In which there is some Marvin Gaye

The holidays are... a special time.



A time of warmth, family, seasonal diversions, ungulants, romance, ungulant romance?





A very special pair of mittens for a very good friend.



Above we have Elton and Laddie,



and Ellen and Portia.



May the holidays find you as lucky as these... darling little deer.

in which one knit is gifted

One gift knit out of the way, just back to working on those mittens!
I made this hat pretty last minute (it's Jared Floods Turn a Square), and it didn't really take more than half a day. Made in Cascade 220 and Noro Silk Garden. Perfect gift knit.





And this last shot shows the 'jogless jog'

In which... o hai

O Hai there thumb, how you doin?

I seem to have stalled out on getting the partner mitten underway...

in which there is a small setback

Oh my lovely people, that mitten I showed you last day had such wonderful potential! Alas, it fell victim to that most tenacious and pervasive curse that plagues knitters... knitterly denial.
Who hasn't experienced it for themselves? You start a project, happy as can be and, not a short ways in do you realize some small error. A chart mishap, or a miscrossed cable, or (as occasioned to happen to me) just that nagging feeling that even though you had convinced yourself that "sure I have a slightly wrong sized needle, but I can block it out". And yet, you keep plowing on, shoving more and more yarn down the gullet of that nagging voice that keeps trying to tell you "hey bignose, you are going to regret not fixing this now!"
I trekked on through the entire mitten (save the thumb, which is still sitting on a spare needle, even now), before finally admitting that "oh, I have made a child-sized mitten." Normally I would simply carry on, knit a pair of wee-ttens (wee mittens) and then start again on the proper gift, but for this project... well there are some complications (which can only be revealed after it is gifted. Trust me. Or check Ravelry).
On the plus side, one evening later I am already a third of the way done reknitting the first mittens. I love quick knits! (and for anyone who has wondering, I am using Sisu on (now) 3.00mm circulars and the 'Mittens to Order' pattern, with some super secret charts)

So, amidst exams and papers and work, what am I knitting, I hear you ask.

Well perhaps I am working on some traditional fair isle. Perhaps...

In which I add a sidenote

As an addendum to yesterday's post, Isn't it nice when gifts work out brilliantly?



What do we think, peoples? Did I make the right colour choice here or what?

In which I am now out of things to knit

Well, here's another knit!
Bird's Nest Smoke Ring by Shui Kuen Kozinski out of Shibui Sock.







Knit to pattern, super quick (like... 4 days knitting time), and pretty fun.
Gifted and quite well received.

Well, now that it has been received, I can share photos.



It's a slightly modified Springtime Bandit. Yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca (with the insets done in Cascade 220).



Intarsia is a pain in the rear, but I think it was worth it.









I've got another finished knit to share, too. Once it gets gifted.

I which I near the finish line?

Nearly there.

In which we buy more yarn

So the mysteryish knit is now in the post. It's been photographed buuuuuuuut I can't share those yet.

Instead, can I entice you with a photo of today's yarn acquisition? It's another pre-planned gift knit (so unlike me, I know!), and I am just in crazy love with the slate blue colour - I think it matches someone's eyes quite well. More info on the particular project at a future date.

Cheers lovely peoples.

in which we commence phase 2

Well, next up is blocking and shipping. That was a 6-day knit, people. 6 days. For ME.

In which I nearly lap myself

So after three evenings work, the current mystery project is into the final phase of knitting! When I say it's zipping along, I am not exaggerating!



I am making a few modifications to the pattern - making it a bit larger with an added repeat and also... well I'll see if you can figure it out from the photos - if not, you'll have to wait for the reveal. Oh, and it's secretive because the recipient checks in here at least on occasion. I'm enjoying the knit too much to keep quiet though. And I am just reveling in the sculptural nature of it pre-blocking (wrong side only pictured).

In which there is a teaser

Hello lovely peoples.
Here is a wee teaser of what I am working on (being sidelined from more active endeavours has allowed me to sneak in a bit of knitting time amongst my more academic pursuits). Have a great November!

In which I get close enough to a FO

So after a month of trying to get a proper FO shoot for you lovely people I have given up. Here are just some non-action shots of it. That's all for now, time for work. If I have time, I'll make another post with the project details.











Oh, also, my Hemlock Ring blanket from about a year ago is out of hibernation.





And, I think my digital camera is dieing. It looks like the screen is starting to go and some other stuff... Fingers crossed it holds out until I can afford a new one.

In which there is a decoy

A tiltshifted view from my new neighbourhood out towards downtown.



No photos of the finished sweater yet. Haven't had any time to knit either since then. Busy busy busy season!

In which sometimes you just need a quickie

Lovely people! Who knows what these photos mean?
If you follow, you know what comes next ;)

In which I pause, and take a breath

I'll be honest with you lovely people. The last few weeks have been hard on me, on many levels. This is shaping up to be a very strenuous year as well, so I'm not out of the woods yet. There's been some doing and some thinking and some lord knows what the last few weeks, but this, this right here? This is what it's coming down to for the next few days: a brief reprieve before saddling back up.



And so with a new house, a new welcome as well: my door is always open, a drink is always around, and I hope to see some of you around these parts often enough.

In which I'm really tired

Underwent another (!) house move yesterday. Working on getting internet up and running. Working on getting through the yoke of my sweater (it's going along at a decent clip, I just need a few solid evenings to crank it out I think). Photos and excitement will ensue as soon as I unpack my camera (and everything else... it might be time for a big possession purge, I think).

In which there is body

About 7" into the body! (Aiming for 17", I think) I juuuuuuuust might get this done by the time classes start, if I can get the body done by the end of the week.

In which Ms H. is always right

So, this was a belated birthday knit for Ms H.
I loved knitting it, the yarn is a delight as always, and it was the perfect cool-down project after the long haul of Peacock Feathers. Best of all, it was very well received (always a relief, eh gift knitters?).

Didn't get the opportunity to get many photos of this one (I really want to rustle up a mannequin or dress form to help with FO photo shoots), but that's not always what matters.

Pattern: Silk Kerchief by Kate Gagnon (rav link)
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 (unknown colours)
Needles: Addi Lace 3.5mm
Start: July 14, 2009
End: August 7, 2009
Modifications: Madelinetosh inspired ruffle (rav link), but with an increase of 2 stitches per 3, instead of 1 per 2, just for that extra ruffle ;)
Verdict: Thumbs up across the board in every single department. No complaints. I kind of want one now for myself...





I couldn't resist this one. Whaddaya think, my colours?

In which sleeve!

Like I said, one down, one to go.

In which news of sorts abounds

So, bad news first?
It's overcast and gloomy and I can't get any good light for a photo of a finished sweater sleeve.

Good news?
There is a finished sleeve to not have photos taken of.
There is a second sleeve that has been started.
There is an FO to be washed, blocked, photographed and gifted in the near future. Y'all are going to have to wait for that one.

In which we plod along

Not too contrasty in the end, but I'm liking these two colourways together.

Next on Masterpiece Theatre: a sweater update.



P.S. Someone out there is being super brave and it looks amazing!

In which there is a new beginning

So, whatchall think - these yarns go well enough together?







More chit-chat later, peoples!