ratcheting things up a notch . . .

Posted on Posted in designing, projects

it’s on this kind of day that i’m glad i’m a knitter—snowy and cold (and gray) outside; warm and cozy inside (now that the temps have fallen to the 20s and stayed there, the heat goes on and off more consistently, yay).

i could cook and i should work at my desk most of the day, but i’d rather hole up in my study with a wrap tucked around me and a soothing book read to me by my iPod, while i work on christmas gifts. my knitting is singing a siren song which i’m pretty sure i won’t be able to resist.

and i really do need to get a move on, if i want to stay on schedule. despite the fact that projects in progress are scattered about the whole house, littering every available seat in the place, i’ve got very few FOs to show for myself.

i’ve got a couple of projects in cheerful colors to help combat the influence of gray weather—one of them is this soft hat for my friend robin, who has generously flown me to austin a couple of times and who cannot seem to get debby to knit him one measly little hat. my friend debby, his wife, is too busy with christmas knitting to get it done (so it’s kind of a present for her, too).

now don’t judge—to be completely fair, debby HAS knit robin several hats, including high peaks, a snug cap for all sizes, and hot waffles; none of which are exactly right. so this one is an extra.
and while we’re at it, he has a bone to pick some input about the fit—you know how it is with hats . . . it can’t be too tight (like the high peaks), but it needs to be snug enough to stay on in the wind (his snug cap got very loose after washing). and just the right length to keep his ears warm, but not long enough to feel like it’s falling into his eyes.

i’m a little nervous . . . i’m not sure i can knit the perfect hat, but i’ll try. and i’m totally willing to tailor it, once we have some sort of fitting.

debby had every intention of knitting this hat last year. she even bought the yarn—a perfect cleveland browns orange (sorry, i haven’t lived in ohio long enough to know why the browns color is orange), which will also be perfect when robin attends gators games at his alma mater.

i haven’t knit with this yarn before—shepherd’s wool from stonehedge fiber mill in michigan (scroll down on their web page to view yarns). it’s awfully lovely—springy and super-soft, it knits into a cushy, dense fabric that should go a long way to shutting out the wind, without being stiff or scratchy. i’m enjoying this knit a LOT; debby, you’re missing out on a delicious project . . . but you’re probably ok with that.

on saturday, i got to hang out with susie and debby for a long afternoon-into-evening of knitting and vegging in front of susie’s fireplace—it was awesome. i tackled a reknitting project that i’ve been putting off til i had a nice stretch of time to get into it.

remember i showed you this scarf that i unearthed in a box of samples a couple weeks ago? i knit it several years back, but never wrote a pattern.

i think it’d make a great last-minute gift pattern, but i wanted to knit through it to refresh my memory about its construction. so i tossed my stash for some appropriately soft and lofty DK/light worsted yarn (the original was knit in paton’s country garden DK; still a favorite with me, though i think it’s been discontinued). i grabbed some dale of norway falk as i ran out the door; i had one skein and a few yards of a spicy pumpkin color left over from a past baby project.

it’s a quick and easy scarf to knit—i cast on when i got to susie’s and i finished the whole thing, including weaving the ends, before i left six hours later. and that included a dinner break, stopping to figure stuff out, then backtracking a few times to get the details right. i would say that with pattern in hand, it’s a four to five hour project.

i washed it this morning and laid it out to dry—when barb came over for spinning, she immediately agreed to test it, if i could get the pattern in shape over the next few days. she wants to make it for her mom to go with the fine cabled mitts she just finished (ooooh, good match, i like the way barb thinks).

right now, i have a very long list of patterns that need to be written up, but i think i can push this one to the top (i just don’t feel like doing it today!). i’ve also had a request for a child’s fingerless mitts pattern—apparently, there are very few in existence. i promised to work on that one for this week, too.

as for my OWN christmas knitting projects, the boy jacket needs to be blocked so i can add the collar, seam it up, and sew on some pockets. i’d love to get that done this afternoon.

i haven’t started the baby version yet, but maybe i can begin this evening . . .

i’ve been ignoring the legwarmers i started for my niece a couple of weeks ago—i dunno why; i was so pumped about making them and they are knitting up very quickly whenever i do work on them.

i think it might be my mom’s fault.
(just kidding mom)

she said something about my sister’s kids being hot blooded and not ever wearing proper mittens, hats, etc., and that sorta gave me pause. but really?? i still think my niece might like them as an accessory, whether she needs them to keep warm or not. and i’m half done—the first one just needs top ribbing. there’s no reason not to get that project back on track.

i’ve played a little bit with the new woolen rabbit merino/cashmere/nylon fingering yarn—enough to know that this is the one for the my fair lady project. i mean, the color is spectacular. i was worried that the yarn itself might be too heavy for lace work, but my fears were groundless. it’s a very nice weight that could transition beautifully from winter to spring. now, i just have to think about the composition of patterns. i spent a little time on it the other night, but it soon became obvious that i was too distracted—if i try to design it this week, i’ll feel like i’m cheating on my christmas knitting. better to allow the idea to marinate WHILE i do my christmas knitting and work on the actual design once i’m freed up a bit.

i know it’s still a few weeks til christmas, and yes, that’s a lot of time, but i’m afraid of getting too comfortable; better to stay on top of my immediate goals for now.

thanks to david and his trusty lightkeeper pro, the tree is up and the porch lit to welcome guests. every light is sparkling, too.

and with that, i’m going to head up to my study to get some gift knitting done. maybe beckie will even join me later on. enjoy the rest of your weekend . . see you next time.

