FO x2

Now that the recipients have their thank you gifts, I can show them off here.

Thank You Gift Scarf #1







Needle
US 8 - 5.0 mm

Yarn
Knitting Fever Tricor Lux

How much?
52 yards, 200 grams 2 skeins = 52.0 yards (47.5m)

Colorway
red

Dye lot
63

Purchased at
Jimmy Beans Wool in Reno, Nevada

* * * * *

Thank You Gift Scarf #2 (knit in two pieces)

It started out beautifully...



I have no idea what the hell happened that I thought about putting ribbed knitting going horizontal on this piece of the scarf. I blame the bad plumbing virus and fever.




For gods' sakes, 2x2 ribbing.




Thankfully, I snapped out of it and frogged the ribbing. It worked out kind of alright...
















Needle
US 8 - 5.0 mm

Yarn
Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash

How much?
330 yards, 150 grams 1.5 skeins = 330.0 yards (301.8m)

Colorway
Amethyst

Purchased at
Knit & Knot in Bettendorf, Iowa

Making A Dent

I finished one after the holidays gift. I can't show it until it's shipped off to its owner. But here's the yarn I used:





Next up is a scarf/shawl in Cascade 220, it'll be simple, warm, tidy in a lovely dark iris color:





Meanwhile, I'm watching the Nature documentary on Lipizzaner Stallions. Tank wants me to know that basset herds have eluded humans for centuries with their sheer cunning and napping abilities to avoid such rigorous training. Then she went back to napping.

First FO of 2014!

It's supposed to hit a low overnight on Sunday/Monday of -21F degrees here. Our normal low is usually 0F to -5F degrees. Mother Nature has been honked off at us since October around here.

What extreme cold drives me to do... Re-purpose, reduce, reuse, recycle. My watch words for fiber as well as other goods.

Since I knew frigid weather was coming up, I took out a scarf I had knit up back in October 2013 (thank you, Ravelry for the date help!), and frogged it. (I'd worn it a total of 2x last year.) And then reknit it shorter and wider than I had done before:





Then I dug around in my stash for the last remaining bits of my precious ggh Cashmere (aran weight) I've had since 2007, and crocheted a bit around the scarf and on the ends. Then I basted on a rabbit scarf that had only seen the light of day about 1x per year (and then carefully stored away the rest of time) since it was gifted to me several years ago.





After basting it on the edge, I went back and crocheted around the edge with the remaining ggh yarn. (The rabbit ain't going nowhere until I remove it!)





The result is a beautiful, warm, three kinds of exquisite soft going on. And damn it, I'm worth it.



* * *

US 9 - 5.5 mm

- - -
Yarn
Classic Elite Yarns MountainTop Chalet

How much?
196 yards, 100 grams 2 skeins = 196.0 yards (179.2m)

Colorway
grey

Purchased at
Home Ec Workshop in Iowa City, Iowa

- - -

Yarn
GGH Cashmere

How much?
128 yards, 50 grams 2 skeins = 128.0 yards (117.0m)

Colorway
red

Purchased at
The Yarn Shoppe
January 6, 2007

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: