Eleven Stitches

Holiday Gifts (The Masculine Edition)

Oh, the holidays.  It's the time I spend a lot of time knitting, eating, and enjoying some quality time with my family.

A family that surfs together stays together, right? 

My sister did indeed like the hat I knit for her, so it appears that I'll have to knit another Selbu Modern (pdf) if I would like to wear one.  My brother was also happy with the fingerless gloves I knit for him.  He wears the pair I made him last year a lot, and he wanted a black and grey pair this year so that they would match more things.

The chart is from the Vespergyle mittens, and I knitted the gloves in a size and shape that made sense for my brother. I used Miss Bab's Yummy Superwash Sport in Obsidian and Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool on US 2.5 needles.

I had planned to knit these gloves while in Indiana, and I didn't expect my brother to arrive at my parents' house until Christmas Eve.  He came earlier this year, so I was suddenly trying to knit quickly while he was sleeping late or busy in another room. On Christmas Eve I still had a lot to do, and it was necessary to knit even if he was within eyesight.  Mom predicted that he wouldn't notice, and he didn't!  The gloves were still a surprise on Christmas morning.

I also knit a pair of socks for David.  Even though he is not a wearer of socks unless absolutely necessary, he allowed that his feet sometimes do get cold and he might like a pair of wool socks.  I've never knit such big socks before, and by the time I got finished with the first sock (using the pattern from Charade) I was a little tired of the stitch pattern.  I asked David if he minded me knitting him socks with different patterning, and he did not.

The second pattern is from the Gentleman's Shooting Stocking in Knitting Vintage Socks. The patterning was simple (knits and purls), but I really enjoyed knitting them and I like the end result.  I also used a size US 2 needle for the second sock (I used a US 1 needle for the first), and the socks went by much more quickly on a size 2. The yarn is Maple Creek Farm Superwash Merino Sock. David says that he likes the socks, and we'll see if he actually wears them! 

It looks like I won't be able to get all of my FOs for 2008 posted before the new year, but try to show you a few more of them soon.  Happy New Year, all!

Sick Day

I've been home sick today.  It's no fun to be sick, but it's even less fun to be working while sick (like I used to feel forced to do in my old job), so I've been enjoying my day at home. 

In a day filled with sitting in my favorite chair, warm kitties, quilts, tea, and TV, I just wanted to knit on a pair of stockinette socks.

I found this Malabrigo Sock yarn (in the Persia colorway) at Imagiknit while we were in San Francisco for Thanksgiving. It's not a color I normally go for, but I was completely taken with this skein, and I have been distracting myself with these socks ever since.

This is a simple sock knit on US 1 needles, and I used the cuff from the Waving Lace Socks (Rav link) to add a tiny bit of interest.

I know this isn't the nicest sock photo shoot I've ever done, but it really ranks up there with most comfortable!  

Baby Cables and Big Ones Too

I've gotta say, the lack of sunlight has been killing my blogging recently.  I've thought about blogging almost every evening this week, but it's so hard to get a good indoor sweater picture!  I asked David to snap a few photos today, so I can now show you my finished NaKniSweMo sweater!

Pattern: Baby Cables and Big Ones Too (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarns Silk & Ivory, 1.5 skeins
Needles: US 6
Time to Knit: November 14- 30
Modifications: I left off the last cable on the sleeves, because it would have made the sleeves too long.

The yarn I chose for this sweater was a heavy fingering in 50/50 silk/wool.  I was worried that it was too thin to knit on size 6 needles, but the fabric I got is very nice.  It feels more like a store-bought sweater (you know, the machine-knit ones with impossibly thin threads) than a wooly handknit, and it's a nice change.  Since my gauge was a little tighter than recommended, I made the next-larger size and it fits very nicely.

The pattern was very straightforward and it was a nice knit.  I got a little tired of purling to make the garter stitch yoke, but by the time I was really sick of it the pattern switched to stockinette.  I do think the yardages listed are way more than you need.  The two skeins of yarn I got was 300 yards less than recommended for my size, but I still had about half a skein left over when I was done.  I'm glad I didn't buy a third skein to get me to the recommended yardage!

I wasn't sure if I would make the NaKniSweMo deadline since I got started so late, but I had a lot of time to knit over Thanksgiving break.  I ended up finishing it up on the evening of November 30th, and I wore it on December 1 when I was flying back home.

My daylight is waning, so I'm off to take some more pictures of knitting.  Perhaps I'll blog more than once this week!

First Christmas Gift

So to begin, if you happen to be 10 years and 10 days younger than me, look a lot like me, grew up in the same house I grew up in, and want to be surprised for Christmas, maybe you should stop reading this post.

OK, is it just me and my non-sisters now?

Pattern: Selbu Modern
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sport in Peony and Obsidian
Needles: US3 and US4

This was a fun knit, and it was fast too!  I think my yarn choice was a little thick, so it's not as drapey as I hoped it would be.  Blocking did help a great deal, however.  My other problem is that I just barely ran out of yarn.

With the little snack-sized skein of the pink, I ran out with about four rows to go!  I knit the last two rows with a very similarly colored sock yarn, and then used the last remaining inches of yarn to duplicate stitch in the missing lines.  I still didn't have quite enough, so I also used some of the alternate sock yarn.  Running out of yarn really didn't bother me.  I like it that I was able to use the whole skein without leftovers, and the fix turned out well.

Working with this yarn was great!  There's some nice subtle color variation going on.  I am also quite impressed that the black yarn did not stain my fingers when I was knitting it.  Usually yarn this dark feels a little sticky, and I have to rinse it with vinegar before I continue.  Miss Babs' yarn was perfect right from the start!

I do hope my sister likes the hat.  She requested pink and black because it matches her coat. But if she doesn't like it I'll just knit her something else, and keep the hat for myself!