Red Scarf Project 2008

It's almost Fair time and also the perfect time to start/finish one of my scarves for the Red Scarf Project 2008 (http://www.orphan.org/index.php?id=40). My last scarf was lovely, although I want to take it up a step as far as my knitting ability goes for this next scarf. I started this Celtic Cable Scarf yesterday and it's rolling in at approximately 4.5 inches, only 55.5 more inches to go. In the middle of the scarf, there is the Celtic weave and at the edges there is a cabled braid. I'm looking froward to when this scarf is complete and I hope that I finish it before the Fair this July.

Fair? Well, in my youthful days, I was a 4-Her and entered lots of 4-H projects at multiple Fairs. Now that I'm too old to be an official 4-Her and enter the projects in the junior department, I enter projects in the open class department at a local Fair that I have been helping out at for years. This is why I said that it would be a wonderful time to start/finish a scarf for the Red Scarf Project, so I can actually enter one of my scarves. Obviously, I can't enter my previous scarf because it is in someone's hands somewhere across the nation. I would like to enter my shrug that I'm knitting, but I don't think that I will finish it in time before Fair, so I've decided to knit this scarf instead - I can probably finish this before I would have finished the shrug.

I just learned to cable this winter, when I was knitting my blue bobbled sweater and actually it's very easy. I've been looking at pattern books and have been seeing Celtic cabled sweaters and loved the pattern of the Celtic weave, so I wanted to give it a try, plus at the same time I'd be improving my cabling skills. I am very proud of this scarf so far, and I hope its future owner will be too.

During my lunch breaks at the hospital, I hope to be knitting a bit to make this process in finishing the scarf faster. Currently, it's taking awhile because I'm working on size 4 needles. It will be an enjoyable project never-the-less.

Off to knit some more.

Stitch Holders

Last week, my mom went out to lunch with her best friend and my mom told her how I had made decorative stitch holders. As it turned out my "aunt - 'name goes here'" wanted some too. These are the decorative stitch holders that I made for her and I guess she just absolutely loved them and told all of her knitting friends at work about them.

I do have to apologize about the picture quality though, it did turn out kind of blurry - my camera wasn't acting the best that day.

Felted Purse

This was the original yarn chosen for my knitting needle case, but as it turned out the pattern was incorrect by a few hundred yards of yarn needed for the case. My mom knitted and felted this bag for me. The only thing I did was pick out the fabric for the lining, sewed it, picked out the button for the closure, and crocheted and felted the loop to go around the button. It is lovely, although I do wish that the handle was one large one instead of the two winding around, but it gives the purse character nevertheless. My part on felting was rather easy. I took the loop and just rubbed it between my hands in the bathroom sink under hot water for awhile.

Felted Knitting Needle Case

My felted knitting needle case is now complete. I've been working on it for awhile now. During my spring break, I knitted, felted, and left it at home to dry. I had pictures from the start, but unfortunately I can't find those pictures on either of my two cameras. I can however find pictures of veins/arteries models and models of hearts that I was studying, but I'm sure that isn't as interesting to any of you guys since this is a knitting blog after all. Just this past weekend, I picked out fabric and something to close the case. I am very proud of my straight lines that I sewed. I also searched through the button stash at home, sewed some on to add some flare and I sewed snaps on to keep the flap from moving about. It was good project for my first time felting something. I especially like it because now all of my needles are in one place!!

Chas' Hat part 2

I finished Chas' hat today and then took it out. It was too big. I'm still learning with getting the right guage. Must remember, yarn stretches. I probably won't start Chas' hat until tomorrow night or so.

Chas' Hat

Here's Chas' hat so far; I just started it this past Saturday. I am not really following a pattern - just making things up as I go. Last December, I did make a swatch using 9 US needles, got the guage and measured around my head to get the approximate stitches. Other than that, I'm doing what looks good and what will work best. I think that this is simple enough for Chaser - I hope; if not I'm not how much simpler one can get. The hardest part will probably be the crown; I may have to do a lot of thinking on this one. We'll see. I just hope to get it done before next week Monday - that's when I go home next and I'm hoping to give it to my brother then.

Well, thus far it's turning out all right, I just hope that the crown won't be frustrating.

Hat Complete

I finished the hat today and still have some yarn to spare, not enough to do anything major unfortunately, but that is to be expected. After awhile, the bobbles became easier to make. I do have to say that it is a cute hat, but I'm not in favor of it. The reason is because I like to wear hats more snug around my head (for warmth reasons - there's just something about a more snug fitting hat that keeps my ears warmer and that it blocks the wind more) and this one is too lose for my liking. I should have made the smaller option, but oh well. We all make projects that we aren't particularly fond of or rather just don't work for ourselves. I think that I am going to give it to my mom the next time I go home. She likes her hat looser and I think that this hat will fit her head better than mine. It's done that's what makes me happy. It was a free ball of yarn, I can't complain. The next project is finishing my brother's hat, which I certainly after all of the work that I put into it that it fits. I've now made two hats that are too big for the people that it was intended for. Maybe I just have this thing with hats. Oh well.