Last of the Year 2009 Knits

Some last minute "hits" and "misses" to post before the old year ends and a new knitting year begins.

Pattern: Mitt Envy

Size 1 needles

Yarn: Overdyed Superwash Sock yarn from Little Dog Designs

Result: Hit and Miss. These came out fine, just too small so they're going to my girls.

Pattern: Palindrome Reversible Scarf

Needles: Not sure anymore, maybe a 8

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Black

Mods: Did cables further apart

Result: MISS! Please don't ask me why I kept knitting a whole scarf when I knew the yarn was mis-behaving from the very beginning. It was undoubtably my worst experience with Caron Simply Soft. I think my hope was that maybe after a wash (and perhaps a shaving) that I could make it look decent because while I was knitting it up, it looked ragged, shaggy, basically like a beat up old scarf. There was no saving this. It literally went Bye-Bye in the trash.

Pattern: Fetching

Size 5 needles

Yarn: Dream In Color Classy

Result: MISS

I over-dyed these a dark blue as a present for my Aunt for Christmas and let's just say, they don't look absolutely "ugly" now, but they weren't up to my standards for a gift. I'll still use them around the house. (The picture is them pre-dyed. I should've left well enough alone - not all experiments turn out okay but you won't know until you try right?!)

There's actually another pair of purple Fetchings that made my "MISS" pile too but I can't seem to find them. They came out rather LARGE for some reason. Oh well. Onward!

Pattern: Sock It To Me Chevron Scarf

Yarn: Socks That Rock Silkie - Walking on the Wild Tide Colorway

Size 7 needles

Mods: Didn't do two ends and graft together, just knit from start to finish.

Result: HIT! I love it! My girls love it. The gals in my knitting group love it! I wish the colors would represent better on camera. At times though, I wasn't sure I totally loved them - this almost turned into a pair of socks - but now.....Love. And guess who gets it??.....

Pattern: Jacoby Mitts

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock - Solis Colorway

Size 1 needle

Result: Hit! These are so easy and fun, even I couldn't mess them up too bad. I made these for my Mom, but the girls both "loved" them again...sigh...I'll probably make Mom's pair soon since I have yarn left over.

Pattern: Ribbed Cap

Yarn: Bernat Camo Yarn

Size 6 needles

Result: Hit! And a surprise one at that! I made two hats recently, (sometimes you just need an easy, fast knit) and I was one for two. The Big Guy loved this one, claimed it as his before it was even off the needles. I used a 100 st cast on so I mainly used the hat pattern for the decreases. (Because I need help with things like that!) My tendency for perfection makes me want the ribbing to look right at the top no matter what number cast on I'm using. The other hat will probably go to charity as it came out a bit on the large side. (Check Gauge??? Me???) It was made from a yarn I bought online and it looked nothing like the little picture they had in the catalog. (Bernat Jacquards in Blue). Not bad, just not what I expected.

I think that's it with updates of my projects, if not I'll be back to edit some day. Right now I have a cat laying on my legs so I'm going to relax with my family, enjoy celebrating making it through another year, and keep hope and good thoughts for the upcoming one for everybody. Happy 2010!

Black is the new Black

And it's such a bummer for me to knit with!! My poor eyes! But my cousin is worth it because she really does USE the things I knit for her. That's the best reason to knit for someone, so when she asks for something I just can't say no. She's a Dosimetrist at a cancer center in California and is mostly on several computers all day in a VERY cold office. She requested black, so here they are.

Pattern: Sleekit Mitts
Yarn: Dream In Color Smooshy in Black Parade (which really looks bluish, brownish, blackish)
Size 1 needles

I really like this pattern, it's simple, yet sophisticated.

I sort of "left out" one line in the pattern the first time I made one. It happened to be a part in the pattern that works the thumb gusset up to a certain number of inches after the increases. When you miss something like that you wonder why your finished mitt is literally cutting off the circulation in your hand. Oops.

The pattern calls for a K1, YO, K1 increase to start the thumb gusset and my knitter's mind warned me "You'll get a hole". And yep, I got a HOLE. Knitters Tip #746: Always Follow Your Instincts (REALLY!)
I used a few of the brain cells that are still working and did my own thing: KFB, K1.See? No HOLE!! Yay Me!! I really like how she wrote up the pattern for the top of the thumb gusset though. She has you pass a stitch over some of the ones you pick up along the top and it really closes things up nicely. I'm going to use that technique on other ones I make as well. It sure beats having to use the tail to "fix up" any holes that show when you're done.

Here's another pair that I made for her:

Pattern: Fetching
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Black
Size 5 needles - I added one extra cable row to the bottom and adjusted for the top as well. Did regular bind off rather than picot that's in the pattern. I think that keeps it from "flaring out" as much. These are thicker and I hope they work for her.

I actually have another pair in the works right now that's in the same blackish DIC yarn (since I had so much left over). She'll use them all the time so she can switch them out.

Today is a rest day. It was only supposed to be "light rain" today per the weather guy.


Oh my. Somebody sure got it wrong. School got out early but luckily my youngest was already here (she was up all night coughing). The Big Guy picked up my oldest who's just happy as pie to get out of school early. It'll probably all be gone by tomorrow though...