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You probably guessed that I did not make all of the things for Christmas that I planned to make. Some plans changed, and when I re-assessed others, I saw that I was going overboard, so I crossed them off the list, too. Overall, I did well with completion and went into the New Year with only one incomplete. Yeah, it was the one I mentioned in the last post, but that was enough to motivate me to finish it.
The last of the Christmas presents completed is a scarf I wove. It is an easy-peasy plain weave with Knit Picks Imagination in the colorway Looking Glass. The scarf is so soft and pretty and I think it is just right for my ever-cold sister-in-law. I hope she likes it.
You may recognize this yarn from my Color Affliction. I do have a complaint about this yarn--it sheds like mad. As in, wearing something made from it makes it look like you have too many pets. Multiple cycles of tumble dry, no heat, yield full lint traps. It is really rather ridiculous, but at least I knew what I was in for after the Color Affliction adventure, and I pretty much used up all of the yarn.
Something else to tell you about the weaving of this scarf--I was able to use new tools! I bought the boat shuttle at SAFF, then I bought this cheap little drink mixer, and now I have a bobbin winder. It works so well, I love using the boat shuttle, and I feel super-smart because real bobbin winders are expensive.
Next up, we have the garter-stitch-scarf-of-never-ending-ness. Of course, all garter stitch scarves feel that way to me, but I really like this and enjoyed knitting with my handspun. The sister-in-law liked it, too, and her husband liked his new socks. I knew he had been wearing the pair I gave him in October, so I felt confident in this gift choice.
Then one of them pulled a stunt that makes me feel like I might never knit for either of them ever again, but it happened during a time of stress, so I am just trying to let it go and not think about it. If I do find myself thinking about it, I am trying to reframe it and put a more positive spin on it all, but time might be the best treatment. Feeling like I might never knit for someone again sometimes just means that I have not finished processing an event, and that is the best way I can think of to deal with the negative feelings. It is really a much better option than telling someone whatever pops into my head. This makes it all sound much bigger and serious than it is, and I have gotten way off-topic, but that is nothing new around here.
Maybe we can bring this post back in order a bit with something cute. I knit this sweet hat for my niece. The pattern is Ruffled Cloche from 60 Quick Baby Knits, and if you knit this pattern, I will note that you can work this in the round from the start. It was hard to get a picture of her wearing the hat, but it was a hit with everyone. Her mom hopes it will still fit at Easter. If it does not, I am probably willing to knit another, but I am not making any promises today.
Finally, we have the gift that tried to kill me, but that will have to wait for another post.
When I cannot find the focus to figure out what to knit next, there is usually a lonely abandoned something waiting for its time. No, not that piece on the loom that just needs a little bit of finishing but then requires delivery. No, not the Jimmy Bean's Wool Downton Abbey Mystery KAL, because I am waiting to see what happens with the provisional start before I go on any further. Maybe I am just stalling, but I do not think that is the case, because I started the second mitt and have knit it to the same point as the first. Besides, I have not set that aside long enough to consider it abandoned.
For this go around, it was Bauble, and it seemed as though no one wanted me to work on it. Each time I settled in to work on it--comfortable, charts visible and propped up nicely, all necessary supplies within reach--something would happen. Mostly, it was the ringing phone. I suppose that if I am ever feeling lonesome and want someone to call me, I could try using this shawl to bring about this type of attention, but I do not think it would work that way, and besides, I am not a fan of speaking on the phone, and want to finish this before that has the possibility of happening.
The interruptions have kept me from making as much progress as I had hoped, but I only have fourteen more rows on the main chart, and then it is time for the edging chart with beads, and I think I have figured out which I will use for that, if I ever get to that point. This seems to be one of those knits.
Not every day can be a fancy day, and that is fine with me. I just finished a very basic weaving project, and I am about as pleased with it as I could be.
Sometime last year, I decided it was time to weave some kitchen towels. I have needed new ones for a while and have had way too much dishcloth cotton for far too long, so this seemed like the perfect solution. I warped for four with some plain, white, dishcloth cotton. I used a little bedspread weight crochet cotton for about the first and last inch and then variegated dishcloth cotton for the rest. After that, I just had to cut them apart and then fold and sew hems. I used a different colorway for each towel, and I really like how this project worked out, and if they show themselves to be useful, I plan to weave more.
Saturday was a big day, my thoughts and feelings are still all over the place, and every time I try to write about our daughter's wedding, I fail. Instead, I will just share a couple of pictures from this very special day.
