Hope you had a very merry Christmas!

 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! =)

It was another week of working a lot and knitting very little. I did cast on for a hat this week for a knit-a-long and I'm nearly finished:

Could have been done days ago, but after work, I've been choosing my pillow over the needles. Hard to believe that I was working 14-hr days on a regular basis this time last year with two full-time jobs. Guess I'm getting old... lol
(project details on Ravelry)

Oh! I did finish the pair of slippers for my friend in time for Christmas:

Not sure they went over that well, but they were done in time at least. I'm determined to finish up these skeins of acrylic if it kills me. lol
(project details on Ravelry)

I did take Christmas off and spent the day with my friend's family. We opened gifts in the morning then headed to her husband's parents place in northern Idaho for the afternoon/evening. I wish I could say it was drama-free, but it was much more like being with my own crazy family than I'd have preferred. The holidays seem to bring out the best and, sadly, the worst in people. At least this wasn't my family drama and Reilly got to have some fun!

This was just before he let loose with a barrage of barks letting those deer know he was in charge... or at least thought he was. heh Not sure what he would've done had there not been a window in between him and those 10 deer! These were young... maybe most will be pulling Santa's sleigh next year? =)

HO, HO, HO

Well, maybe just HO. =)

What have I done this week? Other than lots of OT for work, not a heck of a lot. I do have one HO (half-finished object):

The first of a pair of slippers for my friend. These are made with 3 strands of worsted weight yarn held together so they're quick... quick enough to actually be completed for Christmas morning. lol This is my second pair from this pattern - the first having been knit several years ago for my mom. This pair is being made from acrylic so they'll be easily washable, but and I can honestly say, I much prefer the wool version. I knit the first up Friday night after a long work day and plan to do #2 later tonight... plenty of time! =)
(yarn & pattern details on my Ravelry project page)

I did start a pair of fingerless mitts for her too, but the yarn choice was an unfortunate one. I'd picked up some inexpensive sport weight yarn from Big Lots (In the Loop) with the intention of make a few knitted Christmas ball ornaments. The deep red would have gone nicely with her off-white coat, but the yarn was crap. Not only did it knot up like that was it's job, but the yarn broke while I was trying to untangle it... then I discovered the yarn stained my bamboo needles after only a few rows. grr The yarn went back to the store. I swear, the more I've used it, the less I like any acrylic. I'm okay with acrylic blends, but straight acrylic? I'll be avoiding that in the future! Life is too short to knit with crap yarn. I'll be sticking to natural fibers from here out. I have a few acrylic skeins left in my stash, but no more will be coming in! :-/ Yep, I'm a yarn snob...

This past Tuesday, I was gifted a couple of patterns by designer Kimberly Gintar of The Giving Flower podcast in memory of podcaster Karrie Steinmetz who recently passed away. I received her Melting Snowman and Shawn the Shelf Elf. My friend collects snowmen and I plan to make the melting snowman for her once I have some actual free time again. lol I think I might need to make the elf for my sister's kids for next year though they might be getting too old for that. I picked up white and black fingering weight yarn and buttons yesterday for the snowman, but I wasn't able to find anything for the elf's skin. I might just end up with a really tanned elf! =) More likely though, I'll dye up a bit of my own...

Oh! My niece is officially "knit-worthy"!!!

I hear she LOVES her hat! No word on any of the others I sent, but at least one is being appropriately appreciated. =)

This OT hasn't been great for my knitting, but it has been great for the bank account! I had some OT on my last check and was happily able to make a double payment on my rv loan and even put some money in my savings account as well. =) The plan was to get my loan paid up at least through Spring when work tends to get a little (or a lot) slow and I'm now paid up until AUGUST! =D

little time for yarny fun

You're expecting a lot, aren't you? I know I was! After the past couple weeks, I expected at least a couple finished objects, but that was not to be. Why? One word... overtime. Yes, it's that time of year. It seems to always hit around the holidays and it hit hard this week. I'm thankful for the opportunity to earn a bigger paycheck especially with the slow time of year quickly approaching, but 12-hr work days sure do cut into the knitting time! =)

I stayed up late last night and I did finish this:

That's the last hat that needed to go into the mail for Christmas! =) I finally settled on a pattern for this hat. I've made this pattern once before and really liked it the first time around. I really like it in this less-contrasting color combo as well and can definitely see knitting this up again in the future. This one turned out a bit large. I'm usually a tight knitter, but apparently I knit more loosely in acrylic... no time to reknit it so I'll just include a note for him to let me know if it's too big and I'll make another out of the leftovers.

