Fuzzy Scarf

I belong to a group called Comitatus, which is our organization for students (grad and undergrad) interested in medieval studies. Each February we have a conference and for the past few years, we've had a silent auction in the fall to help fund the conference. I want to donate several knitted items to this year's silent auction and since I have quite a few months for knitting, I should be able to get a lot done. (The first item was the small felted purse that I finished earlier.)

A while back, I had bought two balls of this fuzzy novelty yarn, not really knowing what I'd do with it. It's been sitting in my storage tub, so I finally pulled it out and decided to just make a simple garter knit scarf, letting the fuzziness of the yarn be the attraction for the scarf. I'm glad that I didn't do anything more complicated. The yarn wasn't really that fun to work with. It was scratchy and hard to see the stitches. (When I finished, I forgot about leaving enough yarn for binding off so I had to go back and undo a row - that was horrible because I couldn't get a good feel for where the stitches were.)

But even though my hands feel scratched up now, the scarf has a mostly soft feel to it and looks neat. Since I had only two balls, it's a bit shorter than I would have liked, but we could just market it as a child's scarf or something if necessary.

This picture shows the color better than the one below.



And this picture shows the fuzziness a bit better.



Details:
Yarn: Bernat Boa Nouveau; color: Parrot? (#81305); 100% polyester
Needles: Size 9 straight
Pattern: Garter stitch

Felted Mittens

I found this pattern as a free pattern in Hobby Lobby and decided to try it out. I'm still learning how to use double pointed needles and I had never split anything off before (like you do here for the thumb), so I thought that if I made any mistakes, the felting might be able to cover them up.

So here's the first mitten as I was in progress on it.


And here is the first mitten - finished but before felting. It's definitely much bigger than my hand!


And here is the first mitten after felting. Quite a nice fit on my hand.


I had to wait a little while before working on the second mitten as I did not have enough yarn and had to order another ball. When it arrived, it took me only a couple of days to finish the second mitten. I did have a minor bobble around the thumb - when I picked the stitches back up for it, I got turned around (kinda like I did on the stocking), but I was able to get back on the right track quickly. But that's what the "ring" around the thumb is. I decided not to worry about it since they would be felted and it should disappear (it did). So here's the felted mitten beside the unfelted one (that gives you an idea of the difference in the size).



And now here is both mittens felted and finished and dry. The second one felted a little differently and is slightly more narrow than the first, but it still fits my hand (though it's a bit snug).



And finally, I tried taking a picture of me wearing them. I used my chin to push the button on the camera, so that's one reason why my hands are bent at a weird angle. But the picture came out well enough so you can see what they look like on my hands.



Here's the "technical" info:
Bernat Felted Knit Mittens
Yarn: KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Lake Ice Heather
Needles: Size 8 double pointed

Blocks for Charity Afghan

Over on PaperBackSwap, someone is organizing an afghan for charity, so I decided to try my hand at knitting a block or two. I thought I'd try mixing two colors from my yarn stash and create something a little more than just one-dimensional color.

Well, that didn't work out so well. It looks neat, but it's not the right size. The blocks are supposed to be 7" x 9". Since I was using two strands of yarn, I didn't get a good feel for how many stitches I needed to cast on. So it turned out to be longer than I had planned (I meant that size to be the 7" side). When I measured it before, it was 10" but just now measuring it, it's actually 9" - wow!

That would be well and good except for one thing. I ran out of yarn before I could finish. So it's only 5" on the other side. *sigh* I'll go ahead and send it in case there are any other oddly sized blocks and it actually could get used. Here's the picture (a zig-zag design):



So I tried again. This time I went ahead with the one-color yarn. I used the yarn from Mary's scarf (I still had two balls). I used the same pattern and got the measurements much better (although I did block it to get even more exact). But it's not perfect. It's a little less than 9" on one side and a little more less than 7" on the other. *sigh*



I might try another block with another pattern, but I'm going to go ahead and send these two off tomorrow.

Emily's Scarf

Rainy Day Scarf
Yarn: KP ShineWorsted (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal) – Blush
Needles: Size 8

I wanted to make a scarf for my friend Emily, but she's allergic to wool. She also lives in Texas so doesn't need anything too heavy. So I decided to try this cotton yarn. I like the way it came out, but the yarn was sometimes a bit annoying to work with (it slid out of my fingers too easily and sometimes fuzz came off all over my hands)

Here's the scarf, wrapped around my neck (mirror shot)

And here's a close-up view of the scarf:

I did have one bit that didn't turn out so wonderfully. I've been really tight while binding off, so I made it a point to bind off loosely this time. It looks like I was a bit too loose as the ends now don't match. One is tight and square and the other points out at the corners (that's the loose bind off). I'm sure I could block the scarf and make it all line up, but I like the scrunched in look that it has right now so don't want to lose that. I guess I'll just send it to Em and let her decide what she wants to do with it.

