and I will gladly return all of your messages upon my return. We are very excited about the big day and our trip to the Virgin Islands. It will be my first trip out of the United States with my brand new husband. Man that sounds weird... husband :).


On a related note to weddings I had the most awful dream last night that I forgot to bring my wedding dress to the wedding and LOST it!!! How on earth do you lose an entire wedding dress or forget to bring it?? I woke up this morning in a half heart attack state over it lol.


This weekend has been pretty icky and rainy so I've spent most of it on the couch watching my favorite TV shows and knitting away. It has been so relaxing and refreshing to spend a whole day in my pajamas doing EXACTLY what I want to do. No cleaning, no cooking, no day job just straight up knitting and doing what I want. It was fantastic and just the little break I needed.

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Community & Big Projects

New Year's has come and come and gone; now it's back to the daily grind with a fresh new look. This week I've been tackling 2 large products and got the chance to meet a couple of local fellow Etsians.

A few days ago I started my largest custom order to date - a silk & wool and cardigan. I really can't explain how excited I am about this project! My customer has picked a LOVELY blend of yarn and a beautiful style to work with. Basically my customer asked me to re-create a cardigan she'd seen on someone else. Here's what I've done so far (only a good 4 hours of work at this point):

My other big project I'm trying to blast through to get finished in time is the Mardi Gras scarf. Mardi Gras is just around the corner and I'd love to get this out right at the start of the season. I truly love this scarf. The combination of beading and light airiness is a great representation of the holiday. Even better, the colors are muted enough to wear any time and not just Mardi Gras. I will say that this second scarf is moving along much quicker than the first one I've done. I am considering making another in this pattern but in a different colorway maybe different shades of blue, or if I can find the right yarn a blend of black, green, and grey (my absolute favorite color combo in the Vera Bradley line right now). 

Saturday morning I had the pleasure of meeting a hand full of other Etsy sellers right in my back yard. I was clueless that there were SO many people selling their hand made goodies in my area. By "my area" I mean pretty much in walking distance from my home! It is so exciting to meet in person fellow sellers! In just a little over an hour we had a chance to share a wealth of knowledge between us. It was informative and lots of fun. Here are the links to their stores. Definitely check them out - buy hand made & and local! It doesn't get much better than that.

Southern Starfish ~ Personalized canvases

BronStar Originals ~ growth charts & nursery decor

Atutudes ~ hand made tutu's for girls

Garavan ~ jewelry collage art

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ end of giveaway & speial trip

Weekend time with some of my favorite people. As you can see, we have a slight internet addiction :)

This weekend my fiance and I drove up to Auburn to vist one of my best friends to celebrate my birthday weekend! I took Friday off of work and just have been enjoying every second of it. I could get used to spending all of my days knitting and blogging.

As usual I have a project on my needles for the 3 hour trip up and back. I have gotten to the point where I can't even go to bed without knitting or I get all anxious. It has turned into some type of wind down thing that I have to do to sleep lately. It is so nice to get out of town for a few days and just sleep in, veg out with a pair of knitting needles, and just basically do whatever the heck I want while surrounded by my favorite people.

What do I have on my needles this weekend you ask? I have officially started the mardi gras scarf! I am so excited with how this is turning out. This scarf is very light and lacy which is great for southern winters (it rarely gets too cold for a bulky scarf) and this one has some really fun beading. What says mardi gras more than beads? Now it's not those cheesy plastic mardi gras beads, I've got more class than that now. I can't wait to get it finished and blocked. This pattern is turning out just how it's supposed to which is a welcomed chance in contrast from that stupid tie I have been fighting the last couple of days! 

 Also this weekend is the end of the bearded beanie contest. I can't wait to get all the entries together in a little sack to do the drawing and see who wins! This is the first giveaway that I have done for Innov8ive Knits and I have been so pleased with the results and how supportive everyone has been. I am thrilled to share the wealth with a lucky someone winner :) The bearded beanie has been one of my most popular viewed items. I thought that the newsboy cap would be most popular but my Etsy stats beg to differ. I am still patiently awaiting my first sale through the store, but I think that will be more likely when I get most items into it. (like the mardi gras scarf)

by the way... if you haven't noticed already I have made some changes to the website. I hope you like it. Feel free to leave your comments about it.

Future Friday ~ Laisse le bon temps rouler SCARF

Thanks to the Facebook input, I have decided to do a Mardi Gras scarf! I was immediately drawn to this pattern when I saw it. It's just so interesting and the beading adds such a fun twist. It wasn't until I started looking for yarn for this scarf did I have the epiphany to make it a Mardi Gras scarf. Here's pictures of what the scarf pattern does:





http://www.ravelry.com/projects/kimfluck/334s-susan-undulating-waves-scarf



Pattern: Undulating Waves
And here's a picture of the yarn I'm gonna use to make it scream Mardi Gras:

Here in Alabama, Mardi Gras is a pretty big event and everyone is always done up right for the ocassion. The weather that time of year is chilly but usually not SUPER cold, so this light scarf is the perfect fix! Everything turns purple, green, and yellow during the holiday. I have enough yarn currently to make 2 of these scarves and plan on having them made just in time for the festivities. I am really looking forward to seeing these 2 elements come together to create  what I invision for this scarf. Not to mention I am going to enjoy making something that is for an adult for a change, unfortunately that means I will have a hard time putting it up for sale. Can't wait to get it started!

P.S. - One more project to go before I begin the bearded beanie for the giveaway!!! Get ready to learn how to qualify for the drawing!