just popping by to say happy holidays to all. i’ve come to realize i do christmas slightly different than most people. the gift giving begins on christmas eve, and continues till new year’s, when my friends and i have our gift exchange. that being said, it means that i still have gifts in the works, and over the course of the next week or so i’ll post them as they are finished.
i hope everyone has a great time and stays safe!
just in time for Christmas.
Size: fits and adult head, from between 22-24″
Yarn: Cascade Lana Grande, 100g, color 6029; Nature Spun Sport, 50g, Turquoise Wonder; Nature Spun Sport, 50g, Storm
Needles: size 15, 16″ circular needles, and dpns
Guage: 2 stitches per inch in 2×2 ribbing
Miscellany: stitch marker, tapestry thread, pom-pom maker (optional)
The perfect quick gift. This took me about 3 hours to make it, and the yarn is so squishy and warm. It’s made from 1 strand of bulky and 2 strands of sport held together, so you can play with color combinations to make it more interesting. I used almost the entire ball of the Lana Grande, but less than half of either of the balls of Nature Spun, so it also makes for a great stash buster. This is my first pattern shared to the public, so feel free to contact me if you find any glaring mistakes.
Using a cable cast-on (or stretchy cast-on of your choice) CO 44 stitches, PM, join, being careful not to twist stitches.
Round 1: *K2, P2; rep from * to end.
repeat round 1 till the piece measures 8″ from cast-on edge.
Row 1: *K2Tog; rep from * to end
Row 2: K
repeat these two rows once more.
break yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread the yarn through the live stitches, pull tight and secure.
weave in ends and add pom-pom or other embellishment.
You can use a pom-pom maker if you choose, but I’ll share my quick and dirty method. Wrap the yarn around your hand (how many fingers you use will determine the size of the finished pom-pom). Wrap until you have a healthy chunk of yarn. It should be difficult for you to move your fingers, and keep in mind it’s easier to make a fat pom-pom smaller than to plump up a thin one. Once you’ve gotten enough yarn, slide it off your fingers and secure in the center with an extra piece of yarn (making sure it’s long enough to tie it to the hat). Cut the loop ends, fluff, trim if necessary, and enjoy!
happy, productive weekends result in chipper mondays.
Both mom’s socks and the cousin’s hat are finished (hat pattern will be coming tomorrow). The specs on the socks can be found in the last post, and pattern should be forthcoming. The Bo bo’s hat has also been cast on for, which is the last of the major x-mas knitting. So yay for me!
In addition to all the knitting progress I also finally managed to get a package put together for Ysolda’s card swap. This is my first year participating, so I’m rather excited. All the materials (except for the blank card) were all thrifted or reclaimed. I especially love the “Alouetta” sheet music and the button as a sun. I managed to make my way to the post office today so hopefully it will arrive close to Christmas.
To further set the proper mood for the season, it snowed all day Saturday (and this isn’t one of those exaggeration “all days”, it literally snowed for over 12 hours straight).
This is the scene from my front yard. It’s rather picturesque (minus the recycling bins). It was one of those big fluffy snows that makes everything quite, and it’s slightly warm out so you just want to play in it. What made the night even lovelier, the ever-so-gracious Kristin from Craft Leftovers bought tickets to “An Evening With Shepards” in which all the local shepards held an excellent dinner and silent auction. I believe its entire purpose was to make the need for me to learn how to spin and needle felt an immediate necessity. I was truly impressed with the needle felting items they had. There was a lovely cream silk shawl that had a gorgeous needle felted and beaded trim (unfortunately I have no pictures). I had always thought of needle felting as something similar to applique- i.e. it’s cutesy and a little to sugar-y for my taste, but the girls at Esther’s Place sure know how to make something absolutely beautiful out of roving.
All in all a wonderful weekend, filled with fun, friends, and food. What more can a girls ask for?
I hope all of your’s were as equally pleasant.
… gather the emergency supplies:
tasty chai tea in a smart-ass shakespeare mug, and
the latest in christmas knitting.
these are my mother’s socks, my own design, using Green Prairie Fibers. I’m not quite sure what the official colorway is, but I call it “kelp”. The photo really doesn’t do the color any justice. These are supposed to be done by tomorrow, according to my “strict” schedule, but we all know how that goes. Either way it’s a fun knit, and my first sock design, and sure to be a hit with the mummsies come the 25th… so I’m off to knit!
so…. this is my first attempt at a blog. specifically a knitting blog.
I’m a twenty-something living in the midwest, recently finished art grad, and trying to make my own impact on the craft/art community. I do have strong opinions as to craft’s place in the art world, but I feel that will be better understood through the content of the blog, rather than me ranting in a huge diatribe. (not to say that they don’t belong together, but I believe there is a point in which you can say “I am doing art, and I am participating in a craft”)
More importantly, what this blog is supposed to be about- my art, my craft, and my method of transforming objects into something new. This isn’t intended to be solely knitting, but to also include other crafts such as sewing and embroidery, and an outlet for my random creative energies. I don’t know if there is much else to say. there will be random patterns posted, works in progress, FOs and the like… you know, typical blog fodder. Hope you enjoy!
