Previously Finished Projects 1: Mom's Hat

There are a few projects I finished last year before I started this blog that I just never got around to writing about. I figure after Christmas when the pressure is off as far as finishing gifts on a deadline is a good time to do it.

I knitted my mom this hat that will go with the scarf I'm making her now. The brim of the hat is a beaded rib stitch. It occurs to me as I write this that this hat is not the box stitch that I seem to have thought it was when I started the scarf. So I guess they won't match that well after all, but they're the same yarn which is close enough, I guess.

I can't remember any details like what size needles I used or how many stitches it is. I can guess that it's between US 7 and US 10, and between 80 and 90 stitches, but that's as close as I can get.

So concludes "Previously Finished Projects 1," stay tuned for further installments.

Happy knitting!

Boyfriend's Finished Scarf

I finally finished boyfriend's scarf. It took me forever and I was knitting like a crazy woman, but it's finally done. I wanted to have it done on the 24th so that I could give it to him at his family's Christmas, but I missed that by three days. It's cool, though. He'll get it just the same, only now he won't get it until the 30th because I'm home for Christmas.

The finished scarf. It's about six and a half feet long when it's rolled out.

All in all the scarf didn't give me much trouble. After all, it was just knit. I did have to remind myself how to bind off, but I looked it up and refreshed my memory. However, I did make a mistake while I was binding off. For whatever reason, I lost my mind for a second and cut the yarn as if it was just an end I was going to weave in. Yeah, it wasn't, and I ended up cutting it at about half the length I needed, so I had to tie the ends back together.

A close up on the pattern of the scarf.

I'm still unsure whether or not I want to tie fringe onto the ends. I guess I can wait until I give it to boyfriend and ask him whether or not he'd like it.

It took me a year, but I finally finished this scarf, and I could not be happier. Is it the most refined project even I've ever done? No. Are there a few spots that look a little messy? Sure. But will boyfriend love it just the same? Absolutely.

Happy knitting!

Trouble with Dad's Scarf

I finally made it to the store to pick up more yarn to work on my dad's scarf. I was pleased beyond belief when I got there and saw brown variegated yarn that looked just like the yarn I had. I was less pleased when I looked around a little more and saw another similar brown variegated yarn. Which one was it? Was it even one of those at all?

I picked one and hoped for the best. I also picked up three more things of yarn that looked fun. I got them home and excitedly pulled out my dad's scarf only to have my heart broken.

The yarns aren't the same. At all. I guess I could actually bring my knitting and go check the other one to see if that matches, but I'm afraid it won't either. Or, like, been a normal person and bought enough yarn when I knew they had it or at least kept the thing that told me what specific color it was.

So now I'm looking at either waiting longer and taking another trip back to shop for yarn or ripping the whole stupid thing apart and starting the scarf all over. I may have gotten the whole of the body done in an afternoon, but the end but took me awhile, and I really don't want to rip out all of my hard work only to do it all again.

Knitting in the Round

I decided that I wanted to give knitting in the round a go to make a hat that I wouldn't have to sew a seam into because I hate that part and it looks a little sloppy in my opinion. So I checked out the method that seemed easiest to me: knitting in the round with one circular needle. Okay, cool. I can totally do that. Knit normally, only the needles are really only one needle.

That's all fine until I got my stitches cast onto the US 11 (8mm) circular needles I have only to realize the thing was 29'. Much too long for a hat. Okay, so I checked the other three sets of circular needles I have. All 29' or more. I got them from my grandma and she used them to make blankets. To my knowledge she never did make a hat.

So once again I am discouraged by knitting in the round, and I've given up on it again until further notice.

Finished Step-Dad's Hat

I finally finished this hat. Once I got to decreasing, it was pretty quick work. Knitting two together on those tiny needles was a pain though. Not so much actually doing it, but trying to purl the stitch that was from those two knitted together. It was ridiculously tight and irritating. But I finally finished it.

This is what it looks like with the headband turned down. Kind of silly, but just for some reference. You can kind of see the change from where it goes from all knit stitch to stockinette stitch. Not super well, I guess because the yarn is so dark, but I promise it does.

Then, of course, there's the hat the way it's meant to be with the headband turned up.

I think it looks good. I am glad I used the smaller needles now that I'm finished, but for the hours and hours I spent working on it, I wasn't that glad. I wish the light were better or the yarn weren't so dark or both so you could see this hat better, but this is the best I can get. Maybe this Christmas I can get everyone to model their gifts.

Grey Sash/ Belt

I recently picked up some more yarn, and came home all excited with no idea what to do with any of it. All but one I at least had ideas of for whom I was going to use them, but I couldn't think of who would really like the last one. It's a really gorgeous grey, and the feel is just great. After I stared at it for a while, boyfriend asked if I wouldn't knit him a sash/ belt that he could wear for this LARP thing he does. . . . Yeah, I won't explain it. But I said of course and that he won't get it for Christmas. I'd like to have it done for March or April or whenever their season starts, but we'll see.

