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What I’ve Knit Recently
An Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief made with copper colored Knit Picks Diadem for a friend with an autumn birthday.
Matching baby and toddler knit dresses for the same friend’s little girls. I used a cardigan pattern as a loose guide, but I also was figuring things out as I went along (hence why the sleeves aren’t as striped; I didn’t want to have to end in the middle of a stripe or not on the third stripe; I should have calculated the stripe size based on the sleeve lengths). Eventually I want to do these patterns again and work out the issues and then I’ll post here and on Ravelry.
I knit this seed stitch scarf (I knit it long enough to be an infinity scarf and added buttonholes) ages ago and had it blocked and ready for when I could purchase the perfect buttons. I finally ordered these darling flowers (when you order, pick the “with hook” option and then make a note to seller that you would like the hooks on the bottom like shank buttons).
Baby blanket #1 (there will be at least 4 this year for 4 family babies!!!). I just made this pattern up; one square basket weave, one square garter, one square moss, and one square seed stitch. I already had this started and had my fingers crossed one of my cousins would have a boy, and sure enough.
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Christmas Knitting
I forgot to take a photo of the $1 gift; it was a cream version of the twist headband in this post. The beret is this pattern, and I love it as it looks like a real beret instead of a beanie when worn. I’m going to use it as a base for all other berets I make because it is the only true beret I’ve done. Also, I blocked it with the opening on the bottom of the plate and drew it up tighter with yarn stitched around, and this may have helped with the shape a bit. I think that mine looked better than the photos on the pattern page, so don’t be worried to try it.
The pink shawl is my third Holden, and my first attempt at knitting with beads (I improvising the number and placement). The photos do not do the crystals justice. This was for my grandmother.
The L’Enveloppe was for my sister, and I didn’t do the decreases correct (I think the seed stitch version instructions were confusing, if not wrong in keeping the pattern, so I improvised it to my detriment), so it is far longer than the pattern. Now, because of the asymmetrical nature, I don’t think it looks wrong, but I thought I would note this for anyone who might try the pattern.
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Yarn Along
I am linking up here again.
I usually have several books going, but I do not always read them at the same pace or evenly split my time between them. Recently, I have given the same attention for this stack although I will probably speed up the Patricia St. John book (Rainbow Garden; you can barely see the book). I am re-reading Jane Eyre for this read-along which is averaging about 2 chapters a week. I need to speed up my reading of Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, a 900 pages (not counting end extras) historical scholarly monograph about early America, because it is a library book.I have finished all the knitting on my sister’s Katniss Cowl, and the pieces are drying on my blocking boards. I will have more details about the patterns and tutorials that I used once I am finished. That bit of fluff I am currently knitting is another Holden Shawl.
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Yarn Along
I am knitting the Moonrise shawl as a selfish interlude between baby knitting projects. I also have a Christmas project in the works. I am trying Never Let Me Go; I am not sure if I will stick with it or not, I just burned myself on a book. -
Shawl and Kerchief
Forgive my photos. At least I am using my camera :/
I tell you, blocking is MAGIC. I love the way these look . . . and of course you cannot tell with my horrifying photos. I will finish my photography class and invest in more lenses at some point, I promise. Digital literacy, people, I have got to master this.
The teal kerchief was so tiny, but I managed to block it to a more visible size. I want to buy enough yarn to knit the full-size pattern at some point because it is gorgeous and unique.
This is brighter in reality and glossy and sumptuous and lovely!!!!! Again, I love the pattern and will use again. I have so many shawl patterns that I want to try though! -
Yarn Along
I caved and finally bought the Holden Shawl pattern. If I pay, I would prefer to pay for a more unique design (this stitch is not an original one), but I did not want to wait to get this class and figure it out myself. Oh, well.
I definitely want to try this with a lighter weight yarn and beading (a photo of such as shawl on Pinterest was my first introduction to this apparently widely popular pattern).
