Finished: Small Christmas things

I pretty much gave up on my Christmas gift project list a few weeks ago when I was interviewing for my new job. So when I had some free time the last few nights I didn't know what to work on. Should I knit on one of the gifts that will never be done in time? Should I start something new for myself? The first idea wasn't very appealing and the second made me feel a little guilty so I started a few little gifts that I knew I could finished.

First up, mini mittens (pattern is here) out of Knit Picks Palette yarn. I attached these to the ribbon on my in-law's gift.





I also decided I had to make a toy for my parent's (spoiled brat) cat, Maggie. This is the mouse from the "catwarming set" in S&B Nation. I left off the eyes and ears, since Maggie would destroy them in about 30 seconds.





I used Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted in brown, along with some leftover Trekking XXL for a little color. I know she will appreciate it! ;-)

Finished: Felted Pottery

This felted pot is a Christmas gift for my Mom. The pattern is Autumn Duo from Carol Bristol Designs. I made the "beaded yarn bowl" without the beads.

The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Onyx Heather. I used exactly 4 balls.

It was difficult to get a good pre-felting photo, since it just looked like a gray blob. (I thought too late that I should have stuffed the unfelted bowl with something so at lease the shape was visible.) Christmas ornament included for scale.





I ran it through the permanent press wash cycle twice (about 16 minutes) with hot water before letting it rinse in cold water. I did pull it out before the spin cycle, since I have heard that can put creases in your project.






Once it is felted, you stuff the thing with something (I used plastic grocery bags) to shape it and let dry. I had a difficult time making it perfectly round and symetrical, but I don't think anyone but me will notice that it is slightly lopsided.

I did buy enough yarn to make two of these, on for my MIL as well, but I don't think I will get to it before Christmas. We'll see... I might just make it to keep for myself!

Finished: Very Warm Hat

I mentioned a while back that I was making a hat as a Christmas gift for my husband. (He requested “black and plain”.) Well it has been finished for a few weeks, and since the weather is becoming cold and snowy here in Chicago it seemed silly to wait until Christmas to give it to him.






I used the Very Warm Hat pattern from EZ’s The Opinionated Knitter. Fast and easy to knit; I loved adding the second layer to an otherwise plain hat.

The black outer layer is Knit Picks Swish Superwash and the lining is Main Line, a cotton/wool blend. I found the black Swish superwash a little “squeaky” and slick feeling which surprised me because I have used other colors of this yarn with no problems. Maybe it has something to do with the black dye on superwash yarn?

Anyway, I used almost the entire ball of the Swish, and a little less of the Main Line. My gauge was tighter with the Swish, so I had to adjust the number of stitches slightly when I added the lining.

Finished: pumpkins!

After deciding not to do much holiday-gift knitting this year, my list of things to make seems to be growing steadily. Most of them I don't even have the yarn for yet. As is my usual MO in these situations, I have knit something completely unrelated. (I originally typed unproductive but really, how could making this cute little punkins be unproductive?!)




set I made first for Mom



punkins I made for me, after being sad at giving away the first set!


These are all made out of Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted in "Orange You Glad" and "Bev's Bear". (The color difference is just due to the lighting conditions.) You can find the pattern here.

Now I'm off to by some yarn at Knitpicks, and decide if any of my knitted gift ideas absolutely have to be done.

Finished: Bluebell Boatneck sweater

I actually finished almost a month ago, but I was just able to take photos a few days ago after work.



(It was a little windy!)


Cascade 220 Tweed, color #7611. I used 5 and a little bit skeins.
The pattern is from Fitted Knits.
Started: July 3, 2007
Finished: September 26, 2007




I am very happy with the finished sweater, but it could be a size smaller. I always (always) overestimate the size I need. Since I am aware of the problem, I try to convince myself to make a smaller size when I begin, but end up talking my way into the bigger one. Oh well; it's definitely wearable, and there is enough room to wear a long sleeve t-shirt underneath when it's really cold here.




The only change I made was to sew up the corners of the neckline about an inch all around. The "boat" in the boatneck was a little too large for my tastes.

Finished: Calorimetrys (Calorimetries?)

I finished both of these Calorimetrys this week:





This first one is Mom's and she is already in possession of it. (Unfortunately I did not get a model shot.) The yarn is Austermann Bambou Soft Color, in color #104.

