That Time of Year...

Once again it is the end times, the last day of the old year. I'm in that limbo between finishing one half of a project and casting on the second half. A dear friend of mine in Philadelphia asked me to make her a pair of legwarmers and I'm taking my time on them. I'm ashamed to say that I started them on December 6 and finished the first one on December 28 or something. Got to get the second one done so that I can send it off before the weather gets warm! 

As with my food blog, my New Year's resolution is to take better knitting pictures. I know there are webinars out there for that, so I need to watch one and get crackin'. 

Before I get to that, though, let's look back a little. I wrote 18 posts over 9 months and got 650 page views. For a first foray into a knitting blog, I'm happy with this. I have posted over 50 projects on my Ravelry page, which I am super proud of. 

This year I figured out how to do lace, even though I still haven't figured out how to block. I knit a pair of amazing and functional hiking socks. I knit a few things in cotton that were really cool but didn't actually serve their purpose: the Hers Soap Holder that became my token holder for the Crescent City Farmer's Market and the Summer Cover-Up that is beautiful but that doesn't match with anything and that I hate to wear. I attempted to bring back the "What Not to Knit" genre of knitting blogs but was too afraid of offending people. It just wasn't funny when I tried to do it. Lastly, I designed a really funky necklace

that my co-worker loved. Her reaction was exactly what I was hoping for, except for "You should sell these!" It took me so long that I'd have to charge $30 or more for one. I haven't figured out how to make knitting profitable yet and probably never will.

Phew! Hooray for 2013. 2014 is going to be interesting... my GRE scores will probably expire soon so I have to seriously think about graduate school. I'm moving back home for a little while. Whatever happens, I will be glad to have another even-numbered year and say goodbye to 2013.

What's on your needles this New Year's Eve? I hope it's something sparkly and warm. 

Happy knitting, friends. Til next year...

A knitted medallion necklace

Although I am no artist, every once in awhile I get struck with an inspiration that comes out really cool. (Like my scissors cozy!) I have a co-worker who wears the coolest necklaces, including this one:

I wanted to try and re-create this using scrap yarn. I started out looping the yarn around cardboard circles to make the medallions, but then realized they wouldn't have the right heft to weigh down the necklace and make it sit right. So I used my handy-dandy awl (if you don't have an awl, I highly suggest you pick one up at a yard sale or something because you can use it for all kinds of really important tasks, like poking new holes in your leather belts!) and put a hole in a couple giveaway buttons. After threading the yarn through those, I knew that I would have the weight I needed. 

I picked colors that complimented each other and centered them around a button looped in bright pink mercerized cotton. I sewed the medallions together and knit two long strings of i-Cord out of the bottom-most medallion color. Next time I'll use a super soft yarn for the strings.

The strings are long enough so that you can vary the length, but I think it's best if it sits right on the chest, like so. 

Pretty cool, huh? 

Okaydone!

The socks are finished!

Hooray.

The Designer Went Loopy

One of my favorite blogs, which is unfortunately no longer running, was dedicated to ridiculous designs that should never have been designed, nor should ever take someone's money or time to create. I want to bring that spirit back.

Sock 1 of Two-Toned Cabled Booties Complete

My other foot is cold: 

Today while sick with a cold and bedridden I started the second sock. The coloring isn't exactly the same but I knew that was going to happen when I started. 

I'm thinking more and more that I may keep these socks for myself as they just look so weird. It's occurred to me that socks really aren't attractive. No matter what you do the foot always looks too long.

But cushy, oh my goodness - they're wonderful! I love wool socks. 

And it's so good to have a project on the needles again. I love the ache in my fingers. It helps me think that I'm preventing arthritis. Right? 

Two Tone Cable Booties

So after I finished my first shrug in June, two things kept me from knitting:

1) it was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hot. So yes, sometimes, only some of the times!, it is too hot to knit. I will admit it. I just didn't want to put anything on the needles.

2) things at work got super crazy. We hosted 330 volunteers and led about 10 projects with 4 staff so I was working long days and long weeks and just didn't want to do much of anything when I got home. I watched a few movies and TV shows, but dangit I just wanted to lie there and watch.

Then I went to my dad's family reunion and watched my cousin fiercely knitting socks. She knit from her own sock formula using hand painted yarn and size 1 bamboo needles. Watching her made me itch for needles and yarn, so when I got back to New Orleans I made myself cast something - anything! - on. I started dreaming up Christmas presents, but first I started these booties using two types of wool yarn. The light purple is the leftover from the Better than EMS Socks I made in May and the dark purple yarn is a double-stranded wool I pulled from my home stash. They're both rather chunky and will make some lovely cable booties. I imagine they soles'll felt up a bit with wear.

They do fit my feet, but I'm not sure yet if I'll keep them for myself.

I just have to make myself keep on them... it's been a little while. 

My FINALLY Shrug

This is technically my second garment, because the first I made was the shawl back in May for the silent auction. But because this piece is actually for me, I am calling it my FIRST garment ever made! I'm so thrilled. It's like wearing a hug and I may have to progress on to a more shaped cardigan next. 

In other news, I have to figure out how to take better pictures of knitted things like this... 

This is really just a picture of my boobs, haha. 

I wore this piece to church on Sunday and a couple folks asked if I'd made the shrug (which of course made my day). When I told them that I did, I mentioned that it's really easy because all you're doing is knitting a rectangle and then sewing it up. This is what I originally did; I knitted a rectangle and sewed it up at the edges like the pattern says. But the photograph on Lion Brand's website is misleading. (I'm also going to argue that their pictured shrug was blocked.) If you leave the sleeves sewn straight, you get a sort of winged effect. It did not look good. So, I ripped out the sewn edge and folded the corners over while modeling the shrug to make the sleeves as tight as I could. 

I was unable to make them look seamless, but the seams at least sort of hide in your armpits so who's going to notice? I just like knowing that my arms are covered. Now I can finally wear sleeveless dresses to the office without feeling like a skank.

I need to cast on something new. Any suggestions?