Art I Like

My friend, Marjorie, knows that I like both cats and yarn.  She shared this picture from Bizarre Art on Facebook.  I love it....I love it so much everyone should see it.

Cat Looking at a Yarn Moon

My cat, Dolly, has been cutting into my knitting time by having me hold her while she sleeps.  While I know she loves me, I have a niggling suspicion that I am being used for my body heat.

The mittens are moving along slowly.  My travel project, an elf hat in purple and pink for a little girl is also creeping along.   At least I get a chance to knit...knit away some of my stress.

This morning, as I was slipping on my coat, I surveyed the yarn that is out in my dining room.   What a wealth!  I do feel the need to get to it and get more done.   My next home project will be another blanket for me.   I have a pick of two........which one...which one.....

I am at a loss......

Today is December 6.  There are 19 days before Christmas.   19 days.   My Christmas knitting is done.  Even the extras I added are done.  I am not sure what to do!

After finishing the blanket last week, I picked up a pair of mittens that I had started last spring. 

Themittens were slightly more than half done.....but put aside so that I could work on some projects for other people.   The thumb on the first of these mittens was, in a word, a trial.   Before I was successful, I worked the thumb five or six times.   It is getting cold again and another pair of mittens would come come in really handy.  Now, I have told myself that I can't start anything else at home until these mittens are done.

As I have a lot of things waiting to be knit at home, this is a good incentive. Somewhere in my collection, there are several pairs of socks in progress.   When they turn up again, I will use those as "carry" projects as they don't take much thought.   Those are good for the odd moments in transit or out knitting with friends.

These mittens require a lot of focus.  While the TV can be on while I am doing these, I am really only paying attention enough to follow the plot.   It is good practice for mindfulness.

Yarn will be left over.   There may be enough to do a hat.  That has to be contemplated.  Coming up with the design .....the fitting as the stitch pattern would match....would take some but not a lot of thought.  We will see (mostly if I want to even look at this yarn more once the mittens are done.).

We Will Finish No Project Before Its Time

Last March, I started a blanket for myself out of Bernat Blanket.    The yarn was so appealing...so soft...so like velvet chenille without the heinous qualities that make me never, never again use it.

For this blanket, I had a general idea of what I wanted.   I looked at a lot of different blankets and

blanket patterns.   As the variegated greens and reds of the yarn are a design element, I wanted to use a very plain stitch pattern.  I settled on a 13 x 13 rib.   Using a knit on cast on, I put 91 stitches on a size 13 and got to it.

Last spring, I put this down to work on other things.    Last weekend, its time had come.  I bound off last night.  This will be a lovely, cuddly cover-up for this winter.

The colors did pool as I knit this, but I am not terribly bothered by that.

One of the bonuses of this yarn is that is launders well. 

Originally, I bought 7 or 8 skeins.  I believe I used 4.5 of that total.  There is enough left to make a smaller blanket...eventually.

Hats and Little Stockings

Four little stockings, stuffed with Burt's Bees lip balms, are tucked away and awaiting wrapping for the holidays.  Little Cotton Rabbits stocking pattern was fun to do.   It is knit flat which makes it much more pleasant for me to work with the Size 0's and fingering weight yarn.

Red and white Knitpicks Stroll were available as there was a project I started and will never finish.  I was happy to re-purpose the yarn.   I was using Knitters Pride Royale doublepoints.  While those needles are lovely to work with, they might not have been the best match for this yarn.  The combo

was a little "splitty."    When I attempted one of the really cool patterns, it fought me.   It looked....bad.   As I did not want to play around with the project right now....I stuck to the stripes and finished what I needed for next month.

Somewhere in my stash(es) I am sure I have other sock yarn to try.  When it turns up, I am take another shot at doing the more ornate patterns.  I will definitely make the striped socks again.

My student employees are great people.  This year, I wanted to give each of them something.   My first thought, Starbucks gift cards, would have been easy but too easily consumed.   As I have A LOT of yarn, hats were the answer.

The first two hats are knit out of Willow Daily from the Strib Pattern from Ravelry.   This pattern is great.   When I saw it on Ravelry done in charcoal, orange, and black, I really liked it.   As I had

some Willow Daily waiting to be used (can't remember what project I bought it for....) that would work for two of the students.

The hats were a quick knit.   I was a bit disappointed in the yarn, but it is still nice.   I am the first to admit that I can be too critical.