Here is mine:





This yarn is Rowan Cashsoft Aran, in color #014 "Thunder". I am very pleased with both of them, and think they will come in very handy this winter. I typically go hatless in the cold (even though I own plenty!) simply because my curly/frizzy/short hair does not survive hat-removal well.

Oh and it took one ball of each yarn to make a calorimetry. For the Cashsoft Aran, that really means one entire ball. Don't tell anyone but I had to use some of the cast-on yarn tail to finish binding off!

Finished: Trekking waffle socks

I don't think you have seen these yet; they were my car socks. (As in, kept in the... for lunchtime and other time-killing knitting.)



Trekking XXL color number 802; purchased around 2003


These were actually started way back in April, when I picked the yarn out of my stash because it made me think of Easter. You can tell I don't get much lunchtime knitting in!

I made the cuffs short for springtime wear, and carried the waffle pattern down the heel flap.





Now to choose yarn for the next pair of car socks!

Finished Project: Mini-Clapotis

started: June 16, 2007
finished: June 30, 2007
pattern: Clapotis from Knitty. See below for modifications.
yarn: 1 skein (280 yds.) Cherry Tree Hill Superwash Merino DK in color "Monet". This yarn was a gift from my aunt last Christmas. I loved working with it!
needles: size 5 US bamboo
finished size: approximately 7" by 51"

I am very happy with how my mini-Clapotis turned out. It was much quicker to knit that I was expecting and as I mentioned before, I got a kick out of dropping the stitches every few rows. I did end up blocking it lightly to help control edge-roll, but was careful not to completely flatten the waves. Here is what I did to make my Clapotis scarf-sized using 1 skein of yarn:

1) Work section 1.
2) Work section 2 two and a half times.
3) Work section 3 until long edge measures approximately 50"
4) Work section 4 decreases until 23 stitches remain
5) Work section 5

Obviously the above instructions will only make sense if you have read the pattern! I did have a small amount (maybe a 2 inch diameter loosely wound ball) of yarn left, but I don't think it would have been enough to add another repeat so I think I did pretty good estimating my yarn-usage before starting the decrease section.

Finished Project: Felted Flowers

Well, I supposed these are an almost finished project.



Daffodil, Calla Lily, Sunflower


They are finally dry and I used some invisible nylon sewing thread to snug things up and help the petals fall in the right direction (especially on the daffodil). I am having trouble jamming the wire through the stem to hold them up, however, and need to wait for my hubby to have time to help.

I like how these turned out, but now feel the need to make more felted flowers to fill a vase!

You can find the kits I used at Pick Up Sticks.

Finished Project: Shedir Hat

Shedir is done! This is probably the most enjoyable pattern I have knit in a while. It makes me think that I should try cables more often.





Pattern: Shedir from Knitty
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, color #463 (interestingly named Calmer as well), just slightly less than 1 ball. (I had about 5 yards left)
Needles: size 3 16" circulars and dpns

Towards the end I was very concerned that I was going to run out of yarn. I was even plotting how I could beg, borrow, or steal a few more yards without having to buy another ball or ripping out and knitting at a tighter gauge. But the decreases came quickly at the end and I was very relieved to have much more yarn left then I could have imagined. The only other time things got a little sticky (literally) was when I had to switch to dpn's, as I only had a set of birch needles in the correct size. The cotton on wood was a little difficult to manage but I didn't want to wait until I could but another pair to finish!

I think one reason I had so much fun knitting this, rather than frustration at all of the cable crossings, is that I didn't use a cable needle as the pattern calls for. I actually can't imagine using one for all of those two stitch twists; it would very rapidly take the fun out of the whole thing. There are good instructions on how to cable without a cable needle at Wendy's site, Grumperina's, and Bagatell ("Techniques with Theresa" from Knitty). It is not as difficult as it might first appear and totally worth the time to learn in my opinion.

Bob made it.

Today is the first day I have turned my computer on since last week Saturday. Busy, busy - there was a time when I couldn't even imagine going one day without it! I just barely finished Bob in time for Mother's Day. I would've had time to spare except the second sleeve had to be knit twice since it ended up much larger than the first. That's what I get for knitting in the car without the pattern! Even though Bob is for my Mom, I just had to try it on:



Kindly ignore my spotty mirror.


