This Elf Knits – Knitting, Handpainted Yarn, LYS reviews

I am a member of a really great, private online community. We have all “known” each other for years. We offer each other support and friendship. And from time to time we have some really great present swaps. For this round someone suggested doing a craft swap. Your gift had to include one finished item and some items to craft with. Of course I knit something and then added a few other things for her. I am putting my package in the mail today and I hope she gets it soon. I don’t think she reads here but I don’t want to post any details just in case. Here is a spoiler though:

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I finished up one of my Gluttony socks today.  They are from the Seven Deadly Spins Club.  It just looks so cool.  The gradual changing of the colors is such a neat effect.  I did find a pattern errata while shaping the toe.  When first starting the toe decreases the pattern should read:

*k2tog, k4, rep from *, end k2tog, k3, k2 tog
Knit 4 rounds even

 The bolded k2tog does not appear in the printed pattern.  My dh found the fix after I spent about an hour counting and recounting trying to figure out what I had done wrong. 

Here are some pictures of the finished sock:

Sorry if the pictures were a bit dark.  I was so excited to share and I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up tomorrow.  I will cast on the second one tomorrow.  I also need to finish a secret swap project this month too, so I will hopefully cast on and finish that one this week. 

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Isn’t he cute?

I am more of a knit in the round girl, so my husband did the seaming and stuffing.  I think he did a great job.  Oh and the eyes too!  If I knit this again ( and I know I will be for my daughter) I will try to modify the pattern to do most of it in the round.  It was too much of a pain to knit flat and then seam.  I did knit the legs in the round. 

I hope that he raises a bunch of money for my daughter’s school and that he goes to a loving home.  I really do love how he turned out.  I used Rowan Purelife in Yellowwood and Lipstick Tree.  He is stuffed with a cotton/bamboo blend. 

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My sister made a request a little while ago (okay so a few months ago) for a hat.  Just a plain, old, solid color hat.  I'm kind of into color so I wasn't too sure about it.  She mentioned that grey would be nice.  <Sigh>  Now I love my sister and she is not a flashy person.  I can respect that.  I decided it had to be nice wool though.  I went to my favorite LYS, Ewe-nique Knits and picked out some Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Merino.  Yum, this is nice yarn.  So soft and knits up beautifully.  And fast!  I used the LTK Earwarmer hat pattern.  I remember the first time I made this hat and it took weeks.  The fourth time through went so fast though.  I had it done in a few hours of knitting. 

I will say that knitting in a solid color versus a multi-colored yarn lets the pattern show.  Which is nice cause I did the diamond pattern on this one and it really stands out.  On the other hand the one decrease is off center on the front of the hat and it really stands out.  Hopefully my sister doesn't notice and it is no big deal.  It will surely keep her warm in this crazy, full of snow winter we are having.

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As part of my stash knit down February was a month to Felt something.  I decided to use my Dragonfly in Amber on Beaverslide by Woobies Wool and make a felted purse.  I got the pattern from One-Skein Wonders and used the Squashy Bag pattern. I thought it a bit ironic that the pattern was submitted by the Dragonfly Yarn Shop.

The bag knitted up real quick and only took me a few hours of work.  Here it is pre-felting: This yarn knit up so nice and soft.  I was a bit worried cause it seemed a bit rough on the skein, but it really surprised me.

 Into the washer it goes.  This was my first time felting, so I put it into the washing machine in a lingerie bag, some detergent, and a big towel.  I washed in the hottest setting and the lowest water setting.  Heat and agitation are your friend when felting.  It took about 20 minutes in the washer to get the desired size.  I kept checking it after every 5 minutes. 

And the finished product:

It needs to dry and then I will put a clasp on it with a celtic knot button that I found.  My daughter has already claimed it as her own, so I guess I will have to make another for myself.  I just love the way the colors on this knit up.  Gorgeous!

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I finished the infant sleep sack on the 9th.  It came out so very cute.  It is all washed and lanolized and ready to be mailed.  I started out on the second one and I should have plenty of yarn for that.  I love that it is a bit more versatile than a soaker and will allow mom and dad to change diapers with ease.  And with three babies that is a whole lot of diapers!  I sure hope she loves it  

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I have a friend on a message board that issued a challenge/KAL for 2008.  Each month has a theme and you must use something in your stash to complete the knit-along.  I think it is a great way to use up some lovely yarn in my stash and keep each month fun.  I also like that you don't have to knit the same pattern as everyone else in order to participate.  Here are the themes for each month:

Jumbo January–anything in a bulky yarn
Felting February–anything you want as long as you felt it
Merino March–self explanatory, yes?
Amigurumi April–dive into the world of knitting and crocheting cute little animals
Me, me, me May–you have to make something for yourself!
Jumbuck June–a jumbuck is a sheep, hence something wool
July Journey–journey somewhere new–learn a new stitch, or a whole new technique–get outside your comfort zone and try something you've never done before
Alternative August–bamboo, corn, silk, soy–there's lots of new exciting fibers so give one a try
September Socks–socks, socks, socks
One and only October–make something from only one skein
Novelty November–try your hand at a toy–they're fun, they're weird, they might even be educational!
Dizzy December–round and round and round you go–has to be done in the round

In honor of Jumbo January, I knit a hat for my daughter using the free pattern Pro Bono hat from Angelina at Zen String.  I had some ZS Bliss Bulky in the Naiad colorway in my stash that was perfect for the project.  It was a very fast knit and only took a few hours.  I love the look of this hat on the bulky yarn.

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Last year I knit myself a pair of socks.  I had tried to knit a pair in September but the pattern was a bit too difficult for a beginner and I never finished it.  So in November I decided I needed to get back on that horse and knit some socks.  And I discovered the Knitting Pure and Simple Patterns.  They really are very simple, walk you through it sort of patterns.  I love them.  Anyway I finished my first pair of socks.  And then my dh finished his first pair this month.   

And the begging started.  My daughter just had to have her own pair of knitted socks.  It was all she talked about.  So finally this week I pulled out the Easy Children's Sock pattern and let her pick out some yarn from my stash.  She went with a lovely dk weight Zen String in the November colorway.  I finished the first one in about two evenings of knitting.  My daughter tried it on and told me to "knit faster momma" in order to get the second one done.  I finished the second one tonight before bedtime and she wore them to bed.  She is in love with them.

It was great knitting a pair of children's socks.  They go so quickly.  If you are hestitant to try socks, you should definitely do some children's socks first.  They have all of the same elements as grown up socks but they are much smaller. 

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