Semi-colorful

As colorful as I thought these socks were, the recipient, while appreciative, let me know colors could go even wilder.

Pattern: Handsome Devil Socks, by Terry Morris (my version is from the 2010 Knitting Calendar)

Yarn: Knit Picks Essential (discontinued) in Dusk and Burgundy (the colors are brighter in the photo, but even unlit, still brighter than those names imply), leftover from my argyle-making

Mods: I didn't have enough of either color to do cuff, heels, and toes, so decided to make "warm" red toes.

This is a great pattern. I will definitely make more of them.

A few months later the weather turned, and the socks recipient was in need of further warmth. I had enough Spanish Alpaca yarn left over from making Twin Hats, so I made every inch of it into a neck-warmer.

 

Pattern: Scrunchable Scarf, by Susan McConne

Yarn: Katia's Peru leftovers

Mods: Used Cranberry Scrunchable's notes on the edges. Used 2 colors: cast on 6+2 in each color, followed the pattern as if knitting 2 scarves side-by-side, twisting them at the color change.

Soft as a Bunny

KD gave me two balls of Patons Angora Bamboo some time ago. It is unbelievably soft, with that sheen and halo that bamboo gives fiber. I had great fun searching out the perfect pattern to use every inch of it, and wound up with the Edelweiss Neckwarmer. This was a simple, fun pattern; it knit up fast and problem-free. And then the poor thing languished for months, needing only buttons to be complete. One day I looked at it, sitting there so forlornly, and dove into the button stash, coming up with two Norwegian pewter buttons leftover from a card of buttons for a sweater (I've long since forgotten whose). Then it languished for another period of time while I consulted the pattern and studied the instructions for adding the crochet loops for the button holes. Then I tossed said instructions aside and just sewed on the buttons - I button them through parts of the lace.

It's comfortable around my neck (unlike alpaca, which bothers me), soft and pretty. But even in this mild winter that's just finishing up, I noticed that it wasn't all that warm. Should I feel bad for the poor bunnies, who are obviously not as well-protected from the cold as sheep? Or is it just because it's lace, and by definition full of holes?

Pattern: Edelweiss Neckwarmer (free Ravelry download)
Yarn: Patons Angora Bamboo, 2 skeins
Needles: size 10 (6.00 mm) straight needles
Modifications: skipped the buttonholes

Epic Fail

The whole and entire point of having a knitting blog (at least for me), not to mention a Ravelry account, is to document my work so that when I want to go back and make something I've made before, I can remember how I did it. Except that this past month, two things I wanted to document simply weren't document-able.

Here is a pretty scarf I made for sister K:


I can tell you that it is made from one skein of some lovely cinnamon-colored alpaca that my co-worker brought back for me from her trip to Peru. No label, but 100% alpaca, and it felt like lace-weight to me.

I can tell you that I probably knit it up on a size 9 circular, because I can vaguely remember the color of the needle it was on.

But can I tell you what the pattern is? I cannot. I found it on the internet, copied the relevant pattern rows to one of the scraps of paper my life is littered with, and went on my merry way. *sigh* I can tell you that I chose the pattern because I do not trust alpaca to stay blocked, and it looked nice even as unblocked lace. I can tell you that I did not find the pattern on Ravelry. I probably found it on Knitting Pattern Central. Wait - wait - memory is stirring... Bingo! Bramble Lace Scarf, and credit where credit is due. As you can see, I made it quite a bit lacier, but even in it's unstretched state (which I firmly believe alpaca reverts to), it's still pretty.

Well. Maybe if I start a blog post about the other lost pattern, memory will jog again. Time will tell.

Panda Knitting

KD's birthday presents, an adorable Panda scarf and matching Ying-Yang mittens, kits from Morehouse Farm Merino that my sister-in-law tipped me off to (and swore I could get done by KD's birthday - she was right!). I made the leftovers into some slipper socks, but they zipped out of the house to fast for a photo shoot.