Here is a quick look at what I finished in the last month and what I’m working on in December.
Finished
This picture may not look like much. But it represents many hours of knitting and work to put together 5 completed submissions for designs – 3 sweaters, a tee and a spring scarf. All have been sent off into the world to be considered. It will be a while yet before I hear back if they’ve been accepted or rejected.
I’m participating the Indie Designer Giftalong this year (the threads are still hoping with chat, prizes, games and cheer and you’re welcome to join us there until the end of the year). One of the main ideas behind the GAL is to help support other designers. To that end I’ve picked three patterns that I love from other designers to work on this year. This is the first one I’ve completed! It is the Triple Crowner Headband by Knitwise Design. Beautiful cables, great pattern and very, very quick to knit. I used Berroco Vintage in the color 5109 Storm for this project on a US Size 6 needle. I’ll link to the other two patterns I chose for the GAL below since I haven’t finished them yet.
After seeing all of the lovely hats out and about at parades and football games during our last cold snap, I’ve now got 12 hats (4 different hat designs in three sizes each) in the works and I’ve finished a couple of those. But since no single hat design is finished in all three sizes yet, I’m adding those to the projects below too.
And lastly you’ve already seen these completed adult socks (the baby socks are newly finished). But I thought it was worth showing them again because on the advice of a friend I washed and blocked them before wrapping them for Christmas presents. I’m sure you can’t tell from the photos but the change in the yarn is dramatic! It went from generic sock yarn to soft and squishy and lovely sock yarn.
On the Needles
I feel like I have approximately a million projects on the needles right now. I know things will start to fly off the needles quickly since many of the projects are small or getting close to finished. But for the moment the number of UFOs is starting to mess with my calm.
First up, I’ve finished the short version of this cabled cowl and started working on the long version. After I’m happy with both versions and the written pattern for both versions, I’ll be ready to start a test knit of this pattern sometime early next year.
The Pirate Scarf (working title…I’ll think of something more clever later…I hope) has languished a bit this month. I’ve made progress on it. But it is all along the back length of the scarf between the exciting bits so you can’t really tell that much of a difference has been made.
This sweater design didn’t get much attention over the last month either as I worked on other projects. Just over this last weekend I did almost finish all of the waist and then hip shaping. I should be ready for the split bottom hems shortly and then just need to complete the sleeves on this one.
Here are those hats that I mentioned earlier. I have two completed hats for two different designs. I don’t want to give away yarn or pattern details just yet so I’m keeping my talk about these hats a little bit vague. The white cabled hat under the red yarn is the finished sample of the middle size (Child-Adult S) of my Parade Hat. The antique off-white hat under the green yarn is the finished middle-sized sample of what I’m currently calling the ZigZag Hat. Next up the almost neon green will become my Soccer Mom Hat and the bright red will become what I’m currently calling the Concession Stand Hat. Three out of four of those names are stuck in my head right now because that is where I got the idea for the hat in each case – at the parade, on the soccer fields and near the college football game concession stands. That small stack of knitting and yarn doesn’t really look like all that much of a project.
But here is a quick picture of the choices for my small sizes (Toddler) for each of the hats. I didn’t realize until I took the photo how blue-leaning my choices for this size really are. Turns out I have a boat-load of DK weight yarn in different shades of blue somehow.
And here is a quick look at the choices for my large sizes (Adult M-L) for each of the hat designs. You’ll notice that it is all the same yarn in different colors. This is Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride and one of my very favorite yarns to knit. I’m looking forward to knitting up these samples for sure! ….in fact I’d kind of like to cast on the next top-down garment design out of this yarn….. anyway those are all of the design projects I’ve got on the needles or just about to be on the needles for right now.
Next up I have these “Just for Fun” projects.
I made a little more progress on my Close To You shawl worked in Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Rosehip colorway. I am now working on #17 out of 19 of the 14-row pattern repeats. I’m starting to feel like I might run out of yarn so I might be even closer to done than that. I’m using US Size 1 (2.50 mm) needles for this and think I should have gone up a needle size or two for it.
I’m working on this cowl as a requested gift for a sick family member. I’m making my Sedona Cowl in a neck-warming short version for her. The request was for no wool in the yarn and the deadline is super quick. So I ran to local big box store and found an acrylic yarn in the requested color. I didn’t think I was a yarn snob until this project. But I’m learning that I just might be. I don’t love the yarn even a little and I’m not exaggerating when I say that my fingers actually hurt after working with it. I know it isn’t because the yarn is acrylic since I’ve recently completed designs (secrets until they release them) out of lovely acrylic for a different yarn company. In any case, I’ll be glad when I finish up this project and can pass along what’s left of the yarn.
And finally here are the other two patterns I picked to help promote other designers during the GAL this year. Entangled Boot Cuffs by the designer Melissa Burke and and InGENEous Mittens by Sabine Kastner. I’m working my Entangled Boot Cuffs out of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in the Amber Heather color on US Size 6 needles and my mittens out of Berroco Vintage DK in the Petunia color on US Size 4 needles.