One Skein Felted Purse - Tulip

I am officially in love with felting projects, and especially this new one that I tried. I got a couple of knitting books with projects that take one skein of yarn - I wanted to use up some of my stash and make some quick projects. This purse looked like a fun little project, plus I want to make a few items to put in the Silent Auction for Comitatus in November (never hurts to start working on them early!), so I thought this project would be perfect to make a little purse to put in the auction.

I used the same pink that I had used for my sister's and niece's clogs since I had two whole balls of yarn left (this project is knitted with two strands and the "one skein" used in the book had a lot more yardage than one of these, so I did end up using almost all of two balls of this yarn, but that's perfectly okay with me).

Here are the specs:
Pattern: One-Skein Felted Purse from One-Skein Wonders
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) in Tulip
Needles: Size 11 circular (24"); changed to straight needles for handle
Time taken: 2 days

So here is the purse, finished but before felting. (Yes the handle is supposed to be twisted - it gives it a little more thickness when felted.)



And here's the purse after felting.


It's just a small purse, but I think it's incredibly cute! I've quite fallen in love with it and I think I'm going to have to make a couple more of these. I can use the blue that I have left from my clogs to make one for me. Jarrett asked if I'd make one for his grandmother, so I think I'll do that in the snickerdoodle. Then I have the green left over from Mary's scarf, but with that I think I'll do something a bit different and pair the green with the skein of daffodil that I have (since it's knitted with two strands) and do a two-color effect. And I should have some of the purple left as well. And if I practice with needle felting, I could add some designs to it (like an initial or something of that sort). There are so many possibilities with this one project! One thing I especially like about this purse is that the bottom is knitted flat and then I picked up stitches around the edges and knitted the sides in the round. What does that mean? No seaming!

The purse is drying now (I straighted up the handle from what it's shown like in this picture, so it should dry a lot better), so it should be ready in a couple of days. The book suggests adding a snap closure to it, so I'm going to go look at Hobby Lobby to see what kinds of accessories they have and perhaps pick something up. But the purse is small enough that it might not need any type of closure.

My Yarn Stash

One of the things that I want to do is keep track of my yarn stash, so I can know at a quick glance what I have (though, of course, it's always fun to actually poke through the stash). So here's my current yarn stash.

Partially used:

RY Cashsoft DK – (57% extra fine merino/33% microfibre/10% cashmere) – cream – 1 large ball

RY Cashsoft DK (57% extra fine merino/33% microfibre/10% cashmere) – red – 1 large ball

RY Cashsoft DK (50% extra fine merion/40% acrylic microfibre/10% cashmere) – black – 1 large ball

Malabrigo – Pink Frost – 1 very small ball

Unknown brand – cotton? – pale blue – 1 large ball

KP Shamrock (100% Peruvian Wool) – Dougherty (green) – 1 small ball

KP ShineWorsted (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal) – Bachelor Button (blue) –1 small ball

KP ShineWorsted (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal) – Grass – 1 small ball

KP ShineWorsted (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal) – Coral – 3 small balls

KP Twirl (69% Superfine Alpaca/28% Wool/3% Nylon) – Cream – 1 large ball

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Snickerdoodle – 2 small balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Carrot – 2 small balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Violet – 2 medium balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Tulip – 6 small balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Blue Bonnet – 2 medium balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Hyacinth – 2 small balls

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Amethyst Heather – 1 small ball; 1 medium ball

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Sapphire Heather – 1 large ball

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Forest Heather – 1 medium ball

Unused:

Malabrigo – Purple Mystery
Worsted
Yards: 216

KP EssentialSolid (75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon) - Petunia
Yards: 231

KP Swish Superwash (100% Superwash Wool) – Wisteria
Worsted
Yards: 110

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Snickerdoodle – 2 balls
Worsted
Yards: 110 x 2

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Daffodil
Worsted
Yards: 110

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) – Blue Bonnet – 2 balls
Worsted
Yards: 110 x 2

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Violet – 2 balls
Worsted
Yards: 110 x 2

