Where's the Hat?

I like to knit things for people, and it's easier to knit things for my stepdaughters than for my own children who live with me and see all the things I work on, so I knit for them for Christmas, but this seems to be the only evidence of what I did:

That's the brim of a hat for L, the younger daughter.  I also knit an infinity scarf for S, the older one who is off in college where it is cold.  Back in the summer, when we combined houses, S was looking through some of her old stuff and found yarn that she had acquired in elementary school, when knitting was cool and her friend's mom owned a yarn shop (great friend!).  She gave me the yarn, and I thought it would be great to make her something with it.  Alas, I thought I had a picture...

The hat was quick and easy, it's this pattern: Bankhead Hat.  It's the fourth hat I've made.  My first hat was so awful, I still can't believe that the others have all fit.  Magic.

That's all for now, but I have some swatches to share of MyFriend's sweater (I need a better name for him...) and I will try to post that soon.  Plus I will soon have two completed socks for Middle!

Margie

Slackers

Well, I am way, way behind in posting.  I have completed many things since last March, so I will try to spread them out over several posts so that there's more excitement.

I think that Catherine will need to post more frequently, as she is about to be off on an adventure!

I am trying to think of things I've worked on this year.  I've been trying to get a sweater to behave to make for MyFriend, who is now MyHusband, but I'm having trouble with the gauge.  I was trying to make it in cotton, as it is hot here in Houston, but I think that's just not going to work.  I'm planning to knit a swatch in the original Shelter yarn and we'll see how that goes.

I had started socks for Middle back in the fall - there was lots of yarn acquired this summer! - and I got halfway through the first sock and she tried it on and declared it too small.  I frogged it, and started over.  I had to pause for Xmas knitting - a cowl for one stepdaughter, a hat for the other stepdaughter, a Peace Project cowl, and slippers for my mother-in-law - so that slowed me down.  I finished the Peace cowl about a week and a half ago, so it's been full steam ahead on the sock since then.  I've just got a couple of rows left on the first one.

Over the summer and into the fall, I knit a blanket for my friend/boss's daughter's new baby.  Here's one of that.  I had the yarn and needed to use it.  The first pattern I tried didn't work well, but I found this pattern at Churchmouse Yarn and Teas and thought it worked pretty well.  This is pre-blocking, which I finally have started to do.  It makes a difference!

Bunneh Slippers

Just so everyone can see the cute, here are the slippers I made for MyFriend's younger daughter.  I don't know that she actually likes them, but too bad for her.  Perhaps she is getting to be too old for bunny slippers.  If she keeps them, she will eventually get old enough to wear them.

I have also started on the sweater for MyFriend, and have done some other stuff.  I need to catch up a bit.  But for now - bunnies.

I need to finish the ones I started for Middle, and then I wanted to make some for Smallest as well.  Things to do...

Margie

A visit from the Queen

Margie, you have been doing so much! I am so proud of you.

I did finish the bug - here is a picture! It's so cute. :D

I have also been doing some mending, as I have recently moved and discovered there are many clothes I like that were stuck in my fabric bin, waiting for just a few stitches or the cuff sewn back on, etc. I also fixed one shirt only to discover it's much to small for me (even though I'm at my smallest size in about 5 years) - what a mystery?! Anyway, off to Goodwill.

The new project I'm cooking on is to make quilts for refugees. I'll tell you more about that another day. For now, some actual cooking - we're celebrating early Thanksgiving in just 9 hours!

Catherine

Christmas!

I think Christmas is both more fun and more stressful now that I have become enamored with knitting.  I want to make everyone something, and there's just not enough time.

I have plans for things, and I admit that I am going to suck up to MyFriend's daughters by making them things this year and not make so much for my kids.  Bad mom.  Oh well.

I'm going to make boot cuffs for the older daughter, who is in college, and for the younger daughter
I'm going to make these slippers:

They are just about the cutest thing ever.  I'll make some for Middle and Smallest too, because how can I not?  I started on my test pair (for Middle) last night and I think they'll go really quickly.  They're felted, and I've never felted anything before, so it could be an adventure.

I will document the progress.  And I probably won't have time to make the Link gauntlets for Darren this year, Catherine.  Or some other cool things I wanted to make for you.
I did manage to lose a really nice cowl I made last year.  I don't know if I gave it to Mom, or Put It Somewhere in the house?  I am baffled.  It was really soft and warm and I'd sure like to wear it at work sometimes.  Ah well.  Maybe it will turn up in the sleeve of a coat!  I'll have to go check.

Margie

One down

For some reason, I believe that if I am a knitter, then I muse make a pair of socks.  I bought my first sock yarn probably 15 years ago and messed around with the yarn and the double-pointed needles.  I had a book with some sock patterns, but I never ventured into the Land of Socks.

Finally, I bought some nice sock yarn from a local dyer (at my LYS that is now closed) and after only nine months or so, I made a bunch of swatches to test needle size and then I just decided to go for it.  It if turned out just right, they would fit me.  Too big?  Middle can wear them.  Too small?  Smallest is the winner.

I finished the first sock about two weeks ago and while it fits me, I think it fits Middle better.  I have cast on the second and am about 2/3 of the way through with the leg portion of the sock.  It goes fast, but I didn't take full advantage of my six hours of airplane time this past weekend, so I'm not to the heel yet.  The heel was easier than I expected.

At any rate, I think for the next pair, I will indeed go down a needle size.  Maybe then Smallest will get the socks!  Who knows.  I have some other sock yarn stashed away.  But Xmas gifts for MyFriend's daughters will have to come next.

Here's Sock #1

Subversive Cross Stitch

Many years ago, a friend gave me this book called Subversive Cross Stitch. (http://www.amazon.com/Subversive-Cross-Stitch-Julie-Jackson/dp/0811853470/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1443572552&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=subversive+cross+stitch)  It has cute designs with snarky sayings and I loved it.

I finally got to use it to make MyFriend a birthday present.  I wanted to do something a little more elaborate than just the words and a little border, so I adapted a sampler I found in an old cross stitch magazine I had.

Here is the final result, presented to MyFriend on Sunday evening at one of his many birthday celebrations this weekend.  He loves it.

We will frame it, and he can display it somewhere in his house.  He can't wait to show it to his mom, as he thinks she will find it amusing as well.  They are good people.

Now I have to figure out what to do next.  The sweater?  Finish the socks I started?  I need to finish the bee I started for our brother.  I've almost finished all the stitching, then it's just the backstitching to do.  Maybe that's the one to do first.

Yay for finishing!  Even better, I had all the supplies for this except for two colors of floss.  That was nice.

Margie