Just Stretching Today

My blogging muscles, that is.  I don't want to pull something... ; )

So much of my knitting for the last six weeks has been stealth knitting that blogging about knitting seemed, well, just empty.  And I got away from the routine of blogging itself, and we all know how easy it is to drop off of the face of the earth if one gets out of the routine of standing on it.

Getting back to it, then.  For Christmas presents, I knit:

• 1 large yellow blanket.

10 1/2 skeins of Plymouth Suri Merino on size 9 needles.  The blanket is 13 repeats of the lace pattern from Knitty's Spring Forward socks.  The throw ended up to be about 40 " by 60 ".  Mommy loves it.

• 1 pair of mittens for Sister #1 out of Claudia Handpaints.  Denims colorway, on size 2 1/2 US needles.  Sister loves them.
• 3 Le Slouch hats out of various Noro and Mission Falls yarns.  No pics, but Sister #2 and SILs loved them.
• 3 Noro Silk Garden Scarves.  Here are 2, the other's been gifted.

Each scarf consisted of 4 skeins of two different colors of Silk Garden and was done on size 7 US needles.  It became a bit of an obsession.  ; )  Dear niece loved the blue, red, purple, and teal one she got on Christmas Eve.  Please don't ask me about colors... my ball bands got terminally mixed up, but if you come to the shop, I can show you where each combination is on the shelf.

• 3 pairs of fingerless mits, only one of which remains here to be photographed.

This was the first pair, which I knit for myself out of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn in a colorway I had been coveting.  Actually, I went and bought most of the rest of it and now I have to figure out what to do with 5 more skeins of the stuff.  Other than just look at it and fondle it of course... 

The pattern is my own, and although it's just a 60 stitch ribbed tube, I did fiddle quite a bit with the increases for the thumb so that they rise smoothly from the ribbing.  I'll write it out for you later.

I knit one of the pairs for my cross country running nephew in his school colors.  He was the picture of a worthy hand knit recipient.  He wore them for the rest of the evening, marveling at the fact that I had made them for him and just him...  So cute.  And 16 years old too.  I'll knit for that boy again, that's for sure.

• 2 candy cane striped hats for little nephews from the Itty Bitty Hats book.  I found a holiday kids book in which one of the characters is wearing just such a hat.  While these little guys have scads of relatives buying them presents, they've each only one Auntie who'll knit them hats to match the characters in their Christmas books.  So there.  The hats were done in Berroco Soft Comfort.  Really cute.  I wish I'd taken pictures of the hats before I sent them off.  Perhaps Sister will take pics and send me some... hint hint...

I'm busy banging out baby presents now, and those recipients read the blog too.  So, until the cute wee knits are gifted there will be no blogging about current knitting.  Unless I take two evenings off like I did this weekend and try something new with yarn I've been aching to knit with and/or a technique I've been dying to try...

Fiesta yarn (you know the rayon and mohair blend?) in the Taos colorway.  Moebius neck ring on size 9 needles.  I was hoping for a shoulderette, but it's really just a neck warmer.  Too few stitches and there's no ripping this stuff out.  The good news is that this is just shy of one skein and I have two more...  So today I think I'll cast on more stitches with the leftover yarn and try again. 

Don't have that baby yet, Bridgett, I'm distracted.

Comments

[Jules]

Woohoo, she's back! And I'm not gonna jinx anything by adding "for now" so you just stay with the program, Missy!

[trek]

Yikes that is a lot of pretty knitting!

[T]

Woot! You're back!

Gorgeous yarnitude - can't wait to see what comes next... and I'm sure that Bridgett will have no problem putting off going into labor, if it means yummy handknits for the little one ;-)

[Fríða]

great to "hear" from you again! and a happy new year to you and yours. beautiful things you have made and I do understand your enthusiasm about your nephew, teenagers like that are hard to find, maybe I can adopt him as my nephew too?
best wishes from Iceland
Frida

[Bridgett]

All right! (crossing legs and drinking more water). Just kidding--this baby is rock solid, goin nowhere.

[Pat K]

Wonderful knits! You sure have been busy. (What does your laundry room look like??)