the painted iris

I've started a simple lace mohair scarf for my mother for Christmas. I did a few test swatches and settled on a garter stitch border of 4 rows by 3 stitches at each side. I chose a colorway of Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino called 'Painted Iris' to use. I love the name, and a beautiful yarn to match! It brings about romanticism of the iris works of VanGogh and Monet.

My only criticism of the project is that my aluminum needles are too slippery for the mohair, so I really have to stay alert. This may take a few weeks to complete as I currently have an attention span of only one repeat. I'm OK with that, I have until Christmas.

grandma's shawl completed

I've finally completed the Lehmus shawl that I was knitting for my grandmother. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I may need another lace project soon!

grandma's "lehmus" shawl

I've been working on my first lace project. This is the Lehmus shawl pattern and I'm making it for my grandmother. I'm making this out of a worsted weight yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease "Dark Rose Heather", on size 8 needles.

My grandmother is going into the hospital for hip surgery later this month and I wanted a heavier shawl to help keep her warm while she is away from home. She's had both hips replaced before, however the newer one is over 15 years old and she has to have them both done again. She's more worried this time around as she's a little older and has difficulty getting around as it is. I'm hoping this shawl will help to ease her anxiety and encourage a quick recovery.

I was a little intimidated at the begining and it took me a few tries to get started. Most of the pattern is in another language and I didn't see where it told me to purl every even row, I had to figure that out for myself. I also had a difficult time following every stitch on the chart, however it became easy once I figured out what each stitch did and how it worked with the row below. Now I don't have to refer to the chart as much. Let's hope it continues to go well, I still have much more to knit before it's finished.

more finished things!

I think life is finally settling down after the holiday rush! I've certainly been busy with my fiber work! Below are some objects that I have completed over the past couple of weeks.

After a few months, I was eventually able to finish the "My So-Called Scarf" from the MenWhoKnit KAL. This was truly the first knit project I started and I just couldn't stick with it for more than a couple of hours at a time. I guess I'm just not monogamous in the project department. In any case, I love how it turned out and I wear it all the time. I used Manos del Uruguay, colorway "Quail" on size 11 needles.

After I had completed an oil painting of my Grandmother's garden for her, I thought I wanted to give her something knit or crocheted as I knew that she would truly appreciate it. When I saw this Fan Bookmark, I knew it would be the perfect "little something" to give her. She loved it and the painting (unfortunately, I did not photograph said painting). It's a beautiful bookmark and I may make one for myself as well :) This was made from J & P Coats Royale "Cardinal" #10 crochet cotton with size 1.30mm hook.

I also completed my baby cousin's Tiramisu blanket. I made this from Bernat's Softee Baby "Pink" with a size H hook. I was fortunate enough to meet new baby cousin on this trip. She's so adorable! (Again no pictures). The poor thing just returned from the hospital and is recovering from a bought with staph, and she's only two months old. Luckily, she has a new blanky to keep her warm.

Okay, I seriously love the Koolhaas hat that I FINALLY finished! It's made from Berroco Ultra Alpaca, in colorway Leaf, with size 6 and 8 needles. I've gotten several complements on it while wearing it out and about. Although, my dad did say that it reminded him of a hat that my great-grandmother used to wear. I'm going to assume that means that great-grandma was incredibly hip.

dashing all the way

Well, I finally finished the "Dashing" mittens for Dan. The second one looks much better after I ripped back and knitted tighter.

I also finished the OneSkein scarf for my brother's fiance. This was a super quick project, I started it one evening and finished it the next morning! I used the same Patons Merino "Leaf Green" from my brother's aviator hat and discovered it was the exact same yarn used in the pattern. I generally like to spice it up a bit, however, it looks great and they coordinate.

I've also started a "Tiramisu" baby blanket for my new baby cousin. This seems to be going well, I've worked on it for a couple of days and I'm over half-way finished. I love the stitch pattern in this, it's a simple single crochet but looks gorgeous.

And finally I've restarted my Koolhaas hat. My problem wasn't the "ktbl", but the pattern. I was reading one thing and doing another. So now my hands and brain are on the same page and it's looking good.

more christmas gifs

I have completed a couple more Christmas gifts. First is the garter stitch scarf for my cousin. Using two skeins of Patons SWS it turned out to be approximately 7" wide x 54" long. I think it's a decent length, and it's very soft and comfortable to wear.

