A very knitted Christmas
I just wanted to post some pictures of the Christmas gifts I knitted this year. When I picked up knitting at the start of this year, I never thought to myself that I would become proficient enough to make really cool things for other people, so I rather happy that I was able to make these things.
First up, a blanket for my niece. I started this back at the end of August and finished all of the knitting by November 30, but I didn't weave in all of the ends until Christmas Eve:
It's an easy pattern, but it called for the yarn to be held doubled while you knit, so I was basically knitting with two strands of yarn as one. That was the only tedious thing about it. The doubled yarn always tangled around each other no matter what I did, so every few rows I would have to pause and untangle them. On the flip side, it means the blanket is heavy and very warm. It measures about 38 inches by 38 inches, so it'll be a good size for a toddler for a few years. Gryffindor colours, because, well, why not. :-)
Next up, a Mass Effect inspired scarf for my sister. I started this about two weeks after I started the blanket, but the project sort of fell by the wayside and it wasn't completely finished until December 23:
I probably let this project languish because it was more involved than the blanket. In order to knit stripes that run vertically, you have to use a technique called intarsia. Each column of colour has its own supply of yarn and you have to twist the new yarn around the old yarn so there aren't gaps between the colour changes. I don't think I'm describing it that well, but it's very easy for the strands of yarn to get tangled around each other. I got around this by making a yarn holder out of LEGO (yay for LEGO), but the colour changes still take a lot of concentration. At least I got to learn a new skill.
Lastly, a Jayne hat for my brother-in-law. I started it back in November and it didn't take me very long to knit, but I procrastinated on the blocking and didn't finish it until December 19:
My first ever Jayne hat! It's an easy pattern and I learned how to pick up stitches to attach the ear flaps. The pom pom is way too big and round and fluffy, it looks like something that belongs on a clown costume, but it was the first pom pom I ever made, so there was a slight learning curve there. I'm sure any future pom poms I make will look better. My sister and niece also have Jayne hats, knitted by a friend of my sister's, so now the whole family has matching hats, which was the whole point of the gift. I fully expect them to take a family photo with the three of them wearing their hats.
Not pictured: a cowl I made for a gift exchange.
So yeah, I've been knitting up a storm, off and on, since the end of August. I'm currently working on another hat for my niece, but for the most part, I'm going to take a break from knitting. I need to rest my wrists before I start the two Fourth Doctor scarves that were commissioned by my friends.
First up, a blanket for my niece. I started this back at the end of August and finished all of the knitting by November 30, but I didn't weave in all of the ends until Christmas Eve:
It's an easy pattern, but it called for the yarn to be held doubled while you knit, so I was basically knitting with two strands of yarn as one. That was the only tedious thing about it. The doubled yarn always tangled around each other no matter what I did, so every few rows I would have to pause and untangle them. On the flip side, it means the blanket is heavy and very warm. It measures about 38 inches by 38 inches, so it'll be a good size for a toddler for a few years. Gryffindor colours, because, well, why not. :-)
Next up, a Mass Effect inspired scarf for my sister. I started this about two weeks after I started the blanket, but the project sort of fell by the wayside and it wasn't completely finished until December 23:
I probably let this project languish because it was more involved than the blanket. In order to knit stripes that run vertically, you have to use a technique called intarsia. Each column of colour has its own supply of yarn and you have to twist the new yarn around the old yarn so there aren't gaps between the colour changes. I don't think I'm describing it that well, but it's very easy for the strands of yarn to get tangled around each other. I got around this by making a yarn holder out of LEGO (yay for LEGO), but the colour changes still take a lot of concentration. At least I got to learn a new skill.
Lastly, a Jayne hat for my brother-in-law. I started it back in November and it didn't take me very long to knit, but I procrastinated on the blocking and didn't finish it until December 19:
My first ever Jayne hat! It's an easy pattern and I learned how to pick up stitches to attach the ear flaps. The pom pom is way too big and round and fluffy, it looks like something that belongs on a clown costume, but it was the first pom pom I ever made, so there was a slight learning curve there. I'm sure any future pom poms I make will look better. My sister and niece also have Jayne hats, knitted by a friend of my sister's, so now the whole family has matching hats, which was the whole point of the gift. I fully expect them to take a family photo with the three of them wearing their hats.
Not pictured: a cowl I made for a gift exchange.
So yeah, I've been knitting up a storm, off and on, since the end of August. I'm currently working on another hat for my niece, but for the most part, I'm going to take a break from knitting. I need to rest my wrists before I start the two Fourth Doctor scarves that were commissioned by my friends.