February Snow and Skeins

Happy February. . . . the month of Groundhog Day, Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and now. . . Big Blizzard Day, Feb. 1, 2011!

With the help of a neighbor, I was able to get the approximately 15 inches covering the walkway cleared to look like this:

Then on February 4, another five inches fell. . . and more snow on February 9. . . really unbelievable for this part of the country! Our snow shovel got a workout! (To say nothing of the leaking roof!)

Oh yes, in February, there is also the birthday of my niece Alice, my friends Zita and Mary Beth, and . . . ME!



What with the frigid temps and icy streets, I was able to take advantage of the "snow days" and enjoy the birthday present I bought for myself: a tabletop Hornshaw yarn swift!



Look how pretty it is! The wood grain is so lovely, the stain such a nice color, the finish so smooth. . . I rate this purchase an A+!! The little pegs can be easily moved into whichever holes make the right size opening for the skein size.

I won't even say how many skeins of yarn I have in my stash. . . but I grabbed some to start winding.

Back row from left: 1 skein Kudo (Plymouth); 1 skein of 40% merino/40% silk/20% bamboo Saxon indigo dyed by Bex at True Blue Fiber Friends; 5 skeins of City Yarns Lava Hand Paint (Punta Yarns); 1 skein Silky Merino (Malabrigo) and
Front row from left: 4 skeins Flicker (Berroco) and 1 skein Nazca Wind (Plymouth).


Here you can see the swift in action, with the Kudo skein being wound. My daughter gave me the little winder a few years back, which is a tremendous help. (My husband had been my "swift" up until now, patiently holding the yarn between his upheld palms. . .)
And here is the lovely little Kudo cake, ready to knit! I am planning to make the one-skein infinity scarf pattern (Plymouth #1898).

Voila! All finished, plus a few more skeins that I decided to wind. I love that swift! The hand-paint in the upper left, and the dark colored skeins below it are all Baby Alpaca Grande. The dark ones (which are a forest green) were wound directly from an ancient, unfinished project which I decided to frog, because I don't have any idea what pattern I was using.
The skein in front is Borealis (Berroco) which will make a lovely warm hat.
Flicker (which is 87% alpaca, 8% acrylic and 5% other), is quite lofty, and it wound into a tight cake. I decided not to wind the other skeins, as I'm afraid that it might get stretched out. I'll probably wind them by hand, or right before knitting them.
I decided to start the Berroco infinity Ping cowl in the new spring "Weekend and Weekend Chunky" booklet, so I cast on and got this far. (Flicker and Weekend have the same gauge.) I did a provisional cast on so that I can graft the ends together.

These three lovely little skeins are some unidentified hand-paint yarns. Where, oh where did the skein labels go, oh where oh where can they be?! Well, never mind, they are single skeins in my stash, which will be used for future cowls, scarves or handwarmers!
The Nazca Wind was a skein I needed to wind so I could finish my sweetie's Valentine project, an "A's Manly Scarf" (pattern by Johanna K. Sarten) made with 3 skeins. This is a very soft alpaca yarn in a chocolate brown/black color. I wonder how it will hold up next to a scratchy beard?

So, now that I have my skeins wound, wish me luck with advancing on some projects. Which one to start????

A Friday Finished Project

Finally, I have finished my "Minnie" project! It has been sitting in a cupboard for a couple of years, waiting for me to finish the lace edging. Today was lunch at the Philbrook Museum, so I finished it up last night and found a dress in my closet that matches!

Pattern: Minnie by Louisa Harding
Yarn: Ultra Silk by Berroco



I would like to thank my dear mother for teaching me how to sew when I was a little girl. A lot of knitters really hate "sewing up" the knit pieces -- but I actually don't mind at all, since my embroidery, hemming and sewing years taught me how to handle that! The worst part was knitting the lace edging -- which is knit in a strip about a mile long, and then sewed around all the edges.

Hats , Mittens and Scarves

The cold and snow have been pretty brutal the last few weeks, so winter weather accessories are quite appropriate!


Project: Misti Chunky Ribs and Ruffles Scarf (free pattern by Nancy Kleiber)
Yarn: Marble (James C Brett)
Made for: Katy

To make this scarf warm enough, I held the yarn doubled, making it even chunkier than the original pattern's version.



Michael keeps his ears warm with a beanie I made him a few years ago. The yarn was some alpaca yarn I got at a farm in Michigan, when Brad and I spent a few days at the cabin (well, really more of a house, and quite luxurious) Mom and Dad rented on a lake. I had forgotten about this hat until I saw him wearing it on New Year's Day!



Terra is modeling a pair of Bella mittens I made for Calder. Yarn is Lion Brand wool-ease chunky.


Anna is wearing the hat and scarf I made for her mom (hat is a modified "Drops Design" pattern, scarf is Ribs and Ruffles Scarf) and Sophia is wearing a Santa hat (pattern from "Drops Design"). The yarn for these projects was Bamboo Soft, bought at Hobby Lobby.




Sophie helped make the pom pom for her hat, which she wanted to look like a peppermint!



And a pair of mitts for Saskia, made with SWTC Karoake yarn, and based on Laurie-Ann Schultz's free Fingerless Glove pattern.

"Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice. . .

. . . that's what little girls are made of!"


Project: Angora Bolero from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies.
Yarn: Sirdar Romance (2 skeins)
Made for: Juliana, la hija del Gordo y Amanda



Y aquí está la nena, con el bolero puesto, y comiendo su botita! ¡Qué linda está!

And here's a picture of Anna wearing the purple Little Jive shrug I made!

Finished Projects for Special Children!

The first two items have already been gifted, and the girls' shrugs are Christmas presents -- WHAT? It's not even Thanksgiving yet and two Christmas gifts are DONE? It's a miracle!

I'm hoping I'll get pictures of the items in use!

Project: Sirdar's Design F Boys Slipover, or as I like to call it, "Little Professor Vest."
Yarn: Spud and Chloe worsted, cotton/wool
Size: 5 years old
Made for: Miles





Project: Blu from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Rowan Denim, cotton
Size made: 18 months
Made for: Kamran

The little patch is made out of felt and I embroidered his initials.

I love this pattern. And I bet they're the most comfortable pair of jeans a person could wear!



Project: Little Jive Shrug by Sublime
Yarn: Queensland Pima Fresca, 100% cotton
Size: 7 years old
Made for: Sophie

(I want one of these for me!)


Project: Pippa by Martin Storey
Yarn: Kudo by Plymouth, cotton/rayon/silk
Size: 8 years
Made for: Anna

Bella's Mittens

For the Twilight fans!!!




Pattern: Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande, 2 skeins
Made for: Ellen



Used smaller needles than yarn ball-band calls for to get gauge for the pattern. It made the mittens a great weight.

Cardi Time

It's a happy (and rare) day when I actually finish a project I plan to wear myself!

Project: "Lemongrass Bolero" pattern by Stephanie Japel (Glampyre)
Yarn: Madil Giamaica







Project: Louisa Harding "Tide," from Beachcomber Bay
Yarn: Saucy by Reynolds



Now, when it comes to baby things, I'm much better at finishing those! Debbie's granddaughter was born this spring, and this little cardi was fun to make!

Project: "Little Daisy Cardigan" pattern by Sublime Yarns
Yarn: Baby Cotsoy (Queensland Collection)

Aw, look how adorable she is! And her name, Peyton, is so cute, too!