Socks and another Hat!

I seem to be on a finishing streak around here. We’ll see how long it lasts. I finished my Inga hat this weekend, just in time for the weather to warm up. I wanted to take a picture before I steamed it, to remind myself how much blocking helps:

And after steaming:

Doesn’t seem much different in the photos, but there is a big difference. The stitches look a lot better after blocking.

Project Details:
Pattern: Inga Hat
Yarn: Sublime Merino, Purple, off white and pink
Needles: size 3 and 5

I also finished socks for E. This was my first attempt at two socks on two circs:

I think I did an extra row on one sock.

Details:
Yarn: Interlacements Tiny Toes in the blues
Pattern: Toe up with feather and fan legs (54 stitches around)
Needles: Size 0 (2.0mm)

Having tried two socks on two circular needles, I decided it was time to try two socks on one circular needle. I’d picked up Melissa Morgan-Oakes Book, 2-at-a-time Socks recently and wanted to give it a try. So, I cast on the lovely Yarn Nerd 900 MHz mini merino that I won on Adam’s blog (I’ve never won anything before, so I was pretty excited). I decided I’d give the Monkey Socks a try. I’ve seen a lot of people having fun with this pattern, and so I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon. For some reason I felt the need to doubly challenge myself by trying a new technique and a new pattern. So far it’s going okay. I’m not sure I’m sold on the two at a time concept, but it’s fun to try new stuff! Here’s an initial shot of the project:

I really like this yarn. It’s smooth, and not at all splitty, and the colors are fun to watch come out! It isn’t a color I would have picked off the shelf, but I do like it a lot!

Hats & Mitts

I am loving this Inga Hat. I finished C’s on Sunday.

Project Details:
Pattern: Inga Hat by Sheila Macdonald
Yarn: Sublime Yarns Extra Fine Merino Wool DK (Blue, Ivory, Pink)
Needles: 3.25mm and 3.75mm

Notes: I blocked the heck out of this, and it seems to fit C pretty well. If I had to do it again, I think I’d add another braid (even though I am really not fond of knitting the braid and maybe find room for more stitches and see if I can make it a little longer too.

I’ve already started mine. Finished the braid tonight.

After I finished the hat, I decided to cast on a pair of Maine Morning Mitts from Clara Park’s The Knitters Book of Yarn. I have to admit I’ve seen a lot of mitts over the past few years, and I’ve been very skeptical. After finishing the Moebius scarf, I had an entire skein of Noro Silk left over. I had planned to return it and exchange it for some Noro Sock yarn. However after reading the Maine Mitt pattern, I thought it might be nice to make my mother-in-law some matching mitts for her scarf. So I cast on Sunday evening and had one done by the end of the night. By last night I’d finished the bulk of the second with only the thumb to do. I am a mitt convert. They are comfortable, warm and fast!

I definitely see more of these in my future. 2008 may be my year of repeat knits!

Right now I’m going to finish my Inga hat. I need to figure out if I have any washable worsted in my stash. There’s a call for squares, and I’d like to help out.

Another Inga Hat

So, the first one was such a hit, I’m planning two more. I bought yarn this weekend for one for me and one for c. I got the yarn at Twin Hearts Handworks (the site isn’t available right now, so I can’t link). I got blue & white for C and purple for me. I started C’s on Saturday. It’s going well, I just don’t seem to have a lot of time to dedicate to it. I’m still hoping to find a less fiddly way to knit the braid too.

I’m about 20 rows from the decreases. Once they start it goes pretty fast. I don’t think he’ll have it for skiing tomorrow, but who knows!

Christmas Knitting

Well, I finished my Christmas knitting (by the skin of my teeth), but didn’t take any pictures till last weekend.

Here are the socks I made for my father in law:

I think they look best on the feet, but without a willing model here’s the pattern with a little stretching:

This is the Stalker Pattern from Yarn Ball Boogie. The yarn was Dream in Color (I need to find the tag for more information). I loved this pattern. It was simple to remember and a lot of fun to do. If I do it again, I think I’ll make them a little longer. I was a little worried about time and if I had enough yarn, so I didn’t want to mess with it at the time.

For my mother in law I wanted to try something fun and different. I’d purchased Magical Knitting by Cat Bhordi a while ago, and really wanted to try a moebius scarf. So I gave it a whirl:

I bought the yarn and needles and cast on in the shop. I was so excited to start I mis-read the instructions and instead of 9mm needles, I thought I needed size 9 US and decided to go down a size to size 8. After I’d knit about 10 rows I realized my error, but really liked the way the stitches looked, so I tore out what I’d done and re-cast on more stitches according to her chart. I wound up using three skeins instead of two, but I really liked the way it came out. Here’s a close up:

I used Noro Silk Garden Color # 245.

Both gifts were a huge hit. I wanted to give them both something special as they’ve been so generous to us over the years. Next on the gift list is my parents and many others who’ve given us so much.

Finished Inga Hat

I finished the hat last night, and it’s a hit. E loves it. I love it because it used up scrap yarn and it matches her coat perfectly.

I’ll be making more of these, but I think I’ll need to get some heavier yarn for the adult versions.

Details
Pattern: The Inga Hat by Sheila Macdonald
Yarn: Louet Gems Sport Weight, Coral, Crabapple and Blue. Less than half a skein of each!
Needles: Size 3 and 5 US
Notes: It was a very quick knit. I started it on the 1st and finished it on the 5th. The pattern is pretty intuitive, and a lot of fun to watch develop.

Something new for the new year

I saw this great hat on Hello Yarn and knew it would be great for my guy and our girl. So I found some leftover yarn and cast on two days ago. I’m being reckless with the gauge, so we’ll see how it turns out. I figured I’d start with E’s hat, since the yarn may be a little finer than the pattern calls for. Once I got through the braid it started moving pretty quickly. I’ll have to look to see if there’s an easier way to do the braid than the way I did it.
Here are a couple of early pictures. A close up of the braid:

And my progress as of last night:

I can’t wait to keep working on it!