I knit this using the Cowl de Printemps pattern. Which I unfortunately misread, and didn’t realize it to the last repeat of the chart, the night before I needed to be finished. At which point I promptly had a meltdown until a friend called and talked me out of the crazy. (I may have alarmed and confused him with the crafting rant.) So, the pattern did not turn out exactly as it was intended, but still looks lovely, and my switch recipient seemed happy with it, so there you go. The yarn is Knit Picks Elegance, a now-discontinued silk/merino blend that is really quite lovely.

I’m still a bit perturbed however; I’ve also had this and the matching beret on my list for myself and may tackle it again, just to prove that I can win.

This project went SO fast. I’m very happy — it’s completed well in advance of the church auction so I don’t have to stress over it, and I do hope someone will love it and want to take it home.

The pattern is Simple Things by Mary-Heather Cogar. It’s a great pattern, well-written and I’d highly recommend it. It’s also easily memorized, which makes it a great travel project and helps it go super fast. I used Classic Elite Alpaca Sox for the yarn. I love this color combination something fierce, I have no idea why, but it never fails to make me happy.

I did use smaller needles than called for — I couldn’t find my US4s so I used US3s instead. I had more yardage than called for though, so I just kept going on the garter stitch ridges until I got near the end. I considered trying to squeak another repeat out, and I think there’s a slim possibility I might have made it but I decided not to risk it.  In the end, I think it was the right call — it’s still a great size for a mini shawl, and I didn’t have to worry about possibly ripping back.

I made it up as I went along, based on a stitch pattern from an old needlework book. I may try to write it up as a simple pattern if people are interested — you can’t see it from the photos, but the ends taper and there are ties to help secure it.

Overall, I like the way it turned out, and I think it will get a lot of use. I see lots of similar projects in my future!

That said, this sweater was started in Jan of 2010, so I think Aug 2011 is about darn time to get it off the needles, don’t you?

The pattern is the Eyelet Twist pullover by Kira K designs.  The yarn I used was Malabrigo kettle dyed cotton. It was my first time using kettle dyed yarn in a sweater, and my resistance to doing things properly (like alternating skeins) and buying extra yarn (so I had plenty of skeins to alternate) was a big part of what delayed this project.

Close on the sleeve — I love this design, and the way it travels up the sweater. It was easy to follow, though did require a bit of looking at the pattern; I never quite got it memorized. I skipped the beads on the sleeves and hem  — I didn’t think they suited this yarn.

Overall, I’m actually very pleased with how this came out.  I wore the sweater yesterday, and it’s quite comfortable and flattering.  I’m sure this one will wind up being a regular wardrobe staple, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go continue gloating in my triumph over the yarn.

Like all Cookie socks, these knit up very quickly. Which was good, because I had a very limited time to get them done and shipped off.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with how they turned out — just hope my mom likes them too.

I started them and finished them IN THE SAME MONTH.

This never happens.

Admittedly, I tend to flit from project to project, making things take far longer than they otherwise might. I also succumb quite easily to boredom when it comes to things in pairs — socks, sleeves, gloves — and not want to do the same thing all over again.

But Cookie A. socks? Tend to fly off the needles, and I’m so glad that these went so fast.

The pattern is Haleakala from Cookie A.’s sock club February shipment. I did the straight leg version, though I’d also like to give the twisted one a shot sometime. (And I have a couple of folks in mind who might be candidates to receive such a sock.)

The yarn is String Theory yarn’s Caper Sock, also from Cookie’s February shipment. I love, love, love this yarn. So soft and yet not too loose, lovely colors that flow well together, and morph and change in different light.

Overall, I’m thrilled with how these came out;  I love the look and feel, and they fit very well. Plus, I’m delighted at how fast they knit up!

At any rate, I did manage to finish the Pacific Northwest Socks.

These socks began on my trip to Seattle in 2010. I was visiting my friend Mary, and she had to go into work one day so she dropped me off in Edmonds. I spent the day wandering through the adorable little town, spending as much time as I could on the beach (it was cold!) and visited a little yarn shop. I couldn’t leave without souvenir yarn! Being impatient, I cast on while I was there and spent a good chunk of the day curled up in a comfy chair at Starbucks, drinking coffee and knitting on my sock while watching the gloomy weather. It was lovely.

The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Company’s Happy Feet, in a lovely blue-grey colorway. the socks are a design I just threw together off the top of my head, plain vanilla sock recipe spiced up with some ribbing extending down the inner and outer sides of the legs and splitting off to continue down the sides of the foot as well.

The socks came out nice and sturdy, and I could see this idea working well for unisex socks as well. They’re cozy and comfortable, a perfect reminder of my trip.

One of the mysterious projects I’ve been working on was a present for my friend Zafira and her new baby Seraphina. Seraphina is the first girlchild amongst my group of friends, so I couldn’t resist knitting something pink and girly.

The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Sweater on Two Needles, the yarn is madelinetosh pashmina. Buttons are from Article Pract in Oakland.

It was my first Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern; there were a few places I got confused with how the directions were worded, but with a little help from Ravelry I made it through. It was really a quick knit, and turned out very well. The shape and styling of the sweater and sleeves will also, I hope, give it some staying power as she grows.

Seraphina looks like she’s enjoying wearing her new sweater!

My coven celebrates Yule with a Switch Witch gift exchange, and as soon as I drew my witch’s name I was thinking of ideas! He’s dedicated to Odin, so I immediately veered Norse, and started contemplating what I could whip up.

I wound up making a small bag, that I figure could be used for runes or tarot cards or any sort of small magical things, which I then stitched with embroidery on both sides. Both designs were from Urban Threads.

Odin’s ravens on one side, with a knotwork border.

The tree of life on the other. It seemed a suitable gift, and I believe that it was well-received! I hope so any way; I love crafting for my friends. It’s one of the best things in my world, to give someone something crafted just for them.

The pattern is Atlantis, from The Enchanted Sole by Janel Laidman. I’ve lost the info on the yarn, unfortunately. But I do love the way these turned out; I was a bit worried about the color and fit while I was working. The yarn looked very dark in low light, but once in natural light it’s a lovely bright teal, as in this photo.

I made Drez try her socks on as soon as I gave them to her, and luckily they fit. Like all toe-up socks I’ve made, they seemed to require a bit of tugging to get them up over the ankles but once on they fit okay. I’m not sure why toe up socks seem to want to do this all the time? It’s one of the many reasons I prefer top down varieties.

The pattern is also lovely. The wavy pattern on the foot and beginning of the leg is very aquatic, and I love the columns of the cuff rising up out of the waves like the sunken city.

Even more important, Drezdany liked them too! So now I’m down three pairs of CAYA Coven socks, with many more still to come.