Showing posts with label hillhead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hillhead. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Happy birthday to me

My cousin's baby blanket was finished and sent off in time. I was fairly pleased with it, and it certainly got rave reviews from the various people I showed it to. So I did up a proposal and sent it off in the hopes that they weren't alone in their opinions. :) The baby herself has also arrived, and she's ADORABLE.

Many, many, many other things have been made and started since then!

I used up some of the leftover yarn support for Cervelli by making an Escargot for DD2:



I also started some matching Flappers mittens for her, but they're turning out too big, so I'll probably have to start over.

I finally finished her Pemberley Slippers, too:


(They then almost immediately busted some sort of weird hole, so I probably need to do some darning.)

I made DD3 a Hello Kitty hat for her birthday:



I finished another design prototype and submitted it somewhere, too. (No pictures yet, sorry!)

I felt like making a little something for the daughter of a co-worker (pattern is "Little Red (PDF)"):


I celebrated DD3's first day of school evar by making her her very own Parfait:


And I channeled my startitis into some good headway on the Christmas knitting. This Tartessos is for DD2's teacher:


This Necksome is for DD3's teacher, made to match the Handsome mittens I made when he was DD2's teacher about four years ago. I just finished it last night:


(I even did a single crochet chain all around it out of the leftover yarn from the mittens. Yep, crochet. Who even am I?)

I started Ignotus Peverell's Cloak for DD1 (it's much more advanced now than the picture shows, but I haven't taken any photos of it lately):


However, I recently discovered Reaverse Star Edition and instantly knew that I should be making that for DD1 for Christmas instead. I have cast on, but haven't taken any photos yet (and realised this week that I had screwed it up anyway, so I'm going to have to re-start).

I'm very close to finishing Sugar Stick for my niece (again, this photo isn't recent and the actual knitting is far more advanced):


So I think I'm in decent shape for the holiday knitting.

But wait, there's more...

I even dug a very old project out of hibernation and made excellent headway on it: the Hillhead slipover I had tried to make for my grandfather before his death. I'm going to give it to my uncle, who is battling cancer. You can't tell from this photo, which was taken shortly after starting the V-neck, but I'm just up to joining the shoulders together now, so it's pretty close to completion.


Some things I started were less virtuous and had nothing to do with upcoming deadlines. For instance, Geek Socks for DD2 out of the considerable leftovers from her Pemberley slippers, which I actually think I'm going to frog in favour of making her some legwarmers for skating class:


When Knitty First Fall came out in the summer, I absolutely HAD to cast on immediately for Dunfallandy:


(Turns out that wasn't so irresponsible after all, though, since my brother has a very close friend who's expecting early next year, so this will probably turn into a gift for that.)

I went queue-diving and started Christine's Stay-On Baby Booties:


I started the Twinkle romper for a family friend who's expecting her second child (don't believe the photo, it's actually quite close to being done):


I started Esther socks out of neon pink yarn for DD1 (haven't taken a picture yet, though).

And finally, I bought the yarn and got started on an Anatolia sweater for my grandmother, who is turning 100 (!!!) in less than three months. She's not in great health so I'm not actually sure it's going to make it to its intended recipient, but of course I'm going to try:


Monday, November 15, 2004

Well, the knitting vacation time is over and I did get a lot accomplished. Not a lot of naps were taken, unfortunately, but boy, did I do lots of knitting! Here's the latest progress report:

Anne Feitelson slipover for Grandpa
I went through all the colours in the pattern and figured out what kinds of colours I should be getting to substitute. But I also want to see how affordable it would be to use the actual Jamieson and Smith yarns that the pattern recommends.
Spanish Knight sweater for Mom
Alas, it turns out that 100% alpaca is too scratchy for my mom. Also, I calculated that I don't have enough yardage in the forest green cashmere/cotton blend in my stash to finish this project (but see below for what I can use that lovely stuff for). Tonight Mom will get a chance to feel Elsebeth Lavold's silky wool.
Elizabeth I sweater for moi
As mentioned, doubling the forest green cashmere/cotton blend for my mom's Spanish Knight sweater will not give me enough yarn (I have to double it to get the right gauge). But it will be enough for this project (which also requires doubling). So, hooray! I've officially got a yarn! Unfortunately, I can't start this project because my 3mm straights are beingused in the cream Stornaway sweater. But as soon as they are free, I'm starting this, bay-bee!
Catherine Parr sweater for MIL
Got a little bit done. I will be focusing a lot on this one for a while, since it has to be completed for Christmas!
Stornaway sweater for BIL (cream)
Got a lot done. Not only did I start and finish the neck shaping on the front, but I'm almost done the back! Just a few more hours of work there and then I can do my first ever shoulder straps. At least, I think the pattern calls for shoulder straps. It better call for shoulder straps!
Stornaway sweater for BIL (blue)
No progress. Amazingly, I resisted. I swear, the alpaca is calling to me. Augh! It is my cherished hope that I will finish the other two Christmas sweaters well in advance of the Big Day so that I can try to get this one in time for Christmas, too.
Book of Kells step pattern bib for DH's cousin's baby
DONE!!! Now I just gotta send it off to them! Happy dance!
NEW - Mittens for DD
Well, it's getting colder as we head into winter (funny, that), and DD had no mittens to keep her sweet little hands warm. So I took an old Patons Beehive scratch mittens pattern, substituted thicker yarn and bigger needles, and knit them up longer to accommodate toddler-sized hands. A quick fix!

The other great thing I did on my knitting vacation was to organize my knitting cabinet. It is all bee-yew-tifully organized now, with projects in individual clear plastic bags. It is a thing of beauty. Happy me.