What next?

I’ve finished McCafferty :-)  Here it is sitting on the bedroom floor blocking!

I think it will be for me, because I had no one in mind when I started it   It turned out beautiful and it would make a wonderful gift, I just don’ t know who I’d give it to? So would it be so terrible if I gifted it to myself? I think I know the answer to that! I shall try to take modeled shots soon (when it’s not so cold outside!)

So, what to start next?  I have a huge list of gifts to make, I just don’t know what to start on next.  On the agenda is this little tortoise . . . from the Knit Simple magazine (but I don’t have the yarn for this yet)

    A ‘Wrap Me Up Puppy’ from Susan B. Anderson

This pretty little hat and gloves set is already on my needles from last year, so I could finish that off!

And these Thuja socks are on my list too

Hubby keeps hinting that he wants a sweater knit! To be honest, I’ve never knit hubby anything! He’s never shown an interest in getting socks or a hat from me and it’s a running joke that I won’t make him anything! but I wonder if I should try this . . .

Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood. I’ve always liked the look of it, but not sure I could knit it as a surprise as I would want to make sure it was fitting as I knit it? What do you think? Should I just try it and let him know I’m knitting it, or could I try and keep it a surprise?  Have any of you knit it for your man? Kelly I think you did it for Moose didn’t you? Did he try it on as you knit? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Yarn Along!

I wanted to join in with Yarn Along last week but never got around to it. Then I saw Northern Knitters post and that reminded me again to get out my camera. I know I just shared pics of McCafferty yesterday but I thought I’d take another photo today next to the book I’ve been reading. I actually just finished this book by Jodi Picoult. We read it for our January book club meeting that I hosted at my house last Thursday.

I thought it rather fitting that the book jacket matched the yarn I was using for McCafferty, which by the way is Knit Picks Palette. The color is ‘Fawn’, although it looks more like a soft burnt orange to me.  The book was a good read, about a young Amish girl accused of murdering her newborn! Made for a rather interesting book club discussion.

Ginny at Small Things is also having a giveaway with this week’s Yarn Along. If you hurry you might still have time to enter!

ADVENTure Update!

It’s the 25th of January already! I thought I’d be on the ball and write a post to update about my ADVENTure :-) Hopefully I can link up with Kristyn later too when she puts her post up.

I’m trying my best to only knit one project at a time right now. I have a ton of things on the needles from last year and if I think about them all I’d get a bit overwhelmed, so they are tucked away safely in my ‘wip basket’ and as and when I feel like it, I’ll pull one item out at a time, OR I will cast on something completely new.

After I finished the Juliet Scarf (which still needs blocking!) I did cast on for something completely new. This (above) is McCafferty! A beautiful pattern created by a beautiful young girl. I’m sure many of you know Lily (and her Mom Amanda from JoliHouse). They live in my neck of the woods in England ;-)

To be really honest with you I never intended this to be a gift, I’ve loved the pattern ever since Lily’s Mom blogged about it, and I just had to buy it as soon as it was available. I have every intention of keeping this for myself  - is that naughty of me? No, I didn’t think so ;-)

I did cast on for something really easy while I was knitting the lace edging of this, and it is to be gifted . . .

Hard to tell from this picture, but this is a simple cowl using Lion Brand’s Homespun. It has a contrasting ‘fluffy’ edge. I can’t quite remember the name of the yarn but I’ll put it on the finished details once it’s complete.  I plan on making a pair of mittens to match with fluffy cuffs too. Should be a rather nice gift set I think.

So, that’s what’s on my needles this month. What’s on yours?

ADVENTure!

Have you seen Kristyn’s posts about her ADVENTures? I only read about it yesterday over at ‘Stitching Under Oaks’, but I love the concept.

As I mentioned before I have already made a start on my Christmas gift knitting for this year, but it’s great to see I’m not alone and that there are others committed to doing this. It will be so motivating as I move through the year (because I’m bound to ease up on the gifts as the warmer weather arrives and memories of winter months and Christmas start to fade!). On the 25th of each month Kristyn will be posting about her ADVENTure happenings, showing completed projects, projects in progress, and sharing tips for success and encouragement along the way. She’ll also be putting up a Mr. Linky so we can join in  - which I hope to do.

The Juliet Scarf I just finished is to be gifted this year, I also have a couple of projects that I completed last year that now have someone’s name attached to them ;-)  As I post about the projects I’ve just completed I won’t mention who they are for incase any recipient happens to read this!

I’m busy working on McCafferty…. not sure yet if this is for me or if it will be a gift! I’ll try to take wip pics soon.

(above pics are past projects that were gifted a couple of years ago)

Hmmm… what to knit?

I finished the Juliet Scarf I started a couple of weeks ago – another 2011 Christmas gift, but shhhhh! I won’t say who it’s for!

I took some pictures today but it still needs blocking.  The yarn is Sublime Angora Merino in a kind of taupe color. One skein wasn’t enough to make this thing look like a ‘scarfette let alone a scarf, so I broke in to the second skein and used about a 1/4 of it. I didn’t want it too long, just enough to cross over and pin the little flower to it (which still needs a button or something in the center of it).

First picture was taken without the flash, the above and below pictures were taken with flash. Huge difference in colors but I think the ‘flash’ pics are more accurate to the color.  I doubt I’d knit another of these. The pattern wasn’t easy to memorize (except for the wrong side rows) and I kept forgetting a YO every now and then, resulting in knitting backwards a couple of rows!

So, once that was cast off yesterday, I cast on and made a beaded cuff! I’ll finish the other one off tonight. Knit with Knit Picks Merino DK. Not sure who these will be for yet, I just felt like trying them. Rather cute looking I think.

     So, what to knit next? I have a ton of ‘wips’ in my closet that I don’t even want to think about yet! I would like to sort out all my stash and craft stuff then maybe I’ll feel more in the mood to finish some old projects off. But for now I feel more in the mood for casting on another Christmas gift  . . . .  I just don’t know what yet?

Nearly New Year

We are enjoying another relaxing week at home, after hubby decided to take this week off work too!

‘Santa’ brought me lots of fab knitting books last week that I’ve been browsing through each night. . . . (I’ll take pics of the other ones later), here’s me on Christmas day with one of them.

I’ve been knitting lots,  I’m half way through the Juliet Scarf  and I knit one of these mittens this week (shown on the front of this book I got last year)

but it’s TOO BIG!!!!  I’m surprised too because I went down a needle size. I know I should check gauge but I didn’t on the Bella Mittens and they turned out perfect. I shall probably pull this one out and start the smaller size on yet a smaller needle? I thought perhaps it would shrink if I hand washed it in hot water? but then I thought better not, just frog and reuse the yarn to start again.

So what is everyone up to for New Years Eve? Do you set any resolutions? My resolution is to knit as many Christmas gifts as I can for next year and to use a lot of yarn I have in stash for the projects :-)

Finished Bellas

These were a great knit. The pattern was really well written, no errors, and such a fast knit. I’m really happy with them. You can see my Rav details HERE.

(it’s not really snowing here, I’ve just been playing around with Picnik.com!)

As usual I found it hard to get good pictures! These used less than one ball of Malabrigo Merino Worsted. I would definitely make them again.  So that’s another gift ready for 2011! I’m on a roll. I cast on tonight for the Juliet Scarf ;-)