Out with the Old, In with the New

As you can see from the post below, I knit a lot - here's what my KnitMeter says for this year. I realize that a lot of it is guestimate but I try to be accurate based on what I record in Ravelry. This is more than last year's number and to think I frogged about 1200 yards of it and am reknitting it right now.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year - no major reflections this year - my heart isn't in it right now. No goals set either - with the bump in the road that has hit our lives I'm just focusing on each day as it hits me.

Happy New Year! May 2012 be a good one - someone I know turns 50 in 2012! Yikes!

2011 Knitting

2011 Knitting, a set on Flickr.

Here's a Year's worth of knitting...wonder what next year will bring? According to Knitmeter this totals over 20,000 yards. Wow!

Last Bit of Ornament Knitting

I had a lot of football in front of me on Christmas Eve - Giants game especially. I wanted to do something that stash busted and was fun and not too hard. I found this snowman pattern and got to work...here is the first one I made.
















I then realized the Santa hats I made would fit on the snowman so I made another and put a hat on it and made a matching scarf! I have one more on needles waiting for some more stuffing and then I'll have 3. They will be my ornament gift next year. They are just so cute.

My First Gloves

After knitting so many pairs of mittens, I tried something new - Gloves! I had some leftover Sheep Shop 3 wool which I searched on Ravelry - I only had 1 skein and some leftover variegated which I had used in a scarf for my daughter. I found someone had made these gloves and decided it was high time to try making gloves.

They were a relatively quick knit - not too hard - just a bit fiddly with the fingers. It is hard to get a clean pickup between the fingers but overall I really like how they turned out. I used the variegated yarn to make a little interesting stripe section on the cuff. I really like how they turned out.

Due to life's curveballs, yarn purchases are not in the cards right now so I'm finding ways to knit through my meager stash. I cast on an Estelle cardigan for my mom - she picked it out from a bunch of patterns I sent her. The yarn went from Ramen noodles back into lovely sweater work - I'm already at the part of the top down where you put the sleeves on waste yarn.

Since I can't just have one project on needles I'm going to see what else I can cast on with the yarn lying around my craft closet.

Another Mini Knit

Okay, I think my mini collection is complete with this little Santa Hat - found the pattern here. Takes no time to knit up and is delightful.

Okay, I'm A Little Obsessed With Knitting

So after seeing my wreath with its old wrinkled bow, I did a little surfing on Ravelry and found a pattern called Take A Bow. Not really a pattern but a quick idea how to knit a bow. So I cast on the right number of stitches and did an endless bit of seed stitch. Then I made a little shaped seed stitch piece to go over the center of the bow and left a long enough tail to use it to tie onto the wreath.

I must admit - I LOVE my new wreath bow!

Mitten Mania Continues!

Just finished (and need to block) these Cable Cuff Mittens out of Cascade 220. They are a quick fun knit and I really love how the cables run around the cuff and the pointed tops. They look like something Santa or his elves would wear - if they were into fuschia!

Okay, I'm over Mitten Madness

Here's the last pair of mittens I whipped up - also from 60 Quick Knits - pattern#3 Waffle Mittens. Warning - check the errata as I found another error that wasn't in the copy I had printed out a while back...it's since been caught. Kind of a shame that such a useful books has so many errors.

Anyway, our daughter saw these in progress and coveted them - they're going in her stocking and the Kisses and Hugs pair I made a while back are going to a friend.

And now I'm done with mittens for now.

A Big Trip to The Frog Pond

Remember a while back in August when my mom asked me to knit her a sweater? It was the Elizabeth Cardigan and I was using some Classic Elite Premiere. The pattern is knit from sleeve to sleeve sideways which really doesn't allow for trying on. I also adapted the pattern to pick up and knit the collar on it like you do with a Mondo Cable Cardigan.

Well, when it was finally ready I tried it on and HATED it. I blocked the hell out of it and it still sagged and drooped and pulled and was entirely too short for my mom. So I emailed her this picture which showed the string hanging out to unravel it. She agreed that it wasn't the right length and cracked up when I told her I had put it in a time out.

This past Sunday while in a cranky mood I pulled the whole thing out - I think it made my mood worse and I determined next time I frog a project I should be in a good mood. The last shot shows the ramen noodles waiting for a soak before figuring out what next. Hmmmm...what should I knit with this - she wants a cardigan. I am open to suggestions...it is dk weight and I have 1400 yards.

Mini Knits Resources

Beverly left a comment asking where I got all my mini-patterns from...so here goes:

Mini - Mittens is a free pattern - Ravelry link and other link.

Mini - Stockings is another free pattern - Ravelry link and other link.

Mini - Christmas lights is a $7.99 Knit Picks download which includes a lot of Christmas knitting projects - Ravelry link and other link.
Mini - Sweaters is a free Berroco pattern called Minutia - I also started inventing my own after a while.

Major Knitter has gotten the mini craze as well - here are her wonderful mini-sweater wreaths.

I also notice Cosmicpluto was working on minis - I'm hoping she'll share her Santa hat pattern.

Have fun with these - they are great for using up old odds and ends of yarn.

Secret Santa Gift

This year I was asked to join in the holiday lunch and Secret Santa exchange for the 6th grade teaching staff - I was tickled as even though I'm a substitute teacher I do very much feel like one of the gang. I drew the name of a woman who is having her first baby - she taught our daughter so something special was in the works.

After consulting stash ($10 limit and limited family budget sends one stash diving) and found some old Lorna's Laces Shepherd superwash. Hit Ravelry and found this hat pattern in One Skein and this free bootie pattern online. Done! And so was the gift - started on Saturday and done on Monday. I think they are adorable!

Decorating Done!

We picked our tree and wreath up on Sunday and after decorating the tree, I selected some of my handmade ornaments to decorate the wreath. This year's features the handknit Christmas lights, mini-sweaters, mini-stockings and one pair of mini-mittens.

While we were shopping for the wreath, I commented that I need a new bow but haven't found one I like. To that my family responded that I should knit a bow. When I put my tired 15 year old bow on the wreath I thought about it some more...then I went on Ravelry and found a bow pattern. Stay tuned - if I can power through 21 plus inches of moss stitch we might have a bow. I'm not holding my breath.