A Monday FO

Hello and I hope if you are enjoying the Presidents' Day holiday by having a day off work, that it will be a relaxing and happy day for you.

I meant to share this FO sooner, but kept getting sidetracked, so here it is for you today:

Project: Cranberry Bricks Cowl

Pattern: Rib Interrupted, by Craig Rosenfeld

Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok Worsted in the Cranberry Compote colorway

Needles: US size 7

Modifications: None

Notes: This was an enjoyable, and if someone else was making it, would likely be a fairly quick knit. This is a pattern that is a freebie at the yarn store if you buy the yarn. It's very easy, and one of those patterns where you think to yourself, "I'll just knit one more repeat before I stop." 

In the cranberry colored yarn, it looks like a set of bricks to me. I was originally making this for myself, because there was a sample at the shop that I just loved, but once I finished this one, I decided to save it for a gift. When I make another one down the road for myself, I'll do fewer repeats because this one is just too tall for my short neck.

But it's a fun pattern, really easy to follow, and written for numerous weights of yarn. Perfect for a quick knit - or for one that will be ready for next fall, like this one! 😉

First of July and Last Project of June

Hello there - today is July 1, which is for some reason is a surprise to me, though it shouldn't be since it's eleventy billion degrees and a bazillion percent humidity, as one would expect in July.  Ugh.  But, as another month begins, there's a clean slate and that's always good.  June was a tough month in our house, but there were two good knitting-related things that happened.

First, I finished the socks and sent them off to their recipient.  Last week, I received one of the nicest thank-you notes ever - and a real one, sent via snail mail that the person took the time to write and send.  Such a nice surprise! 

Second, I finished my Crazytown Cowl.  Two projects in one month finished is a record for me!  Here is where I started:

Project:  Crazytown Cowl
Pattern:  The Shift, by Andrea Mowry
Yarn:  Stonehedge Fiber Mill Crazy - this yarn is made from mill ends, and no two are alike.  They also don't have colorway names, so I can't help you there.  ;-)
Needles:  Size 5US
Modifications:  Yeah, right.  It took me 5 tries to properly get it started!
Notes:  I LOVED knitting this!  I was inspired to try the pattern and the yarn when The Tim, Hamlet, and I stopped at Hidden River Yarns, and the owner, Lisa, was making one using this yarn.  Hers looked so pretty and so unique, I decided I wanted to try it.  I already had two skeins of Crazy in my stash, so I only had to buy one more (which pleases me, since I've been trying not to buy yarn). 

It's knit in seven sections - this is after Section 1.

I took it along while we were in WV for Memorial Day.  Every morning after taking Hamlet for a walk, we would sit on the front porch until everyone else got up, and I would knit on this project.  I managed to get halfway through Section 2 by the time we got home.  Jack approved.  :-)

Oh my sweetie, how we miss you! xoxo

Once you finish the first section, you are basically in the groove, so to speak, and just mixing different yarns at different times.  Each row is only one color, and the color patterns are created by slipping stitches.

Once I wove in the ends, it was time to block it.  With the humidity and rain in mid-June, it took 4 days to dry!  Then it was time to sew the back seams together, et voila!

The front:

The back:

I am SO excited with how it turned out!  Plus, I learned how to do the I-cord bindoff, which was much simpler than I was expecting.  When I saw that bindoff in the instructions, I was a little hesitant.  Then I remembered that one of the people who taught me to knit said that the best way to learn something was to follow the instructions and not think about it.  The instructions in the pattern were incredibly clear, and - it worked!

This is the only modeled photo you'll get at this point - I would have passed out even inside if I'd put it on and tried to have The Tim take photos.  Fortunately, the Molly hanger is happy to step in for now.

Now I'll put it away with the hats, gloves, etc. until the cooler weather arrives, when I know I'll wear it a lot.

I could see making another one down the line - every time you made one with different yarns, it would look completely different.  It is one of the most fun projects I have ever knit.  It would also be a good gift knit for someone special.  I can't recommend this pattern enough, really.  If you are at all interested, give it a try!

Thank goodness these good things came out of June, so it was not a total loss.  On to July knitting!  (And stay tuned for some developments ...)

Pieces of 2013, Part Three - The Knitting

Well, this isn't too bad - I'm finishing up with 2013 right near the middle of January 2014 - sooner than I have finished my thank-you notes for Christmas gifts! There wasn't a lot of knitting this past year, and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure why.  I was happy with what I made, I just didn't make too many things!

The final knits of the year were four birthday gifts, and one thing for myself.  I think I mentioned here that I had decided to knit gifts for four of my nieces' birthdays, after seeing a cowl that was knit in a class at Rosie's.  I asked each of them for their favorite colors, and bought the yarn, and was finished in plenty of time for gifting!  (I send the BD gifts with the Christmas gifts, as all four birthdays are around that time as well.)  Here they are, all together, mainly because the photo of them together is so much prettier and more interesting than the photo of each one individually!

