Second Hat

I love finishing Christmas presents in August. It gives me a sense of relief and I feel like I am actually on the ball.

I finished knitting the second hat for my grandfather. The first being a moss stitch pattern, I wanted to do something different for the second one.

 

 

Grandpa's Hat the Second:

Yarn: Loops and Thread Impeccable Solids in soft taupe

Needle Size: US 7 (4.5mm)

Pattern Source: Barley by Tincanknits (free Ravelry download)

 

The pattern is great for beginners as it explains all the steps to making a hat very clearly. It can be made in all different sizes from baby to adult, so it is a very versatile pattern. Though I loved the pattern, the yarn I found difficult to like. It is very stiff and feels rough. It is good for a winter hat, but I wouldn't use it for anything else. On top of that, I had a severe amount of yarn vomit when I tried knitting from the center, I spent more time undoing knots in the yarn than knitting.

 

 

I recommend the pattern, but not the yarn!

 



Mauve Shawl

 

I received a new fall coat for my birthday, and I wanted to make myself a purple shawl to match it. I've used Red Heart Boutique's Unforgettable yarn in the past and loved the results, so I picked up another ball and started in on a wonderful pattern.

 

Mauve Shawl:

Yarn: Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Petunia

Needle Size: US 9 (5.5mm)

Pattern Source: Black Death by Hoxton Handmade (free Ravelry download)

 

 

The needles I used are 1 size up from what the pattern called for since I couldn't find my size 8 needles anywhere.  The pattern was easy to follow with clear instructions. There are two sizes given and I made the smaller one.

 

 

I love the results of this pattern and the yarn. It is going to keep me nice and warm in the coming months. This is a pattern I would definitely recommend even to a beginner knitter.

 



Saturday Night Bunny

This weekend was a quiet one. I stayed in and watched movies on Netflix and (of course) knitted.

I wanted something quick to knit that I would be able to finish in one night. Here is what I made:

 

 

Rosetta Rabbit:

Yarn: Mary Maxim Bolero in Gray

Needle Size: US 8 (5.0mm) DPNs

Pattern Source: Henry's Bunny by Rabbit Hole Knits (free Ravelry download)

 

 

Rosetta is quite cute, and was fun and easy to knit. I used a bulky yarn and larger needles to get a slightly bigger bunny. I followed all the instructions, but I did make the legs a bit longer than the pattern suggested since I was making a larger bunny. There was hardly any seaming to be done for this project (just attaching the legs) and the instructions were clearly written. There are even pictures to illustrate some of the instructions for putting the bunny together.

 

For a quick knit, I would highly recommend this pattern.

 

Happy Knitting!



Beautiful White Socks

Over the weekend, I finished another pair of socks from the book Sock Innovation. They turned out quite beautiful in the white sock yarn.

 

 

Angled:

Yarn: On Your Toes with Aloe Vera in cream

Needle Size: US size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs

Pattern Source: Vilai in Sock Innovation

 

This lace pattern was great, as it had enough detail to keep me interested in the pattern, and gave gorgeous results.



Yarn Shopping

As it was my birthday yesterday, I got to decide what I wanted to do for the day with the boyfriend. So I mapped out a route in Toronto so that we could walk to different yarn stores and I could browse and pick up some yarn. Then we went to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and had a great time there.

My boyfriend was a trooper the whole time and did not complain once about spending time in yarn shops and waited patiently while I made my selections. He is just the best :)

 

The fist stop was at Americo Original. I had never been there, and I couldn't believe the beautifully luscious colors they had. I settled on buying their Merino Superwash Fine Sport in a navy blue color.

 

 

Next, we went to Romni Wools that has a HUGE selection of yarn. I found it to be over-whelming. I spent the most time there, just looking through the stacks and stacks of yarn, and finely settling on Cascades Yarns' Heritage Sock Yarn in Iris color. This store is wonderful for their selection, and I had a hard time settling on one skein.

 

 

Our last stop was at The Knit Café. This was an amazing little shop that had plenty of space to sit and knit, and served fresh coffee and food. I would have loved to just sit down and spend some time there. They had a beautiful collection of sock yarns in the most amazing colors, and I finally settled on sweet fiber's Super Sweet Sock in Verve which is a slightly variegated dark purple.

 

 

My three skeins of sock yarn are now just waiting for me to knit them up. I can't wait to start finding the perfect sock projects for them.

I had such a great time, but we weren't even done the day. We then went to the CNE where we walked around for hours enjoying this huge fair.

 

 

I didn't purchase much while I was there, I was mostly enjoying walking around and looking at what everyone was selling, but I did indulge in the most delicious red velvet cupcake I have ever had.

 

 So yummy!!

We had an amazing day, and my feet were so sore from walking for hours, but it was so worth it!

 



Hats Off

 

I competed the first hat for my grandfather's Christmas present. I plan on making two of them since hats are a great on-the-go project that do not take too much time.

 

Grandpa's Hat:
Yarn: Patons Canadiana Solids in navy blue
Needle Size: US size 7 (4.5mm) 16" circular needles
Pattern Source: Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders

 

I was able to finish knitting this hat in about a week, only knitting on my lunch breaks. It is an easy moss stich pattern, and I really like the result of a thicker material. It works great for a winter hat. I did make it longer than what the pattern called for since I wanted to make sure that it completely covered the ears.  

 

I am now looking for a second hat pattern to make, and I am having a hard time finding one that I like. I am going to continue my search for the next one.

 

And until then... Happy Knitting!



Some new projects

I have added a few projects to my needles this past week. I now have 4 projects that I am actively knitting. I am still working on my second pair of my Winged socks and the Grandpa's hat from my previous progress post. I have also added two squares to my Sock Yarn Patchwork Afghan. On top of those projects I have added these two:

 

 

 Squared Afghan - Sorry about the two pictures - it was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing. This afghan is knit as separate squares and then sewn together, and I have been really good and assembling it as I go! The pattern is from the latest Knit Simple magazine, and I am loving it! Simple stitch repeats makes this a great knit when I am watching TV.

Angled - Here is the fourth sock I have casted on from Sock Innovation. It is another lace pattern, but not as easy as my Fanned socks. I am liking the stitch definition that I am getting from this yarn, and the pattern is keeping me interested.



Fanned

I have been working full time this past week (finally!) and didn't have a lot of time to get any knitting done. So with the long weekend, I got in some good quality knitting time and finished my second pair of socks from the Sock Innovation book.

Fanned:

Yarn: Loops & Threads Woolike in Mauve

Needle Size: US 1 (2.25mm) DPNs

Pattern Source: Sock Innovation 

 

These socks were a quick knit for me because I love lace and I was able to memorize the stitch pattern after 2 repeats. I like how the garter stitch is used in the cuff, heal and toe. It adds nice texture to these socks. These will be a Christmas present for my mother-in-law. She loves the socks that I have knit for her the past couple of years, so I think this is a tradition in the making.

 

 

The yarn is new to me. I just happened to see it when I was at Michaels, and it was quite inexpensive ($3.99 for 678 yards!). I hope it holds up well, as I would love to use it again. They had some really nice colors that I would like to try out. I will see how they hold up with some wear. It was nice to knit with but a little slippery, the stitches kept falling off my needle. So next time I would probably choose to use my bamboo needles with this yarn instead of my metal ones.