Bubbles

I've been doing quite a bit of knitting while on travel, but since I'm partial to lace and I don't have a great way to block I've just been accumulating a bag of mostly finished projects.  My latest is a great example.

Bubblemania is a simple little pattern.  The burnt orange alpaca is just so soft and airy.  About halfway through I decided to turn it into an infinity scarf, but I don't want to graft the ends together until its blocked.  Maybe one day if I get motivated I'll get some straight pins from the store.  Until then, the mostly finished objects will continue to pile up.

Pretty little ribbon

While I was back home last month, I was in need of a new project...or an old project as it turned out to be.  Started way back in August 2012, this faithful desk project had been particularly languishing for the past few months, so I decided to finish it up instead of packing it away again in its sad, half finished state.

2,100 miles of road trip later, we have a fun little scarf.  It will look a bit better once blocked, but that will have to wait until my next return.

The finished product will be a wispy summer wrap of pure cashmere indulgence.  Love it!

The pattern is Lace Ribbon.

12 of 12: My Clapotis

The 12th, and final, shawl for 2012 was another Clapotis.  The pattern is just so quick and easy, and the FO has great drape and bounce.  After making one for Becca, I had to have one for myself.

 
I didn't technically finish the 12 shawls in 2012 challenge because this one took me until January 2 to bind off.  However, I'm going to count it as a win because I had enough of the shawl done by December 31 to meet the yardage requirements...but wanted to keep knitting for a longer scarf.  I've also been too busy wearing the thing to take photos in order to write this post.  A success all around I would say!

While I enjoyed the 12 in 12 challenge, I'm looking forward to a bit less structure to my knitting queue this year.  Perhaps I'll even finish that first sweater I have on the needles....

Refreshing the sole

Preparing myself to throw away yet another pair of slippers, I realized that the Nola pattern is super easy to resole. As the sole is the last section to knit, you can just split the fabric, pick up the live stitches, and....

...voila!  Just like new in half the time.  I might be a little more forgiving towards the slipper monster now that I know how to rework this pattern.

The last gift of Christmas

My last Christmas gift was mailed off this week.  Better late than never, right?

I do have a pretty good excuse for not delivering by December 25 on these though.  Dad requested slippers earlier in the fall.  I actually knit two pairs before December - both of which were too small for me!  Apparently my gauge was just way off.  Third time was a charm though, and these should keep his toes nice and toasty for quite a while.

Pattern is Nola's Slipper

Frostlight

One of this year's Christmas presents was Frostlight by Robin Ulrich.  The pattern was easy to memorize, knitted up quickly, and looks great.

This yarn was recycled from a sweater.  When I saw it on the thrift store rack, my first though on the color was camel.  And I was right.  It's a 50/50 camel hair and lambswool blend.  It has great stitch definition and the color is - for once! - appropriate for a man scarf.  Even Tony approves.

The pattern allowed me to try something new - fringe!  While perfectly easy to apply, I had been avoiding this finishing touch because of the wavy nature of recycled yarn.  Turns out that it wasn't that hard to straighten out sufficiently.  I soaked the yarn for about a half hour.  This yarn particularly looked like ramen in the bowl! Then stretched it out overnight as it dried with my fancy shmancy frying pan.

Overall, a fun knit and a well received gift!

Cora's blanket

2012 saw not only 12 shawls fly off the needles, but also my first blanket.  It was a baby blanket, but still quite sizable. The photo below has it folded in half.  I love the multicolored pattern, even if there were a zillion ends to weave in at the end of the project, and the honeycomb gives it a nice, thick texture. 

This project was my first time blocking acrylic.  I did a steam block, being careful not to touch the iron to the fabric and melt it.  It worked pretty well, and in theory it's now blocked for life - even after being machine washed.  I'm sure the lucky mama will have plenty of chances to test this theory!

Warmer on the inside

A Christmas gift for a certain Whovian friend of mine.  I can assure you, they're warmer on the inside.

Pattern on Ravelry

Gifty socks

Christmas saw the gifting of my first two pairs of "real" socks - real meaning tiny needles and tiny thread.  Both patterns come from Cookie A's knit. sock. love.  I love the lace on these patterns.  I'm certinaly looking forward to knitting more socks, now that I've gotten the hang of it.

11 of 12: Becca's Clapotis

Unlike some knits that take on a owner halfway through the knitting process, this shawl was designated as a gift from the start.  I think I've claimed every successive project as my favorite shawl of the 12 in 12, but this one certainly takes the prize for the my favorite yarn.  Only the best for the Becca!

The Clapotis (ravelry) is a very popular pattern, and for good reason.  It looks amazing in a variegated yarn and is fun to knit.  It is knit along the bias with a series of dropped stitches, creating a grid of sorts - color stripes in one direction with the pattern stripes in the opposite direction.

The yarn is from hellomello handspun, which I picked up at Crafty Bastards last year.  Since I tend to stick to recycling sweaters, knitting with these wonderful colors was a real treat.  I have another two skeins in a brown/yellow/green colorway that I'm saving for a creativity stroke of genius one day.

10 of 12: Ben's Scarf

Ben's scarf might be my favorite "shawl" of 2012.  I know it's odd to call a men's scarf a shawl, but it more than meets the yardage requirements for the challenge and it's wide enough to be more of a stole than a scarf.

I found this yarn, Anne by the Schaefer Yarn Company, while visiting family in Gainesville, Florida last spring.  With its brown a gray tones, it was a perfect choice for his surprise birthday present.