Projects:  Favorite Color Birthday Cowls
Pattern:  Drydock Cowl, by Jocelyn Tunney (a free pattern)
Yarn:  O-Wool  Balance Bulky - Boltwoodite (yellow); Rhodonite (pink); Peridot (green); Graphite (gray), nearly one skein for each cowl was needed
Needles:  US13
Modifications:  None
Comments:  This is an easy, interesting knit and the resulting cowl is really lovely.  Balance Bulky is not an expensive yarn, so I was able to make these without breaking the bank.  The pattern is well written, and you can easily complete a cowl during an evening or weekend afternoon.  I recommend it for gifts, especially.

After these were finished and sent off to their respective recipients, I realized that I had no more gift knitting to do!  I have a couple of projects underway, but neither were calling to me over the holiday break.

Last year, I received a gift certificate to Loop for Christmas from a friend, and I had purchased yarn with a specific design in mind. Unfortunately, the yarn and my idea were not destined to be friends, and since I had wound the yarn, it was not able to be returned.  So all year, I kept looking at it, thinking I'd use it for something, sometime.  With the weather turning colder, I thought about something else, and decided to give it a try.  The result?  The Seedy Cowl!

Not only was this the last project I finished in 2013, I did the bind off and weaving in of the ends at 11:20 p.m. on December 31!  It is incredibly soft, and cozy, and was absolutely perfect for the subzero temperatures that hit the next week.  It was completely unplanned, and once I got started, didn't require much thought or attention, and I truly love the result. (More pics on the Ravelry project page.)

Project:  The Seedy Cowl
Pattern:  From my brain
Yarn:  Fibre Company Tundra - Scotia Sea (blue, 2 skeins); Petrel (gray, 1 skein)
Needles:  US10
Comments:  I cast on 150 stitches, joined into a circle, and just knit double moss stitch.  When I ran out of the first skein of blue, I attached the gray, and when that was done, went to the other skein of blue.  By the time I cast off, I had maybe 4 feet of yarn left altogether - bits and pieces from each skein that were not enough to complete a round.  This is quite possibly the cushiest thing I have ever knit or worn, and it can actually be worn as a hood/scarf combination if desired.

And there you have it, the final projects of the year, which brought my grand total for the year to ten knits.  I'll take it!

Slow and Steady

... not that I'm ever a speed demon in anything I do.  Well, actually I am a fast reader - you know, one of those people who sit impatiently waiting while everyone else finishes reading directions at a normal pace?

But I digress.

As I've mentioned in the past few weeks, I've had a hard time concentrating on knitting and reading, because I've been so "busy" coughing and blowing my nose and feeling exhausted.  Now that I'm finally getting some of myself back, I can finally enjoy those things again.  And I even finished a knitting project that I started before Christmas, and that languished for weeks with just a little bit left to do.

A co-worker of mine, who is also just a great person, was thrust into the Interim Director job when the Evil Boss left at the end of last June.  Well, she has managed to not just hold things together, but make positive changes, and bring everyone together as a team.  She's done an amazing job, and though I know that she's had a lot of sleepless nights and worries, I - and my co-workers - all think that she has been good for the library and archives.  Her birthday is in November, and at the time, I thought I'd make her this item, but then realized that it would be unrealistic, given other things I had to do.  I didn't want to give it to her for Christmas, because I didn't want to create an awkward I-got/made-you-a-gift situation.  Then it was going to be a New Year's gift.  Well, guess what?  I'm wrapping it up to give her for Valentine's Day.

Here is a crappy photo - time, weather, and someone to help me photograph it just wasn't happening; but trust me, it looks a whole lot better than this in real life!

It's very cushy, and I think she will like it.  I know that red is her favorite color, and she spends a lot of times outdoors, both with her daily commute, and on the weekends, so I know she'll be able to use it.

For those interested, here are the details:

Pattern:  The Climb and Swirl Cowl
Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky, colorway Cranberry
Needles:  US size 7
Modifications:  Nothing major, but it ended up a few inches shorter than the pattern, because I knit until I ran out of yarn.  It's still a nice size to cover the neck and the lower part of your face if you want/need it to do that.

I can highly recommend this pattern as well as this yarn.  I enjoyed knitting this a lot, and hope the recipient will be happy with it.

I'm hoping to have another finished [belated] gift to show you soon.  I started a pair of Dashing mitts for The Tim for Christmas.  However, starting in the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Eve does not allow for finishing them in time for the next morning (well, at least not for me).  But I finished the first one right before I got sick, and the second one is well underway.

I was originally a little dismayed that my first two FOs for 2012 would be things I'd hoped would be the last FOs of 2011, but since it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, I'm over it.  Life's too short and all that.

OK, that's all for now, folks.  Enjoy your weekend!