17 posts tagged “finished objects”
It's been all blankets all the time around here this week. Back in January I saw the book Knitalong online somewhere and started to think about making a blanket for Anabel's new little one. Specifically, I saw the Blessingway blanket, which looked like something Anabel would like. I talked to Kristi about it and we debated whether that was the right project, particularly since the book wasn't out and then thought about doing something more square, but what yarn? What patterns? You know, all the things you debate when starting a project. Kristi then happened to see a class a couple of friends of hers taught at her local LYS on log cabin knitting. We discussed a couple of different yarns to use adn then settled on Pakucho. Kristi picked some colors and I knit the first square.
We decided that we had a winner! So Mary and I wound yarn into the kits and distributed it to Janice, Lisa D, Lisa L, Karen, Rachel, Jeni, Teenuh, Jill and, last but not least, Cookie. One kit was sent off to Kristi and then I waited for them all to come back. There were more knitters than there were squares to knit, so Juls and Hannah contributed to the ordering of the yarn. The last square was delivered to me on Thursday at which point I got the crazy idea that we could finish the blanket by today because Kristi is in town and I thought it would be nice for her to be there when we gave Anabel the blanket. I sent out a desperate plea for help with seaming and Cookie, Jeni, Lisa D, Karen and Teenuh all came over yesterday evening to help. Thanks all! By 11pm, the squares were seamed.
Originally I had a crazy plan (I'm all about the crazy plans) for a border with mitered corners. Then I thought about an i-cord border. In the end I was pressed for time and overwhelmed by how large the blanket had become. Each of those blocks is 12" square! So, in the end, a crochet edging was added in natural. I did one row of single crochet and then one of half double crochet. I was pleased with the result.
(To those BobaKnitters mentioned here who haven't signed the card for Anabel, I have it, touch base with me so you can sign it, or email me a message to put in!)
On Thursday Niels' teacher asked me to make her a hat. The funny thing is, I didn't make her a hat for Christmas because I had seen her wearing several knitted and crocheted hats so I didn't think she needed anymore. She told me that those hats belonged to her cousin and she had to return them. So I whipped her up an Unoriginal Hat from two skeins of All Seasons Cotton Printed, one in Grape one in Native. (Project details on Ravelry.)
I started making another bunny (Ravelry details), making him slightly larger as I said. Then I realized that i had missed a vital step in the first one, I hadn't made his paws! No wonder I couldn't easily knot the sides like it said in the instructions. So, Justin (as I've named this one) has better paws. I also made his head a bit rounded but I don't think that does anything for him so I'm leaving it off the next one. Yes, I've already started the next one. I think I might be hooked.
* This is from the old knock knock joke about Easter bunnies.
I decide that Kate's recipient's baby brother needed some knitted love too, so I whipped up a blanket buddy (Ravelry details) for him. I started it last night and finished it this afternoon. Stefan glommed on to this one too and is currently sleeping with it, so I'm going to make another. I was going to leave it without a face but Niels objected and I'm glad he did! I think the face makes it much cuter.
I'm working on the second one, I'm going to change him a little bit to make the blanket part bigger and maybe try to make his head a bit rounded. I think I'd like to make a few more in different yarns, actually!
I had a Knitty sort of day. I knitted up a quick Calorimetry (Ravelry project details) for myself and finished up a cute little Kate cat (Ravelry project details) for a classmate of Niels' The only trouble with finishing toys is that the kids really like them. That is good, if I am making whatever it is for them, not so good if I want to give it away. Stefan took it from my hand and gave it a HUGE hug, laying on top of the cat on the ottoman of my mother's glider. He did give it back but I see another one of these in my future.
I realized on Wednesday that tonight was the Hannukah dinner I was having with my family so I needed to get the menorah pillow all finished up. A trip to Jo-Ann for buttons and a pillow form solved that problem. I am very pleased with how the pillow turned out, and I think my grandmother was too.
So there you go, I may be silent, but it doesn't mean I'm not busy!
I must confess that one of the things I'm really loving about crochet is just how fast the small projects are. Over the weekend, I made a string bag, which my mother was admiring so much that I think I'll make one for her too. Then yesterday and today I made a little mouse which Niels glommed on to. I had intended it to be for Stefan, actually, since I knit a mouse for Niels when I was pregnant. I can just whip up another crocheted one for Stefan though, super fast!
I'm all about the cute these days. Cute and easily finished!
I made another crocheted wash cloth today at BobaKnit. Anabel helped me understand what was meant by a "long dc" and Karen reassured me that I'm not crazy, that different patterns word which stitches to skip differently. I'm not even sure that makes sense right now! I'm really pleased with how the colors turned out in this one. I like how in crochet you get splotches of colors rather than stripes with the variegated yarn. It's pretty cool.
I'm still knitting, of course. The Husband Hybrid is farther along than the picture here. At this point I have finished the second sleeve and am past the point where I knit the cast on edge into the work. So now I just need to knit and knit and knit for about 18 inches. That's 220 stitches for 18 inches. Oh my.
Just in case I didn't have enough knitting in a circle, I cast on for a stockinette sock at my parent ed class for Niels' school. I wanted something I could just knit that was more portable. Mission accomplished! I don't have a clue what kind of heel I'll do. I figure that's nor important for at least a couple more inches.
Not pictured, but still getting some knitting attention is my Lotus Blossom Tank. Too much attention, actually. I put in two sets of short rows for the bust and I think I went overboard. I slipped it all onto waste yarn and tried it on tonight and the second set of short rows is definitely overkill. I'm going to rip back to before I started them and then it's just straight knitting on that for about three more inches. It doesn't sound so bad, except that it's 260 st around! Is it any wonder that I'm crocheting little dish cloths all over the place?
I made it my goal today to finish Anouk so I could put her int he mail to my friend, whose baby is due any day now. In spite of having more ends to weave in than anyone should, I did it!
I think it turned out really well. The only concern I have is that it's a touch on the big side. I don't know if that is part of the design or not. It fits on Stefan! Of course, I can't measure it and check against the pattern because I already mailed it. It'll fit her at some point, right? She's not even born yet.
(Yes, I can see the problem on the right pocket. I was feeling too rushed to knit another one.)
My Coriolis socks are finished! The second one knit up even more quickly than the first since I already had my head wrapped around the crazy construction of this sock. The "sockitechture" as Cat Bordhi calls it.
I'm definitely buying her new book.
(Yes, I realize that I messed up and they don't quite match. I've decided that I don't care.)