(pattern and yarn details on my Ravelry project page)

I started this:

a few days ago, then switched to the hat since it had to go in the mail. This should be a wide headband by now... but it's not. The original pattern is written for bulky yarn, but it came out super wide in that and I switched to fingering weight yarn held double - much better! I don't really like how the increases look on the right though. Yes, this part will be under her hair, but still. With all the OT, I'm doubtful this will be finished for Christmas anyway, so I'm thinking of frogging it and starting over. Good thing I have something else for this kid! =)
(yarn and pattern details on my Ravelry project page)

I've spent a lot of time working the past several days, but I did take a break Friday night for a Christmas party. I can't believe Christmas is so close! Everything is going in the mail tomorrow, but I still have a project in the beginning stages that I haven't had a chance to work on much and still need to make something for my friend who's letting me park in her yard... the same friend who decided I needed to finish up one of her intended Christmas presents and finally handed it to me as I walked out the door yesterday so now it's in my rv. *sigh* I can't say I have any urge to work on it though. I'd rather rip it out and start fresh rather than try to fix what's already done, but as long as the OT holds out, I'll barely have time to mess with it at all if I want to finish my own projects.

I think she'd maybe be more understanding if she had a job, but she seems to think everyone has as much down time as she does. She might just be getting a ball of yarn and an IOU for her gift this year so I can finish that blanket for her. lol

a day late... with more FOs!

I've been trying to stick to posting once a week on Sundays, but I didn't have a pic of the project I finished yesterday so you had to wait. =) Still working on Christmas projects, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! This weekend, I finished up two more projects.

First up:

A cowl for my mother. I bought the yarn for this four years ago while working in Seattle, but then my mother actually requested something and it did not fit with this yarn. At long last, she's getting it this year... and it's out of my stash! It's a nice, cushy, long cowl that can be looped around twice for a snugger fit. She loves purple so I'm hoping she likes this. =)
(pattern & yarn details on my Ravelry project page)


And, no surprise:

 Another hat! I still have one more to go for Christmas but am having a hard time settling on a pattern. lol
(pattern and yarn details on my Ravelry project page)

Here's the stack heading to my sister's for Christmas:

Not too bad, huh? I do need to do a quick blocking on the two wool hats, but otherwise everything is ready to ship which is really good news since in this small of a space, three boxes of gifts really cuts down on the already limited free space around here! =)

Next week, you should get to see my last two planned projects... one more hat and a headband. There might even be a third, though I haven't yet decided on what that will be. lol

another week... FOUR more hats!

Yep, still knitting away!

 

I continued my knitting by knitting a slouchy hat for my niece:

I used some more of my overdyed yarn. It still needs to be blocked, but from what I hear, she really likes hats so it should be a hit, esp in her favorite colors!
(details on my Ravelry project page)

Then I knit up a hat for my middle nephew:

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

My friend wanted a hat for a friend's baby shower, so I knit this quick one up:

It was an owl pattern, but after getting the eyes and tassels on, I think it looks more like a monster so I skipped adding the beak.

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

Then back to Christmas knitting with a hat for my brother-in-law:

I figured I should go as basic as possible for his or he wouldn't wear it. 

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

I can see the end in sight! Only two more nephews to go and the family is done. =) I'm planning a cowl for my mother and that's the last one that needs to be mailed. I'd originally knit a hat for my friend and was planning ones for her family, but was informed yesterday that none of them wear hats... So, the hat for her is going to my sister. I might end up making her a cowl and possibly a headband or something for her daughter. I'll have to figure out something else for the guys. I'm truly at the point that I don't ever want to go to another store though! It's online shopping all the way from here.

 

I did have to go back to Jo Ann's for thread for a sewing project and since I had a few 60% off coupons, I finally picked up needle felting supplies: 

=) The little packages of roving are way too expensive, but with the coupon, now SO bad. I have some roving I picked up at a wool fest but it's all in storage. This will work for now.

And now... back to knitting!

Christmas crafting!

This year, I got the wild idea of making several gifts for Christmas. Of course, I didn't decide this until it was almost Thanksgiving. lol Yeah, gave myself plenty of time. I am making some progress though!

 

First up:

 

A slouchy, cabled hat for the friend who's letting me park in her backyard right now. =)

 

I'm not big on wearing hats, but after trying this one on, I might just have to make myself one... after Christmas, of course!
(Ravelry link for details)
 

Then:

 

A cabled hat for my 7yo nephew. This one was my first shot at cabling without a cable needle - definitely quicker!
(Ravelry link for details)

I'm still planning something for my niece and three other nephews and possibly a few more items, time permitting. =)

The past few days have involved a LOT of family time between Thanksgiving, shopping and decorating. We hit a few stores Friday (no, I didn't get up at 4a!) and I spent time yesterday helping my friend decorate. Let's just say, that experience reminded my why I got rid of all but a single bin of Christmas decor...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! =)

A New Knit!