Secondly, I've started and completed a half moon shawl for my Grandmother. This is a crochet pattern from the Lion Brand website. It was a quick and easy project, perfect for this time of the year when trying to get gifts out. I used Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds "Sea Ice" and a size N crochet hook. I may pick up a shawl pin to enclose with it if I find one in my travels.

I almost had Dan's Dashing mittens completed, however I completely lost gauge. I started the mittens when my knitting was really tight and I ended the second one as I was becoming more comfortable and creating looser stitches. Well, the second mitten completely flared out at the end, not matching the first, and not being snug to the hand. So, I ripped back to the cables and I'm attempting to knit the last rows tighter.

Next up on my gifting list is a one skein scarf for my brother's fiance. Hopefully this will be a quick crochet pattern like the shawl.

aviator hat completed

So, I finished my brothers aviator hat. I think it turned out fabulous! The color stranding process was so fun. I felt like a little knitting machine whipping through it. Oooh, I foresee Selbu mittens and sweaters in my future... :) Anyway, I opted to finish off the hat with a contrast crochet border and braided ties. It's going to be difficult to part with...sigh...

color stranding

I finally taught myself continental style knitting! I started a color stranded aviator hat for my brother and decided now was the time. I was so excited to finally learn the continental technique that I had to jump on here and blog about it! (I'm so lame). The hat is made from Patons Classic Wool Merino in "Dark Grey Mix" and the stripes are "Leaf Green" and "Natural Mix". I'm using size 8 circular needles.

If you've been following my projects you'll notice that I use alot of Patons Classic Wool Merino. There are several reasons for this. First, Michael's seems to have it on sale all the time. Second, the majority of my projects thus far are for Christmas gifts in which the recipients aren't concerned with fiber content. I am somewhat fiber conscious however, and prefer to work with natural fibers than acrylic. The Patons is one of the only 100% Wool yarn available at the craft store, so that is what I choose. The other wool that I'm aware of at Michael's is Lion Brand Wool, but I haven't caught it on sale. They do have some great colors, so I may find myself with some in the future. I have several projects lined up myself after the holidays, so I'll have to visit some local yarn shops for higher quality product. Hopefully I'll have some extra cash at Christmas, as there are alpaca and wool farms near my parents house that I may have to visit.

I finished my dad's fishermans watchcap. The size is perfect after I cast on the extra stitches. I've noticed that my new knitting technique has help with my gauge and my knitting isn't so tight anymore. I feel like I'm making progress :)

it is better to give

I have completed a ribbed beanie for my brother for Christmas. It was knit from Patons Classic Wool Merino "Natural Marl" on size 8 needles. I really enjoyed this project, it was quick and easy and turned out great!

I have also cast on for my dad's fisherman watchcap. I am knitting this in Patons Classic Wool Merino "Deep Olive" on size 8 needles. I've worked 2 rows and decided that it will be too small, so I'm ripping back and increasing my cast on number to 90 and hope that will be sufficient.

dan's mitties

So, I've been secretly working on the "Dashing" fingerless mittens as a Christmas gift for my partner. After I already started working on them, he commented on how he wished he had a pair, so I guess I'm on the right track. He also gravitated toward some nice angora yarn at a LYS when he went with me to pick out yarn for my Koolhaas hat. Interestingly, I chose Elsebeth Lavold's Angora in Lime Green prior to that to make the mittens from. I'm so excited to give them to him! I just hope he doesn't find this post or any pictures of them on my computer before hand. He tends to be sneaky around Christmas....

first socks!

I've completed my first pair of socks! They are for my mother for Christmas. She's always cold and loves wearing um...festive...socks. So I think she'll really appreciated them :) I knit them from Patons Classic Wool Merino "Regency" on size 8 dpns.

I've also started a garter stitch scarf as a gift for my cousin. I'm using Patons SWS "Natural Earth". I love the feel of this yarn, and I love that it's a blend of wool and soy. It has a tendancy to split so I need to keep watch. I initially tried it on size 8 needles and liked the results, however I thought I'd experiment with size 11's and loved the modern chunky texture that was created. I felt that the mixture of the muted colors with the soft, but chunky texture resulted in a perfect scarf to be given to a gay man :)

In other news, I completely frogged my Koolhaas hat. I don't think I'm doing the Kbtl correctly. It just comes out as a bunch of bumps without any real pattern. Oh well, I guess I need to do some more research and come back to it.