Project: Noro Striped Scarf a la Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in colorways #205 and 243, 1 1/2 skein of each
Needles: Knit Picks Options US size 7
Start: December 6
Finish: December 17
Thoughts: Surprisingly knit up rather quickly in the 1x1 rib and the yarn felt good enough. The stripes are fun, and the color changes add a great visual effect. Easy peasy to knit with great results. I have some more Silk Garden that I purchased to make another but that'll be for another day farther down the road. My sister hasn't sent me a picture of my niece wearing it yet, so you're stuck with this picture of me modeling it right after I cast off. And no, I'm not pregnant. That's just the look nowadays, so they tell me.
Project: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: The Fibre Company’s Terra in Madder (red) and Fustic (orange), a little less than 1 ½ skeins each
Needles: Knit Picks Options US size 10
Start: November 8, 2007
Finish: November 12, 2007
Thoughts: I originally got the two skeins of Fustic at Unwind’s Superbowl Sale for a pittance and wasn’t sure what to make with it. When Unraveled was clearing out their stash of Terra, the Chevron Scarf clicked in my head and I knew I had to pick up two skeins of another color. I love both of these colors together because they remind me of fall, or at least what fall is supposed to look like in other parts besides Southern California. Please don't tell me these look like the colors of That Other School Across Town. I might have to burn it. I surveyed three people in my group before casting on and they assured me it didn't look like red and gold. They wouldn't lie to me, right?
Since the original pattern calls for fingering weight on size 5 needles, I knew I’d have to scale up a bit to use this worsted weight yarn. I originally cast on using size 8 needles and 36 stitches, but didn’t’ like how it looked. Too wide and stitches too tight. So I scaled up the needle size and scaled down the number of stitches to 24. This yarn is a thick-thin with lots of slubs, and in some areas, not spun very tightly at all, so it felt like roving. I still loved it and how it slipped through my fingers with ease. I especially love the scarf’s rustic look. Thumbs up for Terra and a qualified thumbs up for the Chevron Pattern. I’d make it again but only worsted weight for me, please.
Project: Swell / EZ Very Warm Hat hybrid
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in blue and Berroco Comfort in gold
Needles: Knit Picks Classic 16" Circulars US size 7 and 8
Start: December 22
Finish: December 25
Thoughts: This was the hat that made Sweetie Hubby drove around the block a few times before showing up at my brother's house for Christmas dinner. I don't know what got into me some craziness convinced me that my brother who lives in Southern California needed a warm hat for all of the UCLA games he travels to, so warm a hat that fair isle wouldn't be warm enough. In fact, I needed to a liner, so I made it an EZ Very Warm Hat. In hindsight, I realize that may have been a bit of overkill. Especially since we are of the Domus Largus family, and it doesn't fit over his big noggin. He has since returned it and I plan to happily keep it since it fits over my not-quite-as-domus-largus. I'll make him another Very Warm Hat with the same yarn but I'm thinking with EZ's traditional zig zag pattern, like Sknitty's.
