I found some photos of projects from late last year that I'd never processed and uploaded. It's good to fill in the blanks on some of those projects on Ravelry. It looks so much nicer with a photo! (g)
Textured Turban
(Free pattern.) I made this one as an extra to put in my niece's Christmas present. It's a cute little hat, but if I were doing it again, I'd use a seamless join for every round, because every time I think about this project, it still bothers me that there was a visible seam down the back. (g) Yes, seamless joins take a little longer, and there are (many) more ends to weave in that way-- but the nicer result would be worth it, for something like a hat.
Irish Mesh Cowl
This is another free pattern. It makes a really pretty cowl, I think, and it works in a variety of yarn weights. This was some light fingering that I dyed myself. I did have some issues with the pattern, but I think that was my own fault and not a problem with the pattern. (See the project notes on Ravelry for more info, if you're interested.)
Here it is blocking. (I finally used my blocking wires! They were fun and pretty easy to use, too, so there's no excuse. I need to do more blocking soon!)
And here it is post-blocking. A little wobbly on the edges, but that should be less visible with a little wearing. I added some crocheted flowers to hide the problem area referenced above. This was a Christmas "extra" for one of my sisters (Carrie).
Meret and Meret the Third
Yet another freebie. I've made this hat three times, in three different sizes. (g) It's a fun pattern, and I like the results. The first one turned out too small, though, so I decided to give that to my niece, and the third Meret I made (which has come the closest to being "just right"), I gave to her mother (my sister Carrie). The second version I made is BIG, so I kept that one for my own fairly large noggin, though I may eventually either donate it or unravel it, depending on my mood.
Anyway, here are the two Merets I've given away:
Tribbles
I was in the mood for mindless knitting. Dish scrubbers are perfect for that type of "useful and uncomplicated" project. I like to make them from variegated acrylic. The variegation keeps the knitting interesting (ooh, watch the pretty colors change! ;o)), and the acrylic is just right for scrubbing dishes-- better than cotton, imho. Oh, and yes, this is another free pattern.
This time, I made them in two colorways.
Red Heart "Bon Bon Print":
And Red Heart "Mexicana":
Cables and Lace Advent Scarf 2015
I have almost finished this one. I just have to decide how I'm going to finish it. I started with a provisional cast-on, because I thought I might want to graft the two ends together for a long cowl.
Whenever I finally decide and do that (and weave in the ends and block it), I'll give this project its own blog post. I really loved knitting this!!
The pattern is currently unavailable. It was a free mystery knit-along for December 2015, and the designer is now making corrections and adding photos to the pattern, after which point it will be available for purchase.
Cotton Pot Holders
These last several photos are from a not-so-old project. I was in the mood for crocheting motifs, so I made some cotton hot pads/pot holders. All the motifs I used are from Edie Eckman's Beyond the Square and Connect the Shapes books. My color choices were determined by what I had on hand, which (if nothing else) forces you to work at least slightly outside your usual comfort zone color palettes. (g)
These next two photos are the two sides of a single hot pad. An interesting motif-- #33 from Connect the Shapes.
That does it for those photos!
I have two active yarn projects, currently. One of them-- another crochet afghan-- will probably be the subject of my next blog post.
Textured Turban
(Free pattern.) I made this one as an extra to put in my niece's Christmas present. It's a cute little hat, but if I were doing it again, I'd use a seamless join for every round, because every time I think about this project, it still bothers me that there was a visible seam down the back. (g) Yes, seamless joins take a little longer, and there are (many) more ends to weave in that way-- but the nicer result would be worth it, for something like a hat.
Irish Mesh Cowl
This is another free pattern. It makes a really pretty cowl, I think, and it works in a variety of yarn weights. This was some light fingering that I dyed myself. I did have some issues with the pattern, but I think that was my own fault and not a problem with the pattern. (See the project notes on Ravelry for more info, if you're interested.)
Here it is blocking. (I finally used my blocking wires! They were fun and pretty easy to use, too, so there's no excuse. I need to do more blocking soon!)
And here it is post-blocking. A little wobbly on the edges, but that should be less visible with a little wearing. I added some crocheted flowers to hide the problem area referenced above. This was a Christmas "extra" for one of my sisters (Carrie).
Meret and Meret the Third
Yet another freebie. I've made this hat three times, in three different sizes. (g) It's a fun pattern, and I like the results. The first one turned out too small, though, so I decided to give that to my niece, and the third Meret I made (which has come the closest to being "just right"), I gave to her mother (my sister Carrie). The second version I made is BIG, so I kept that one for my own fairly large noggin, though I may eventually either donate it or unravel it, depending on my mood.
Anyway, here are the two Merets I've given away:
Tribbles
I was in the mood for mindless knitting. Dish scrubbers are perfect for that type of "useful and uncomplicated" project. I like to make them from variegated acrylic. The variegation keeps the knitting interesting (ooh, watch the pretty colors change! ;o)), and the acrylic is just right for scrubbing dishes-- better than cotton, imho. Oh, and yes, this is another free pattern.
This time, I made them in two colorways.
Red Heart "Bon Bon Print":
And Red Heart "Mexicana":
Cables and Lace Advent Scarf 2015
I have almost finished this one. I just have to decide how I'm going to finish it. I started with a provisional cast-on, because I thought I might want to graft the two ends together for a long cowl.
Whenever I finally decide and do that (and weave in the ends and block it), I'll give this project its own blog post. I really loved knitting this!!
The pattern is currently unavailable. It was a free mystery knit-along for December 2015, and the designer is now making corrections and adding photos to the pattern, after which point it will be available for purchase.
Cotton Pot Holders
These last several photos are from a not-so-old project. I was in the mood for crocheting motifs, so I made some cotton hot pads/pot holders. All the motifs I used are from Edie Eckman's Beyond the Square and Connect the Shapes books. My color choices were determined by what I had on hand, which (if nothing else) forces you to work at least slightly outside your usual comfort zone color palettes. (g)
These next two photos are the two sides of a single hot pad. An interesting motif-- #33 from Connect the Shapes.
That does it for those photos!
I have two active yarn projects, currently. One of them-- another crochet afghan-- will probably be the subject of my next blog post.