Darn!

With the colder weather coming, I decided to go through my sock drawers, and see if anything needs to be thrown out. I found eight pairs that need some degree of darning. No big holes, nothing that's unsalvageable. Here's the kicker: I've never darned socks before. I usually just throw them out and knit a new pair when there's wholes in them. Since my dear Applelaine yarn is hard to find now, I want to hold on to some of those socks. I'll search Youtube for darning techniques videos.... Any suggestions are welcome.

Other projects update: my purple blanket is 90% done, and I've completed eight Christmas gifts out of an expected eighteen.

New projects on the go, and old ones completed

Last post, I had started a scarf for DH as a Christmas present. Here it is, now completed. He really likes the autumn feel of the colours (but by Christmas time he won't remember the scarf and will be totally surprised that I chose the perfect colour for him). It's from Knit Picks' Imagination line and the colour is called Gingerbread House.

I figured that I still have plenty of time before Christmas is here, but I don't want to be caught at the last minute, and end up hurting my shoulder from overknitting (did that last year). So this year I'm starting early and I'm making a list (I'll check it twice for good measures). I'm aiming for eighteen presents, of which I have completed four. I have a pair of socks on the go, and will be knitting a few more.

I've also started a gift for myself: a blanket. I've been wanting a heavy blankie in purplish tones for a while now, and I found a great deal at Zellers last week, so I bought eight pounds of purplish yarn. I've used a smaller needle than recommended, so it will be a tight knit and hopefully warmer that way.

Just a quick post...

Here's more yarn I received for Christmas. It's Berroco's Ultra Alpaca. I've only used it once before (see socks in previous post), but I really like the thickness, and the colours are fantastic. First is "Potting Soil", "Lobster", and "Salt & Pepper".
I'll have to make a knitting list for this Christmas. Having spent four months with my parents, and taking care of my Dad, has make me feel a lot closer to my family. I really want to take the time to knit something for each (immediate) family member this year (and maybe a few more for the little ones). I've already started a scarf for hubby.

New socks for me!

Here's a new pair of socks I finished when I was at my parents. I used Berroco's Ultra Alpaca in Lavender (which was a Christmas gift from hubby). Sophie couldn't resist being part of the picture.

I'll have to do a sock inventory sometime soon, as I seem to have quite a few pairs worn out, or with what seems like the start of holes in them. When I moved in the new house, I cleaned up my stash and I'm not sure if I have yarn to darn them. Oh well, I guess I might have to knit for myself for a change...

Will be back posting shortly

I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted. A lot has happened in that year: a new house, lots of renos, and my father battling (and still battling) heart problems. Of course, during stressful times I knit...and sometimes more than usual. While Dad was at the hospital, I knitted over fifteen baby bonnets which I donated to the maternity unit. I've also knitted socks and mittens as thank you gifts to our family friend that were so caring, thoughtful, and very helpful. I wish I had taken pictures of all of them, but I only took a few.

These mittens were knitted for Dad's friend when he works outside in the cold. I had no patterns for these, so I made them up. I knitted them with Briggs & Little yarn, which will felt a bit after the first wash, and make them really warm. He was quite happy. I also made this other pair which were a little big on him...

Another felting attempt...

After a few unsuccesful felting attemps, I have yet tried it again. This time, I thought I'd try a simple bag. "How badly can you mess that?", I asked myself. So here I am knitting a large rectangle, and a band to use as the strap.

Felt in hot water and a spin in the dryer, and you get this...

a bag with a very long strap.

Is it me, or is felting that unpredictable?

Baby bonnets

One of my husband's colleague gave birth to a little eight pounder named Jamie. Both mother and son are doing great, and trying hard to get into a certain routine. Here are the little bonnets I knitted for him. They're both in Applelaine.

Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed...

New socks for hubby

For Hubby's birthday, I knitted him a pair of socks (he's just discovered that he likes my socks).

I had bought this yarn over a year ago (maybe even two), and never used it. I now found out that I really like it. It's called Artyarns Ultramerino4, and the colour I used is 143. I still have another skein of it, but I know it's not enough to make a pair of socks, or at least not an adult pair. Maybe a pair for my nephews....

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Happy 2009!

After yet another long pause.... I'm back.

For some reason, I was under the impression that I had knitted a lot more for Christmas than I actually had. I tried to recover from this miscalculation, but didn't give as many handknitted gifts as I would have liked.

This pair of socks are in Applelaine "Blueberry". You can really see all the different hues of a blueberry throughout the sock. After over a year, Applelaine is still my yarn of choice for socks.

Here's another pair of socks freshly opened on Christmas morning. Of course, it's made with Applelaine and this colour was Red Delicious. I have reserved two skeins for myself of MacIntosh.

And on that jolly note, have a Happy New Year, and thanks for stopping by my sometimes neglected little blog during 2008.

Some finished projects...

In my previous post, I said that I would spend some time finishing projects, and I did.

I have finished this scarf for my niece (she's really into green this season). I used Knit Picks Imagination in Frog Prince (this product line was a huge hit and was sold out very quickly. I was lucky enough to place my order on time and have two skeins of several colours). It is a simple k8 p8 basket weave stitch.

I have also finished a pair of socks (of course I would go back to knitting socks). I found this yarn during one of my summer day trips. The yarn is by Titan Wool and it's called Pays (country in french). Larisa at Headwater Wool shared her Russian Knitting technique with me. She even wrote a book about it. Not only is she very busy at the shop, but she also has an alpaca farm and sells her yarn at the shop. She also gives knitting lessons (her website has a few tutorials on it).

I have also finished another scarf for myself in this basket waeve stitch. I haven't blocked it, and I think I won't either, as I love the raised effect it creates. The yarn I used for this was from Cherry Tree Hill and the colour is Spanish Moss. I just love it!

Here are two more scarves I completed, but I can't remember the yarn I used.

A must read post...

While blog surfing today, I came across this gem of a post.

http://cabincovechristmas.com/

Another felting attempt...

I wasn't expecting much from this project, as I knew the recipient would definitely not be critical. I just made a large rectangle, and then picked up stitches all around it with a circular needle. I knitted for about six inches, and then started decreasing (quite unevenly on some rows, I might add). Finally, it ended looking like this...

Since it was knitted with 100% wool ( Lopi), I decided to throw it in the washer in hot water for a spin. Boy did that thing ever shed! Big lumps of hair everywhere in the washer and on it too. I had to remove the hair bits before giving it to Lizzie. It didn't shrink by much either. Oh well, just another felting experiment, and as long as Lizzie is happy, I'm happy. Doesn't she look happy?

This coming week, I'm planning on finishing as many unfinished projects as possible. Yup, that's right. I have way too many of those hanging around the house. Besides, some of those projects are Christmas gifts, and there's not much time left before Christmas.

First attempt at felting

Although this is not a new project (I finished knitting it last December), I finally completed it this week. What was meant to be a Nintendo DS case, and be a rectangonal shape that closes at the side....ended up looking quite the opposite...
It was knitted with KnitPick's Palette yarn (100% wool), and I put in in the washer in hot water for one cycle. I didn't expect the ribbing to come out so flat (mind you, I had never felted before so I really had no idea how it would come out) and make it so wide. The other thing I didn't expect either was that the lenght would shrink so much (it was knitted with larger needles that was called for, so I was expecting some shrinkage but not that much). I guess a test swatch would have helped. Knit and learn...