handmade

Finished Knit–The Shift Cowl

Pattern: The Shift Cowl by Andrea Mowry (available for purchase on Ravelry).

Yarn: Spincycle Dream State in the Heart Sigh, Verba Volant, and Neveruary colorways.

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)

Notes and Mods: Another abandoned WIP out of the UFO bin! I knit this as written. However, I ran out of Neveruary about 2/3 through the pattern and finding a replacement was a pain in the butt (hence the abandonment). I realized that, when I ordered this yarn specifically labeled as a kit for this cowl, the yarn I received was Dream State rather than Dyed in the Wool. As it turns out, Dream State is only 150 yards compared to Dyed’s 200 yard put-up.

Overall, easy pattern and glad to free up those needles.

Finished Knit–“Scottish Ale”

Pattern: “Scottish Ale” available for purchase on Ravelry (I got it for free back in early release, I believe).

Yarn: Cascade Eco+ in the Lichen colorway

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Notes, Mods, and Commentary:

Well, I finally did it. I dug this damn sweater out of my UFO bin, where it has been hanging out since *gulp* 2018. One of my 2023 goals I talked about earlier this year is to knit from my stash while also clearing out some of the abandoned projects that are scattered throughout the house. So, I buckled down, promptly remembered why I hated knitting this project, and finally just slogged through it cursing and bitching the entire time. I’m not one to stick with a project I am not enjoying. Life is too short for those shenanigans. However, I promised G-Man this sweater, and it’s not his fault that I ended up hating the process.

I am not a fan of the construction of this sweater and it cured me of any desire to knit a seamed pullover ever again. The sleeve construction was such that the sleeve increases created excessive bulk in the upper underarm area (a problem noted by other knitters), and I was far too apathetic to re-math it. The center cables had a lot of tension between them (creating small holes), and the gauge was such that my hands felt fatigued frequently. As for the yarn, however, it was a good match for this project, because it held stitch definition like a dream. I believe I used about 3.5 skeins for it, but I can’t be sure.

Overall, he likes it, I have some needles free from the Island of Misfit Knits, and I can finally close the book on this project. While I make no promises on how many UFOs will get the same treatment, I confess it did feel pretty good finally finishing it.

Finished Knit: Little Red Riding Slippers

Bean has been hounding me for some slippers, so I went to my default Little Red Riding Slippers since I knew I could crank them out quickly. After the Never-Ending Blanket, I’m happy lean into some instant-gratification projects, especially since I have some larger items planned for my Fall knitting.

Pattern: Little Red Riding Slippers by Drops Studios (available for free on Ravelry but SEE MY NOTES).

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in the Succulent colorway.

Needles: US 10

Notes and Mods: So, Drops patterns once had a reputation for being about as clear as mud. Luckily, other knitters brought clarity, so I skip the pattern and use these resources:

Find re-written pattern here:

http://iknitspatterns.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/rewritten-cable-slippers-pattern.html

Corrected cable pattern here:
http://iknitspatterns.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/cable-slippers.html

And a visual tutorial on sewing them up here (about 12:00 minute mark):

https://vimeo.com/107788111

Finished Knit: Llamalove Beanie

Pattern: Llamalove Beanie by Asha Arun (available for purchase on Ravelry).

Yarn: Petite Woll from We Are Knitters in the Spotted Blue, Ochre, Natural, Black and Cinnamon colorways.

Needles: US 9.

Notes and Mods: The pattern called for US 8, but I went up to 9 because my colorwork knitting can be pretty tight, despite my best efforts to the contrary. Easy, well-written pattern, that includes step-by-step photos of the duplicate stitch. I will say that I’m not a big fan of this yarn. It has minimal twist and reminds me of a roving texture. It’s easy to snag, and I’m skeptical on how it will hold up long-term. Other than that, I’m very happy with this project.

A Couple of Finished Knits

I finished up a couple of knits, just in time to cast on my project for the Ravellenics, which is plodding along:

Pattern: Copycat C.C. Beanie (pattern available for free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Berroco Vintage in Paprika colorway

Needles: US 8

Notes/Mods: Knitted as written, and it was my first time doing a provisional cast on. Pattern is super-easy. Many people add a faux fur pompom on top, but I decided to pass on that.

Pattern: The PussyHat Project (Also free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Brown Sheep Natures Spun Worsted in Cherry Delight Colorway

Needles: US 7 and 8

Notes and Mods: I had no desire to seam a hat, so I stalked other projects on Ravelry and adapted the pattern to knit in the round with a three-needle bind off. I made the brim too long, but doubled over, it fits Bean perfectly. If I make another for myself, I’ll shorten the brim a little to ensure the hat fits as intended.

