Productive knitting weekend

Starting this past Friday I found myself with more free time on my hands than expected and was happy to fill that time with knitting related things.  I'd slowly worked through knitting several baby items over the past couple of months and was able to finish the sleeves on a baby girl top and then rinse/block the whole lot. (No pics on those yet as I am cautious about ruining the surprises)

While those were drying I started up a project with some souvenir yarn from boucle in Fargo ND.  I bought the one skein thinking it could be a hat, cowl or possibly socks.  Once I was ready to work with it, I felt like a hat... unfortunately the yarn did not.  I tried two different simple styles and neither was working on my head, so I easily converted it to a cowl.  I've worn it a couple days now and think it is a nice addition to my collection.  The seed stitch and the yarn combined to look like pixels to me so I called it the Pixelated Sunset.

I had another skein of souvenir yarn, this one from ImagiKnit in San Francisco, that I'd been wanting to turn into something so that was next.  I'd actually had this skein for about 4 months and had been thinking about what it would be for that whole time.  As it usually happens, I couldn't find an existing pattern that was what I wanted so I set to make one up as I went.  The Cowl/Kerchief was born.

Having finally accomplished knitting things out of my most recent purchases, not to mention items just for me, I decided to work on a quick knit that will be part of a more complicated piece requested by DH.  For Christmas this year I made my boys Mohawk hats and was surprised that my husband kept trying to steal them.  I had enough left over yarn to make another one but hadn't gotten around to it yet.  In the meantime, he went skiing and saw people with what he describes as viking mohawk bearded hats.  So the fairly simple mohawk hat now needs a beard piece as well.  I quickly knit up the grey ribbed cap part but have set that aside while I search for bulky yarn in a white shade.

With time still on my hands I decided to browse my Ravelry favorites for something to work on next.  Since I'd just finished two cowls at hat was on my mind.  I finally found a project in the Meret hat by Woolly Wormhead, a free pattern by a designer I'd been meaning to knit.  I had some yarn that would work at the top of my stash and I cast on for the small size, mostly because I was worried about yardage.  After a day and a half and half way through the hat I realized two things.  There was plenty of yarn left and the hat was a little small.  I cast back on for the medium and am back to knitting.

I finished up the year knitting

Since my last post I've been very busy with work but have managed to keep knitting in my little spare time.  I just haven't had the time to post here and just barely get pics taken of my finished works :-/  So I'm here to recap the last quarter of my knitting year...

I learned how to spin with a drop spindle!  I really enjoyed it and can't wait to try it again... this time I'll be less ambitious (I tried a 2-ply with black embroidery floss)

 I made a fairly simple hat for the DH using two yarns held together... it's really warm but the soft yarn just didn't take away all the itchiness of the wool.

 I made myself a hat using my homespun wool!  I didn't have enough for a whole hat so I had to supplement with some other yarn.  It can get itchy as wool does, but I grin and bear it because it's so colorful!

 Don't mind that woman in a mustache and beard, it's just a creative knit hat!  This was a special order and sure to look better on the recipient than me, but I needed to have a shot for my records :-)

 I did some gift knitting this year... These are fingerless knits for the MIL.  I made her a second pair in a lovely gray recycled yarn that had a beautiful cable on top, but don't seem to have a pic of those.  I like the pattern so much I have them on my mental list for myself.

 I also made some slipper socks for the FIL as a Christmas gift.  They took about 1 1/2 skeins so I used the left overs to make a quick hat.  I seem to have not taken pics of that either, but it's still around the house so maybe someday :-)

 I made another Dandy Neckerchief from Ravelry with a very pretty yarn I found at Tuesday Morning.  I believe I used 1 1/2 skeins and made a matching hat by modifying the stitch pattern.  Of course, I don't have a pic of that hat either...

 Probably the item I'm most happy with would be this lovely blanket I made for my mom for her birthday.  It's in colors to coordinate with her living room.  I really loved the stitch pattern and after repeating it 10 or 20 times I memorized it!  I can tell it's going to be warm because I stayed toasty as I knit.

I made a couple other gift knits that I don't have pics of (yet?  I'm hoping the recipients send me some!).  My sister received a loop scarf/cowl that I made with three color yarns held two together at varying intervals.  The blue, green and purple really do mimic a peacocks coloring if I do say so myself.  Each one of my children received a set of fingerless mitts and a simple winter hat in colors to match their winter coats.

I made another baby blanket (did I post about the first one here???) for a cousin who recently had a baby.  I found a really fitting but a bit complex pattern that included color work of farm characters.  It was my first real color work and I did not like how the back left hanging yarn that could get caught on little fingers or toes.  I ended up deciding to sew on a backing of blue gingham print cotton material.  I did takes pics of that but have not edited them yet so maybe next time...

Just before year's end I started a scarf that may or may not be for DH (depends on what he thinks of the final look) which I've still got on the needles as my standby, easy to travel with knit.  I also got to work on a little something for myself... a sweater!  I had some LBY Homespun from year(s?!?) ago that I made something with that I was not all that happy with anymore so I frogged it and got started.  I didn't really find an existing pattern that I really liked and thought would work.  I used the idea from several top down raglan style sweaters to get my stitch numbers and figure out where to increase.  From there it was all my own mind's idea.  I hope to write up a more official pattern and put it on Ravelry for free.

I was knitting my sweater as the countdown to 2012 began and finished it up first thing 1/1/12.  I've already soaked it and am blocking it now, hoping to wear it to the last holiday celebration tomorrow!

Even though I haven't had much time to keep up everywhere, I have been trying to make an effort to keep my Raverly project page up to date.  There are even some pics there (taken via camera phone) that I'm not posting here.  So go check it out sometime :-)

Knitting updates

So many projects have been completed the past few months, but I have started keeping a better record on my Ravelry page since I found my other methods to be less permanent.

My first completed project was a purple scarf.  I just improvised a stitch pattern as I had limited internet access and no books.  It turns out that pattern makes the scarf curl some, but it's still a cute scarf.

When I was ready for another project I decided I should find a pattern and created my own loop scarf.  When it was done and I had yarn left, I decided to turn the stitch pattern into a matching hat.

I then felt ready to plunge into a special order hat, a bearded hat to be specific.  That was double layered.  I think I'm about 2 months into this hat but can see the finish line now!

I created a sunshine-y bucket/floppy style hat with sunflower colors as well as a hat out of self patterning yarn that looks almost like it has ears.

I started what I thought would be a purse, using a "x"s and "o"s cable effect, but the cables pulled it in so much it works better as a notions bag.  I did manage to create one cabled purse though, I just need to finish it off with a ribbon handle.

I made a cowl that can double as an earwarmer, or is it an earwarmer that can double as a cowl?  Either way, it's very practical in black and white!

Somewhere along the way I made a cropped cardigan for myself out of yarn from what is now a LYS to me. I definitely want to get into more cardigans :-)

I've got some breast cancer awareness items in process as well as a blanket for a baby girl due any day.  In que are a couple special scarves, fingerless mitts, and slipper socks.  Plus I have a lot of replacement knitting to do, #1 on that list are blankets for the kids.