Small But Mighty

A couple of stocking stuffers for the girls:

One for Jess:

And one for Chels: I know, they LOOK the same but there are slight differences in the colors. Now we won't have any fights over who's is "cuter". Yep, this Mom thinks ahead! Just a simple Beanie made a bit oversized for comfort.

Pattern: Noro Silk Beanie
Needle Size: 7
Colorway: 285 (I think, I'll have to check on that one day).
I used a bit over 1 skein each because it seemed a bit too short for my taste as written. My girls have a lot of hair, plus, I like more coverage down around the ears. I hope they like them, Christmas will be pretty "skinny" around here this year, so a little handmade love will bring a smile. Noro Silk Garden feels kind of "icky" to me while knitting it up, but it does feel softer in the finished product. Weird. I know.

My nephew recently asked for a helmet liner for when he's out running early for his ROTC. I ordered the Cascade 220 Superwash and away I went.

The Big Guy scared me when he was wearing it around the house, it's kind of spooky with Halloween right around the corner and him being sneaky and all....Anyway, I changed up my decreases around the face this time and it's soooo much better. None of that weird bunching and puckering that a lot of people get on the sides. I did mine more "staggared" per rounds, and it rounded it out better.

Helmet Liner
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Black
Size 6 & 8 circs.
One skein! Whew! That was close, I was seriously sweating it out, hoping I could finish without having to order more yarn. I was soooo happy that worked out. Unbelieveably, I totally blanked out on which way to cast on addtional stitches around the face this time. You'd never guess I'd made this before! I ended up trying all three ways and liked the e-cast on the best in the end even though "they say" you shouldn't use it for more than a "few" stitches. I ripped so much I thought I'd have to replace that section of yarn, but it looked so cool when it was done!

My other little project:

Bella Mitts,
(confession: not big Twilight Fans - by the middle of the first movie we were yelling for him to just eat her already! But these mitts are SO COOL!)
Needle size: 8's
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky (in purple): which I doubt I'd use again. To me, "Superwash" means I can machine wash, gentle cycle and dry on low (just like KP's instructions). Not these. I was already making two pairs, one for me and one for Mom (for our Fibromyalgia, these feel GOOD when on), so messing up the first pair in the wash wasn't the end of the world but it sure ticked me off. The second pair will have to be "hand washed" and layed flat to dry (could've just bought regular wool!). Anyway, they're done and it's a really cool pattern to knit. It's fast, fun, and if you do use this yarn you can make a pair with 1 1/2 skeins.

So those are my "small but mighty" projects lately. Small feels good. Makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something even though I move at a snails pace. Happy Knitting.

Finally! A quick project for me!

Okay, Well, not super-duper QUICK. But better than the time it's been taking me to do anything else lately! Helmet Liner
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Chocolate
Size 6 & 8 circs & size 8 DPNs.
Modified: Did neck part for 7 inches to make sure it covered the neck better. I did some fudging by the picked up stitches to make sure no "holes" were visable. I just used a lifted stich in a couple of spots to just make things "snug". (Ignore the messy bottom neck part, he wasn't feeling very "vogue" modeling for me).

I have to admit, we laughed so hard when The Big Guy had this on, but if it keeps my nephew warm at night - or whenever - wherever he is in Afghanistan, then that's all that matters. He's always in our prayers.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day! I have to admit, I'm pretty spoiled. I got my usual RX for sanity - See's Chocolates - so I was a pretty happy camper. I also scored some beautiful Sundara yarn the other evening purely by chance. (I think it was the 15th but it still counts!) She won't be mailing it out until the end of the month so I have something to look forward to. Who are we kidding, I've purchased more yarn than that but I'll save that for when I can get some decent pics.

My Doctor's visit went okay. Basically we'll just be re-checking my bloodwork every few months to try to pinpoint what "autoimmune" problem I have. We know I have one, there are over 100 so it may take a bit of time to get closer, and to order the right blood tests. I really do love my Doctor, he's just fun to talk to. He really lifts my spirits. I was apologizing about not being able to tolerate the side effects of so many meds we've tried but the way he put it into perspective for me was to tell me that if it was "meant" to be in my body it would already be there. There's no reason to feel bad about chemicals not working for me just because they may work for someone else. True.

I'm STILL trying to start another pair of fingerless mitts for my cousin. I got to thinking of how sensitive she is to wool and have another yarn that's a lot softer than the DIC Smooshy. Trying to find a pattern I like has been the hard part. I've started 3 and frogged them all. Speaking of which, that's what I should try to get back to now...

Happy knitting!