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

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! =)

Twisty Fun!

Socks! Finally. Here's pair #3 for the year. Yeah, I'm not exactly prolific. heh I started these back at the beginning of February in Indiana. They went to Seattle with me... then to Arizona... and more recently, to upstate New York. Do socks earn frequent flyer miles?!?

Gotta say though, now that they're done... I LOVE them! They're so bright and fun and so very comfy!

The yarn is Beyond Basic Knits Superwash Sock in Lemonade Twist. I grabbed the skein on the way to Knit Night one night, needing something to work on. I cast on, not knowing where I was going with these. After finishing the first toe, I realized this colorway just screamed for cables. I worked out a simple cable pattern that worked with my stitch count and off I went. The first sock went quickly. The second... not so much. =) I didn't keep any notes on the first sock and realized once I got an inch or so into the cuff on sock #2 that I'd begun the cuff ribbing too soon. I hate ripping back! So I put it off. Finally picked these back up on Sunday, ripped back the rows I needed to and off I went, finishing up and weaving in ends Monday night. Now I have one more pair of handknit socks to brighten up my sock drawer. =)

Socks with a Twist!

When I saw this yarn at the non-profit shop in Seattle, I thought, WOW that's bright! And I had to have it!! I'm so glad I did now. I spent some time Monday afternoon browsing patterns trying to find some inspiration for a new project and wasn't having much luck. Then, as I reached into the suitcase for a skein of self-patterning sock yarn... I caught a glimpse of this. Grabbed it along with needles and headed off to my first Knit Night in Indiana. Such fun colors! So bright and Spring-y! Finished the toe and was trying to decide how I wanted to knit these when I thought about the colorway (Lemonade Twist). How could I possibly not include cables in these?! This was just what I needed to cheer me up. I'm home for awhile now with minimal work and way too much time on my hands and was thinking maybe I'd left my will to knit in Seattle. I think I found it. =)

The Unoriginal Surf & Turf Hat

I've been planning to make this hat for awhile now. I love cables and had the perfect, chunky yarn with me here in Seattle. I wanted a quick project to knit between socks and this fit the bill perfectly. Made to match my Flippy Scarf and took only one evening to knit up, start to finish. Couldn't have been easier. =) And I should have enough of that yarn left to knit up a pair of matching fingerless gloves too.

Cabled Purse

Nearly finished!

This all started when I saw a handknit purse in a shop in Pike Place Market that I loved... and knew I could make myself.

I used one entire skein of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick super bulky weight in charcoal, knit on size 13 needles. I cast on 34 stitches for this bag and used a 3x3 cable pattern, staggering them to balance out the puckering from the cabling. I knit until I was happy with the size (folded in half) to fit with the handles I'd purchased, bound off and attached the two ends to the handles. I like the trapezoidal shape this resulted in. All that's left is to sew a simple liner with probably just a small pocket for my phone. This is such a quick, easy project and would make a great gift!