Gingko Shawl

Hi everyone. I hope that you've had a lovely week. We had some good weather, followed and preceded by some gray rainy weather. I'm ready for some summer already!

I was very excited about this shawlette. It turned out rather well, but I cannot for the life of me block out the little hump at the top where the cast on was. The designer does mention this, but still..............it left me feeling a little deflated. Looking at others projects let me know that I am not alone.

Pattern: Gingko Crescent
Yarn: Bendingo Woollen Mill Luxury 4 ply. I like this yarn very much.

Wearing it as a scarf makes the little hump not matter at all. This is how I would wear it, were I not sending it to my Grandma for Christmas. I hope she likes it!

Have a great weekend

A tale of two mitts

Well, I'd like to think I am almost done with my Christmas knitting. I went from knitting for no one to knitting for 7. Sigh. And I feel the pressure to get the gifts done and in the mail, you  know, soon.


So brief history on this project, and this yarn--Sirdar Crofter Chunky, purchased to make my niece first this (in 2010):

than this matching scarf (2011):

and since I had just a wee bit left over I thought I'd make her some fingerless mitts to use it up. After much searching I found the Camp Out Fingerless mitts pattern, so I gave them a try. And while it looks ok, it was too tight and boring on my arm. Back to the drawing board.

After much searching and no joy, I remember the mitts I had first made when I purchased my Nicky Epstein Block by Block book. They are the Curvy Cable pattern, and originally they were knit flat and seamed, with just a hole left for the thumb. This time, I used what I've learned in the last several years to make them better.

I knit them in the round, and I added a gusset for the thumb, taken from the Camp Out pattern (so my time wasn't wasted after all). They ended up being just a wee bit shorter than I would have liked, but I ran out of yarn. I am quite happy with the result, and I much prefer them seamless with the gusset. They are of course chunkier than the originals, due to the yarn I used.

And there you have it. No more yarn, and a complete set for a lovely, lovely person. 

Have a great weekend!!

Mittens for Gramps

I am almost done knitting for my Michigan Christmas parcel. I had a hard time figuring out what to make my Grandpa. I've given him a hat, and a scarf in the past. This time I made him some mittens. Who doesn't need mittens?

Pattern: Cruiser (free pattern)
Yarn: Lion Brand Pure wool (stash-busted this yarn!)

I am not sure where I went wrong with these, but I had to make adjustments to get them to the right size. I added 5 extra knit rows while decreasing, and 3 extra knit rows for the thumb, also while decreasing. I am fairly satisfied with the finished mittens.

Have a great weekend!

A hat for Mike

Another hat! Carrying on with the Christmas knitting, I completed a hat for my Uncle Mike. 

This is what you get when you ask my seven year old to take a close up of the hat:

The pattern is free, Susies Winter Beach Hat. I used some Fisherman's Wool I had in my stash.

I didn't particularly like making this hat. I followed the pattern and it was much too small (think skull cap), so I had to rip back and make it the right size (thank goodness the diameter was ok). An upside of making it though, is that I got to practice cabling with using a cable needle, which I had never done before. I was getting annoyed at having to cable every row, and it was such a small cable every few stitches. So learning this new technique was very worthwhile, and really sped things up. 

Anyhoo, it turned out nice, and that's one more present done. I can't wait to show you the second shawl I've completed, I love it. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures this week however, so, same time next week ok!! See you then.

A shawl for Linda

I feel like I'm on a knitting roll lately, and it feels pretty darn good. I had a minor set back with a hat that turned out too short (mustering energy to rip back and fix) but the shawlette that just finished blocking, now that I like.

Since I'm sending a hat to cousin Matt, I thought I had better go ahead and make everyone else in the house (and nearby house) a gift too. You know, when it rains, it pours. So for my Aunt Linda, I made a small shawl. I've been rather captivated lately with all the shawl patterns coming out for the autumn, but I don't know anyone that actually wears shawls. They always seemed so fanciful to me. Now, a shawlette, I tell myself, anyone can wear. Even I have one, in the same yarn I used for Linda actually.

Pattern: Le Weekend Shawl (free)
Yarn: Hayfield pure wool classic 4ply. This was a bargain buy on Ebay ages ago, and I still have loads. I wasn't overly impressed when it arrived on my doorstep, but I washed it and blocked it better than the last time, and it feels softer now, more wearable.

One last thing I wanted to say--about blocking. People go on and on about "Blocking magic" to which I normally think in my head, "Yeah, it's good, but is it magic?" Well that was before I knit a shawl (now two, stay tuned next week!). Blocking really, really IS magic. It is my new very best friend!

Lastly, here are a few devil tails I whipped up for Halloween. Both my girls were devils, I don't think they understood the irony.

 Have a great weekend!!