Tag Archive | handknits

Bandana Cowl

What’s today, Tuesday? I think that’s right. I’m still sleeping downstairs with a dog and I do believe it’s killing brain cells every night. But Duncan did well by himself yesterday while we were all gone, mostly thanks to a healthy dose of a sedative. He slept all day and all evening and didn’t perk up until 4 am, unfortunately. He got a slightly smaller dose today and hopefully that will balance things out a bit. Anyway, I’m really here to share the knitting, because I finished a project. I started a Bandana Cowl last week with some Woolfolk LUFT from my stash.

I LOVE this yarn. It’s so soft and lightweight, it’s like wearing a warm cloud. I had a little over a skein and a half so I just kept knitting the top part until the yarn was almost gone. It’s been done for a few days, even washed and blocked, but I never found a good time to take photos, until yesterday, when I wore it for the first time.

It’s perfect, just perfect. I can pull it up to cover part of my face and it’s super warm without being heavy. And I just now looked up the fiber content: it’s 55% merino and 45% Pima cotton. I had no idea there was cotton in there! Well, this is the best yarn I’ve ever used with cotton in it and now I want more. Except not because I’m not adding to my stash right now! Right? Right!

Baa? Bah!

Jan8

One of my work knitting friends makes the cutest animals, some knit, some crochet. She’s done elephants and pigs and I don’t know what else, but I love them. Most recently she made the cutest little sheep and I just had to make one for myself. It’s small and quick enough that I made it all in one night, just a few hours.

So cute! And soft! And fluffy! And so fiddly to make that it’s gonna be one and done for me! Now, I probably got annoyed because I sewed the legs wrong the first time, and had to pull it apart and re-sew them, but still, making tiny animals has never been my favorite thing. So now I have my wee sheep and I can move on…to Eeyore. Sigh. I know, I never learn.

Duncan’s getting better every day, which is good and bad. He’s well behaved until around 3:30 in the afternoon, and then he’s bored and restless and wants to do all the things he’s not allowed to do. Yesterday we got a delivery of new Benebone chew toys, which was a huge help.

Not sure what I’ll do this afternoon when I have no more new toys to give him, though!

Chasing Squirrels

Jan7

I had projects picked out to work on while I’m home with Duncan; I even cast on a new one this morning. But then I decided I wanted to knit a little sheep, and also I want to crochet a little Eeyore. So I pulled out my baskets of yarn leftovers for those, and stumbled across a shawl I made six years ago that had dropped stitches and was a tangled mess. Like a dog distracted by a squirrel, I decided I really needed to frog that shawl and reclaim the yarn. Guys, it took over two hours.

But hey, I have a ball of purple yarn to add back to my stash! Sadly, it’s weird yarn (Feza Yarns Alp Natural) that’s a mixture of different fibers, including one stretch of velvet/chenille stuff that knits up weird. Plus, each stretch of yarn is joined by a knot, and I don’t love that. I don’t know if I’ll try it again any time soon, but it is a good feeling to at least have it available if I want want, rather than a shawl I couldn’t wear.

I was more focused yesterday, which is how I also have a new FO to share. This is another Flor de Maio cowl, which I’ve made four times now, in Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca Grande Glow.

fullsizeoutput_2531 I love knitting with alpaca. I love the thread of sparkle in the Grande Glow. Sadly, I can’t wear it next to my neck, so this one is for a friend at work. And now that this is done, and the yarn untangling is done, maybe I’ll get back to the Bandana cowl I cast on this morning!

Sock It To Me Monday

Jan6

With much of my weekend spent lounging on a mattress with Duncan, I have a finished sock to share today! This is my Yarn Geek sock, with accents from leftovers.

The next one will have the accents reversed, just for fun! And to spice things up, I switched the rib pattern to 7×1. Wild, right?? This yarn isn’t silky soft, but it feels thick and durable, and I’m guessing they’ll wear really well. I cast on the second sock last night and I’m looking forward to having a new pair of socks…partly because all my handknit socks are dirty and I haven’t had a chance to wash them! I might have to make an exception and put them in the washer this time.

