Project Report

It has been several weeks since my last post for Year of Projects and I have some really good excuses: Birthday, a Knitting Failure, and Rabbits. My little guy turned two and I was rather busy with party planning that I had no time to knit. The sock I was knitting taught me a valuable lesson about laddering and dpn's and I have been putting what I learned to good use. For the rabbit busyness pop over to the family's blog to read about our orphan newborn rabbits (we raise meat rabbits).

Even with all that is going on here I can cross somethings off my list. I made garland for the Advent Christmas Tree and I knit Stomper his Christmas hat.

The hat is knit from my own pattern: Hunters Plaid Hat. The only adjustment I made was to knit the earflap with double knitting which I am new to. I like the earflap much better this way and I may add that option to the pattern in the future. Does anyone know if you can decrease while double knitting? I was thinking how awesome it would be to have the hat reversible, although it would probably be a little too warm.

The mittens in the background are from Mittens on a String. I adjusted the mittens to fit 2T-3T by adding a few rows and stitches (rav notes). The mittens are knitting up really quick. It is so nice to have something checked off my Christmas knitting list. This week I hope to start the gray squirrel as I have relocated both yarn and pattern just recently. 

Then maybe I will attempt to knit socks for the hubby.

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Project List

Pembroke Vest

Christmas Stocking

Finish Kat's gloves (done) and mine too (mine are done!)

Two Plaid Hunters Hat (one done)

The squirrel/hedge hog

Six ornaments for Stompers Advent Calendar:

1. Christmas Sweater done!
2. Christmas Stocking
3. Candy Cane
4. Christmas Bell
5. Tinsel (done)
6. Christmas Ball

Something from the book The Expectant Knitter

Finish a bear I started from the Nursery Baby Doll pattern done!

A pair of socks for the hubby that will actually fit him - started

Milo Vest 

Something Girlie -- possibly something out of The Expectant Knitter (done)

New Techniques Just in Time for Christmas

I have been having some issues with my knitting lately. I had startititus for a little bit, but fought the urge by planning a Birthday Party for my two year old. Then I kept it at bay by being involved with my church's Sunday School Kick Off planning and execution. 

Now though, my fall is stretched out ahead of me and Christmas lies in wait like a hungry lion ready to make me panic. To counter act that I have kicked my Christmas knitting into high gear. 

The first thing I cast on was a pair of socks for my hubs. I had knit most of the leg when I decided to try it on. It was way too small. As I examined my failure I noticed something in my stockinette stitch that really bugged me: ladders. When I use my dpn's I always make sure that I tighten up my stitches, so why did I have ladders? In desperation I googled "no ladders dpn" and found this life saving video. 

I had never tried it before, it never occurred to me, but it works! I knit a few rows of the sock and was happy to see no ladders! I jumped for joy! (The sock is still in my knitting bag waiting to be rewound, or burned, I can't decide which)

Gleefully I am knitting a pair of mittens for Stomper, and with this new technique there are no ladders. Cue the choir! 

One of the blogs I read is Unravelling. She does amazing things with string! She also makes mistakes when she cabling, shock! I had this issue back when I was knitting a sweater for Stomper this summer, I miscrossed my cables. I had almost finished and lo and behold a cable miss-crossed. So I would sit and frog and cry and frog and cry, but I persisted and paid attention so it only happened maybe twice. I wish I had known about laddering back. So much nicer than ripping it all out. You can read all about it in her blog post. Basically you rip out the errant portion, and just that bit, the rest of the work stays put. Then you cleverly re-knit it right! Time consuming and tedious, but not as bad as re-knitting six inches.

Hot off the needles (photos can be expected for Sundays Project Update) is a hat for Stomper. On the needles are mittens knit from some of the same yarn and then next up I will knit at least one sock for the hubby for Christmas. The object is to knit at least one sock for each of the intended recipients so that I can have at least something under the tree for them.