Last one I have to finish!

I decided on another pair of socks instead of a hat/gloves present. But they're far less boring. I'm adapting the Welsh Country socks pattern from Folk Socks, the second knitting book I bought when I really started knitting in college.

I was swatching just to see how the colors go together. The mostly acrylic swatch met with untimely flattening with my iron because I was in a hurry to just see it flat already! At least these socks have color changes and a little bit of patterning.

Another present done!

Here's the cabled purse -- such a quick little knit!

Cabled Purse
Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Bilberry (65% wool, 35% silk)
Crystal Palace Bamboo dpn, 2.75 mm (US 2)

Exiting Sockland

I finished the socks!

Plain Old Socks
Priscilla's Dream Socks, Fall 2000 Interweave Knits
Wool Ease Sportweight
Boye aluminum dpn, 3.25 mm (US 3)

I also started a hat while I watched Desk Set, one of my favorite Hepburn and Tracy films.

The pattern is free, in the Hat Trifecta from Boogie Knits.

I'm addicted...

... to Last-Minute Knitted Gifts!

Here's the purse I started and just can't put down. In the book it's knitted with a solid Koigu, but I'm knitting it out of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. The design is less complicated than it looks -- after one repeat I didn't need the chart any more.

I started the second sock, too, but I'm not taking another picture of those until they're done and I never have to knit another boring pair of gray socks again!

Your Feet's Too Big

There is no one in my family over the age of say, four, who has feet that could be considered small. I finished the first of the pair, finally!

I also finished something from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts for my last secret pal mailing. I needed something to break up the monotony of the sock! I'm going to make myself cast on for the second sock tomorrow, sigh...

Beautiful!

Katie sent me this beautiful tatted cross in exchange for some sock yarn. Isn't it wonderful? I can tat, Meriah taught me how before she moved, but this would have taken me forever because I'm not good at tatting yet.

Besides, this makes for a great blog picture instead of an update on boring man socks.

Speed Bump

My speedy work through my Christmas knitting list is about to slow down.

Although they're knit with sport weight yarn on 3.25 mm needles, men's socks are just big! I'm hoping to have them done early next week, since I'm going to let myself start a fun Christmas present next. No more of this acrylic for ease of washing straight up stockinette or ribbing!

Two more!

Another two Christmas presents are finished!

Color Wave Scarf
Lion Brand Free Pattern
Lion Brand Color Waves, Blue Lagoon
Denise Interchangeables, 4.5 mm (US 7)

Men's Hand Warmers
Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Lion Brand Wool Ease, Black
Crystal Palace bamboo dpn, 4.5 mm (US 7)

Bolstered by such early success with Christmas knitting, I even added another project to my list -- the cabled purse in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I really like working from this book!

One more done!

I finished the first hat, the color wave hat. I did have a little help though.

Color Waves Hat
Lion Brand Free Pattern
Lion Brand Color Waves, Blue Lagoon
Denise Interchangeables, 3.75 & 4.5 mm (US 5 & 7)

I also made myself some buttons so I can watch my progress. The white blank buttons are the ones I have to finish for Christmas; the gray blank buttons are the ones that would be nice to finish by Christmas. Let's see if I can do it!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled knit blog...

...to bring you a special Christmas present knit blog. I was suddenly filled with some sort of spirit of giving that made me go to Hobby Lobby and buy this.

Almost all other projects are suspended until Christmas knitting is complete. It's this time of year when ball band patterns start to look really good to me. Here's the first one, a bias scarf knit in Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair.

Bias Scarf
Lion Brand free pattern
Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, Rain Forest
Denise Interchangeables, 9 mm (US 13)

It's actually a pretty neat yarn, a strand of cotton/metallic polyester held together with a strand of mohair/acrylic blend.

Not counting the presents for my husband (which I do hope to finish in time, too, but it's okay if I don't) I have five people to knit for. Three hats, two scarves, two pairs of mitts, one pair of socks. It's going to be a knit-filled Advent!

Chapel Veil

This is a big step away from my typical blog posts, so here goes. I'm knitting Twilight Lace from the Winter 99/00 Interweave Knits. Here's my progress so far and a closeup of the lace pattern.

Nothing so interesting about that, right? But I'm shortening it to make it into a chapel veil. As in covering my head when I go into church. I've been working on it for several weeks, but wasn't planning to put it up on the blog. With all of the recent stir on the knitting blogs ring about politics, I've been feeling pretty alienated and the last thing I wanted to do was further push myself away from "normal" by letting the blog world know that I cover my head as a sign of reverence at Mass. I know that not everyone would be comfortable doing so and canon law leaves it as a personal decision, but it's a tradition that fell out of vogue a few decades ago and I want to continue. Hopefully no one's horribly offended or thinks that I'm somehow degrading my status as a woman by covering my head. Back to knitting talk, okay?