Yesterday I got a break from dog-sitting and took the boy to Half Price Books, where I found Amy Herzog’s Ultimate Sweater Book. It says it’s a guide for “adventurous knitters”, and I don’t think I’m there yet but I aspire to be! And after that, the husband was still happy to chill with Duncan, so I got time to wash and block my lastest FOs.

The break was lovely because now I’m back on the mattress. The husband and the girl are at work and the boy is hoping to go visit the girlfriend, so it’s all me today. Don’t worry, I’ll make the boy give me a break before he leaves! And I did manage to get Duncan in the crate this morning while I had breakfast, just to get him used to it. He looked sad and pathetic but was very calm and resigned. He didn’t whine or paw at the door or bark. So I’m cautiously optimistic, and my next step will be to put him in there and then go upstairs for a while and see how he does without a person around. Overall, managing his recovery has gone more smoothly than I was expecting. Here’s hoping it stays that way even after I have to go back to work!

Knitting with a Dog

Jan5

Today is Duncan’s second full day at home after his knee surgery, and he’s doing really well. He’s touching the leg to the ground at times, even putting some weight on it, which is better than I expected. The hardest part is going to be keeping him calm while everything heals. I think the first couple of weeks will be the most critical, and after that we can start slowly building in a little more activity. Actually, the hardest part are the nights. He hates the cone, not surprisingly, so we’ve been sitting with him 24/7 and keeping him on a leash to restrict movement and prevent him from licking the incision. The husband and I took turns sleeping downstairs with him the last two nights, and it’s not very restful, but at least Duncan gets some sleep that way. We can manage this for a couple of weeks, right?

ee16171f-a91d-467f-9e8d-cbab1b57c5ee Also not surprisingly, I’ve had some knitting time while sitting with Duncan, and I’ve finished two projects! The first is the Botta Stole, which I don’t think I’ve mentioned before. It’s basically a scarf, and I chose it for a special skein of Aspen, a blend of merino/silk/cashmere from Baah Yarns. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to yardage and I didn’t have as much as the pattern called for, so mine will be a bit short. I’m hoping it will block out long enough to wear with a shawl pin or ring.

db945b6d-a29d-49dc-a58c-b2d2a6e55def That is a terrible photo and I do apologize, but my opportunities to take photos in good light are a bit limited right now. I promise I’ll get a better one after it’s done blocking! My other finished item is a sock, so I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post. And two finished items means I get to cast on two new items, so that’s what I’ll be doing while Duncan and I watch the Golden Globes tonight!

Sock It To Me Monday

Dec30

As I’m sure you are aware, Christmas is over. And this year at least, I’m one of those “okay it’s done let’s put away all the Christmas stuff!” people. That doesn’t bode well for Christmas socks that are still on the needles! I used what little self-discipline I had to at least finish the one in progress yesterday while binge-watching ER.

img_6453-1 Now I can put them in hibernation until late next year with a clean conscience, and I’ve freed up a set of sock needles, because you never know when you’ll need to cast on a new pair of socks!

Duncan is doing relatively well with his new restrictions. We have had to block off the couches and the stairs because he’s stubborn and thinks he’s fine, but he’s got a couple of comfy dog beds and has learned to lay down when we tell him to…sometimes. He still gets bored and restless every so often and decides it’s a fun time to wrestle with the other dogs or zoom around the dining room, so I’m hoping he’s easier to keep calm once he’s doped up after the surgery. Now we just need to get him used to pooping somewhere other than the backyard — it’s like potty-training a toddler again.

Happy Monday, friends!

Just Try It: A FO

Dec29

Let’s get back to a bit of knitting, shall we? Over my Christmas break I pulled a skein of Magpie Fibers Swanky DK out of my stash and it became a neck tube! I wanted something snug enough that I could feel the cashmere softness against my skin and long enough to snuggle down into when it’s cold. I haven’t gotten to wear it yet but I think it will be wonderfully cozy.

