FO no. 50: Dad's hat

2011 Knit Challenge: 50 knit, 10 to go!!

This is the hat I knit for dad, for Christmas. Except we decided earflaps would be perfect, so I am in the process of adding those.



Used a Fair Isle motif from Melissa Leapman's Mastering Color Knitting, but other than that, the pattern is my own :)

I used Patons Classic Wool, in a dark gray and aran on US 8. Deciding how many stitches to cast on was tricky and a little frustrating because I needed a certain repeat for the Fair Isle motif. I solved my problem by casting on 116 stitches and then increased my stitches at the body (this is horrible, but I can't remember how many stitches!!). 

Hearts in the morning

I woke up at the perfect time to witness this special moment:

Merry, Merry

A tad late... but I figure I had better write about Christmas before I write about the new year!

I have a few finished projects to post about that will count towards the knit challenge, I think I'm at 52 of 60 finished. Alas, I don't believe I'll reach my goal. So close! More on that later.

One of the FOs was started and finished on my new set of Knitpicks Harmony needles!!!!! Scott gave me a full set of interchangeable needles :) They are such a delight to use! One of the neat things about them is Magic Looping, and not needing to switch to double pointed needles at the end of the hat. Very cool!

I can't believe 2011 is almost over. Just a few more days left!

FO nos. 47, 48, 49: Little Tuffys

2011 Knit Challenge: 49 Knit, 11 to go!

These are awesome little things! Really nice texture. I knit four, three to gift and one to try out myself. I do hope they work!

The pattern is from Adrienne Medrano and the pattern can be found on her website.
Yarn is Sugar 'n Cream that I had leftover from when I knit a market bag, so that was a plus!
Needles: US 10 double pointed because I don't have that size in straights :)

I took this picture from my iPhone! I cannot get over how impressed I am by the quality! Like, wow!

FO no. 46: Dean Street Dos

2011 Knit Challenge: 46 Knit, 14 to go!

This was the first Dean Street hat I knit. Originally it was for Nate, but I felt it was a little small even for me. It sort of inches upwards when you are wearing it. Which drives me batty.

Looooove the texture!

The Ravelry pattern link is here and is designed by Nina Machlin Dayton.
I used Patons Classic Wool in Aqua, I think. This color is a staple in my stash and I don't even know its name.
I believe I cast on 108 on US 7, and never changed sizes.

I definitely love this pattern and recommend it for a quick knit. The right front cable cross is not at all difficult. I do suggest using POINTY needles! This hat I knit with Hiya Hiya bamboos, and they are fairly blunt. It was a challenge to not split the yarn when doing the RFCC. Very frustrating. But when I knit the hat for Nate, I used Knitpicks Harmonys and what a joy!!! It went soo much quicker and I didn't have to constantly double check that I split the yarn.

Current WIP

Dish cloths!! They are called Little Tuffys and the pattern can be found at http://magicpixieknitter.blogspot.com/2010/02/little-tuffys.html

I am gifting these for a christmas present and am hoping to have a bundle of three dish cloths in three different colors. I already have two knit but I will keep one for a trial run. I generally use a sponge to wash the dishes so I am curious as to how these compare. I like their compactness and texture.

100% cotton, Sugar 'n Cream yarn

FO no. 45: Dean Street hat

2011 knit challenge: 45 knit, 15 to go!!

This is for Nate's birthday which was December 13 but we just celebrated it tonight. Which is lucky because I only finished tying the ends together today :)

He really likes it! Only in this photo he's wearing it a little high on his head so it makes the hat pointy.

Pattern by Nina Machlin Dayton can be found on Ravelry.

Happy birthday, Berny !!

Yup, she's turning five years old. This means for the next month or so, we are the same age. Leap Year age, that is :)

Guess what she received?

Happy birthday, little.

Work in progress

Remember my last post, where I said I was going to cast on a hat for kicks? I did and it ended up becoming a real live hat. I did use a pattern, which I'll share when I post about that hat. That hat originally was to be a present for someone but it was too small, almost too small for me! So I cast on again for a slightly larger head, and I should be able to finish by Christmas! Although I just got this iPhone and it's really snazzy to play with. This phone was an early present from my parents!

I did finally get the picture upload thing down! Easy once I downloaded the blogger app. I hope the picture looks alright on a computer screen because on the phone it looks good but this is a much smaller screen! I hope it's not blurry.

Argh

I'm stuck between projects and can't choose one to begin. It makes me feel so unsatisfied to not knit once during the day. I've finished a few Christmas gifts that I probably won't be posting until after the holidays. I started another round ripple afghan (it's my third).

Blarghy blarg blarg blarg.

What the hell. I'm just going to cast on a hat for kicks.