Saturday, October 11, 2008

The FO Parade

And we're back! With FOs!

In the past couple months my knitting education has continued, especially since it is no longer hotter than the seventh level of hell in the apartment (next year: air conditioning. Seriously.) And since I haven't posted in such a long time, it stands to reason that I would have a lot of finished stuff to show off. So without further ado here is the FO Parade!


Finished Little Leaf hat. It turned out a bit big for a newborn, but babies' heads grow fast and winter is coming quickly. The baby this is meant for is due in about a month, so I'm thinking this hat will see some fair usage. This is the project that made my mom click in that I was actually a knitter and actually making pretty, useful things. (Now she won't stop hounding me for a Sunday Market shawl. Too bad for her, I don't think I could survive another one quite so soon. I'm planning a Moebius wrap for her for Christmas.)


Kitty ears hat, here modeled by Nathalie. This one is so so, I kinda wish I'd done it in the round with a three-needle bind off instead of my half-assed seaming. It also ended up way too big for the person I intended to give it to, so it's sitting in the workbin doing nothing right now.


Same pattern as Rusty, this one was for a girl from work who was moving away. She really wanted one "like the one you made for Sam", and at the time I was trying to get this Manos yarn to become something it didn't really want to be, so I frogged that and just did this instead. I'm not entirely happy with the fringe, it stayed curly and I didn't have the patience to block it. But she liked it so, I guess it's ok. (The ladybug button is kind of an inside joke, and my way of wishing her luck.)


A couple cup sleeves I crocheted. That's right, crocheted. Chris taught me single, half double and double crochet, and these were my practice runs on single crochet. So, will I be trading in my needles for hooks?... Yeah not likely. Sure it's faster, but it cramps my fingers and I don't like the look as much as knitting. Also for some reason it makes me nervous that you're not building on a solid object, but on a chain of loops not really anchored to anything. But at least now if a knit pattern requires me to finish off with crochet I can do it.


Armwarmers for Chibi, modified with eyelets around the wrist so I could put a ribbon in. (Apparently I can't tie a bow to save my life. Who knew!)


Now this I am still pretty darn proud of. I finished this two days ago and dang it, I felt pretty damn smart. It's a beret I made for Nat, using the Freedom Spirit I still had at the bottom of my stash that was doing nothing. I originally cast it on for myself but she mentioned she liked that yarn a lot, so I decided she could have it. And then she put it on and looked so friggin' cute so that sealed it. (She made me a pretty pretty set of stitch markers in exchange, so everyone is happy!) I'm casting on a set of fingerless mitts to match with the last skein. This hat used exactly one ball, with maybe a yard left over. I did a happy dance. Pics of her wearing it will be taken soon.

So what is next for the Nemo?

Well, I picked up another skein of Manos del Uruguay at the Farmers' Market a couple weeks ago, because it immediately made me think of my mother. I made her some yoga socks (no heels, no toes so she can still have a good grip on the floor) and they are almost done, all they need is single crochet around the heel slit. They're a little big so they might get felted a tad before she gets them.

Then my friend Crystal requested some mittens, and I will most likely use my leftover Patons Rumor for that, though I'm kind of on the fence about it since it is mostly acrylic (and the alpaca sheds like a bitch). But unless I can find a really nice bulky red wool, that's what I plan to use.

And today my grandmother said she'd like some thick wool socks to keep her feet warm in winter, so we took a trip to Cricket Cove. Then we decided to make that felted clogs instead, and she ended up buying not only the yarn, but also the needles and the pattern so I could make them for her. It was a bit expensive and I feel bad she paid that much, but she wouldn't let me foot the bill even for the needles and pattern. So I'll be making her those, out of Alafoss Lopi wool. Everyone says that pattern is simple once you get the hang of it, but the instructions look a little daunting... Oh well, nothing like a challenge! (That had a little bit of an ominous feel to it, didn't it? Sort of like famous last words.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmmmmanos. Scarf is gorgeous. Little hat is cute! Kitty ears is LOL... I've been wanting to knit one of those for myself, despite being far too old to wear it. =D

Anonymous said...

ALSO.

The felted clogs really are easy if you just blindly follow the pattern--looking at it, it seems complex, but it makes sense in the end.