Here he is all boxed up and ready to go:





We spent the day at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was a beautiful weather; warm in the sun and just a little cool in the shade. Of course hundreds of people had the same idea as us so many of the gardens were very crowded. Now I can't wait to go back when more plants are in bloom later this summer.



in the Japanese Garden, which is my favorite.



a rogue tulip.

Finished Project: Christmas Ornaments

Christmas in April? Let’s just say I am finished with my first holiday knitting really early this year. (It sounds much better than saying I am almost four months late!) These are going to be package tie-on or little gifts to people who might normally just get a card.





The mini hats and mittens were made from a Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill kit. The yarn was unlike any wool yarn I have used before. It’s soft and very spongy. I am going to keep it in mind for a future project, assuming all of the Blackberry Ridge yarns have these qualities. It would make a very cozy sweater.

I was determined to use up as much of the yarn as possible, so after making the hats and mittens from the pattern I decided to do something different and made the little sweater and stocking. I have a little of each color yarn left still, but I am going to use it to make hanging loops on the mittens and maybe the hats. I think I am also going to bend a piece of wire into a mini hanger for the sweater.

Finished Project: Daisy Socks

Daisy Socks pattern, with adjustments
Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock yarn in Sherbert (say that three times fast!)

As I have mentioned before, this was my first time using Lorna's Laces. I enjoyed working with it and would definitely use it again. Also, I noticed while tracking down the link to the Daisies sock pattern that the author, Marie, has filled in the gaps in the pattern. So no adjustments necessary if you try it now! Yay!

I'm sure there is something else I wanted to say about these socks, but I need to finish packing for my business trip tomorrow. I still haven't decided which knitting project to bring along!

See you all next Sunday!

P.S. As for the job situation, things are slowing starting to feel less painful. I work for a small company so the "missing pieces" are very noticable. And yes, the change in my workload is noticable also! Thanks for all of your kind thoughts.

One Down...

I finished my first unfinished project! It feels so good to cross something of a list, doesn’t it? I don’t have a good photo of my sweater yet, since I have not been home during daylight hours since it was done.

I am pleased with how the collar turned out. This was my first time attempting a v-neck, so I was blindly following the pattern without knowing exactly how the ribbing decreases would work.



Debbie Bliss Merino Aran (brown, obviously)
Pattern from Family Circle Easy Knitting Fall 2004


The only thing I am not too pleased with is the fact that it is a little too large. My gauge is right on, but I seem to have a tendency to overestimate my size. This is proven by the fact that every sweater or top I have knit or sewn for myself is too big, and also because I have a closet full of loose-fitting clothes. Hmmm… I really need to work on that issue.

First FO of 2007

I finished these socks Sunday night, washed them Monday, and wore them to work today. (I think most super-wash sock yarn becomes softer after it is washed.) So even though it is 20°F outside right now, my feet are toasty warm.



Opal Southwest (color #3702 )

This is the first pair of socks I have knit with shorter cuffs. Not sure what took me so long, as I usually only wear shorter-cuffed purchased socks. I think I am going to make more like this in the future – I haven’t felt the need to push the tops down my legs further all day!

Now I get to choose which unfinished project to finish next. It is probably going to be a sweater that has been knit and ripped apart once already. Since we finally are having cold weather and snow here in Chicago (not that I like it) I feel compelled to knit more winter things.

Baby Bear

I mentioned a week or so ago that I had drastically cut my holiday knitting plans down to a more managable list. Which ended up being one thing. Which I finished in August before I even made the list, so I'm not actually sure it counts. Here it is - a Baby Bobbi Bear for my mom:



I bought the pattern last August at Stitches Midwest and completed the bear soon after. I was so pleased at how it turned out I almost couldn't give him up. I also had to fight the urge to give it to Mom every time I saw her.

I used Lion Brand Cotton yarn, since I loved the sample at Stitches knit out of Blue Sky Alpaca cotton. The only reason I haven't made an exact copy for myself is because the cotton yarn on size 4 dpns just about killed my hands.

I added the little scarf because I thought he needed "something" before I stuck him in tissue paper and a gift bag. I almost just used a ribbon but the scarf took no time at all to knit and makes him super adorable.

So as for all those forgotten holiday projects, at least one will definitely see the light of day again. And I probably should start working on it soon - so I don't have to put it off for another holiday again!