It's Done!

The Hemlock Ring throw is done...you may have seen it peeping out beneath Tracy's chenille scarf in my last post. Here it is in all its glory, blocked and ready to go. It's about four feet in diameter, I'd guess, scalloped all around and with a lace bind-off.



I truly enjoyed the process, so much so that I may cast on another soon. Maybe in washable wool next time, or a linen/cotton blend...we'll see.



I've also dragged out a couple of UFOs (unfinished objects, my dear non-knitters) to see if I could could knock those out in the next few days. I've decided not to kill myself before Christmas, though, so anyone out there expecting these for a present, don't hold your collective breaths. Above is my brown Tuscany shawl, pattern from No Sheep for You; below is the Clarence border scarf from Victorian Lace Today.

Knit, Bind, Block...Repeat

In case it seems like all I do is knit...here I am knitting WITH PEOPLE. The Infinite Knitters came by on Monday night for a little dessert party, but as you can see even chocolate can't distract these ladies from their needles! I had no idea my shoes gleamed like that, by the way.

That night I was working away on the Hemlock Ring, which is now about halfway bound off and heading for Blocktropolis hopefully later today. And below, a FO: an autumn gold Calorimetry with a copper button - the result of that $2 ball of yarn from Knitting in La Jolla!

Sunflower Tam

My needles are on fire. I'm furiously trying to knit as much as I can before the Christmas deadline, laying away as many little items as possible so I can pull gifts out. I've given up the idea of giving everyone a handmade gift, but some people might just luck out.

Right now, I've got the tomten still on the needles - one sleeve finished (well, if you, like I, generously call knitted but not seamed "finished") and the other sleeve ready to start.

The Hemlock is still flying along; it's what I take with me in my bag for on-the-go knitting. It's big, but there's an awful lot of mindless stockinette between the feather-and-fan rounds. I anticipate being finished before Christmas, but I think this is a present for me.



I've finished the Sunflower Tam you see above, and Anna has claimed it. It's from Knitting Nature, which I recommend as a very inspirational book, and I think I may cast on another in some Koigu Kersti I have.



Lastly, if you don't count numerous projects I have in various stages of hibernation, I have a candle flame scarf in progress. I've finished about three of the nine repetitions, so I may have that done in time as well. Look at Snoopy - he's so cold right now. It's a good thing we don't live where it actually, like, snows. I shudder to think what would happen if the outside temp dropped below 55.



If you are knitting for the holidays, I wish you good luck and speedy needles!

Lots on the Needles!

Here's that Squatty Sidekick, all done and ready to wrap up unless I decide to line it (Hey, did I hear laughing? So what if I'm lazy and/or self-indulgent? It's Christmas!). It was quick to knit but took a long time to dry because we had some rain here, so I had to wait on sewing the closure, which is just a large glass bead I bought here.



In other knitting, I'm still working on the tomten. I knit an inch or two onto that sleeve every day, and then I go do something more interesting, like this:



This is the Hemlock Ring lap blanket, in a Cascade 220 Heather (can't remember what they call the particular blue - Denim maybe?). Anyway, I'm almost through one skein and at row 11 of Jared's charted portion, of the 57 rows on the chart. Doesn't seem that far away until you realize there are more and more stitches as you get to the outer part of the wheel! I'm enjoying it, though. Isn't the middle pretty, even before all its lacy goodness is revealed by blocking?



I'm also working on a few other things, including an easy baby hat to share with our National Charity League group this weekend, inspired by the Zeebee but designed for people afraid to face short rows, ribbing, or purling at all (i.e. people who just learned to cast on and are already worried about how it will all end). Hopefully I'll have a prototype to share by tomorrow.

What is It?

No, it's not a red elephant mask. It's a Squatty Sidekick, knitted from almost one skein of Malabrigo in Amoroso and woven in but not yet a FO. Here it is blocking:



And yes, I'm still working on the tomten, not to worry. I just had to give in and cast on something else. And now that this is done, I'm also working on one of these. And some smaller stuff will have to follow in rapid succession, because starting tomorrow, it's 12 Days of Presents, baby.