I have played a little with yarn this month! I've been trying to work this into my over-scheduled life this month and didn't make it before seeing my sister on Christmas Eve so she'll be getting this tomorrow. I took a couple days completely off and worked on this two evenings while watching movies.

yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in chestnut tweed

Not the best stuff around (or even in my stash), but I know my sis wouldn't hand wash and I had a ball of this in my stash that I thought would go nicely with her jacket. It works up much softer than expected.

Hopefully, it's worth the wait. This is The Very Braidy Cowl (ravelry project page). I love it! I did a provisional cast-on and then grafted the ends together to eliminate a seam... not being a fan of seams where they're not absolutely necessary. =) My kitchener stitch needs a little work so it'll be more even, but when I handed it to my mom (a knitter), she didn't find the seam until I pointed it out. heh I suppose we're always our own worst critics. My sister doesn't knit at all so I'm not expecting her to even notice. I did add an extra 4 rows between repeats 1 & 2, 3 & 4, and 5 & 6 for a total of 12 extra rows. I wanted it to still fit close enough to block drafts, but not too close so it would be more comfy and not quite so turtle-necky. Perfect! Yeah, I'm definitely making one of these for myself!

Have a Furry Merry Christmas!

I made cookies to take to my vet and put together a collage for inside the card and thought I'd share. Yes, I have a zoo. =)

Don't freak, some are on there twice! heh Actually, they all are and Cosmo got three pics this year. =) My vet asked once if I had a pic with all the kitties together. I have an older one from right after I moved to Spokane and were all hanging out on my new bed (incl Mugsy), but this one is from today at lunch. Food is the great equalizer! Couldn't get them to look up at me though. lol Furry pile-ups are common around here, but there's usually at least one missing from the mix.

Mugsy - yellow lab mix, 13y
Reilly - minpin/chi, 4y

the kitties, left to right in the bottom pic
Cosmo, 13y
Phoebe, 7y
Baxter, 8y
Sebastian, 13y
Xander, 8y 

They're a lot of work at times and I spend probably more than I should on them too sometimes, but they're worth it and keep me sane. =) Still, cheaper than kids!

Busy. Shopping. And a lack of yarny fun.

Hey, strangers! It's been awhile, huh? I've been busy lately. Busy. That's such a relative term. The past few weeks have been much, much busier than normal, but I finally took an entire day off this week... and it. was. awesome. A much-needed break. I hadn't actually had a full day off work in over 3 weeks and I was definitely feeling the burn(out). Two almost-full-time jobs'll do that to ya. It's only temporary though and for a very good cause (moving!) and it'll all be worth it in the end. =) Things have lightened up with job #1 too so I'm feeling a bit less over-committed this week (and more thankful for job #2 too!) and it looks like the next couple weeks will be more of the same. Ahhhh. Much better.

With the new time commitments (combined with being an hr away from any decent stores), I decided I needed an alternative to running all over buying gifts this holiday season. Enter: online shopping! Yeah, yeah, I've done it before of course, but this year, I pretty much did it all online and took better advantage of some of the great sales. Packages have been showing up and so far, only one shipping snafu. I received a package with a packing slip that didn't match the contents of the box. Good thing the missing item wasn't for a gift! Yeah, I got myself a couple of Christmas/birthday presents too. =) Hey, at least I know I'll like what I got me. heh

There has also been a definite lack of yarny relaxation time. I did pull out one of Reilly's sweaters and re-knit (this is twice now) the neck. A certain little dog can't be trusted in knitwear unsupervised - he tries to undress himself in the only way he knows how... with teeth. I've pulled out yarn to make him a new sweater. Alpaca and wool - perfect for a little dog with basically no natural coat and scrawny little legs and single-digit temps. I've learned a lot since making his other sweaters so I'm confident this one will fit even better... if I ever find the time to work on it. My camera's also been collecting dust. I can't wait until I'm moved and settled back in the NW and can start really living my life again... Limbo kinda sucks. Just a few more months... =)

Most mellow cat ever...

Christmas Gifts - Done!