23 thoughts on “ratcheting things up a notch . . .

  1. Oh, I LOVE that scarf, and it would be fabulous if you could get the pattern up soon! No pressure, hee hee.

    I notice you’re knitting that handsome orange hat from a center-pull ball. I’ve mostly given up on them because at some point the ball collapses and tends to tangle, and I have to find the end and wind it by hand. Any tips?

    Your tree looks wonderful. I’m sure every ornament has a story…

  2. Beautiful work! I admire how prolific you are. I need to get a little of the holiday spirit going around here. Maybe hang a few stockings and knit some ornaments? It could happen.

  3. i think your niece will love the legwarmers as an accessory! that’s such a fabulous color & a great pattern. and i’m excited to see what happens with the woolen rabbit yarn, it’s so pretty!

  4. I just love the “boy sweater” how cute and it’s a really rich looking pattern (of course you use squisshy wool..) I’d want one too. I’d love to know how your Mom makes her crapes and the filling…that looked divine!!!

  5. I really appreciate your frequent posts as I’m often searching for knitting inspiration. Thanks for all of your efforts!

  6. It is a perfect day to curl up with knitting! Near a nice warm fireplace, preferably, with a cup of hot chocolate on hand.

    And don’t worry–I’ve lived in NE Ohio my entire life and don’t know why orange is a Browns color…

  7. Mmmmm. A full slate of knitting, and perfect weather for it. I am hoping for snow soon here, to add to the frisson of the WIP.

  8. The Shepard’s Wool also felts beautifully!! Love your tree. We still don’t have ours up–maybe one night this week 🙂

  9. Love, love, love the orange hat *and* and orange scarf! This weather makes knitting very difficult to resist. I keep drifting away from my sewing machine towards the couch, wood stove, and project basket.

    Good for you to get your tree up already! Did you bring it down from NY?

    We’re supposed to get snow here tomorrow which should help with the Christmas spirit (and decorating, perhaps!).

  10. That keyhole scarf could be a great one for donating next year to my LYS. We donate scarves every year after Thanksgiving and people come in and shop until Dec. 30th (not all are non-knitters either!). The goal this year is to raise $5000 for the local Family Shelter Service and we’re already at $3600, so it looks like we might make it. 🙂

  11. Thank you for letting me enjoy your projects by reading your blog. I can’t wait, each evening, to view your progress. I have enjoyed the patterns I have purchased from you. Your Christmas projects are fun and purposeful and anyone should be excited to get them. Keep up the stunning work!

  12. Ooh yes! I need a boys’ fingerless mitt pattern in time for our winter downunder, please! My little man keeps stealing my favourite green cable ones for “dino hands”. Apparently, bumpy green fingerless mitts are essential kit for young T-Rexes in training 😉

    I’m pretty sure legwarmers are also needed for Dancing Queen, no, umm, Flashdance, no, ummm, maybe Beyonce (???) moments too, so I reckon you should be good.

  13. Oh….I LOVE Shepherd’s Wool! My dad and I were able to visit the Fiber Mill last April and it was great! I just finished a neck warmer with it and it’s so soft and squishy! Love that orange color too! oh…yeah….the other pieces are beautiful too! 😉

  14. Yes, Please, I will have that pattern for the orange scarf —- I do love it! Also, I would love to know more about the boy jacket, pattern and yarn. will you be publishing that pattern? Thanks for all the sharing that you do. . .

  15. I’m also working on fingerless gloves for my little niece (2 1/2) – I don’t know why there’s a dearth of fingerless gloves for kids, but it needs to be rectified! My brother is law is one of those hot-blooded people – shorts all year round – and my niece seems to be turning out the same way. It’s below freezing, and she’s still in capri pants and short sleeves 🙂

  16. You DO have a lot of projects OTN right now! And I can only imagine how much Christmas knitting is going on behind the scenes. I really love that scarf – if you need a spare knitter for it, let me know 🙂 I’m trying not to take on any knitting that’s actually due on Christmas day myself, but did just finish hat/mitt sets for the girls (and promptly handed them over) and am working on socks for Rick. I might make him wait ’til Christmas for them, just so I don’t feel like Knitter Scrooge.

  17. To the best of my knowledge the Browns have two colors. Brown and Orange. The brown was because when the Browns came to Cleveland way back when their coach was Paul Brown, thus the name. The only reason I know of for the Orange is that it goes with Brown better than most other colors. If that isn’t the real reason it sure does sound plausible.

  18. God is so good. Let me tell you why.

    I am anal about my Christmas lights.

    Seriously anal.

    Last night, I glanced over at my tree and noticed that I have a middle section that was not lighted properly.

    Rats. Upon inspection, I discovered maybe half of a string of unlit lights…and the ornaments are already on the tree.

    Although I have a full schedule, I am determined to get this fixed.

    So, I am going to Home Depot on my planning tomorrow.

    I.

    Must.

    Get.

    This.

    Gadget.

    There. I just took over your blog comments. My apologies. But my thanks to you. It’s all about the practical stuff…and helping fellow knitters not go insane (wait…I’m already insane…maybe this is mission to rescue those of us who are long gone). LOL

  19. I can hardly wait for the keyhole scarf pattern …. maybe in time to knit for Christmas giving and for sure in time for winter knits for many in our area who are cold and need a warm “scarf” gifted to them. Thank you for your continued super creative work – Jill

  20. I loved your children’s fingerless mitts. How can I get a patttern? I would love to make some for my granddaughters. I love your inspiring knitting projects. Thanks! Suzanne

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