12.28.2006

if 2004 (the year i taught myself to knit) was the year of the scarf, then 2006 was the year of the shawl. shawls, in case you didn't know, tend to just be huuuuuge scarves that require blocking. hehe...

:x02

for: auntie eleanor
pattern: cozy from knitty
yarn: ~5 1/2 skeins of valley yarns bershire in eggplant
source: webs, stitches midwest 2006
needles: 24" US 8 takumi bamboo circs
gauge: i never checked.
timeline: started 08.15.2006, finished 10.16.2006


i wanted to knit my aunt something that was warm, used cool yarn, and could be used as a shawl or a lap blanked. i was a bit worried about this yarn once i started knitting with it because it seemed like it might be too heavy. however, blocking it thinned the fabric out enough so that it was flatter. it's really really warm and my aunt likes it. woo hoo!

:x04

for: auntie lottie
pattern: ella from knitty
yarn: just a bit more than 3 hanks of berroco ultra alpaca in cranberry mix
source: webs, stitches midwest 2006
needles: 24" US 10 takumi bamboo circs, i think
gauge: i never checked.
timeline: started 11.06.2006, finished 11.16.2006


the color in this picture is more accurate.
i absolutely loved this pattern. first off, the way it's constructed makes it stay on the shoulders. who doesn't love that? also, it's interesting, but even someone like myself who typically has to restart a lace prject 3-4 times (at least) can jump right in with this one. also, it's fast. seriously. i was wary of this project because the pattern made me think it would take forever. wrong-o. this only took me about 10 days. in fact, if i make another shawl, i might just make this again!

all in all, a very satifying quick knit.

:x06

for: grandma
pattern: lace wrap (pattern #15) from vogue knitting fall 2005
yarn: ~3 1/2 skeins plymouth yarn encore worsted in khaki
source: knitting, etc.
needles: 24" US 8 takumi bamboo circs, i think
gauge: i never checked.
timeline: started 10.12.2006, finished 11.05.2006


this was a pretty fun knit. i wasn't sure about the border when i started, but i really liked it once it was blocked. (in fact, i used it on my mom's shawl, too.) this thing is huge, but not heavy. i'd definitely pick up this yarn again if i needed some worsted weight wool. it's pretty cheap, comes in pretty colors, and was very nice to work with. the only change i made was that i didn't pick up the stitches for the second border. it just seemed silly to me.

:x07

for: mom
pattern: my own, using the border from lace wrap (pattern #15) in vogue knitting fall 2005 and the clover stitch pattern used in the lucky (clover lace wrap) pattern in stitch 'n bitch nation
yarn: 7 balls (purchased 14 balls) knitpicks andean treasure in mystery
needles: 24" US 5 knitpicks options
gauge: i never checked.
timeline: started 12.04.2006, finished 12.30.2006


the original plan for this was to make my mom an hourglass sweater. i even bought the yarn (at 50% off!) and everything. however, when she saw x02, she said she'd like something like that. so, the hourglass went into the "things i'm making for myself" pile. i sneakily got her to pick out her yarn at thanksgiving, and didn't get started until early december. i just have about 15 more rows to do and then i can block it and give it to her. (she got an IOU on xmas day.) i'll update this post once it's finished.


update: 12.31.2006
it's done!