Finally finished the never-ending scarf! Scarf + sock yarn = way too much knitting the same pattern over and over! I pretty much knit this exclusively on planes/in airports so it took awhile to finish, but it's done! And it's been getting lots of compliments from flight attendants along the way too. =) I love it... but I'm SO glad it's done! Really felt like the miles (okay, 6 feet) of scarf would never end. haha Fingering weight yarn (and boredom with the pattern) makes for sloooooow going. Not the pattern's fault. It's super easy and there was no pattern I had to keep handy to refer to... just reminded myself why I rarely knit scarves! =) Scarves remind me of being a kid, riding in a car with my parents asking, "Are we there yet?!" Tomorrow, the scarf and matching fingerless mitts will be heading a bit north to Everett, WA, to keep their new owner warm and toasty.Should be a good fit for the mild Pacific NW winter. =)

And let the shopping commence...

Yeah, yeah, it's nearly November and I'm just starting to Christmas shop. Okay, in all honesty, I did start last month... a little. I've picked up a couple of small items but today was my first non-stocking-stuffer-like purchase. My mom mentioned wanting a set of interchangeable circular needles so I offered to get them for her for Christmas (no surprise for her - didn't want her to go buy them!). Whew! I'd much rather buy someone something they want and might actually use (yes, I like things to be used not just collect dust on a shelf if I can help it) than try to figure out something they'd like (and don't already have). I looked at costlier sets, but my mother doesn't knit much so this should work well for her limited needs as well as take up very little storage space (if you'd ever seen the house, you'd understand that concern!).And I'll be able to afford a few other small items to go in the package too with the deal I got. Jo Ann's doesn't have these sets on sale right now, so I was able to use one of their online coupons (woo! 50% off!) and get these at a great deal. I do love finding good deals. =) Early this year, I found awesome deals on a ball winder and swift and saved my mom a ton since she got them for me for my birthday. I love everyone to get good deals. =) So... this officially begins my Christmas shopping ventures... and it was even knitting-related!

Deadlines Met!

I suppose the office messing up and not giving me enough work last week did have one advantage - I finished the fingerless gloves before seeing the intended recipient! I again stayed within the color family prefered by my big sis. (Refer to last year's knitted gift to see the trend.) Didn't realize up front how much of a pain it would be to match up the right spot in the yarn to start the second of the pair. Self-patterning yarn in colors is so much simpler to match up than one in all shades of grey. Took at least 4 tries to get it just right. Then I ran into a spot midway through the 2nd glove where a new piece of yarn had been knotted to the old to continue the skein. Seriously, they shouldn't be able to do that with self-patterning yarns! Of course, it wasn't knotted in the right spot to keep up the pattern so I got a bit more practice at matching. Grr. Yes, I'm anal. If I was to spend this amount of knitting time on these, I wanted them to match as closely as possible. They are a bit baggy through the hand, but I just didn't have time to reknit the first one to fix that so had to make the second to match. It's not so bad though. I didn't realize my sister's hands are shorter and a bit wider than mine so they actually fit fairly well with a bit of extra room for a thin pair of gloves to go under these in colder weather. My next pair of fingerless gloves will be a different pattern (or possibly a tweaked version of these), but I'll definitely be making some again! And thankfully, these were very well-received! =) I also found some who'd be more than happy to receive the Branching Out scarf I can't wear. =D

The hooded scarf for my mom was a big hit too. We exchanged gifts Christmas Eve before she headed off to work the night shift. I think maybe she wasn't keeping in mind the fact that I am only home 2-3 days a month when she chose my gifts though. Over a month ago, I'd asked for a yarn swift or ball winder - both things I really want and would be really handy to have on hand even just a couple days a month. I got a new comforter for my bed and a wall calendar that I'll see just enough to change over to the next month. Ah, well, at least the comforter is the right size to fit the bed I have in storage (rather than the full-size one I sleep on here two nights a month). It's the thought that counts, right? There's always my birthday next week...

More Christmas Knitting! (dish cloth and WIP)

One more dish cloth finished! I used the same pattern I used for my alpaca stole. I think it makes a great wash cloth! It's nice and thick and textured enough to create a nice lather.


I worked on my sister's fingerless gloves in the airport and on my flight back home on Friday. Just need to finish the thumb and I'm halfway finished! Not so thrilled with this pattern though. The ribbing on the arm is perfect. The hand portion, however, is much too baggy and the instructions state to knit stockinette an inch past the thumb gusset and bind off. Way too short! I knit about an inch, then added on another inch of 1x1 ribbing so the edge wouldn't roll as in the original design. If I had more time (or didn't have to work this week), I'd rip these back and try it again with a few modifications. Ah, well. The recipient more than likely won't care so much. They're okay as is, I just know they could be better. Loving this yarn though!