When I asked him what he wanted it to be, he communicated that he wanted it to be about two inches wide and that he wanted me to use the smallest needles I have. Well, the smallest needles I have are US 0 (2mm). I've never used anything smaller than US 6 (4mm), so I thought this would be a great learning experience on something that doesn't have to be beautiful. However, I have to admit I had had a few adult beverages at that point, and I just couldn't do the 0s. I also skipped over the US 1 (2.25mm) because that also seems quite ambitious. However, I don't have US 2 (2.75mm), so I settles on US 3 (3.25mm).

So far so good I'd say. There's not much to it yet, and it's nothing remarkable. I'm not even sure if it will work the way boyfriend wants it to. But he seems to have a plan for it that involves gold tassels that he swears up and down he'll put on himself.

I also recently discovered Ravelry. I feel like I came to it pretty late in the game, so once I get it caught up a little, I'll link to it.

Happy knitting and happy holidays.

Dad's Scarf

Last year I was able to finish my dad's hat before I went back up to school. However, I wasn't able to get his scarf done. This year, I've put in a lot of effort on his scarf. The only problem? I ran out of yarn and I haven't made it to get more yet, partially because I'm afraid that the same yarn won't be there. I'm going to run into the same problem with my sister's scarf if I ever pick that up again as well as my mother's scarf. I forgot to plan for this last year. I should have known when I was barely able to finish my grandmother's scarf which I made pretty thin and shorter than I wold have liked. But I didn't think about it. So now I'm out of this brown variegated yarn with Christmas only a week away.

I am, however, pretty please with how my dad's scarf is looking. Apart from the I-can't-continue-it thing.

I was, I guess, lucky enough to be able to get all of this done a few weeks ago. Boyfriend had strep again-he gets it every year-so I took him to the medi-center so he could get it taken care of before it turned into scarlet fever. That really happened once. While he was doing that, I was sitting in the waiting room knitting away. I finished up all of this scarf I could that day, and now I'm super bummed that I can't do anymore. I suppose that's my own fault since I can't manage to get to the store, but I'm still annoyed regardless.

Box-Stitch Scarf

Last year I began my mom's second gift to match her hat. It was originally a shawl using my biggest needles. I was quickly discouraged from this project because the big needles are a pain to work with. When I picked it up again this year, I ripped the whole thing apart and looked at some of the patterns I had bookmarked earlier to work with and found this box-stitch. I decided to do a similar thing as I had with my dad's scarf which is to pattern the ends and just knit the middle. I may put some silly tassel-y guys on the end, but I'll see what the finished project looks like first.

When I started yesterday, all I had managed up to that point was three rows of boxes at the end. This is what the finished end looks like now.

It is five by five boxes which I think gives it a nice symmetry. Then I moved into the body of the scarf which is garter stitch, and I just knitted away at until I had this:

It's over a foot and a half now which I think will put me about a quarter of the way there. I think I'm going to aim for six feet like with boyfriend's scarf. Then again, because this scarf is thinner, I might be able to get away with shorter. I guess I'll see as it comes along.

UPDATE: I linked the pattern to this page up near the top. However, I should note that instead of doing knit two, purl two, etc. I did knit four, purl four, etc. to make the boxes more apparent.

Step-Dad's Hat

Once again, I sort of let this go for a, well, a year. But it's come a long way. Pretty close to done, in fact. Just about another inch before I start decreasing, and once I start decreasing it'll be done in no time. I'm really regretting the US 7 needles because they're so small, and it's taking so long. I spent the better part of an afternoon on this hat a week or two ago which would usually mean I had finished it. Nope. I made some progress, sure, but not nearly as much as I usually do. Now I know to calm down and stop trying to start all my projects at once because some of them end up on little needles that take forever.

This is how far this hat has come since last year.

The coloring's pretty bad because it's already dark out so I can't get any good light. I guess this is more just to show how far I've come since last year when I only had the headband done. I'm hoping to get to decreasing today, though. We'll see.

Winter Again Means Knitting Again

I recognize that I kind of let this go after not too long last year. I went back to school and well . . . But I've been doing work on my knitting projects again this year. The one that's come the farthest is boyfriend's scarf. Last year it was only one flag, but now I'm onto the fourth flag.

It's come a long way, and I'm really pleased with how it's looking. I'm glad I went with the gauge I did and the number of stitches and all that I did. I think I'm going to have it be seven flags long when it's finished. That should be good and long and cuddly for a scarf. I'd like to have it done for this Christmas, but we'll see. It's not the only project I have after all.