Finished Knit–21 Color Slouch Hat

So, after seeing the kit for this hat pop up on my Facebook feed like a bagillion times, I finally caved and bought the kit from WEBS. It was my selfish, post-Christmas knit, and while I had some issues with the kit, it turned out fine. Because the skeins are so small, I decided to hand-wind them rather than break out the swift and winder. So, I just started at the beginning and as I progressed, I made the Heathens take turns being a human swift while I wound the colors as I came to them. They learned quick to hide when I hollered one of their names. Lazy on my part? Maybe, but we’ll just call it a character-building exercise for them, shall we? Additionally, my attempts at jogless stripes were an epic fail, but what’evs.

Pattern: 21 Color Slouch Hat (pattern available for purchase individually on Ravelry, but you really want to order the yarn/pattern kit on this deal. Retailers other than WEBS offer it, so you can find it online with a quick search).

Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Wookstok (I’ll spare you the list of the 21 colorways…ain’t nobody got time for that)

Needles: US 6 and US 7

Notes and Mods: Ran out of Spring Ice so I doubled Spun Gold row. Ran out of Rusted Roof so did three rows Driftwood instead. Not enough Earth Ivy left for the last row of that colorway, so subbed Cranberry Compote.

This kit is a little frustrating because there really isn’t enough yarn for some colors. I was diligent about not doing too-long yarn tails and my gauge is good. Even if these two factors were not perfect, I was short two full rows of Rusted Roof, and an inch or two of a too-long yarn tail still does not cause such a shortage. Substitutions with remaining colorways, however, are easy enough if you don’t mind that fact.
However, I am pleased with the finished hat because I have a very large head and this sits slouchy-perfect on me. I was worried that other projects I snooped seemed more fitted, so I was sure it would not fit me as intended. But it did! (ok, so maybe my gauge ended up a tiny bit looser than anticipated, but yarn shortage is still a thing here so you may need to improvise like I did).
Finally, I confess that, since this is for me, I could not fathom weaving in all those ends. It was a knot-tying extravaganza! No shame!

Overall, this is a comfortable, very wearable hat that fits my large melon well. Now, if I could just convince myself to slog through the never-ending shawl that’s left on my needles, I can focus on the Ravellenics next month and start knitting down my stash before I lose my closet to the yarn.

Finished Holiday Knits

Alrighty, now that the holidays have passed, I can post the few last-minute gifts I whipped up in the days leading up to Christmas. I swore not to do any gift knits this year, but finally decided that it just would not be December if I wasn’t knitting a gift or two. All of these were fast projects (at least as far as “fast” applies in knitting terms), and with stash yarn

Pattern: Polku Messy Bun Hat (available for purchase on Ravelry)

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Country Blue colorway (I held the yarn double for this project/gauge)

Needles: US 10 and 10-1/2

Notes and Mods: Made this for my Mother-In-Law, who requested a hat that allowed for a ponytail. I went up a size to ensure the gauge and yarn would work.

Pattern: Man Hat (available for free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Loops and Threads Charisma in Deep Woods Colorway

Needles: US 8 (wish I had used a 9 or 10)

Notes and Mods: Made this for my sister’s very knit-worthy boyfriend from stash yarn. He has a big head so I think I should have gone up a needle size or two. His son loves it so much, I’ll be knitting him one after I finish up my current WIPs.

Pattern: Man Hat (available for free on Ravelry)

Yarn: I Love This Yarn in Camo colorway

Needles: US 8 (though I used a US 10 just for the cast-on to prevent a too-tight edge).

Notes and Mods: CO 88 stitches to make up for smaller gauge. I have used this crappy yarn before and the color pooling never makes sense. For example, I knit this hat with the yarn in the exact same pattern and stitch count and there was no significant color pooling. The recipient is a big camo guy, so hopefully it’s not too crazy for him.

Pattern: Little Red Riding Slippers

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Constellation colorway

Needles: US 10

Notes and Mods–Made these for my sister who is not a fan of knits, but loves Ugg boots so I took a chance on Ugg-inspired slippers. I screwed up on attaching the cuffs so the seam isn’t going the way I prefer, but I was not willing to rip it out at that point. If I make these again, I will pick a yard that gives better stitch definition at this gauge. She’s actually worn them, so I’ll count that as a win.

Now it’s back to WIP wrangling…sigh.