KP Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) – Forest Heather – 1 ball
Worsted
Yards: 110 x 2

KP Gossamer (100% Merino Wool) – Sweet Peas
Lace Weight
Yards: 440

KP Telemark (100% Peruvian Wool) – Snow Leopard
Sport Weight
Yards: 103

KP Telemark (100% Peruvian Wool) – Alpine Frost
Sport Weight
Yards: 103

KP Shimmer (70% Baby Alpaca/30% Silk) – Morning Mist – 3 balls
Lace Weight
Yards: 440 x 3

KP Gloss (70% Merino Wool/30% Silk) – Dusk
Fingering Weight
Yards: 220

KP Crayon (100% Pima Cotton) – Blue
DK Weight
Yards: 128

KP ShineWorsted (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal) – Wave
Worsted
Yards: 75

KP Twirl (69% Superfine Alpaca/28% Wool/3% Nylon) – Cream
Bulky Weight
Yards: 67

KP Dancing (41% Cotton/39% Wool/13% Nylon/7% Elastic) – 2 balls
Fingering Weight
Yards: 253 x 2

KP Shamrock (100% Peruvian Wool) – Flanagan (red) – 2 balls
Heavy Worsted
Yards: 82 x 2

The Stocking That Wasn't

I was really excited when I saw this free pattern on the KnitPicks website - the Twirl Top Stocking. I ordered some yarn right away (the stocking is in Shamrock - this one is Dougherty and I have more yarn in Flanagan - a red - for another stocking; the top is Twirl in Cream) and couldn't wait to get started on it. I'd been wanting to try my hand at socks, but I was scared of using double pointed needles. Since this is one big sock, I thought it might be easiest to start with it.

And I started out okay. Once I got the hang of the double pointed needles, I found that I liked using them. I created and turned the heel just fine. That's when I hit the problem area. I somehow got the needles placed differently and found that I was knitting "inside out" - purl "bumps" on the outside when it should have been the knit "V". I didn't figure out what was wrong at first. After about 6 rows I figured it out and got myself going correctly again. I know that I REALLY should have frogged back, but I just couldn't bear to do it (I really wanted to finish that day, which was Christmas Eve). So I kept on. Also in my rush, I think I should have made the foot part longer. And then the tip of the toe is super pointed. It said to knit until 8 stitches remain, and I did but it just seems like too much. I have yarn for a second stocking, so I think next time I'll knit until 16 stitches remain to have the toe part be a bit wider.

The cuff around the top and the loop to hang it (single chain of crochet) came out okay. I have high hopes for my next stocking and I plan to buy more yarn and do this one again at some point.

My Scarf in Mmmmalabrigo

So I had been knitting all these scarves for other people. I wanted one for myself. I found a pattern online called the Irish Hiking Scarf that used cables. I decided to give it a try. I thought that cables would be really hard, so I had been reluctant to give it a try, but I'm so glad that I did. They weren't really that difficult after all and I love how this scarf turned out.

I love it even more because of the yarn that I used. On the Knittinghelp.com forum, people were talking about this yarn that they called Mmmmmmmalabrigo and they were raving about how nice and wonderful and soft it was. I found some on eBay and bought two skeins in pink frost. I just knew that this yarn and the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern would be perfect together.

I worked on this over a period of several months, doing a little here and there between other projects. And one day I finally finished it. I was so right about the yarn and pattern. It looks so wonderful and it truly is extremely soft. I'm very proud to have this scarf to wear.

Snake for Kyle

I wanted to do something for my nephew. Since his room in decorated in a jungle theme, I decided to try another stuffed animal (since the rabbit didn't quite fit the theme!). I wanted to do either a monkey or a snake. I went to my local yarn store to look for yarn and these colors called out to me, so I had to use them - so snake it was.

This was my first project with stripes. I've added a new skein of yarn before, but it's always been in the same color. So I got lots of practice with that on this project. I used felt for the eyes and crocheted a single chain for the tongue. It came out so cute that I had a really hard time packing it

Dishcloths for My Husband's Grandmother

Another Christmas gift, this time for my husband's grandmother. I went for the dishcloth idea again, but this time I used the same color but with two different patterns. (Shine Worsted in Coral)

This one was fun to do but turned out a bit larger than expected, but not too bad over all.


Then this one came out a bit smaller than expected, so the two together are a bit of a mix, but I think that's okay. I had a great time working on this one (once I figured out the pattern - you can see in the bottom right corner where I was figuring it out).