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.

Knitting away...

I was re-inspired after my thrifty yarn shopping trip and cast on a new project the next day.  Using the heavy salmon colored (what may or may not technically be) yarn I knit up a handbag.  I had to seam the sides together with a different yarn and I can see it peeking through and that gave me the idea of a shoulder strap, maybe a brown leather kind, that would run down the side of the purse.  No pics yet as it's not really finished yet, but whenever I get around to getting a strap on it, I'll post some.

After asking DH what he might like knit, I cast on a pair of socks using Universal Yarns/Wisdom Yarns San Francisco.  It's about as small a yarn/needle combo I am willing to do, but the yarn is self patterning so interestingly, I'm actually thinking of getting more to do for myself!  

I had recently read (or heard on a podcast?) that when knitting socks one should actually use either the smallest needle suggested or maybe even smaller.  This creates a denser fabric and helps stop the sole of the sock from becoming holey.  Recently a (doomed from the beginning) sock I knit for myself starting getting holes in the sole so I'm more aware of the issue and am hoping the size 3 needles are creating a tight enough weave on DHs sock.

The next cast on project was a snood.  I enjoyed the lace pattern I'd been working on the recently ordered hats so much I wanted one for myself and thought something bigger would be nice, something I could tuck my hair into and go.  Well, I'm pretty far along on this and have realized it can't be a snood.  Not exactly sure what the main factor is (yarn to thick, knitting to tight), but it's not floppy enough to work as a snood.  So, it's looking more like a baggy beanie hat.  This project seems to have mind changing effects because I'd also planned on dying it once complete (it's a cream color now) but the pattern and color look so nice together I'm having a hard time justifying the dye job.  Perhaps it will not even end up for me!  

My most recent cast on is another hat with my lace pattern dejour in a bright blue shade.  I have a recipient in mind who I am thinking of donating it to.  I don't know them too well, but she is a young breast cancer survivor going through chemo and I think it would be a nice surprise.

Well, back to my current routine of Netflix watching and knitting...