2008 Finished Projects

Made you look!

#1: Self-patterning jacquard sock
Timeline: cast on December 25, bound off January 1
Yarn: Patons Kroy, Country Jacquard
Pattern: Yarn Harlot Sock Recipe, modified to cast on 72 stitches instead of 64.
For: husband
Notes: I had to break into the second skein to finish the foot, so I had to track down a third skein in the same dye lot so I could start the second sock. I made the foot too long and the calf too loose, but guess what! I need to make the second one match! Sorry honey, maybe the next pair will fit.

#2: Alpaca thumbless mitts
Timeline: Cast on first mitt January 6, cast off second mitt January 9
Yarn: Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, variegated browns
Pattern: Modified from Wendy Knits! Thumbless Mittens pattern
For: Me me me!
Notes: I adjusted for gauge by casting on 35 stitches instead of 28. After 1 round of stockinette, I did k1p1 around for about 6 or 7 rounds. Then I switched to stockinette and knitted plain the rest of the way. On the first mitt I bound off the thumb too tightly, so on the second on I bound the thumb off in purl instead of knit. My purls are always looser than my knits. I love love love them, but the kids want to wear them all the time. SUPER quick knit.

#3: washcloth #1
Yarn: Lion Cotton, red
Pattern: 2×2 basketweave with garter stitch border
For: Me, something I actually use. It felt really strange to deliberately get it wet the first time, but I’m used to it now. I will be doing more of this.

#4: washcloth #2
Yarn: Peaches and Creme, spring colorway (yellow/orange/pink)
Pattern: twisted stockinette, from Barbara Walker Vol. 1
For: XSIL who needs some pampering. I really liked the stitch, it looks almost woven. This will be a neat way to combine swatching new patterns with producing Useful Things.

#5: extra-small, small, and medium preemie caps
Yarn: acrylic mystery yarn from Herrschners (white/yello/pink/blue colorway)
Pattern: Newborns in Need
For: premature babies born at Life Center of Long Island, NY, via Knitters Cherish Life Rav group. Knitting these was heartbreakingly easy and quick. Imagine a baby with a head the size of a lemon. It boggles the mind. This group has a different charity each month and it’s a nice positive way to express your faith.

#6: James mittens
Yarn: Red Heart acrylic (I see a trend here) in camo blues colorway
Pattern: Fittin’ Mittens by Nancy Lindberg
For: Eldest son. I modified the pattern by making the cuffs longer, like gauntlets, so there wouldn’t be any air getting between the mittens and his coat sleeves. He loves ’em and when I washed and dried them they got a lot softer. They don’t feel quite like used soda bottles now. 🙂

#7: Bias square afghan
Yarn: Red Heart Lite & Lofty (found the original almost-a-skein at the thrift store with no band, but Mom successfully matched it at JoAnns and picked up the other three skeins), Wine colorway
Pattern: washcloth pattern sent to me by Crafty Peach
For: Mom, just in time for Valentine’s Day

#8: Moccasin socks
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease, grey heather. Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Moccasin Socks to the heel, then Harlot Basic Recipe to the toe.
For: Dear husband
Timeline: started first sock 2 years ago, finished socks 1 week before anniversary.

#9: Self-patterning jacquard sock #2
Yarn & pattern: see #1
For: Dear husband
Timeline: finished sock 1 day before anniversary! Whew!

#10: Monogrammed washcloth
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton (red)
For: Dear husband
Timeline: don’t remember, quick knit. Originally this was going to be a “block W” washie for the Yarn Harlot. But I cast on the wrong number of stitches and really had to punt. I knitted B T D with rules above & below (for those of you who use Quark XPress!) and finished it up.

#11: Harlot washie
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton (red)
For: The Yarn Harlot
Timeline: don’t remember, maybe I blogged it. After carefully casting on, I got the block W to work this time. It’s sitting, waiting for the Harlot’s 4/28 book tour stop in Madison.

#12: Kelp Forest Scarf
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Choice (wool/mohair) in Pine Shadows. 2 skeins.
Pattern: Kelp Forest from Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves by Sheryl Thies
For: Bake sale/silent auction to benefit Irish groups with a presence at IrishFest in Milwaukee.
Timeline: Finished 4/4/08 at Late Night Knitting at The Sow’s Ear. w00t!

#13: Grandma McGraw blanket
Yarn: JoAnn Sensations fuzzy acrylic, blue/white, half an 11 oz. skein
Pattern: eyelet washcloth, modified to a triangle
For: Husband’s grandma
Timeline: I spent about a month on this, and decided to finish it more like a shawl. It got a good reception, but I don’t have a picture.

#14: Giftknit scarf
Yarn: acrylic
Pattern: Yarn Harlot’s One-row handspun scarf
For: Web guy
Timeline: I puttered around on this for many months (good travel project) and finished it 4/9/08. No pictures yet.