I am using KnitPicks Diadem variegated; I bought it majorly on sale last fall since they were discontinuing the variegated. The color is darker and more red, but I did not feel like fooling with my camera anymore. One day I will finish that photography class. I saw some Tumblr posts on the tv/movie on Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, so I decided I would read this. Not quite what I was expecting, but interesting.
I finished my little neckerchief, but as I still have not bought blocking boards, a photo will have to wait. I have another project, a scarf, on hold as I found this shawl much more interesting and speedy to knit. I have been looking for sweaters, dresses, and yarn; I will have to see if I can make such big projects work. I already frogged a skirt. I think I want to make up the pattern myself but do not know how to figure out gauge and stitches for cables. Oh, yeah. And I have several baby projects I need to make for which I am having trouble even simply deciding on patterns and yarn. And I only have two months for some of them.
I am linking up here.
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Yarn Along
I am still not finished with either of the projects about which I posted last time. I did finish The Unwanteds and started The Talisman Ring and Bleak House (pictured). I just posted the project and book I knitted/read most recently. I made two large yarn orders too, so look out! Link up here. -
Yarn Along
I have been “working” on the shawlette/scarf for over a month and the headband for weeks. (I am linking up here). -
Crazy Knitting Lady
I knitted many things over the last fivish months. It makes me feel so accomplished to cram them all into one post . . . so it looks like I have been more industrious than I actually have (I actually am now working on becoming fairly industrious in knitting; this post marks some of the beginning to this strange phenomenon). Ahem.
I knitted my grandmother three scarves for Christmas . . . that was not my initial intention, but anyway.
Here are two:
I call this the lazy, untalented, un-crafty person’s knitting. I made these from packages of lace with pre-formed holes through which I knitted (I think you can also crochet them as with the similar mesh yarn). They each took no more than two hours. I also made an even simpler scarf by finger braiding a chain of mesh yarn which formed a long loop to be looped into an infinity scarf. I prefer this look to the feather boa one . . . if you must cheat and if you must wear this style 😛 (I am terribly afraid that the person for whom I made that scarf did not even see that it was a scarf and even if she did, she did not like it; oh well, the rest of the gift should have been okay . . . and that rest still fulfilled the $15+ requirement for the gift; but grrr, I still feel bad, hence this confession/explanation).
I copied from sight this pattern for my mom from ravelry since I thought it was stupid to pay $4 for a simple design. It isn’t exact to a perfectionist but the same effect. This is the one for my grandmother.
My Ravenclaw scarf. Ravelry had plenty of free “patterns” (more like tutorials because they are so simple). I wimped out and bought cheap yarn. I am normally a fiber snob . . . and should remain so because apparently I do not know how to buy decent cheap items. This stuff (Paton Metallic) is AWFUL. Wispy chains filled with black fluff. Fluff, not yarn. I am OCD and frequently felt compelled to pull out said fluff. Lots of it.
For example:
Ravenclaw all the way peoples. I am happy to report that I got Ravenclaw in a couple tests (or at least one :/) when I had only seen the fourth movie and that is all I knew of HP . . . Slytherin came next and then Gryffindor and then Hufflepuff. I also got Ravenclaw for Pottermore. Yes, it is official. Also, I love how a version of spell-check has the House names in it; I missed an “f” in Hufflepuff and right-clicked to see if Hufflepuff showed up; it did. Awesome.
The white beret (Cascade Beret on ravelry, free) I finished in the fall. The first of the berets promised much earlier last year for my sisters when they saw my pink one. I guessed the wrong yarn weight so had to find different patterns. Great big sister. I prefer larger sized berets . . . in theory the size of mine which I wore all of once. Whatevs. The second beret I finished several weeks ago; I like this one (Ume Hat and Gloves on ravelry, free) better in both the pattern and the shape of the hat (the first one didn’t decrease as nicely). I have most of one matching fingerless glove done also.
This shrug (this pattern) I finished a few weeks ago. It is a magnificently late Christmas gift; but there is worse, I have more Christmas gifts left to knit!
I have several projects in the works (including that eternal pink sweater) and several in contemplation. I love being able to knit, and I love scrumptious yarn.