I first started this project in the summer of 2000, sweltering away in a room at an MIT fraternity on Memorial Drive I shared with three other girls. I had a research assistant job I hated on the ugly side of campus. This was my first attempt at lace and I was having an awful time with it. Consequently it was thrown in a bag with about four repeats done and not discovered until now. I threw out the old attempt since I was making a shorter version anyway and started again. The lace pattern is so incredibly simple! It's amazing what a difference four years of knitting can make, isn't it?

Finished project!

I got Weekend Knitting out from the library again to make some quickie garter stitch mitts. I used some handspun I made two summers ago when I borrowed a friend's wheel. I could never find a great use for the yarn until I thought of this pattern for them -- it's a great fit!

Garter Stitch Mitts
Weekend Knitting
Handspun 2-ply, roving from Woolgatherings
Denise Interchangeables, 4 mm (US 6)

I also got a chance to wear Clapotis. It's warm and cozy and makes me look dressed up even when I'm not.

Francophile

I am growing more and more obsessed with all things French. It started innocently enough with a trip to Le Central on my first date with my husband. Moules et Frites! Then a few of my favorite movies on DVD (Le Diner de Cons, Le Placard). Then a copy of Marie Claire Idees. Then came Phildar. Now, according to Ina Garten, they sell roasted beets there, ready to eat! That seals the deal for me. Beets are my favorite vegetable in the whole world. Go French beet lovers!

To celebrate my love of French things, I finished Clapotis. I think that the blue color fits in with the little waves theme. It will debut tonight, so modeling shots are on their way!

Clapotis
Knitty
Classic Elite Waterspun, Periwinkle (100% felted merino)
Denise Interchangeables, 5 mm (US 8)

(It should be noted that I speak no French. I took German in high school and it was my minor in college. It comes in handy for reading Rebecca and Geothe poems and listening to Wagner operas, but I really wish I knew French. I do recognize words and phrases, but I sort of pronounce them like English in my head.)

Tricky!

My secret pal is just so amazing. I know who she is (at least I think I do) but I'm having so much fun with this secret thing that I'm not going to really guess until the reveal next month. Shortly after the book arrived in the mail, I got another package! I seriously wan't expecting it, so you should have seen the dance I did at the mailbox. Several of my neighbors probably think I'm crazy now. But you'd have danced, too, if you got this in the mail!

It's lime lotion, the pattern to Sophie from MagKnits, a beautiful subtly heathered blue skein of Cascade 220 and a red skein of Brown Sheep Nature Spun. There was dark chocolate, too. It couldn't make it to the photo shoot because it was devoured over the weekend. Thank you!

The Brown Sheep is a color called Red Fox. This exact same skein of yarn is the first "real" yarn I ever bought. I had just received Folk Mittens for my 19th birthday from my college boyfriend and I went to the yarn store for the first time since our Walmart didn't carry dpn's. I walked out with my first Brittany birch needles, a skein of Nature Spun and the beginnings of a yarn addiction. The mittens have horrible ladders at the decreases near the top, but I loved them. I lost one somewhere along the way so the leftover mitten got some white embroidery and became part of the Christmas decorations at my mom's house. Ah, knitting nostalgia.

If all goes well today I may finish Clapotis! Think sleepy thoughts for my little boy so I can knit while I pretend there's not a giant pile of laundry waiting to be done.

Clapotis Excitement

I'm way too easily amused. Although I've been reading some other blogs about Clapotis and I'd looked through the pattern, I didn't realize that once you hit section 4, you get to rip TWO ladders for every repeat. Yeah! I'm knitting it with Classic Elite Waterspun, which does stick a little on the laddering, but isn't so bad. Besides, I got it cheap from Elann a while back.

Here she is in her almost completed glory!

I also finished my husband's ski hat, but I cannot find any of my yarn needles. They're all in a little Harry & David's chocolate box from a few Christmases ago to make them easy to find. Ha -- they still got lost. :) Hopefully this coming week I can find them and do some major finishing projects.

Stress = Startitis

Like everyone else in the country, I'm trying to burn time while watching the election results. So here's a post.

I've had an, umm, interesting month. So I haven't finished anything. I have, however, started projects.
Here's the plain one -- leg warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:

And the fancy one -- eight laddered rows of Clapotis:



Really, there's a tiny eighth row on the right, it just needs some blocking to overcome its shyness.