A Couple Things Wrapped up for 2012

A few longstanding projects and a couple small gifts were recently completed by me:

A flower. I stiffened it with sugar water and I'm waiting for it to dry.

Completed Carnaby Skirt, pretty much exactly as per the pattern, which is unlike me.

A Slouchy Hat/ Holiday Gift. This was a great looking, simple to knit pattern that I got here.

This is a preview of a gift for a friend that is a few rows from being complete, that I expect to finish today.

Which leaves me a clean slate to start new projects in 2013. My goals are to 1. use up some of my existing yarn stash 2. make some things for my daughter 3. learn colorwork 4. make another cardigan for myself. Sewing-wise, my only goal is to finish up some of the projects I have already planned and begun, and to use up enough of my existing fabric stash to effectively clean my closet before I buy any new fabric. Welcome 2013!

Fleece and New Serger

 

My sister sent me a new serger, so, as a test run, I sat down and made this fleece for my daughter. It was from McCall's 6614, which fit her pretty perfectly right out of the package.  I added a little colored trim around the bottom and the sleeves to match the hood. Now I'm happily dreaming up serger projects...

Leaf Motif Times Two

 I finished a pair of socks today, which should round up the summer sock knitting. I'll go back an finish my Carnaby skirt next. The pattern I used was Kew by Polly Outhwaite from the fall 2006 issue of Knitty. The pattern was really well written and a pleasure to knit, though if you are, say, trying to watch all the episodes of Kojak on DVD at the same time, you might have some back-tracking to do because you kind of have to keep your eyes on the pattern some for this one.

Another leafy item I  completed this summer was these ginkgo leaves. These began in a class I took at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR in June. The class was Jazz Knitting by Ilisha Helfman, and I would recommend you check out her book if you would like to do some knitting that is a little bit free and artistic. I found it relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

Another pair of spring socks...

The stitch pattern came from a Drops Design pattern. The basic shape comes from the Pom Pom Peds pattern on Purl Bee.

...finished in summer.  I'm using up some stash yarn before starting any more big projects and thus, more anklets.

Two Shirts

In truth I cut these out over a year ago. I used this vintage pattern:

And I really did not like it very much. I didn't like the way the facings met up with the collar. I've made a couple of men's shirts previously, and they had a button band, which looked smarter, I thought. Also, for some reason, I cut out two at once, even though I had never tried the pattern. I must have been feeling ambitious. In the end, though, the shirts were pretty much done, so all I needed to do was finish the detail work and put some snaps on. I was glad to get them off my pile, and I'm sure they'll get some wear.

Spring Rush and a Pair of Socks

We have been very busy installing landscaping, since that is our bread and butter and spring is the season, so I have not done much in the creative world and have not put much thought toward the blog. So here is a little knitting moment, to keep the blog momentum going:

I used the pattern Pom Pom Peds from Purl Soho. It was pretty accurate and easy.

And here is my cat explaining to me that I should pet her instead of wasting my time taking pictures of my feet:

A Picture of My Mom

 

My Mom and I did not always get along well, but this picture reminds me of some of the things we had in common. It's also a great shot in which she looks really happy. And check out that sewing machine! Happy Mother's Day one and all.