Post christmas frenzy (second installment)

Okay, where was I? You know, it had been so long since I last blogged that I think I got a cramp or something on that last post. So anyway, I was talking about all of the gifts I finished.
My most distinguished accomplishment of the year was the mancala board I made for my dad. It ended up being a lot more work than I had anticipated and really came down to the last minute.



Pattern: Mancala Mia from Knitty
Yarn: Patons classic merino wool in brown and dark green
Needles: 9s for cups, 10s for board
Pattern notes: Since I was using a different yarn, I first checked the pattern for the cups and found them to be way too deep (the dark color might also have contributed to this phenomenon). So I changed the decreases for the cups quite a bit until I got ones that I thought were an appropriate depth. My suggestion for this pattern if you do it is to make one cup and make sure that you are happy with how it looks after felting. I decided to do the large cups differently from the pattern as well. I like how they came out. For the base of the board, I used doubled strands throughout and alternated double brown, brown/green, double green to give the striping a more gradual look. Although the felted board was semi-stiff, I wanted it to be more stable and so T helped me make a balsa wood base support. I just used a staple gun to attach it. The felted yarn pretty much covers the staples, so it still looks good. In the end, I am happy with how it came out but.... I don't think I would knit it again.

I finished my mom's cabled fingerless mitts just in time as well:



Pattern: My own
Yarn: WoolEase
Needles: 6s
Pattern notes: Had I known what the cabling would do to the edge, I would have started cabling a little later than 4 rows in. Having already finished, I decided to add a crochet edge to the cuff to make it a little more even and add a little color.

I decided to gift some marine stuffed animals I made quite a while ago to my niece. She loved them!



Pattern: My own
Yarn: Knitpicks crayon (cotton) in red, yellow, orange, green

I finally sewed the linings into the cable purse and DNA bag.





I chose a stretchy fabric, since I didn't want to change the stretchy properties of the bags. I was super nervous about putting these linings in (which is probably why I procrastinated doing it for so long), but it actually went pretty well. My sewing machine threw a little fit in the middle, but I managed to maintain my composure and soldier through. After they were done, I was stunned by how great it looked. Yeehaw!

Christmas was fun, although a bit hectic and I got lots of great knitting stuff. T's mom (with his help) got me the Knitpicks sock kit in Warm and T got me one in Neutral. Hooray! Socks for everyone!



I was so excited that I started a pair right away. I love how the striping is sort of random, it makes it so fun.



Little sis got me some Patons SWS (so super soft and pretty) and some alpaca blend yarn:



I'm already halfway through a pair of fingerless mitts for myself with the alpaca yarn. Yummy warmness.

My mom gave me a cool knitting book, my sister gave me another cool knitting book, and I received a second batch of leftover yarn from my dad's wife's stash (see previous post).

So it's official. I am declaring it. I am going on a yarn diet. So if you see me out buying yarn, stop me! I really really don't need any more yarn. Really.

Right now I am working on a scarf for my friend. She is Jordanian and always calls me 'habibti', which means sweetie or darling or something. So this scarf is called the habibti scarf. It's just plain garter stitch in black boucle but has gone amazingly fast during long drives and visiting and such.



Phew. I'm exhausted. I'm gonna go take a nap.

Post christmas frenzy

Well, ladies (can I call you 'ladies'?), I haven't been able to post in a while because I was lost in the holiday hulabaloo. Between finishing all my gifts (it was a close one....) and then having christmas every other day for 6 days with various family combinations, I have been driving all over New Mexico with no time to blog.
So let's catch up, shall we?
First some gifts that I left off of here for surprise's sake. A cabled blanket for my sister:



Pattern: Cable throw from Lion Brand
Yarn: Knitpicks crayon cotton in white (doubled throughout)
Needles: 10s
Pattern notes: This is a great pattern because it goes pretty quick, remains portable through most of the knitting, and the cabling is easy to do. I wouldn't suggest using a cable needle to do the cables (is this obvious?) but instead I used a double pointed size 10 when cabling.

I think that my sister really liked it, so hooray! I am glad that I kept it a secret and didn't post about it on here, so that it was a complete surprise.

Also some coaster sets:





Pattern: Adapted from pattern in One Skein Wonders
Yarn: Patons classic wool and knitpicks merino wool
Pattern notes: For the set that I used needle felting, I have to say it was a complete pain in the ass. I am not sure that needle felting is for me. The second set was knitted log cabin style--super fast and fun. Great for gifts!

Ok, what else? I finished T's double knit hat. This thing was a behemoth to knit, using almost two whole balls of yarn because it's not only knitted with a doubled strand throughout but also double knit. It came out kind of big....




