Another FO!

Update: now with photos!

I finished one of the remaining 6 UFOs (that I can think of) on my list. It's another Magic Scarf, to replace my black one that disappeared in December. (boo hoo!) I had bought some soft, fluffy brown eyelash yarn when Yarn! closed, and started the scarf in December, probably while I was at my mom's. Put it down when we got back and hadn't touched it since. I had about 1/2 ball to go.

I got to the end of the skein last night and had to tink back an entire row, as it needs to be bound off so very loosely. I used my Daisy 35s to bind it off, and took the end and knotted it securely (but with a loose loop) to 2 other threads. The other Magic Scarves I've made have a problem with the end coming loose and hanging down. I'm hoping this method will work. I hate making knots, but clearly, the other way was not working.

This yarn is a lot heavier than the NY Yarns Fluff yarn I'd been using for the other ones. It feels a bit like a beaver pelt! Which is fine. I can still put my hands in it, stretch it out, and make it into a cowl. Works for me!











I also did a few more pattern repeats on Branching Out, after having to rechart it. I have no idea where the pattern went, and the chart was always a smidge too small for me, anyway. I did it by hand, but maybe next time, I'll use that knitting font and just make it oversized. I moved my lifeline every 10 rows and (knock on wood) didn't make any mistakes. Maybe I'll finish it yet!


(Hmm, dark photo. Yarn is a dark-to-medium purple, not navy.)

Much progress

I am almost 4" done on the foot of the Anniversary socks. They really look good but damn, I swear those needles are getting smaller every time I knit with them!

While on jury duty (see my other blog), I buzzed along on the charcoal Knit One Purl Too Sublime Easy Fitted V-Neck. Man, does knitting go fast when your needles are 9s instead of 1s! I'm a little worried about the scratchiness of the mohair, but the color is great and it's even froggable, to my astonishment. I whipped out the front, back, one sleeve, and started another on the BART commute and while we waited (and waited and waited).

I also started and finished another Magic/3-Way Scarf for my son's young friend in a pink (#8; it is less blue than the photo) so bright it almost hurts the eyes. She'll love it. It is a Christmas present; nice to be able to mark that one off. While I was working on it on BART, a women asked if I'd made the one on my neck, too (my black one). I said yes and pointed out the 3 ways to wear it (long scarf, short cowl, hood) and she pointed out two more! You can pull the cowl up to cover your ears like a headband, and if you let the top scrunch enough, you can make it into a hat. Very cool!

After that, I started one of those scarves for my son in a Fluff Print (#26) he'd chosen a while ago. I'm betting on him having forgotten, as it will be one of his Christmas presents. When I'm done with that, I'm going to make myself another one with some soft brown yarn I bought when my beloved local yarn store closed. I don't know how well it will work, as the NY Yarns Fluff yarn has worked beautifully, and this stuff is a little heavier and the yardage is less (although I always end up with about 1/3 ball left of the Fluff).

I only have two more Christmas projects to finish (since I have chosen very few to begin with, for once!): a scarf for G's teacher and a hat for one of his Y-Kids teachers. The hat pattern came up in my 2006 Knitting Pattern A Day calendar. It's a simple mohair hat and I just found a ball of black mohair in my stash. Don't know where it came from. The teacher's scarf may come out of a ball of L!on Brand cashmere-blend yarn I got with my 40% off coupon at Beverly's and some gorgeous jewel-toned chenille I'm sure I got from Dharma. Neither is enough for a full scarf, but I'm going to attempt one of those "Cast on a million stitches and knit 2 rows with each yarn" scarves and see how the yarns hold out--and look together.

I'm hoping to just do fun knitting while away at Christmas--maybe a lacy scarf from an insert in a recent Interweave Knits, maybe some Fair Isle (OMG are these gorgeous?!?) with the yarn I got at Yarn! and the Palette sampler I got from the Destash blog from YaiAnn. I have spotted a Fair Isle sweater I want to knit (interesting note: there are very few I find attractive) and I need to know if I hate it, first.

And someday? I'll restart Birch. Because I must prevail, dammit.