WIP Wednesday: Let the IOU Knitting Begin

I didn't do as much gift knitting as I have in years past, but I did try something new: giving a skein of yarn as a gift and letting the recipient decide what it becomes. My parents are huge Royals fans, so when I found some colorways celebrating the Royals' World Series title, I knew I had to get it for them. Since it was from a small hand-dyer who dyes everything to order, the yarn wouldn't arrive until the middle of December - too late for me to knit anything as a gift. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it inspired me to try a different approach, instead of engaging in some stressful deadline knitting. Plus, they got to pick the exact pattern they wanted!

Royals-inspired colorways from Nerd Girl Yarns.

My Dad chose a ribbed hat pattern, which I have already started in the Blue OKCtober colorway:

My mom chose a pretty cowl design which I will get on the needles soon, but for now I need to focus on this stranded colorwork cowl - this is about a week's worth of work! I didn't realize how long it's been since I did a colorwork project, and turns out I am quite slow at it. This is destined to be a booth sample for Bijou Basin Ranch, so I will need to be pretty diligent with my progress.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I spent the holidays in Kansas City and had plenty of crafting time thanks to a 15-hour Amtrak ride round-trip. I couldn't resist starting some fingerless mitts with the newest yarn from Ancient Arts, Reinvent - but when I went to pull out my pattern, I discovered that I had only printed part of it, and the pattern chart was totally missing. Oops! Luckily, I don't mind winging it, and I ended up creating some simple garter-and-stockinette mitts which fit me perfectly (or they will, once they're done):

I received a lot of awesome gifts this holiday season, among them two new books which will certainly inspire new projects in 2016:

Hope you had a great holiday, too!

Comments

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

A Finished Sweater, With Cat Hair

After losing Tilly and Robin within a year of each other, I sure didn't think I'd be finding cat hair in my knitting any time soon. But the universe had other ideas. Over the winter, a white feral cat adopted us. I'd noticed her when we moved into our apartment last summer - I would see her hiding in the bushes or sunning herself in the grass when she thought no one was looking. I assumed she was someone's cat until I realized how skittish she was around humans, plus she had a tipped ear, which is a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been spayed. Neighbors confirmed that she was a feral kitty (descended from several generations of feral cats, in fact), and that she has survived on her wits and whatever food various residents put out for her. We had some bitterly cold days over the winter, and I just felt so sorry for this poor kitty! I started offering her treats and slowly gained her trust. She didn't even want to come inside our apartment at first, much le...

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

handmade by stefanie

Search This Blog