Christmas Quik-E

While browsing for gift ideas last Thursday I came across two excellent suggestions.

1. Koolhaas from the Interweave Knits Holiday special. I put this on my to do list the minute I saw it on the Brooklyn Tweed blog and it's the main reason I purchased this issue. I subscribe to IK but don't usually purchase the specials.


I used Brown Cascade 220 wool. This hat can be easily made in a day or less.

2. 86-10 Drops Headband in Alaska attributed to someone else as Panta.

I knitted the headbands using the Noro Silver Thaw leftovers from Rosedale and the EZ Percentage Jacket I knitted for my mom. I still have enough to do another headband in the Rosedale colorway and will make one for me.




All of my current projects involve keeping accurate counts of stitches and rows so these provided a quick much needed mindless knitting break. I'll be on the look out for more quick knits for Christmas gifts but for now it's time to get back to the grind.

Sniffle, sniffle

The fall allergy blues have begun to make their presence known I find it difficult to knit while either constantly wiping and blowing me nose or having my view somewhat obstructed by a piece of tissue stuck up my nose with eyes swelling at the same time. It hit me like a ton of bricks this weekend and Benadryl has been my constant companion.

I'm well into the second sleeve for Skyline and have managed to finish one of the Marokko Color socks. That's not a big accomplishment considering it's a sport weight yarn.


I've started the Sideways Spencer for my niece for Xmas. I've been slightly biased against bolero-type sweaters, but may end up making one of these for myself.


My favorite project at the moment is the Belted Wrap Jacket.


The pattern is easily remembered and rhythmic which makes it a fun knit. It's intended to be a Xmas present and I don't see any obstacles at the moment, but that doesn't mean some won't sneak in. Each time I say that something happens to knock me off schedule so I'm adding a little "knock on wood" to that statement.

I've got a couple of other small items to add to the Xmas knitting that I wasn't planning to do. Next weekend will be a long one which means plenty of extra knitting time in between the pigging out on the Thanksgiving goodies.

Baby It's Cold Outside

I had great hopes of having Skyline completed before the cold weather struck. I've been plagued by several frogging episodes during the knitting of the first sleeve and front secton. The pattern depends on maintaining precise stitch counts at areas indicated on the schematic. Now that I've worked my way through the right side the left should proceed at a slightly better pace.


Monday I was in need of a little project break so I cast on a sweater for my mom. It's the Belted Wrap Jacket from Interweave Knits Winter '05. I've had this sweater on my radar ever since. I was trying to keep the cost down since I plan on making one for my mom and another for me. Elann.com had the perfect subsitute for the Filatura di Crosa Zara. The yarn is Filati Italian Collection Tebe Extrafine Merino.


In order to satisfy my need for a mindless knitting project I also cast on a pair of basic toe-up socks. The yarn is Regia 6fadig Marokko Color. They are knitting up quickly, but I doubt that they'll fit in any of the shoes we wear due to the thickness. More than likely they'll be used for some nice comfy and warm house socks.



And last but not least, I'm waiting on the arrival of a package from Webs. I want to knit the Sideways Spencer from IK Fall '04 as a Christmas present for one of my nieces. I started it in orange but decided to go with a more neutral color. I wouldn't have a problem wearing a loud orange sweater but that doesn't mean that she wouldn't, so when I doubt take the past of least resistance.

The Slow Down

I predicted 2 Fridays ago that I would be finished with this sweater. I didn't take into consideration that my eyes would get tired from Charcoal/Black coloring. I took a two day break and this past weekend I had a little visitor.

I ran into a couple of stumbling blocks in the interpretation of the sleeve directions which resulted in several frogging episodes. Mind you, not the entire sleeve, but in the upper arm section. I'm back on track and today I finished the right sleeve section. The fascination continues.


The sleeve is attached to the body section using a 3-needle bind off.

Once it is completely attached, you shape the remaining rows and once that is done proceed to the right front triangle.

The temps have finally cooled down and down we are below season normals. I should have this finished in the next week or so and hope that we won't rebound back into the 80's.

The sale at the Hook 'n' Needle was good. There was much stash enhancement which I hadn't plan to do. Besides getting things set-up on Ravelry which has turned into a major time suck, I've also been going through my books, mags and the stash selecting projects. I've yet to tackle any of the leaflets or individual patterns.

I've gotten a lot of inspiration from the projects and have some new and very interesting knitters. I'm going to tone things down a bit in order to get the few projects I plan to make for Christmas.

Monika of Smoking Hot Needles has created a gorgeous pair of fingerless mittens. The pattern for KYLA is free and available on her blog.

A Sweet Obsession

Row upon row of garter stitch rythmically taking shape. I've been hooked by the wonder that is a Hanne Falkenberg design.


The back is completed and Saturday night I started the right sleeve. I'm not quite sure that I fully understand the mechanics of assembly once the sleeve is done, but with a little patience and perserverance it will all come together.

A big thanks to Vera for the info on knitting shops in the Myrtle Beach area even though I was unable to make it to either one of them. By the time we finished shopping it was time to head back and get ready for the banquet and dance. I'll have to make that my number one priority the next time I'm in the area.


Specs:

Pattern: Velvet-Edged Jacket
Source: Special Knits by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: baby cashmerino Baby Blue
Started: August 12, 2007
Finished: September 8, 2007

Modifications: I opted not to add the velvet piping since this is a care intensive baby garment requiring either hand washing or dry cleaning. Little Eric now weighs over 8 lbs and is thriving and growing by leaps and bounds. The gift was delivered at the baby shower was on October 8th.

Skyline, Pumpkin and the Alps

Whew! I've been busy entering projects, books and stash on Ravelry and investigating the different groups. I'm trying desperately not to completely neglect my knitting pursuits.

I completed the last sleeve on the Pumpkin hoodie for my nephew Isaiah and rescued my long forgotten Hanne Falkenberg Skyline kit and casted on today. I've been unable to find a kit with this exact color scheme. Mine seems to have the teal, which looks more aqua in the picture, substituted for the orange. So far I've been pleased with the progress and will try hard not to get completely bored with the garter stitch and put it aside in the hope that we will have enough cool/cold weather to actually get some use out of it.



Tonight I casted on mom's Alpine Knit Scarf which took a trip to the frog pond a few months back. It's her Christmas present for last year and I can't let Christmas sneak up on me again without getting it finished. It doesn't appear that I'll be making most of my presents this year. I may get a few hats made, but at this late stage in the game it's not worth it.

Progress has been painfully slow on the Chain Rib socks. I'm doing the ribbing for the first sock, but working on them always gets deferred for another project. Even though my participation in the Summer of Socks was terrible, I'm participating in Socktoberfest. My pressure project is finished and even though I'm still driven to get things accomplished it feels less stressful.

Stage 3 (Warning: Picture heavy post.)

Chatelaine reached Stage 3, completion, last night. I've thoroughly enjoyed this exercise in design and will certainly undertake it again. I grossly underestimated the finished size and could have easily worked one less repeat widthwise and two fewer lengthwise.

It's harder than I thought it would be to part with this shawl. The fact that it will be raffled off to support two good causes for the Ladies of Auxillary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars makes it more special.

1. Operation Uplink which provides phone cards for our service men and women.
2. Cancer aid and research.

Specs:

Pattern: Chatelaine Shawl designed by Beverly
Sources: Chatelaine - Charted Knitting Designs - A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker
The Brand Iron Edging - Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller
Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr 2/18 in Real Red
Started: July 8, 2007
Finished: October 1, 2007

Modeled by the most wonderful mom in the world!