Another FO - Branching Out Scarf

Finally finished! Here's my Branching Out scarf in Berroco Pleasure (angora, merino wool, nylon blend). I love it! Glad it's finished and I can concentrate on other things, but I love it!! All that's left to do is blocking.

The knitting gods have been smiling on me lately. I only had maybe 3" of yarn left from the hooded scarf (yay!) and this one I cut way too close for comfort. I ran out of yarn just two stitches (yes, you read that right - two measely stitches!) shy of having it bound off and finished! I'd sort of done a quick measurement when I started getting low on yarn and had decided I had just enough yarn left for one more repeat of the lace pattern and the few rows of garter stitch. I came SO close! Luckily, I had left a bit of a long tail where I joined in the second skein so I was able to attach a few more inches of yarn and finish binding off without having to rip back anything. Whew! Of course, had I left a shorter tail in the first place, I'd have had just enough in the end without resorting to knots. haha It all worked out though. =)

Lace is pretty and interesting, but it's something you definitely have to pay more attention to - certainly not mindless knitting. This pattern's a 10-row repeat and around row 150, I was getting really bored and wishing for it to end. haha I think I'll try some lace patterns on some dish cloths - pretty, but over quickly. =)

Next up: wash/dish cloths and a pair of fingerless gloves for Christmas gifts!

Mom's Hooded Scarf

I'd planned a completely different project for my mom for Christmas (a mobius scarf), but she had other ideas... She'd bought a new pair of knitted golves and wanted a hooded scarf to match. I've looked at multiple yarn shops and chain craft stores looking for appropriate yarn to make it out of and finally settled on some Bernat bulky weight yarn in a tan/cream combo. It's not quite what I was looking for, but it's machine washable (her preference) and close enough color-wise to work. So then, I went in search of a simple pattern that I could knit up quickly and wouldn't be too intricate since this colorway doesn't show stitches very well and cables or most other stitches would be pretty much wasted. I found a few sort of promising patterns, but nothing exactly like what I wanted (simple, one-piece, minimal seaming). So... I made up my own pattern. =)

SUPPLIES:

256 yds of bulky-weight yarn (I used 2 full skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky Twists in Taupe Twists with just a few inches leftover)
size US 11 needles (either circular or 14" straights - I started on 14" and then switched to 10" for the scarf since I had both on hand)
2 stitch markers (not necessary but will make this an even easier project)
stitch holder
yarn needle

gauge = 12 sts/16 rows to 4" square (adjust needle size to get gauge)

PATTERN:

CO 90 sts

Row 1 (wrong side): (p2,k2) 4 times, (place stitch marker) p58, (place stitch marker) (k2, p2) 4 times

Row 2 (right side): (k2, p2) 4 times, k58 (to next stitch marker), (p2, k2) 4 times

Repeat rows one and two until hood is within 1" of desired depth front to back, ending on a wrong side row. Mine measured right about 9" at this point.

Ribbing Row 1 (right side): (k2, p2) 22 times, k2

Ribbing Row 2 (wrong side): (p2, k2) 22 times, p2

Repeat ribbing rows 1 and 2. This should give you about an inch of ribbing if using bulky-weight yarn.

Next Row (right side): (k2, p2) 5 times, k2, transfer these 18 stitches to a stitch holder, bind off next 54 stitches in pattern (you should have two stitches left before stitch marker), (k2, p2) 5 times, k2 (18 live stitches left on needle)

Now, you're ready to knit the scarf on one side.

Scarf Row 1 (wrong side): (p2,k2) 4 times, p2

Scarf Row 2 (right side): (k2, p2) 4 times, k2

Repeat scarf rows one and two until scarf is desired length, ending on a wrong side row.

Bind off on right side in pattern.
*If you have a limited amount of yarn to work with, knit the first side to the length you think you want and then transfer live stitches to a stitch holder and wait to bind off until second side is completed. Do not cut yarn. Use the free end from the skein to knit the second side. This is the best way to be sure you have enough yarn to knit both sides to the same length - you'll be able to add to or rip back from the first side - and also avoid wasting yarn. I tossed maybe 3" of yarn from the 2nd skein this way. =)

Transfer live stitches from stitch holder to needle and repeat scarf rows until length matches other side, ending on a wrong side row. Bind off on right side in pattern. Bind off first side if not already done.

You now have something that looks like this:

Fold in half lengthwise and stitch up back of hat. Weave in all ends.

Finished this in one day. I really like how it came out. =) I think I need to make one for myself... after Christmas.


I'm thinking the next one will have some minor changes. I'll CO 98 sts in order to add another repeat of the rib pattern to the width of the scarf section. I'll need a bit more yardage though.