2013 Finished!

The beginning of the year, I was busy with work, college classes, internship, and family, as well as beginning to pack and job search for moving out West.

I managed to pull off knitting a few items for a couple of my favorite counselors that I worked with during the internship (they're still my favorites).







I fell down the rabbit hole of knitting cell phone cozies, aka iHoodie/iPhoodie.





Then there was the whole "aborted move out West" and "stay in the Midwest but move to a smaller, quieter apartment" gig this year.










November and December were probably productive because the weather was crap, and I snuggled down on the couch with my knitting.




All in all, I think it was a decent year of knitting. I have more knitting planned for 2014 since I won't be spending so much time packing, traveling, and unpacking.


Here's to a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2014 - Happy New Year!


January 6 - Slightly Beyond Basic Wrap
February 11 - Scrunchie Hat
February 24 - Bears striped hat
May 17 - Simple Scarf
May 27 - Treads
July 4 - iHoodie
July 9 - iHoodie 2
August 10 - iHoodie 8
August 15 - iHoodie7
August 18 - iHoodie 4
August 20 - iHoodie 3
August 27 - iHoodie 5
September 2 - iHoodie 6
September 15 - iHoodie 9
October 3 - Reading Wrap
November 1 - Dead Fish Hat III
November 12 (11/12/13!) - Bruce Refaire Scarf
November 16 - Glazed Carrot Hat
November 19 - Easy Fingerless Mittens
November 24 - Lengthwise Scarf
December 5 - Easy Fingerless Mittens
December 14 - Knitted Dishcloths and A Crocheted Pot Scrubber
December 24 - Dead Fish Hat's Santa Hat
December 28 - Shark-Tastic! Mittens

Rawr! The Last Pair

This is the last set of shark mittens I'll knit. At least of this pattern, as I've done it several times. It's time to try other things!

Meanwhile:







* * *


Needle
US 6 - 4.0 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm

Yarn
Berroco Comfort Chunky

How much?
1.25 skeins = 187.5 yards (171.5m)

Colorway
Pink

Purchased at
Jimmy Beans Wool

Kniting Gifts Revealed

Dishcloths for the "adopted" girly girl. The last one is a crocheted pot scrubber that resembles an ear of corn, because we're in Iowa and it's easy to amuse myself apparently.

















The yarns used for the dishcloths:





A Santa Hat for the Dead Fish Hat I made a month or so ago for the same girly girl. Tank is modeling the hat, then she woke up, and became terribly excited thinking I was waiting for her to wake up so I could immediately feed her a snack only 20 mins after having her dinner.









The Shark-tastic! mittens about 90% completed for the Child O'Mine. It's missing its red mouth bits and teeth. And the eyes are only taped on. They'll be complete by tomorrow (12/28).

Happy Holidays!

Damn, Damn, Damn.

Remember this?




I whipped along and so excited to have #1 mitten almost finished.






Only it's the wrong mitten pattern I was knitting from, and only realized it when the thumb and hand didn't line up as they should according to the correct pattern.

Big splash in the frog pond. Cast on the correct damn mitten. There goes any hope to get these Shark-tastic mittens done for Christmas.

But, it's a good day for catch-up knitting around here.

Humina-Humina

One of the nice things about holiday gift knitting is that I (usually) get people involved in their gift. Hat, gloves, mittens, or scarf? What size/length/width/circumference? What favorite color(s)? And sometimes, what design?

It also helps that friends have come to expect that their holiday gift will never be ready at the Christmas holiday. In fact, the "holiday" in the holiday gift knitting means "after the New Year holiday" and that takes a load of self-deception and pressure off of me. And they get one more gift after the holidays are done. WIN-WIN! (You're welcome.)

Right now, it's the Shark-Tastic! mittens for the girly girl, which I will have done on the Christmas holiday.




Then there's fingerless mittens, earband wamers, scarves, hats, and a pair of wool/alpaca socks for gift knitting after the holidays.

Meanwhile, I'm lining up my first of two "thanks for being awesome" gifts for two friends.

Scarf one of Tricor Lux:










And it turns into a ruffled scarf, you can see it here.



Scarf two of Cascade 220 worsted:






And my reward is to knit up the plaid scarf by Franklin Habit for myself:

Holiday Gift Knitting - Reveal #1

Since she picked up her gift today, I can show them off!




My friend's hands get cold at the office, so I whipped another set of these very easy hand warmers.

* * *

Needle
US 8 - 5.0 mm

Yarn
Malabrigo Yarn Worsted

How much?
105 yards, 50 grams 0.5 skeins = 105.0 yards (96.0m)

Dye lot
176 - Loro Barranquero

Purchased at
Jimmy Beans Wool

Holiday Gift Knitting

I've been busy organizing things before the upcoming holidays. Book titles on Goodreads, yarn stash, knitting projects on Ravelry and here, too. Go ahead, take a peek at the side bar for the new layout of WIPs, Napping WIPs, To Do, and Finished. I'll wait.

I've been fondling some gorgeous, soft merino yarn that I bought (what seems eons ago) from Celtic Memory Yarns. Photos really don't do it justice. I'm going to knit a scarf out of this beautiful yarn, linen stitch, lengthwise.









What? What holiday gift knitting?

*saunters off to go look for holiday sugar cookies*

*Insert Evil Laugh Here*

Stealth gift knitting, my favorite kind especially when I find the perfect fiber and colorway in a yarn to use!

Fosse appreciates the excellent yarn:









When I did a search for "Loro Barranquero" last night, this is the info that popped up. (Totally work safe.) Huh. Who knew, right? The person I'm knitting this for will appreciate the info!



Unfortunately I've yet to get in a light that truly shows off the colors properly. The colors are deep and more earthy colors. The light I've taken the photos in make them almost day-glo, but they're not bright at all.

More Cozy

I finally found a friend that could model the fingerless mitts I knit last week. My hands are just too honking big to model the mitts without stretching them out.





These are going with the hat I knit up for my massage therapist. She's done a world of good for my poor aches and pains!


* * *


Needle
US 8 - 5.0 mm

Yarn
Malabrigo Yarn Rios

How much?
105 yards, 50 grams 0.5 skeins = 105.0 yards (96.0m)

Colorway
Carrot

Ah, Much Better

Bathsheba models the hat as it's meant to be worn by someone with a regular sized noggin:

Cozy

Bathsheba models the newest scarf for a friend (yes, I named the styrofoam mannequin head, do you even know me?):












* * *
Needle
US 10½ - 6.5 mm

Yarn
Classic Elite Yarns Toboggan

How much?
174 yards, 200 grams 2 skeins = 174.0 yards (159.1m)

Purchased at
Knit & Knot in Bettendorf, Iowa