The pattern is Just Try It and I did the slimmest version, which I think they call the “guy version”. It’s so simple and knitting ribbing with a cashmere blend was so much my jam that I wanted to knit until the yarn was gone. Instead, I stopped when the cowl was about 10″ tall and decided to make fingerless mitts with the rest of the skein.

I scoured Ravelry to find a good ribbed pattern for sport weight yarn, since I wanted the mitts to match the neck tube, and I couldn’t find one that looked like I what I wanted. So I decided to improvise my own pattern! I took my favorite fingerless mitt pattern, the 75 Yard Malabrigo Mitts, and cast on fewer stitches with smaller needles and did the same ribbing pattern as in the cowl. The thumb I did the same as the original mitts since I couldn’t figure out how to make it ribbed, and I love how it turned out, growing out of one of the stockinette sections. I made them snug and short, perfect for wearing while I’m doing things like typing or knitting, and they’re officially my favorite new mitts.

These took 95 yards and I had enough left over that I could have made the cuff a bit longer, but I’m pleased with them. You can see the pattern notes here if you’re interested.

Back to real life

Dec26

Almost. I don’t have to go back to work until Monday but all the holiday stuff is over and now it’s time to just relax for a few days. Which is good because I got A LOT of yarn that I want to play with! The husband had a good time picking out yarn and he chose VERY well. But I restrained myself to winding just two skeins and casting on two new projects, a shawl and a new pair of socks. The sock yarn is Yarn Geek and the shawl is Blissful Knits, both sellers on Etsy.

There is a teeny tiny part of me that is a bit overwhelmed by my yarn stash at the moment, feeling like I have reached SABLE (stash acquired beyond life expectancy) and it makes me want to cast on all the things, so I might cast on a new hat today too.

In other gifting news, I gifted two pairs of socks and one hat, and all three were well-received! And I think they might even all fit, how about that? Hope your handmade items were equally loved!

Color Me Happy!

Dec21

This project has been done for over two weeks, blocked and everything, and it wasn’t until yesterday that I was able to get some good photos. First it was too late in the evening and there wasn’t enough light, then there was so much cold and snow. But we’re in a warm stretch at the moment so I snuck out to the back yard after work yesterday with my new Color Me Happy Cowl.

fullsizeoutput_250c I didn’t measure it after blocking but before blocking it was at least 30″ long. This is a beast of a cowl, and I have to admit, it was a trudge to knit. So much stockinette in the round! I’d rather do that much ribbing any day. But wow, how I love the way the colors go together! And it’s easier to wear than I thought it would be, since it’s so long. It just all mushes up together around your neck.

There was one section with a bit of lace to break up all the stockinette, and that helped with the monotony. A little.

The green yarn is Ella Rae Lace Merino, the purple is Holiday Yarns FlockSock Sock, and the variegated is Supernatural Yarns Pixie Sock. And not only did I pull all these from my stash, but I have enough of the purple and variegated to make some gorgeous socks. And now, because it’s so pretty and the light was good, here are the rest of the photos because I couldn’t pick which ones to use!

Now I must go finish my holiday chores before I can get back to knitting!

FO Friday: Sweater!

Dec20

You didn’t really think I had a person-sized sweater to show off, did you? No, the only sweaters I’m making progress on are wine bottle sweaters. Look at this super-cute baseball version:

That’s a gift for a very good friend who’s a huge Kansas City Royals fan, and I’ve got more of those buttons so I’ll probably make more. Maybe I can sell a few next year! I’ve also got another red one finished and a green one on the needles. I decided the mother and one of the SILs each need one. Why I couldn’t decide this a month ago, I have no idea, but there you have it. This is the Christmas tradition: declare I’m not making a lot of Christmas gifts, then decide at the last minute that I want to make Christmas gifts for so many people. And that, friends, is why we all declare January selfish-knitting month!

Hope you all are having a happy holiday season so far!