It’s a knitting miracle, folks, the sweater of doom is done! Before I go any further, I want to first clarify. My issues with this sweater had absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, which is clearly written and easy to follow. Every mistake was strictly user error — I made decisions I knew were bad while I was making them, but kept on anyway.

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.

These were knit up as a present for my mom’s birthday, which happens to be today! I used the Boysenberry YO pattern from the April Cookie A. sock club shipment, with some madelinetosh Tosh Sock yarn in Terra.

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.

Y’all, I cannot believe what happened with these socks.

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!

Yes, it’s another finished object! Bringing the grand total to two for this year…and it’s already April.

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.

Yes, it’s true! I do knit things! Sometimes I even finish them and take pictures!

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!

Another straggler from 2010. This one isn’t knitting, amazingly enough, and actually marks the beginning of my adventures into embroidery.

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.

As one year ends, I take stock in what I’ve accomplished. I was surprised to find 12 finished objects for 2010. I honestly thought I would have far fewer; it’s been a busy year. I’ve had a lot of changes happening at work and found myself frequently working long hours; not a bad thing but one that doesn’t always leave a lot of time and brainpower for knitting. One of my goals for 2011 is definitely going to be more balance. I also had the pinup calendar and lots of work with CAYA Coven, so an average of one project per month certainly isn’t bad.

Doesn’t mean I won’t try to do better next year, though!

So what did I finish?

From the top, going left to right, here’s the round-up.

1. Purple Capelet. Pattern is Anthropologie Inspired Capelet tutorial by juisey723, from Craftster; yarn is Moda Dea Cachet. Knit for myself.

2. Szmeralda’s Rainbow Socks. Pattern is Jaywalkers by Grumperina; yarn is Plymouth Yarn Sockotta. Knit for Szmeralda.

3. Nomalicious Socks. Knit using basic sock formula; yarn is Holiday Yarns Bacon yarn. Knit for myself.

4. Shaken, not Stirred. Pattern is Sizzle by Wendy Bernard; yarn is Knitpicks Shine Sport. Knit for myself.

5. Basic Baby Gift. Pattern is #214 Baby Pullover by Diane Soucey, from Knitting Pure and Simple; yarn is Mochi Plus in Lake. Knit for Torrin (and mom Nectar).

6. A Traveling Woman. Pattern is Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante; yarn is Neighborhood Fiber Co. in Truxton Circle. Knit for myself.

7. Beach Babe. Self-designed bikini top for the pinup calendar; yarn is Cascade Fixation Solid. Knit for Seana as part of Off the Needles.

8. Mrs. Darcy in Pink. Pattern is Mrs. Darcy by Mary Weaver; yarn is Shepherd Classic Wool. Knit for myself.

9. Ivy’s Lacy Unmentionables. Pattern is Mon Petite Chou by Kate Gilbert, from Knitty; yarn is Cascade Fixation Solids. Knit for myself as part of Off the Needles.

10. Pretty Princess Socks. Pattern is Rhodie Gus by Kirsten Kapur; yarn is KnitPicks Imagination in Damsel. Knit for myself as part of September Sockdown.

11. Baby Browncoat. Pattern is Baby Browncoat by myself, as yet unpublished; yarn is KnitPicks Shine Sport. Knit for Seamus (and mom Iris and dad Jack).

12. Lost Civilization Socks. Pattern is Atlantis by Janel Laidman, from The Enchanted Sole; yarn is unknown sock yarn. Knit for Drezdany.

Most of these you’ve already seen, but the last socks were just finished! Expect a full post on them soon–hopefully they will be well received.  Not pictured are the two sewing projects I completed; a simple wrap skirt and an embroidered bag.

I hope to continue to make progress on knits in 2011, as well as adding some sewing and weaving to the mix. I also want to get some more patterns ready to go (including the browncoat). There’s at least one more baby knit on the horizon, for a wee one who has already arrived (clearly I am slipping on my knitterly duties) and lots of socks.  Plus continued work on longer term projects like the blankets.

Here’s to continued craftiness in the new year!

Another finished object that I’ve delayed blogging about!

One of the interesting things about many of my friends having babies lately is the opportunity to knit baby knits. Most of the babies have been boys, too, which means searching out unisex or boy knits that are surprisingly hard to find.

But when two of my friends were having a baby, I knew I had to find something perfectly nerdy. Since both of them are fans of Firefly, I had an idea.

What about a baby browncoat?

The design took a bit of fiddling and I’m still not 100% happy with it. I wanted to get the sweater to the baby before he outgrew it, though, so I’m living with this as a prototype.

I do want to continue to iterate the design to get it where I want it.

Pattern: Baby Browncoat, my own design
Needles: US6
Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport (vegan-friendly)

Seamus aims to misbehave!

These are from the October Sockdown, and I actually finished them quite a while ago but forgot to blog! I’m calling them my pretty, pretty princess socks because they are a combo of pink and purple that would make 8-year-old me so VERY happy.

The yarn is Knitpicks Imagination in Damsel. The pattern was Rhodie Gus by Kirsten Kapur. The yarn was probably just slightly too varigated to be ideal for this pattern but I kept going anyway. It’s also super fuzzy, which makes these more likely to be around-the-house slipper socks anyway.

So comfy!