Secret Pals and works in process!
I've been pretty swamped so I haven't managed to update until now. First off, I recently signed up for a Secret Pal thing on the Knitty message boards It's basically a thing where you get to spoil someone with knitting related gifts and you get spoiled in return! I won't reveal what I sent my person, just in case they stumble across this blog and find out who I am, but I will post what I got from my own secret pal (who rocks!)
First, I got some lovely scented candles (Lavender and Spiced Pumpkin - yum!) and a journal with my initial that matches the lavender candle!
Next, I got some handy accessories including a nifty row counter, and a fringe maker - perfect for scarves!
Then, I opened this cute little box to find an assortment of handmade stitch markers!
Here's a close-up. Aren't they great? I love the turtle one!
And last - but certainly not least - two skeins of soft sportweight alpaca yarn from Blue Sky!! These would make great socks, don't you think? When I first saw them I thought they were pale blue, but in certain light, they look lavender. And they smell like lavender too, from being packaged with the candle! So soothing!
Here's a close-up of the lovely yarn.
Thank you sooo much, SP! You're the best! I wonder who you are.....??
Now, for works-in-progress... haha, I have about a million things. I love starting projects... finishing them not so much. Below the cut are a couple pics of projects I have recently completed, and one that is taking me an eternity!
This past Christmas, I made a good friend of mine a scarf from the Plymouth Alpaca yarn I mentioned in a previous post. Pretty basic: 6ft long, 8 inches wide and K2, P2 ribbing. But I was happy with how it turned out and he says it's nice and warm!
I also made a scarf for my dad because he could not find one in a store according to his specifications: 5 inches wide, 6 feet long, and with vertical stripes of varying widths in black, purple, and gray! So I made this for him - I knit it lengthwise on circular needles, in garter stitch. He wears it all the time. ^_^ Here it is:
I also tried making my mom a scarf for Christmas, but alas, it was not completed in time. In fact, despite the fact that I work on it everyday, it's still not even halfway! It's cashmere Mountain Colors in the Ladyslipper colorway and it's very thin yarn (sock yarn, perhaps?)... and the fact that it's K1,P1 ribbing on size 6 needles isn't helping the speed factor. But it will look nice when it's done... probably in time for next winter, ha!
Here's a close-up
I'm also working on a few other things, but I'll post about them later. I did complete one more thing recently - a hat for my husband made of my beloved Plymouth Alpaca yarn:
Unfortunately, while this yarn works great for a scarf, it doesn't do so well as a hat. It's just too saggy and even though I tried making it small, it's still too loose for his head! I tried felting it slightly, but it didn't help too much. And this is my second attempt at a hat and this is the second time it's turned out saggy! Oh, well. Now I know to avoid 100% alpaca for hats...
Here's a pic of it in action:
Well, that's it for now! Next time I'll post about my Cobweb scarf, Skull & Crossbones Sweater, and counterfeit crochet handbag!
First, I got some lovely scented candles (Lavender and Spiced Pumpkin - yum!) and a journal with my initial that matches the lavender candle!
Next, I got some handy accessories including a nifty row counter, and a fringe maker - perfect for scarves!
Then, I opened this cute little box to find an assortment of handmade stitch markers!
Here's a close-up. Aren't they great? I love the turtle one!
And last - but certainly not least - two skeins of soft sportweight alpaca yarn from Blue Sky!! These would make great socks, don't you think? When I first saw them I thought they were pale blue, but in certain light, they look lavender. And they smell like lavender too, from being packaged with the candle! So soothing!
Here's a close-up of the lovely yarn.
Thank you sooo much, SP! You're the best! I wonder who you are.....??
Now, for works-in-progress... haha, I have about a million things. I love starting projects... finishing them not so much. Below the cut are a couple pics of projects I have recently completed, and one that is taking me an eternity!
This past Christmas, I made a good friend of mine a scarf from the Plymouth Alpaca yarn I mentioned in a previous post. Pretty basic: 6ft long, 8 inches wide and K2, P2 ribbing. But I was happy with how it turned out and he says it's nice and warm!
I also made a scarf for my dad because he could not find one in a store according to his specifications: 5 inches wide, 6 feet long, and with vertical stripes of varying widths in black, purple, and gray! So I made this for him - I knit it lengthwise on circular needles, in garter stitch. He wears it all the time. ^_^ Here it is:
I also tried making my mom a scarf for Christmas, but alas, it was not completed in time. In fact, despite the fact that I work on it everyday, it's still not even halfway! It's cashmere Mountain Colors in the Ladyslipper colorway and it's very thin yarn (sock yarn, perhaps?)... and the fact that it's K1,P1 ribbing on size 6 needles isn't helping the speed factor. But it will look nice when it's done... probably in time for next winter, ha!
Here's a close-up
I'm also working on a few other things, but I'll post about them later. I did complete one more thing recently - a hat for my husband made of my beloved Plymouth Alpaca yarn:
Unfortunately, while this yarn works great for a scarf, it doesn't do so well as a hat. It's just too saggy and even though I tried making it small, it's still too loose for his head! I tried felting it slightly, but it didn't help too much. And this is my second attempt at a hat and this is the second time it's turned out saggy! Oh, well. Now I know to avoid 100% alpaca for hats...
Here's a pic of it in action:
Well, that's it for now! Next time I'll post about my Cobweb scarf, Skull & Crossbones Sweater, and counterfeit crochet handbag!