Friday, January 8, 2010

How about a Knitting Update?

I had grand plans of knitting several Christmas gifts this year. I was progressing nicely and it seemed doable until I broke my arm. I couldn't knit for at least the first two weeks after that, and then could only manage a short knitting session a day before my arm started locking up and hurting. My long list shrunk rapidly to just the one closest to being finished, a scarf for my younger sister.

Tanya is a busy single mom with two teen/preteen boys so I wanted something pretty yet warm for her. This Basket weave Scarf fit the bill and was really enjoyable to knit. I love this shade of green and hope she likes it, too. Her winter coat is chocolate brown so I think it will really look nice on her. I never did take a finished photo, but these were taken shortly before I finished. The end length was right around 60" so she will be able to wrap it around comfortably.



I also wanted to make my older sister a gift, but didn't get it finished on time. She is a usually cold-temperatured person, like me, so I thought these fingerless mittens would be a nice treat for her to wear around the house on cold days, or whenever she gets chilly. The first mitt knit up really quick and easy and I loved how it fit and looked. Then I, you know, broke the arm, and didn't cast on the second mitt until a week or so ago. I decided I am not a 2 part knitter type person. I don't know if I will ever start and finish a pair of socks because these mitts taught me that I have a hard time sticking with a project like this!


I finally finished mitt #2, only to realize I had screwed up some stitches around the thumb and it didn't match the first mitt. I should of ripped it back to the mistake and re-knit it, but I just was so over the project I didn't want to spend any more time on it. I actually have enough of the yarn left to knit a third mitt, I think, and toss the goofy one. We'll see. For now I am sitting it aside and planning a different gift for her.

And, lastly, I saw this pattern for cute little gnome dolls a couple months ago and thought, "man, those would be so fun for stocking stuffers!" Yeah, oh well. I was bumming about the mitts, so last night I cast on the doll to cheer myself up and ta da! Today we have a cute little friend! I just used scrap yarn and some Poly fill stuffing I had leftover from other projects, so it is a great free project.



I am feeling recharged and excited to get back to work on a pair of pants I started for Ella back in October. Good thing I planned to knit them larger for her! LOL

10 comments:

Tanya said...

Your baby sister LOVES her new scarf!! Especially when I don't leave it at home! :)

Sharon said...

The scarf is really cool, I love the colour and stitch too.

Karen said...

Wow, you do AMAZING work. I'm loving the idea of knitted pants - I'd love to see them wehn you've finished.

Wendy P said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely! I really want to learn to knit someday.

Jennifer said...

I haven't knit one stitch since Liam was born! How do you do it? Please tell me the secret. I am so wiped out at the end of the day that I usually choose to read a little of my book instead. Maybe someday...

SunflowerStories said...

Jennifer, finding time to knit is tough! I try to work on small projects in the car when we drive out of town. I work a bit in the afternoon while the kids play after naps. Sometimes I feel up to working before bed. Often, I take a project to bed with me and knit a bit before turning out the lights. I make my progress an inch at a time, it seems!

Beverly said...

love, love that scarf. its beautiful

Cheryl said...

Beautiful work!Me and my 11 year old daughter are going to try and learn to knit.I love,love,love the little gnome doll!

Mary said...

Gorgeous!

Cindy said...

I wish your blog had a "like" button I could just click like on Facebook! I love all your recent posts, your knitting, your pictures, your stories- thanks for sharing! :)