it's done! click for details.

oh, and since the knitting for xmas is officially finished, i'm removing my xmas knitting from the sidebar.

i jyust cast on for nadine's scarf today. i'm using knitpicks andean treasure in ember, wild rose, fog, and mystery. it will (hopefully) be around 80" long, plus 6" of fringe on each side.

well, my hourglass sweater is currently blocking and i'm 3 rows and a blocking session away from finishing cmas gift #7. woo hoo! i should have pictures of the sweater tomorrow.

and then what? well, i'm making a scarf (with knitpicks andean treasure - woo hoo!) for nadine and will probably cast on for a pair of socks, too. i should update my list.

:x03

for: jeannie
pattern: lace leaf scarf (pattern #35) from vogue knitting spring/summer 2005
yarn: ~3 1/2 hanks debbie bliss pure silk in 27004 (pale yellow)
source: tangled web fibers, store closing sale
needles: US 5 takumi bamboo straights (started with US 5 aluminum straights)
gauge: i never checked.
timeline: started 08.21.2006, finished 09.17.2006


this pattern was killing me until i switched needles. the combination of the aluminum needles and the 100% silk just made knitting exhausting. once i picked up some bamboo needles, i was good to go (the huge delay in the airport in new york may have helped, too. note to self: laguardia is dirty.)


this project gets an extra picture because the yarn is so photogenic. this is one of those gifts that i was tempted to keep for mysef.

:x08

for: uncle fee
pattern: mock croc socks from knitpicks
yarn: <1 hank cherry tree hill supersock in green mountain madness
source: knitting, etc.
needles: set of 5 US 1 addi bamboo dpns
gauge: 8 st = 1"
timeline: started 11.01.2006, finished 11.20.2006


what's there to say, really? this was my first real sock and i loved the pattern. it looks great, but it was easy to memorize and read from my stitches. i loved every second of it, even picking up the stitches for the heel. i wouldn't mind making myself a pair of these.

:x11

for: xmas game
pattern: my own
yarn: i skein each of knitpicks andean treasure in mysery, lilac, and fog (from stash!)
needles: no idea
gauge: didn't check
timeline: started 11.21.2006, finished 11.22.2006

a nice, if a bit small, scarf. andean treasure is really lovely stuff, and i've had this stuff in my stash for about 2 years. i figured it was time to give it a purpose. we do this dice game on holidays where you get to pick a random (wrapped) gift if you roll doubles, so i added it to the pile of prizes. my mom ended up winning it, which was funny, since it's made in the same yarn as the shawl that i wasn't able to get to her in time for xmas.

:x??

for: mom, debbie, jeannie, auntie eleanor and uncle john, and tracy
yarn: caron feathers in peacock (for less than $2!)
source: joann, store-closing sale

this is another thing that i saw on someone's blog and wanted to try. (please comment if you know which blog.) i just tossed a bunch of yarn into empty clear glass ornaments that i grabbed at a craft store.

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!

fetching, fetching everywhere...

pattern: fetching from knitty
needles: set of 5 size 6 susan bates silvalume 9" dpns, cable needle
general notes: i love this pattern. love! it was a really quick thing to knit up as a gift, although i sort of wish i would have kept a pair for myself.

:x01

for: mom (st. nick's)
yarn: 1 ball debbie bliss cashmerino in charcoal
source: tangled web fibers, store closing sale
timeline: started 08.07.2006, finished 08.10.2006
i did this one exactly according to the pattern. i wasn't thrilled with the picot bind-off, but it was ok. my mom loved them, though, and the yarn is just gorgeous.

:x05

for: sheila
yarn: 1 ball debbie bliss cashmerino in pea green
source: tangled web fibers, store closing sale
timeline: started 09.16.2006, finished 09.20.2006
i followed the pattern as written, except for the bind-off. i substituted a purl bind-off, since the knit bind off looked a little funky. i really like how it turned out and nadine's mum likes them.

:x09

for: gin
yarn: 1 ball debbie bliss cashmerino in evergreen
source: tangled web fibers, store closing sale
timeline: started 10.15.2006, finished 10.30.2006
i went back to the picot bind-off for this one, but did it purlwise, which seemed to work out better for me. i read on someone's blog that they decreased one stitch for every five in the row following the final cable rows and that helped a lot with flaring at the top. (i cannot figure out whose blog it is, so poke me if you know so that i can add a link.)

:x10

for: tracy
yarn: <1 skein blue sky alpaca worsted hand dyes in purple
source: arcadia knitting
timeline: started 11.27.2006, finished 12.13.2006
glove #1: 11.27.2006 - 11.28.2006
glove #2: 11.28.2006 - 11.29.2006
glove #3: 11.30.2006 - 12.13.2006
getting my gauge right with this was a bit of a problem. i was in denial for a full glove, in fact. i cast on using 15 fewer stitches at first, which was waaaay too tight. why did i think blocking it would help? i have no idea. so, i went ahead and cast on with only 10 fewer stithces. they ended up ok, but i should have just done 5 fewer stitches. dur. i also added one more pattern repeat at the cuff. once again, i decreased in the round following the final cable round and did a purl bind-off. finally, i opted for a (6-stitch) thumbhole instead of an actual thumb.

the big projects should be posted soon...

a sneak peek of xmas gift #10


the hourglass sweater, as of december 1st

i actually have about another 1/3 of a sleeve done. woo hoo!

after blasting through most of my xmas gift knitting at a relatively quick pace, i feel sort of stalled. i think it may be due to the fact that i cast on for two longish-term projects (my hourglass sweater and xmas gift #7) pretty close to one another. hourglass has been put on hold until all of my gifts are done, but i'm trucking along on #7. slowly. hehe...

however, i feel the need for a sense of accomplishment that only comes with actually, you know, finish something. so, i picked up xmas gift #10. i'm pretty sure that i'll be able to finish it today and then it'll be back to #7.

also, i really need to sit down and upload some pictures to this blog.

i've been sick, which has meant less knitting and (obviously) way less posting. i'm hoping to upload a picture or two and talk about the progress on xmas knitting tonight.

well, i had about 2/3 of the second sleeve done when i realized that i one too many stitches.* nice, eh? so, i ripped back to the various decrease rounds, but of course the mistake wasn't there. nope, it was in the row that joined the cast-on row for the hem. (i knit the last two stitched separately instead of together. dur.)

the bright side is that i didn't have to redo the hem.

*could i have let it go? maybe. would anyone have noticed? probably not. however, i'd rather not tempt fate when i know that i can fix something this simple.