January 2008 knitting goals

Here are some knitting goals for January of 2008:

1. Finish 1 unfinished item. (Maybe socks)
2. Buy no yarn.
3. Make myself a hat.
4. Make Hailey knucks.
5. Finish Caroline's knucks.
6. Knit a mile by February 19th. (1760 yards!) I'd like to spin some of those yards, too.

All but number 6 are very doable goals. The mile might be a bit of a stretch, but it is a challenge off of Ravelry and I thought it could be fun to say I knit a mile in 7 weeks. We'll see how that one goes!

Fabric Stash put to use!

I am pleased with this latest project. It is made from fabric picked up at SCRAP and, with a few modifications, following the directions for the pouch in "Last Minute Fabric Gifts". It took me about 2 hours, start to finish. I really like how it turned out and may make a few more for gifts.

Hexagon Shawl

I almost forgot...I couldn't post this until after Christmas, but I finally finished the hexagon shawl! This one is my own design based on the hexagon shape directions in Unexpected Knitting by Debbie New. It is not as labor intensive as it looks, as I cast each hexagon onto the previously knit one rather than sewing them all together later. I used random balls of mohair and mohair blends that I had lying around and added the lavendar as my sole purchase to tie the other colors together. I crocheted a border at the end and wound up using about 7 balls of yarn, I think. It got shipped off to a friend as a prayer shawl after knitting on it and praying for her throughout the year.

Here I am!

After a busy December, here I am with a couple more things. First, some details on "My So Called Scarf". I found many versions online and pulled out 2-100 gram balls of multi-colored Mondial la lana merino plus 247. It is 52% merino and 48% acrylic, therefore washable. I don't know where I got this and to tell the truth, I thought it looked pretty hideous on the ball (I should've taken a "before" picture of it). It was a quick knit on size 11 needles. The yarn is a worsted weight, but the stitch pattern requires the use of the large needles. This stitch pattern worked wonders for this yarn and I really like this scarf. It is undesignated so far, but is sure to find a home!
The crochet hook was hand carved for me as a Christmas gift by Noah (age 12). It is beautifully smooth and quite a nice gift in my estimation. He has a lot of patience for this kind of work and I'm pretty proud of him!

One last item...

I found this picture of a tote bag I also made for the sale. All in all, the sale was successful. I wouldn't do it for a living, but it was fun for every-so-often making a little pocket change doing something I like with a friend. I sold most of my things. I only have a few eye pillows and stitch markers left. It was funny to see what went first. It wasn't always the things that I thought were the best. I did enjoy seeing people walk away with things that one of us had made. Maybe I'll start a little earlier next year....

The Knitterly Crafts

So, I am posting so many times, as blogger seems to only want to do so many pictures at once....I have made knitting stitch holders with beads and some rings from SCRAP. Eight of these have already been purchased by friends. I've enjoyed making them while I watch movies. I also found in my stash of things this knitting needle holder that I started a few years ago and for some reason never completed. Here it is now, as well as two pairs of handwarmers of my design. (There are actually two of each, but I can only photograph one of my own hands if I'm taking the photo!) The yarn is from the weaving guild in N.M. so I am not sure what it is, but it looks like wool from Harrisville to me.
Spent the day yesterday with my friend Chris, visiting Michaels and wandering around Menlo Park. I came with the yarn I had been missing for the monkey blanket from the Happy Hooker. Otherwise, I was pretty good about not bringing more crafting gear home. I have much to use up.
I did use two balls of yarn for handwarmers and gave some yarn to my friend Chris for some of her holiday crocheting. I need to rearrange my yarn now--There is space in the cupboard and I can move some from the basket into the cupboard. I think my next yarn destash goal is to empty the basket!

More creations....

Here is a smattering of my other creations...
First, in the recesses of my supplies, I found onesies. I made little appliqued patches for them from my fabric and some heat-n-bond. They were quick little things and fun to make. I think my favorite is the mushroom or the pink with the Holly Hobby.
Second is a crocheted flower that I put on a pin. I guess I made it quite a while ago and I found it in a drawer, set aside to be a gift.
Lastly, I made a swarm of eye pillows. I have wanted to make these for some time and even created a pattern a couple of years ago. The pillows themselves are made of cotton, but have various washable covers in case they get dirty. The filler is organic buckwheat and lavendar. They can be warmed or cooled and placed over the eyes for relief of headaches, sore, tired eyes, or sinus discomfort. I like how they turned out. Again, everything but the filler was from things I already had. That feels good!