She Who Blogs Not

My last blog post was two months ago... I have started and frogged multiple projects and am still working on some stealth projects, but I finally have things to show you!  (With all pictures, click to embiggen.)

1- Musical Mitts for Read Headed Sister

This is one of the stealth projects I'd posted about previously, but since her birthday is now passed I can show them to you!

They are knit in alpaca and are wonderfully soft.  She tells me that she loves them and that everyone who sees them is jealous.

2- Captain Hats 1 & 2

Some of the ladies at Knitter's Anonymous had knit this hat and I just loved it, so I knit one for a friend (tan) and one for me (grey).

It's a very fun, fast pattern (hooray for bulky yarn!) 

3- Raspberry Chocolate Mitts for the Cure

These were knit at the Yarning for You "Knit for the Cure" event and donated to Susan G. Koman for the Cure.  The colours remind me of raspberries and chocolate, hence the name of the mitts above.

4- Darn Socks

"Hmm. This is megamesh.  Outmoded, but very sturdy.  And you've torn right through it!"  --Edna Mode, "The Incredibles."

At least, that's what came to mind when a friend showed me the socks he received as a gift while in Finland several years ago... the ones he had worn right through on the bottom of the heel.  I understand that socks become warn over time and that wear is a sign that a pair of hand knit socks are well-loved, but part of being well-loved means being repaired when they show signs of wear.

So I've repaired the one with the hole and duplicate stitched the other as well, as it was wearing thin and only a matter of time before it needed to be darned as well.  If I was the person who had knit said socks and was unable to repair them myself, I would like it if someone else would do so on my behalf.

5- Phasianidae Shawl

I finally completed my "In the Land of Oz" shawl!  (I frogged my beach shawl and am re-knitting it.)  I love the colour--the greens are just rich and beautiful.  One of the knitters in my group, Janean, blocked it for me--a thousand thanks to her for doing that!

It was a fun pattern.  I had enough yarn to knit the full shawl as written and a second repeat of chart 2.  I had some fun with Photoshop:

6- Sophia Cardi

So November’s coming up…  For some that means NaNoWriMo.  You know--those crazy writers who intend to write 50,000 words by the end of November (Hence National Novel Writing Month) .  Well, NaKniSweMo is similar but for knitters.  Instead of writing 50,000 words one plans to . . . dun dun dun . . . knit a sweater.  Yes, you read that right.  A sweater.  In a month.  Thus giving us NaKniSweMo—National Knit a Sweater Month. 30 days to turn yards upon yards of yarn into something recognizable as a sweater.  For me, this means my first sweater.

It’s currently late October.  11 months ago I finished my first knitted project:  a pair of fingerless mittens in bright green fuzzy yarn.  I can definately say that my tastes have become more sophisticated since then, as have my knitting skills.  But I’m still intimidated by the idea of knitting a sweater.  I do think it will be cool to knit a sweater around the anniversary of completing my first project, and a sweater is my next knitting rite of passage.  I’ve done the sock knitting rite of passage.  I’ve done the cables rite of passage.  I’ve done the lace rite of passage.  I’ve done knitting flat on circulars, double pointed needles, darning socks, and colourwork.  I figure it’s about time I knit a sweater.

So I’m sitting here with eight skeins of Plymouth Encore in a lovely shade of pale blue and contemplating the pattern I have chosen, which is a cardigan with a knee length hemline.  It has a lace pattern up to the bust where it closes with a clasp.  However, I have eight skeins and 30 days which means I need to knit two skeins a week.  That my friends is a lot of yarn to knit in a short period.  Maybe I’m crazy, just like those who participate in NaNoWriMo . . . Who am I joking – I’ve tried NaNoWriMo . . . Yes - I am crazy.  But I figure I’ll give it a go.  Why not, right?

So yesterday I swatched-- Veni, vedi, swatci...  This is my first project with gauge swatches... another rite of passage.

And then, November 1, I’ll be off and running . . . err . . . knitting.  Well, wish me luck!

I think this post is plenty long... makes up for 2 months, right?

ABitterKnitter