FO Update

Okay, I don't know where to begin. I put 9 photos up so I guess I will just comment on each of them...


These first two are of my most recent spinning. The first is a mixture of chocolate brown and cream colored alpaca. It started out okay but as I kept spinning the fibers became less "in-line" with (for lack of a better description) the yarn and as a result a lot of fuzzy ends are sticking out...? I think I was hurrying and backing up (undoing the twist) to get a smaller yarn too much. I need to do more pre-drafting.









I also recently got rovings in these colors and also black and white. I figured this way I can do some color blending. I did, however, learn from the alpaca a little about blending...unless you want the two colors to be distinct as they are above, blend with combs or carders... I have since blended the red with white and the red with black using two pet slicker brushes as carders. It worked but I have more to learn in the way of methods....

This yarn is very soft and lofty though so I am pleased.




This is the finished Hoody for Carter. I like the design but I need to work more on fitting. It is almost tight on him. But, if the amount of time he wears it is any indication, he loves it. I like the stained-glass quality of the colors surrounded by the black and the fact that the body was knit sideways. However, I hate this yarn with a passion (Lion brand Homespun)! Because it is a bucle yarn you have to make sure every end is knotted. And while this yarn can be forgiving of errors I would prefer to be able to see my stitches a little more.








Ta-Da!!! This is the finished, felted stocking for Jake using the yarn we dyed to his color specifications. Max called it the Mardi-Gras stocking when it was still unfelted. I just call it cool. Because I knit it so loosely it really shrunk a lot. More than the usual third. This is probably about half the size it was before I tossed it in the tub and took out my aggression on it...













This is a fingerless mitt I made with some of the left over yarn from the stocking above. The pattern is from "Favorite Mittens" It is a fascinating book. The author tells you the history of each pattern. And, the patterns are written in a long hand way that is very conversational, easy to understand, and most important for me--easy to adapt. I learned a wonderful new cast-on method that she calls a Maine cast on. It is wonderfully elastic and has a pretty edge. It is sort of like the long-tail (or slingshot) method with an added twist to each stitch. I also got helpful information about faire-isle technique. If you haven't already, check out this book!







These are some of the socks I did for Christmas. I had already wrapped the ones for my Mom and Dad when I took this. They were done in Marble yarn and Caron's Simply Soft Shadows.









This is the hat I made for Jake on a whim one day. We had stopped at AC Moore for more sock yarn (what else) and I let him pick out one skein of whatever and this was it. It is crappy Red-Heart yarn but he loves the colors and for something a 2-yr old is going to lose or destroy it was cheap. Hopefully his taste in yarn will improve with age. He knows colors now I just have to teach him about hand and drape... Anyway, he loves it and looks cute in it.






This is the hat I made for Addison. The pattern is from Knitty and was wonderfully easy. I would have used Pattons Classic Merino but the local stores didn't have these colors (school colors don't you know) so I used Lion Brand Wool instead. It works up to the same guage. It costs the same as Pattons but I noticed the other day that the Pattons is a 100 gram skein and the Lion Brand is only an 85 gram skein!!! Another reason to use Pattons!








This is the hat I designed and made for Max. Yes, Max! He was with me when I got the wool for Addison's hat and I said something like, "You know, Sweetheart, if you ever want my to knit anything for you, just ask. I'd be happy to make you anything you want." HINT. HINT. HINT.

This is the 13-year old who absolutely hated the socks I made for him last year and only wore the sweater I made for him last Christmas once (when I forced him to). So, I had given up on him ever wanting ANYTHING. And, amazingly enough while we are picking out the wool for his Dad's hat he decides he likes the teal and grey and could I please make him a hat out of them? I almost fell over in the store... The main design element is from Vogue Stitchionary 3 (color).

I still need to sew the tails in on the baby blanket and photograph it. I am finishing up a pair of cabled socks for my boss. I will photograph them and post the pattern as soon as I finish. I am also still working on....drumroll please

Harlot shawl; pink and orange bag thing to be felted; rug for bathroom; large pillow; SWS pillow; two ponchos (homespun again--yuck!); dress socks for Addison; faire-isle socks for me; and I can't think of what else.....