Holiday Knitting

Christmas is a time to share with family and friends and hopefully some time to settle down and relax with needles in hand. With shopping finished, gift wrapping complete, baking and cooking boxed or ready for the oven, that's exactly where I am now and savouring every minute of it.

I started another one of these, but this time I chose to knit it using a bulky Noro - Kogarashi.
At this rate of speed and thanks to #10 needles, I should have the project complete during the Christmas Holiday. A bulky long Eternity Scarf will be fabulous worn over a leather or wool jacket this winter and I'm so pleased with the softness of this Noro fiber, it doesn't feel scratchy at all. I purchased 3 skeins of the Kogarashi and will use the 3rd skein for a pair of matching fingerless gloves. Ahhhhh, a suite!

So, if like me you are ready for Santa, slow down and pick up a quick knit to enjoy with a cup of hot tea or eggnog.

Happy Holiday!

Chic - Super Cupcake

This set was just finished this week and I have already worn it several times. The cap is fabulous, the cowl is perfect and the Malabrigo yarn is simply yummy. Both pieces were knit per the pattern with two exceptions. I went down one needle size for a slightly snugger head band fit and I chose to knit the cowl with a cast on of 200 stitches and knit to the full 8 3/4" per pattern. These changes suited me to a tee!

Seems about all my knitting friends have knit this hat and I think they should certainly knit the matching cowl, what a wonderful cozy piece when doubled around the neck. Do you see the bit of color variation? Before the knitting process was complete I was beginning to question my color selection (thought it to be perhaps a tad drab for my style), but was I wrong! I love the taupe/brown with a touch of blue here and there.

The Gardener took these shots at my favorite location these days...the new rock wall! You will probably see lots more knitting projects in front of this wall.

The skinny:

Pattern: Chic, Super Cupcake

Yarn: Malabrigo - Worsted

Color: 69 Pearl Ten

Amount: 3 skeins

Needle Size: 6 & 7

I give this pattern and yarn combination a "Thumbs Up"!

under construction (part 2)

Here is the back of our den area with the glass wall dating back to 1962. And this is inside the den during construction. You see that door at the end of the room? You see the plastic over the door and the bright blue tape surrounding the door? Well, that's The Yarn Bar. The joke around the site with the contractor and The Gardener was to seal "That" door and ensure not a grain of dust would slip thru to "her" yarn (you see, The Gardener has been trained well).

Finally the finished wall with rock work that mates with our back wall and side porch, my new french doors (L.U.V.) and 8 matching windows across the back.

My Ametista

Told you I had a huge project in my knitting bag and here it is! I am quite pleased with this jacket made just for me! After several small projects, I was ready for a major piece with a little challenge and this one fit the bill. As I was just reviewing the pattern notes I noticed it was rated at a skill level "experienced"! I though, who me??? I actually knit a project with such a rating?? Now for sure there are lower and higher ranges of such a rating and for sure I would be classified as a lower class man. Anyhoooo...just knowing I finished a jacket in such a class was a real "pick me upper"!

Two areas that could be considered difficult were the collar attachment and the finishing. Thanks to Aniko's collar attachment tips, I successfully completed the collar on the 3rd attempt. To my knowledge Berroco still hasn't put up a correction for this issue. Now sewing the skirt to the bodice was a tad tricky, but I am pleased with the results. I elected to sew the two front panels first, then with an extra piece of yarn I gathered the back skirt panels and sewed to the bodice, easing the gathered skirt as necessary.

Project Details:

Ametista by Norah Gaughan

Yarn: Berroco - Blackstone Tweed

Color: Teal #2646

Needles: #8

Amount: 14 Skeins

Size: 34

I am most pleased with the design of this jacket and the Berroco Blackstone Tweed. Come to think of it, I have 10 skeins in a lovely green colorway in my stash waiting to become something fun and exciting!

This garment will see a lot of wear!

Ella's Baby Surprise Jacket

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket is magical and I could easily be one of those old ladies who knits this piece over and over. Someone is pregnant? BSJ. Someone might get pregnant? BSJ. Simply knit a stockpile of these and like Elizabeth, make buttonholes on both right and left front....and when the sex of the baby is known, like Elizabeth, I would sew up the extra buttonholes and sew the appropriate buttons on. Yeah.....better knit up a few of these.

Here is my first BSJ. This was knit for the Granddaughter of a gal that works for me. I would say this jacket would fit a 6 to 12 month old.

The pink neck band and those pink bees make for a girlie little BSJ.
This is an awesome pattern from Elizabeth's book, The Opinionated Knitter. She truly was a knitting genius and this design makes any knitter look really clever, even though all they did was knit a series of increases and decreases in garter stitch that end in "surprise" - a little jacket!

Jacket Details:
Yarn: Jojoland - Rhythm
Color: RS76
Needles: #7 & #8

there has been knitting..........and

look what's on the needles in my knitting bag! On the right is a major project, Ametista! This is a jacket knit with Berroco - Blackstone Tweed in a Teal colorway. Actually the knitting is complete and I'm ready to begin stitching the skirt to the bodice! *Giggle*Giggle* Lot's of knitting required for Ametista and now my every breathe is held in hopes for a perfect fit once sewn. Due to the fullness and weight of the knit, I knew I wanted a close fit on this one and chose a size 34....I envision this long jacket worn with tights and boots.

This pattern calls for two buttons that strike (I think) in a quite strange position right across the chest! Soooo, I decided to have only one large button and use a ribbon tie on the underneath wrap that will be tied to a ribbon that is sewn into the side seam. Check out my mother of pearl button, this is seriously a special button! Now on the knit you see on the left of my bag, Akimbo by Stephen West. Akimbo is a triangular shawl, knit in easy garter stitch and finishing with a chevron pattern. The chevron section creates a scalloped border with a crisp edge knit with a contrasting color.

I can hardly wait to begin the scalloped edging and see the seafoam blue/green ShiBui Sock Yarn with the rich mocha tones of the Madelinetosh Sock Yarn. You'll be seeing more on this project soon.

2nd time around

.....for yet another Feather & Fan Design. Remember this wrap and how I mentioned I would like to knit up a scarf in bright jewel tones using the striped Feather & Fan Design? Well....here it is.... All finished and all loved! This pattern would be wonderful for a quick and usable gift. There is only one huge problem with that thought.....once complete this knit would be most difficult to gift.

Again, I used Noro's Silk Garden sock yarn and knit the project on #9 needles. This scarf was complete with a little less than 1 skein each of colorway S321 and S324.

Seriously a delightful, fun and usable knit.