Felted Bowls

I'm relieved to find out that I can easily knit up a felted bowl in one evening. I'm using the pattern from One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet, another book I absolutely adore. Why am I relieved? Because it's almost November, and I have many friends and family members to make gifts for. I'm also going to felt bags for gifts. Here are my first two holiday gift bowls, pre- and post-felting. My felting technique is very simple: I just toss them in the washing machine with soap and hot water.

My favorite gloves

The weather's getting colder, so the other day I dug out these fingerless gloves that I knit a couple of years ago. They are starting to show their age because I've worn them a lot, because I love them! The pattern is from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, a book I can't recommend highly enough. I've made so many things from this book: kids denim pants, stuffed bunny and elephant, kids scarf, a little purse, baby hats and adult hats.

For these gloves, I used the same yarn used in the book pattern, the name of which escapes me. It's a wool/silk/cashmere blend and very cozy to wear. I like having my fingers free to avoid the clumsiness that often accompanies wearing full gloves.

My Friend Makes Monsters!

My friend Sharon knits amazing custom monsters, each one based on a sketch drawn by the child who will receive it as a gift. Here's Claire with the devil monster that Sharon knit for her 8th birthday. Sharon rocks!

Josie's sweater

I finished this sweater in size 2T for Josie's 2nd birthday party today, but the sleeves look way too skinny. The yarn is the same as for Claire's cardigan, and I used a pattern from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits: Patterns for Babies and Toddlers. What happened with the sleeves? Boo hoo.

Currently In Progress

1. Rolled brim hat with Manos wool
2. Lacy socks in multi-color orange, pink, yellow sock yarn on tiny size 1 needles
3. Afghan for my mom (described in earlier post)
4. Hat for Nigel with black Debbie Bliss Aran Cashmerino
5. Many felted bowls for Christmas presents (none started yet, but I have tons of worsted weight merino wool, and they are fast & easy!)
6. Josie's cardigan for her 2nd birthday -- almost done, just sewing together, and I need to pick up stitches to knit the button band, and pick out buttons. It's made with the same yarn that I made Claire's cardigan with (see below) because Claire and Josie are "side twins" -- born on the same day, six years apart.

I'll post pics of each of these projects as I finish them!

My Mom's Christmas Present

I'm about two-thirds done with this afghan, and although I'm getting tired of it, it's a good piece to pick up in between projects. Once I memorized the repeating six-row pattern it became a very relaxing and repetitive piece of work. The final product will consist of ten balls of Cascade 220: six yellow, two off-white, and two caramel brown. The lacy pattern is more traditional than my usual knitting, but I think it will look lovely in my Mom's house. I don't remember exactly where the pattern is from; I think it was a scarf pattern that I multiplied to the size of an afghan.

A cardigan for Claire!

I'm proud of this sweater, knit for (and modeled by) my 8-year-old daughter. The pattern is from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for Older Kids: Quick-to-Knit Patterns for Four- to Ten-Year-Olds and it was surprisingly fast and easy. I used the yarn recommended in the pattern, Classic Elite Paintbox. I was mesmerized to see the yarn change color every stitch. Best of all, she loves wearing it!