Now, I am working on a purple hat from Mission Falls 1824 from my stash.   The Photographer's Hat pattern appeared on Ravelry last week.  I picked it up with the thought of doing it for the student who needs a stretchy hat as he has a lot of hair.   If I have a little time, I should be able to finish that hat tonight.   It is another fast and very pleasant knit.  The fourth student will get another hat from a Ravelry pattern....I hope to start on it tomorrow.

Stuffed Buddies

Lately, I have been on a stuffed animal kick.    Last weekend I finished Bucky Beaver.

Bucky is for Owen.  His father had a stuffed beaver toy when he was small.   Helen and I thought Owen should have one too.

Mike and Allison are Badger fans.  We thought it would be funny (we are strange people) to dress the beaver in a Wisconsin sweater.

The pattern for the beaver came with a pattern for a sweater for the beaver.   I modified the neckline for the sweater so that it would look more like a letter sweater.

This was a fun project and reminded me that I need much more practice embroidering faces.
As I have many more patterns and a little (cough, cough) more yarn, I will have a chance to do just that.

 One day, a pattern called "Owen's Opossum" popped up on Ravelry.  I thought this was so funny that I sent it to Helen.  She showed it to Mike and Allison who liked it a like.

The opossum was last Sunday's project.  This was a quick and fun knit.   The opossum feet are little icord structures that were very interesting to do.   The person who wrote this pattern, Sara Elizabeth Kellner, has a good eye for structure and creating fun 3D projects.

While I have quite a few of her patterns, I think this is the first one I have actually done.  I will do more....maybe not soon.

Christmas is coming up quickly.  Many of the things I plan to give as gifts are done.  That is way ahead of schedule for me.

Of course, as things are pretty much done what do I do?   Yes.  Add more.   I am beginning a hat streak.   Seven hats before Christmas.  None of them will be particularly complicated, but all of them will keep people's heads warm.  Those who winter in Minnesota like that.

Another project will be some small Christmas stocking ornaments.  I did a test run on the pattern I am going to use....now to do four (or more) real ones.

Someone who knows me posted the cat graphic on my Facebook page.  I really loved it and am sharing it here. The internet does, after all, exist for cat (and dog) pictures and videos.

Knitting Out the Crazy

There is so much nuttiness in the world these days.   In order to process it better, I have been knitting, knitting, and knitting.

Tiger Hat modeled by a ball of yarn....

The Tiger Hat is done.  It is now blocked, dry and in the mail on its way to Henry.  I suspect it will be a bit big for Henry, but it can be worn loose...and Henry will grow.

In the same package as the Tiger Hat, is a stuffed lamb for Henry's sister, Rory.

The lamb pattern came from the Toys in the Toy Box collection that I found on Ravelry.  This is the first of the toys I have planned from this collection.

Some of the animals are shown with fuzzy yarns that looked really, really cute.  When I looked up the yarns online it was .... of course...obvious that the yarns were being discontinued.   My reaction?  Not looking for a substitute.  Not me.  I acquired a small stock of the colors that I am most likely to use.

The lamb was a surprising quick knit.   I was not happy with the face so consulted with my sister,

Smiling Lamb

Helen.   After putting her suggestions into play, the lamb looks happy and friendly and perfect for a little girl.

This picture does not show the eyelashes which made the lamb look even more cheerful.

This animal was knit out of regular worsted that I had on hand.   My first consideration was that Rory is four weeks old and likely to be gumming her toys.  The fuzzier yarn would become ...oh...disgusting fairly quickly.   The second consideration is that I have not worked with this designer's patterns before and I wanted to really be able to see how this animal came together.

There are things I will do differently on the next animal.  I do want to make a fuzzy one.   Maybe the donkey next?

The Tiger Hat

My oldest grandnephew was born in 2007.  Shortly after he was born, I bought Mary Lou Egan 's Tiger Hat pattern and the two skeins of Malabrigo to knit the hat.

For various reasons, that child did not get that hat.  Periodically, the yarn or the pattern would surface in the work stash.   I would put it back from whence it popped out to think about.....later.

Henry loves his tiger.   As I am going to make his sister Rory an animal, I really can't send his sister something and not send Henry something as well.

About that time, I moved something to try to find a particular yarn, and this yarn surfaced.   The exact whereabouts of the pattern were unknown. Proceeds from the pattern go to Heifer International.  That is a very good cause so I bought another copy.

So far the hat has been fun to knit.   The patterning requires a lot of attention but is worth it.   My knitting tends to be loose.   To get gauge, I dropped from a 7 to a 4.   I like the fabric this is making and it is a pleasure to hold the soft project.

Last night, I started the ears.   That construction looks interesting....something good to tackle that will teach me something.   Finishing this hat is my goal for the weekend.