Dianne's Squirrel & the Irish Hiking Washcloth

No, I cannot take a decent picture to save my life. After 25 attempts, I was finally able to get a viewable photo of the Irish Hiking Washcloth. It's not yet blocked, but when it is, it'll be a nice addition to the Christmas stash.

Below is Dianne's squirrel cloth. Dianne (see links) turned me on to this pattern and I love it! It was the first thing I've knitted where I had to do yarn overs (yo) and it was fun learning a new stitch. Both cloths are Mission Falls 1824. The Irish is yellow and the squirrel is a very nice rusty brown color (again, my lack of photography skill).

I bought my first skein of Tahki and I'm planning to do another washcloth with that and see how it knits up and turns out. It's cotton, but it's got the consistency of thick embroidery floss. It should be interesting and very, very slippery. Thanksgiving, I think, will be spent at home this year. I plan on spending one day cooking and for the the rest of the weekend, my family's getting a one way ticket to "Leftover-ville" so that I can bang out some more gifts. Hope y'all have a wonderful holiday!

Baby Hats

I've been in the mood to make hats lately. I can't seem to commit to any really large project until after the holidays so these are nice, small and easily done.

The red tomato hat is made from Karabella and the blue and purple hats (blueberry & eggplant) are made from Wings. "Wings" is a perfect name for this yarn. It's part merino, part silk and part alpaca - - in other words, it's incredibly soft and not-at-all scratchy.


The hat below is a 100% cotton. It's made with "leftover" yarn from a previous project. While the cotton doesn't have the elasticity of the above baby hats, the fact that it's machine washable makes it very nice.

I need to find a yarn that feels like Wings, but won't be ruined by Mr. Maytag. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated! :)

The First Felted Bowl & SnB

This is my first felted bowl and it's from a Plymouth pattern at Yarn Theory. On the pattern booklet, the bowl is navy, lidded and very linear. Obviously, mine didn't turn out at all like that, but I do like this too. The cuff was a fluke to make the bowl less deep and the rounded curves just happened of their own accord. If you turned this bowl upside down, it'd be a cute toddler hat according to LW. :)

The wool is Playa del Uruguay and the needle felting is various bits of leftover Lamb's Pride (pink from Andie's scarf and burgundy from some slippers). I plan on filling this with some knit washcloths and a few bars of handmade soap as an Xmas gift.

The first S -n- B took place on Sunday and I had a blast. One knitter attended and we talked and talked. I was genuinely startled to realize that almost two hours had passed when I finally glanced at the clock. L.W. and I discussed yarn, spinning, how to gently steer //totally manipulate// your husband into paying for the class you want to take, patterns and a hundred other things. What a joy it is to spend time with someone who a) shares your passion, b) is not a demanding pre-teen or an apathetic spouse and c) provides new and exciting ways to build upon your passion! IT WAS GREAT!

That said, the next S -n- B is Sunday, December 10th from 2 to 4 p.m. Please feel free to call me at 540-297-4292 for directions or information. If you can't make the the gathering, but would like some of the donated yarn to use for a donation of your own, please call me and we'll meet up to pass the skeins.

O.C.D. or just plain Anal?

Unfinished projects drive me nuts. I can't explain it except to say I grew up hearing things like "If you're going to do it, do it right," and "Once you start something, see it through." That said, Andie's uber-pink scarf had been tormenting me...teasing me...begging me to complete it, so I did.

Andie insisted on a 20 stitch cast-on and the fiber is a bulky Lamb's pride, so the first skein equalled the length of a dishtowel. Needless to say, (she) I needed more yarn to complete the project. I bought a second skein of (Pepto) Pink and to break up it up a little, I also got a skein of Victorian Pink. Now Andie has a monstrously long and wide scarf for winter in colors that she probably won't even want to touch in two years. However, the scarf is now silent and I'm onto other things. :) Namely, washcloths. Quick, easy and suitable for Christmas. I plan on giving washcloths and homemade soap as little gifts.

Finished Projects

I finally finished the Irish Hiking Scarf and it's monstrously large. It wraps around my son's head and neck four to five times (and I didn't even use all ten skeins of Pronto).

My should-have-been-a-sock Christmas stocking was a blast to do and turned out pretty well. Jan's directions were impeccable and I was able to do the Kitchener Stitch all by myself at home to complete the toe. Now that the fun projects are finished, I'm "back to work" on Christmas slippers/clogs. Once the holidays are finished, I have promised myself a treat. I'm going to select a project and it's going to be for me...all for me! :)

Sunday, November 12, 2006 from 2 to 4 p.m.

We have a plan and people too! The first S-n-B is scheduled for Sunday, November 12th from 2 to 4 p.m. in my home. Adele Frischman very kindly donated boxes (yes, BOXES) of yarn to be used for the knitted donations. I grabbed one of the balls of yarn and did a scarf this week. While in Yarn Theory, I found a beautiful FiberTrends baby afghan pattern and that's going to be my second project, but my first-ever knitted blanket.

Again, I just want to write that everyone and all skill levels are welcome to come. You can bring your own project and work on it with us or grab a ball of yarn and do a donated item. It's entirely up to you. For more information, please call 540-297-4292 or e-mail me at soltanifamily@earthlink.net. Hope to see you Sunday the 12th!