After here, two things happened: I wasn’t keeping such close track of my projects, and in June my computer died and took all my digital photos with it. But I did do a lot more knitting, and here it is. (The numbers are completely arbitrary.)

#15: Packers Bucket Hat
Yarn: Dale Falk (green, gold, white)
Pattern: My own, completely improvised. Sketchy notes, somewhere…
For: Guy that emailed his request for it, never acknowledged receipt, and never paid me despite a couple of reminders.
Timeline: started a long time ago, cast off 4/18/08 so he could have it for the NFL Draft. I don’t know if I still have any photos (c.f. hard drive crash).

#16: Zigzag Scarf
Yarn: thrift store acrylic (Patons?) in black, purple, and dark green
Pattern: by Ravelrer twowackykids
For: the thrill of it.
Timeline: Finished 4/28/08 and bound off at the Yarn Harlot’s Madison appearance. Envied by all who were there. 

#17: Alma
Yarn: Plymouth Encore, light blue
Pattern: by worldwide sensation (and Ravelrer) Mazzmatazz
For: testknit for her knitting supplement to the Guardian (UK)
Timeline:  don’t recall.

#18: Salt and Pepper sock #2
Yarn: oh goodness gracious, I will have to look this up. 
Pattern: Yarn Harlot Basic Recipe Sock
For: Me. But it’s too big, so gifted pair to Dear Husband.
Timeline: Cast on ???, bound off 4/26/08. I thought I would never finish this sock, and you might feel the same way. When I bound off its mate I wrote the “Dobby is free!” post.

#19: Adipose
Yarn: Rowan
Pattern: Mazzmatazz pattern
For: BBC related project: shower Doctor Who’s cast and crew with 100 Adipose!
Timeline: Cast on ???, bound off and sent to England the last week of June. 

#20: Hufflepuff mittens
Yarn: Plymouth Encore, black and light yellow
Pattern: House Mittens from Charmed Knits by Alison Hansel
For: me!
Timeline: who needs to know? Finished before it got cold out, anyway.

 #21: Giftknit mittens
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver multi, “Painted Desert”
Pattern: House Mittens (modified) from Charmed Knits by Alison Hansel 
For: Web guy
Timeline: I can fill this in later, right? I did the cuffs on single points in the One-Row Handspun (Yarn Harlot) pattern, then switched to double points and did the rest as House Mittens. Finished in time, and that’s all that counts. Sent with the scarf (#14 above).

#22: Chocolate alpaca shawl
Yarn: Classic Elite Inca Print in browns colorway
Pattern: none, just a triangle shawl.
For: me!
Timeline: Don’t remember when I started it, but I do remember I bound it off during my summer visit to my parents’ house. That makes it the last week of July.

#23: Rewselene mitten
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Colorspun, previously Kellie’s Blankie
Pattern: would you believe House Mittens?
For: Ravelrer who needed cheering up, a Thom’s Afghan group project
Timeline: Why do I have this as a category?

#24:  Afghan squares
Yarn: leftover sock yarn, various 
Pattern: none, just bias squares
For: Ravelry group project to make afghans for charity raffle, a Who Knits? project 
Timeline:  Uhhhhhh…… I don’t even remember how many I made! There were a bunch, but it was easy and quick, and all for a good cause.

#25: Rose’s Wrist Warmers
Yarn: Harrisville Designs
Pattern: I will have to go look this up
For: self/gift
Timeline: This was my Ravelympics project, and I got it done the day before the Olympics ended. Yay me! 

#26: Gigi’s footie socks
Yarn: Sugar & Cream cotton,  pink/white colorway
Pattern: Aunt Dana’s Russian Boots. Yep, that’s right! Amy Detjen has a similar one, though.
For: my grandmother
Timeline: Finished in mid-September.

#27: Two-row headband
Yarn: Red Heart Super Save multi, “Painted Desert”
Pattern:  must look up pattern. CO 99. Row 1: K3,P3, rep to end. Row 2: P1,K1, rep to end.
For: Well, do you want it?
Details (oh, I like this category much better!):  Was going to be a hat with the leftover yarn from the scarf (#14) and the mittens (#21). Realized it was too fussy to be a hat for the recipient. Then realized there wasn’t enough yarn to make a hat anyway. Bound off as earwarmers, then realized it’s a little too big for my head.

More details on these later!

Afghan squares for self

Knit a brick

Patriot washcloths (3)

Ben’s Christmas Stocking

Girly garter stitch scarf

Doctor Who Scarf — Season 12

One-row handspun moebius

Tom’s mittens

Everlasting Bagstopper

Erica’s wristwarmers

Blue footie socks, a Connor beret, a Marquette blanket….

…and a million other things. I’ll have to check Ravelry to see what I did.