After starting several patterns, I couldn't find one that worked well with the color changes. Not to be deterred, I fiddled around until I came up with a pattern that I enjoyed knitting and highlighted the color variations.

I'd like to publish this one as my first pattern, but I'll need a catchy name to go along with it. Suggestions?

Sonic

I had a request this week for a knitted sonic screwdriver for friend's baby shower.  The 10th Doctor's to be exact.  How better to welcome baby into the world than to provide the tools necessary to succeed!

Does not work on cats.  They must be made of wood.

Found on Ravelry here.

9 of 12: Adelei

This could very well be my new favorite.  Shawl number 9 was the Adelei Shawl by Wendy Neal.  I was drawn to this one by the irregular shape and the interesting center lines.

The pattern is basically six triangles - two large, two medium and two small.  The yarn is a recycled blue silk.  The pattern called for beading, but I didn't have a bead that worked well with the blue so I opted to keep it simple.

The color is a beautiful - almost an indigo.  Looks great with jeans.  I've gotten a ton of compliments on this one and I've only worn it out a few times.

The accidental gift

As the first chill of winter hit, and before I started in earnest on my holiday knitting, I knit myself a pair of slippers.  Except for my very first project, I've never been able to keep a pair of slippers.  They seem to all be gifted away.  These were no exception.

Nola's Slipper Pattern is a very quick knit - worsted yarn held double and knit flat.  However, it creates a neat look, visually separating the body from the sole of the slipper.

After whipping these up in a few days, I tried them on with high hopes of finally having a pair of nice slippers.  They were a touch too big, and Ben jokingly asked to try them on.  Lo and behold, they fit his size 14 man feet perfectly.  Apparently the pattern has a lot of stretch.

The next pair are for me!

The belated birthday gift

Better late than never was the mantra of this project.  The yarn was given to me in July with the purse request...which turned into a supposed birthday present in August...which languished knit-but-not-yet-lined in my pile of orphan projects until today.  Sewing is not my strong suit, but the purse came out well overall.

The Sock Yarn Handbag was an interesting design.  It is knit flat: four triangles, a rectangular middle section, and then four more triangles.  Sewing it together, you get an interesting mitered square look which really shows off the yarn.  The designer has a good step-by-step tutorial.

The lining included two pockets, which were held back when I unraveled the sweater for the grey yarn.

Per my gracious patron's request, I also added included a key loop.

I'd like to knit more purses in the future.  I could definitely use the sewing practice!

8 of 12: Royal Reading Wrap

Number 8 of my grand 2012 shawl adventure is the Freya Shawl by Renate Haeckler. 

I actually finished knitting this one back in June.  It took a while for me to block though because of its unusual shape.  Other knitters' shawls came out as a semi-circle.  The best way I can think to describe mine is a Millennium Falcon.

I really like the deep purple of this yarn.  It looks very royal.  Tony likes it too.

7 of 12: Shetland Shell Lace Scarf

While on vacation in Florida earlier this year, I picked up some amazing Araucania lonco multy in a great blue/purple colorway.  As soon as I saw it, I knew what it would become: the Shetland Shell Lace Scarf by Frances Goodman (ravelry).

The pattern shows off the great color changes and the cotton yarn makes for a lightweight summer scarf.

Being a bit OCD about my knitting, I worked both sides at once and grafted them together in the middle so that the shells would fall the same way on both sides.

Lest ye be questioning if this counts for the challenge, the finished scarf (we'll call it a "stole") comes in at a generous 12 inches wide and really does lay more like a shawl than a scarf.

4 of 12: Something Borrowed

Now that the gift has been given, I can reveal my fourth shawl of 2012: Something Borrowed by Kathy Lang. 

For Gram's 80th birthday, I had the idea of a diamond theme: the April birthstone.  There don't seem to be traditional birthday gifts, but diamond is also the 80th aniversary.  A birthday is kind of like an anniversary with yourself, right?

I found a white cotton yarn with a strand of silver sparkle.  Perfect for someone who's always cold, but also lives in Florida.

This was also my first beaded project.  I had been a bit intimidated by beading, but it's really quite easy.  Now that I have the hang of it, I can't wait to start my next beaded project.

 

6 of 12: Gala Shawl

I've had this yarn for several years, but had been waiting for just the right pattern.  It reminds me of a bright autumn day, where the leaves have changed and the sun is just right.  When I saw the Gala Shawl by Cheri McEwen, I knew that the leaf motif would work beautifully.

Halfway through the 12 in 2012 challenge!

 

I love the wavy "stems" between the leaves.

5 of 12: Color Affection

Back in February, I underwent a small shoulder surgery.  Faced with a week of recovery, but the prospect of low dexterity and reduced mental prowess, I queued up Color Affection by Veera Välimäki (ravelry).  While I am normally not a fan of garter stitch, this pattern offered a very cool effect for very little mental effort.  Just keep knitting, just keep knitting...

Now, you many notice the colors.  I'm not the best at matching, so one evening I called the Boy into the yarn lair.  I had picked out a deep cranberry, heather slate, and a bright white.  "What do you think of this combo?  I think it looks classy," says I.  Deadpan look.  "Liz....that's scarlet and gray."  And so, I knit up an accidental tribute to my alma mater. 

The wingspan on this is huge - I can wrap it around myself three times with room to spare.  A project like this would have normally have taken me at least 4-6 weeks...but being couch-bound I breezed through it in 8 days!

I would be remiss not to mention that I received support on this project from my dedicated assistant, Dot.