Pattern: Since I find "traditional" double knitting to be incredibly difficult (am I missing something here???), I instead just cast on 8 stitches, increased every other row until I had the number of stitches I wanted for the head circumference, knit in a tube for about 12 inches, then decreased every other row (identical to my earlier increases) until I had eight stitches left and then ran the yarn through these stitches and the original cast on stitches. Also at the brim, I did a turn row (purl all stitches) and worked in 2x2 rib for about an inch and a half. It actually came out pretty well, I think although of course.... kind of big.
Yarn: Wool Ease doubled throughout
Needles: 10s (can you tell I like to knit with 10s?)

Okay, this post is getting a bit tiresome. Stay tuned for more christmas magic....

Cozies and cables and christmas

I've been a busy little bee. I felted the VT beer cozy, and voila! it was just the right size (just as T predicted. I guess he is the world's expert on felting. Unfortunately my camera refuses to take an unfuzzy picture of it, but here it is. I gifted it on Friday and the recipient loved it. Yay!



I also finished (the knitting of) the cable purse.



The pattern calls for knitting a lining, but I just don't have the time to do it. So I will have to sew one in (it needs a lining because it's kind of holey).

Pattern: Cable purse from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Unidentified (probably wool) hand-me-down in maroon
Needles: 2s

I also made a bunch of christmas cards with potato stamps. I heart potato stamps! (You should too.)






It looks like I might actually finish all my gifts for christmas. Three more to go. Phew.

So f-ing adorable!

Omg. This thing is so cute. I HAVE TO HAVE IT.



Kit found here

This weekend I.....

...made another calorimetry


Specs
Pattern: Calorimetry
Yarn: Shetland Chunky in Russet
Needles: 6s






....worked on T's incredibly thick double knit hat



....made (what seems to me) a ridiculously large virginia tech beer cozy for my coworker

Specs
Pattern: Made up
Yarn: Patons classic wool merino in maroon, white, orange
Needles: 10s
Verdict: Ummmm, yeah.... maybe if you want a cozy for your 36 ounce beer.

This is it before felting. It seems really big to me but T (apparently the world's expert on felting) says it will be just the right size when it's done. I will felt tonight. Wish me luck.


...continued slogging away on the cable purse



...made christmas cards (pics tomorrow).


There's really not enough time in the day. I can't wait for the holiday season to be over so I can make something for myself.

Did you miss me?

Well.... my computer is finally fixed. And let me just say, if you ever get a mac, buy applecare. It's just the smart thing to do. And if you ever have problems with your mac, go to your nearest apple store. They helped me so much and didn't even act like rude computer tech guys. Thanks David!

Ok, so I have been knitting a lot and I have a lot of FOs to show you. Ready?

First we have several Koolhaas hats. I started the orange one for my friend, Sarah. The pattern says 16" head circumference for a woman. It seemed a bit small, but I figured she's a cute little button, it'll be cool.... Well, it's really small, like child-small. Who's head is 16" in circumference??? Not anyone I know (who is more than 10 years old...) Anyway, I will give this one to the little girl that our department at work chose for the giving tree. The green one is for Sarah. It's normal-sized.


Pattern: Koolhaas hat from IK Holiday Issue 2007

Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky in Sage Green and Russet
Needles: Double pointed 7s and cable needle
Notes: The pattern seems complicated but gets easier as you go. Make sure to add a couple of repeats of the pattern make your hat at least 20" in circumference (unless of course you are making the hat for an elf)


Next we have some fingerless mittens I made for T's mom. She's a postal carrier, and it sure is cold outside. I hope she likes them.

Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts
Yarn: WoolEase in Pines Print (doubled)
Notes: A super-quick knit. I actually just looked at the pattern for the k2, p1 rib and then just winged it based on what I know about knitting mittens. I really like them and will probably knit a pair for myself after the holiday rush is over.

Speaking of cold, here's a hat I made for our friend, Sean. Funny thing about this hat is that 2 years ago when I started knitting, I asked Sean if he wanted me to knit him a scarf. He said he has lots of scarves, how about a hat? And I said, sure. Two years later....



That's T modeling it for us. (Ok, now look melancholy.....)


On Thanksgiving, we spent some time at my dad and his wife's house. I mentioned something about some yarn she had alluded to having a while back that she wasn't using. And she came out with this!



And gave it to me! All of it! Yay!
So naturally I started making her something with some of it. Here's my progress on the Cable Purse from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It's hard....



I also finished some other gifts, but they will remain secret until after gifting.

Shall we close with a cute kitty picture?




Meow.