Wednesday, August 14, 2013

FO: Habitat

older daughter modeling the hat (a bit big on her, and a bit big on me too)














My first extended cable project!  My finger joints are sore, but only because it is more manipulation with needles than I am used to.  The hat turned out perfectly (no mistakes!) owing mostly to the pattern/charting which was spot on.  It's a very popular Jared Flood pattern - Habitat - and I highly recommend it.  With a 22-inch noggin + ponytail I decided to knit the size Large, but probably would have been fine with the small too.

The hat is knit from more of the left over Peace Fleece (2 other projects here and here) and the color is lovely, lovely, lovely.

cables!




















Not sure what is coming up next; nothing but a few uninspiring, half-finished socks on my needles at the moment.  Lots to do and organize with a new school year arriving - my own kids, the PTO and teaching a class at the university this fall.  Maybe it's time to put down the needles and hit the books for a bit instead?!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

FO's: Birthday knitting

colorway: peach melba

A couple months ago I agreed to help a friend teach 18 7-year-olds how to knit at a birthday party.  I am not sure how successful we were, but many of the girls seemed really happy with their introduction to knitting - my daughters included.

As a thank you my friend gifted me a very generous gift certificate to the store that hosted the party, a local yarn/fabric shop Stitcher's Crossing.  My girls, excited by their brief introduction to knitting, eagerly picked out a couple skeins of yarn for themselves.

And then the skeins sat.

I am not one to push knitting on my kids - it wouldn't end happily for any of us - but the lovely skeins they picked out (they have very good taste in yarn) were eating away at me.

As it turns out, their own birthday is coming up in a few short days and I convinced them each to let me knit up a quick project with their special yarn.  We talked it over and daughter #1 wanted a cowl and daughter #2 asked for a hat.  Easy peasy. 

colorway: royal















And, as I promised them, there is half a skein left to practice their knits and purls if they so choose.  Now if that yarn sits for another month I may try to convince them that they each need both a hat and cowl...they are such easy and gratifying projects I'd love to knit those up for them too.

The yarn is Manos del Uruguay Maxima - the cowl is 75 sts in the round with single purl rows at 5 rows in from each end, and the hat is the Vanilla Twist Hat, substituting cables for a rib edging.


Thursday, August 1, 2013

FO: Hildina


It has been a cool summer - which prompted me to put aside my sock knitting and take up a bigger project.  I pulled out a very special skein of unknown fiber and unknown origin that was given to me by my husband for the holidays.  The sport weight wool is heavy, but it made the most loveliest of lacework shawls.

This was my first attempt at lacework and I did ok with it.  I had to frog it a few times, ripping back up to six rows of knitting in an attempt to re-work mistakes with yarn overs and - most especially - the 3-into-7 stitch.















Once I got it sorted the shawl came together quickly and blocking it made a nice difference.  The yarn really opened up and and the lace panels blossomed.  I do wish I knew more about blocking lace and I have a feeling the some weights at the points would have helped give it a bit more shape.


Overall it is a great pattern and lovely finished piece.  I am excited to wrap up in it as the temps fall this autumn (or even tomorrow night).