One last Christmas present...

Okay, that didn't last long. The same day as my last post I cast on for two new projects. First was the hat to match the brooklyn tweed scarf. I've been working on that during the day when I get odd moments. Then I needed a traveling project to get through a very long choir recital, so I cast on for a dog sweater for my mother-in-law's dog. Why am I knitting a sweater for the dog? Well, my in-law's have this adorable yorkie mix dog (seriously adorable-it won a contest at the bank). They love this dog to unreasonable distraction, to the point that my mother-in-law asked for an omlet maker for Christmas because the dog prefers omlets to scrambled eggs. We have speculated that they are leaving the house and everything to the dog if something should happen to them, so I figured I had best get in good with the little rascal. Hence, the sweater. It's going to be red with white trim in honor of Christmas and benevolence in giving, hint, hint...I have finished the body and still have the sewing up to do. I actually made the body twice, since my good sense finally beat out my knitting blindness(that peculiar affliction where you can't see that a knitted item is radically off size and your guage is not what you thought it was). Tonight I will cast on the sleeves and trim in a fabulous soft white baby yarn so dear Tess never need worry about itchy edges. Lucky baby!

Ready for Christmas early!

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done with all my Christmas knitting. Days and days early. How's that for efficient? On the one hand there is relief, profound relief. On the other, I am projectless for the first time in months. I wandered around this morning looking for a travel project, picking up one pattern after another, finally settling on a hat from the same yarns as one of the brooklyn tweed scarves I made. It could be a set. It could be another gift. I also looked at the Simply Knitting advent tree ornaments patterns. They call for a 3mm needle, which is inbetween a US2 and US3. Darn limeys. I hadn't intended to swatch these...I thought about shawls and vests and even a sweater. I want to make gloves, but haven't developed a pattern yet. Something with a linen stitch for warmth, although that's not stretchy like a glove should be. I thought about more socks and decided to take a break from socks for a few days. I thought about making a dog sweater for my mother-in-law's little dog. I think I will make that one. Out of superwash wool for warmth and care ease. Maybe out of sock yarn. That would be nice. I'm one of those weird people who don't mind tiny stitches on tiny needles. The finished product is so nice and professional. Besides, more stitches mean more knitting and that is the point, after all. I wonder if that bamboo sock yarn would work well for this. It doesn't work well for socks. Too drapey and sloochy.

Maybe I'll take this opportunity to clean out the stash and look for ideas that way. Maybe...

Hats, Scarves, and Christmas tidings!

I finally finished the black cotton hat this weekend. All my worrying about whether or not it was too big was for not. It fits perfectly. D's head must be larger than mine. He has declared it the bomb.

I also cast on a pair of toe up camel colored socks. This is a lovely yarn. Soft and smooth and knitting up in a lovely firm fabric on size 0 circulars. I wish I still had the label so I could recommend it to you. Anyway, the socks are for my mother's friend for Christmas, but I still need a manly patterning for the leg of the sock. He has diabetes, so I want to make them non-restricting. Maybe I'll just rib them.

I'm also knitting on the second of two scarves done like the Brooklyn Tweed scarf the Yarn Harlot was so hot for two weeks ago. I couldn't bring myself to spend forty dollars on a scarf made of Noro Garden silk, so I bought a few random colorways from Moda Dea and Paton's SWS from JoAnn fabrics. The Moda Dea label is exclusive of JoAnn's and I don't know the content. It knit up in the loveliest of really soft fabrics. It even passes the K1Frog2 Throat test, where I hold the wool up to my throat and see if it's too scratchy. My throat will turn flaming red with the lightest of scratches, but this stuff didn't even cause a mild pink reaction. I don't have wool allergy, because even my own hand will cause this reaction. I just have really sensitive skin on my throat. Anyway, I think the yarn was called Moda Dea Sensations, or something similar. The skeins were a colorway in blues and another in greens and they mixed together like a dark watery dream.

The second scarf is of Paton's SWS in a cream and light blue colorway and a brown/green/rust earthy colorway. Sounds weird until you see them mixed together in two row stripes. Think of all the colors of a Georgia coastline. Light blue and slate blue of the water, rust of the clay, cream of the sand, and the browns of all the detrius that washes up on the beach. It's really gorgeous in a masculine earthy way. I have special plans for this scarf. Since I bought two skeins of each colorway, but have only needed one of each for the scarves, I'm planning a hat to coordinate with the Georgia Coastline scarf. Then I hope to put the two items together as a package in the Silent Auction our college does for Christmas. We'll see if I get them done.

Happy Holidays to all!

Still knitting...

Since I posted last I have finished two pair of socks, two scarves, a hat and half a blanket. I am currently working on another hat, this one in black elann esprit, a cotton/elastic yarn. My family don't like wool hats, hence the cotton. At least this way they wear a hat.

Also planned for the near future are a pair of gloves, another cotton hat, a wool hat for me, since the last one wasn't warm enough. And assorted Christmas tree ornaments for the mini tree in my dining room. Simply Knitting, the magazine, had a wonderful collection of these with patterns by Alan Dart last month. I can't wait to try them.

Sorry it took so long to post this. I was still knitting, just on a mental vacation of sorts. I have been working with a friend on a writing project that has taken all my extra words, or something.