Neither Hip Nor Funky

Thanks for all your kind words about my mom’s tablecloth; she really appreciated the gift.

I have one last set of Christmas gifts which segue nicely into the title of this post.I made a couple of gifts for my niece that weren’t originally meant to be a set, but definitely went together well in her mind.

First, this colored pencil roll from Last Minute Quilted Gifts:

This thing was insanely fun to make. It was also well-received, which was great since you never really know with gifts for a four year old.

I also made her a beret from my handspun:

This was spun from Pigeonroof Studios SW Merino in Pink Lady. The pattern was just made up as I went along. It definitely needs some elastic in the ribbing.

When my dad joked like he was putting on the hat, my niece responded in an exasperated tone “No, Papu, it’s for my artist.”*

Good thing we train them in stereotypes early

This leads me into Handspun February. I started a group over on Flickr to concentrate on working with handspun this February. Fight off that winter ennui with some fluffy fibery goodness. The group is for spinners and non-spinners alike. Make yourself some goals for February, whether it is knitting with handspun, spinning more, or concentrating on spinning for particular projects, and come join us.

*She later told me the hat was stinky. This seemed odd at first until I remembered that I had wetblocked it at my in-laws house where the water smells like sulphur. I love how young ‘uns tell you the truth.

This was the main gift that I wanted to make this year.  My grandma passed away last summer, and one of the things I requested from the house was linens.  This was with the intention of making this tablecloth for my mom.

My mom has spent most of the last five years taking care of, first, both her parents and then her mom.

My mother is also such a good hearted person that whenever she felt any tinge of stress or annoyance resulting from this responsibility she would feel bad about having that feeling.

I think she definitely deserved something special for all the love and care that she showed her parents over the last years of their lives.

Pattern: Hannah’s Tablecloth by Annie Modesitt in Handknit Holidays
Yarn: Louet Euroflax 3 skeins (really more like 2.5)
Needles: Addi US 4

The napkins I used were 16″ as opposed to the 21″ called for in the pattern. I went down a needle size, and it worked out perfectly.  It is about 36″x54″.

I didn’t do very many projects for gifts this year.  However, I picked a couple bigger ones that kept me occupied and led to blog silence.

The first of these:

Pattern: Regal Frost Cushions from Handknit Holidays
Yarn: MC:Classic Elite Classic One Fifty in Daisy
CC: Kathmandu Rustic Wool DK in Mustard
Needles: US 4

Present for my oldest sister. I made her some cushions last year, but I really wasn’t satisfied with the ones tha tI made.

This one is a whopper of a cushion at 20″

Mods:

• The biggest mod is that I modified this to knit in the round, adding a lined dot pattern on the back.  This is simply becuase colorwork in the round is faster and much, much more pleasant to do.
• I also added a purl “seam” on the sides of the pillow in the contrast color.
• There are quite a few places in this pattern where you are carried your second color for long distances, so I twisted the floats every so often.
• Mine was not turning out square, so I eliminated  a few of the plain rounds at the beginning and end.
• I did a 3 needle bind off at the top and seamed the bottom around the pillow form.

They aid the cycling in snow with the superpowers  on them by Nancy Bush

They make the calves extra sexy to help with traction.

Mods: I knit the cuff over 120 stitches instead of 80.
And…well there was this unfortunate original mod.

That is what happens when you knit one sock, and then knit the second sock on a ferry hundred of miles away from the first. Stupidest knitting mistake ever! I didn’t even notice it until I was taking a picture. This wouldn’t have been nearly as frustrating if I had caught it earlier. I had just kitchenered the second cuff onto the sock. (I didn’t have enough yellow with me on vacation, so I knit the sock in two parts with the intention of kitchenering it together later.)

When I posted to Flickr in July, other knitters tried to console me with how not bad it was, but I knew I would feel silly every time I saw these socks. So they went to time out for four months. I fixed it by cutting of the cuff, picking up the stitches and knitting the new (matching) cuff in reverse.

Now:

matchy-matchie

Pattern: Cycling Sock with Trellis pattern in Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Knitpicks Essential and bits of yellow Koigu
Needles: US1

A month later….and another hat. (And the hats are not over with yet.)

Pattern: Breiwick Beret by Gudrun Johnston of Shetland Trader
Yarn: Queensland Rustic Wool Dk (love) in Mustard
Needles: US4 and US7

I test knit this for Gudrun. Loved the pattern, loved the yarn.  Loving the slight slouch.  You can knit this one in Dk for a moderate amount of slouch or in worsted weight for a bit more body.

The yarn has a kettle dyed look to it that gives it great depth.  I actually bought more of this color for a pillow for my sister b/c I loved the color so much.

I do actually have another post for you this week with a snow photoshoot, but most of my other knits are pesky holiday affairs that I am trying to hide from family.  So no peeks yet….but they are damn impressive (if I do say so myself).