Cashmere Heart

I’ve been wanting to make this anatomically-inspired heart for a while now. This great pattern can be found on Ravelry and Knitty. I used Artyarns Cashmere 1-ply from a previous lace project. So soft, it’s like knitting with water.

My friend Paul is dating the nicest man, Christopher, who is a physician in Seattle. He happened to visit town while I was knitting this and he told me that this heart is the size of a 12-year-olds.

I think this is supposed to be the ventral aspect (maybe?).

Which makes this the dorsal aspect?

I knit this for a friend back in Salt Lake City, a lovely woman I used to work with. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted her to know how much I love her.

Cabled Sweater for Baby L

Today is Baby L’s first birthday! Happy birthday smiley guy. This post is really LATE. These pictures are from December!

His birthday jogged my memory enough to tell you about this sweater I forgot that I had made. Here is Baby L with Big Brother O!

Every stitch of this sweater was a pleasure, as was every moment I spent with Baby L way back in September (it’s hard to live in a different state from your best friends and their children). I miss you, Paul and Shea!

For knitters, the yarn is Swish, from KnitPicks; the color is Dublin. On ravelry, the project is here. It can be found in a book called “60  Quick Baby Knits . I modified the sleeves to have XO cables up the center, for LOVE. I also modified the neck, after making some sort of weird mistake.

Jake’s Mittens

When I was up in Washington DC earlier this month, I told my brother-in-law Jake that I’d make him some mittens like the ones I made for his daughter, if he bought the yarn. That’s a standing offer I make to family and friends…you buy the yarn, I knit the thing. The caveat is that you have to pick yarn that I also like and can stand to knit with.

He picked charcoal grey. If you know anything about me, it’s that I’ll never knit with grey if I can help it. So he conceded that I could put in an acid green stripe, “if you want”. I started these mitts on the airplane ride home and finished up a few days later. I have to admit that I’m pretty proud of the clever shaping where the palm meets the thumb gusset.

Jake’s wife Stacy took the photos of him wearing the mitts. That’s another rule of knitted gift-wear. I have to get a photo of the recipient wearing the item. I have a blog to maintain, after all.

Here’s a picture of a mitt on me before I sent it. I think it shows a more accurate idea of the colors used. I will also grudgingly admit that I enjoyed making something grey.

For once, knitters, I made a project without Koigu. I’ll admit, though, that I thought is WAS Koigu when I picked it up and have no idea what it actually is. WAIT…The chartreuse IS a scrap of Koigu that has been in my stash for years, so no…I lied. Stacy bought the grey at a charming and friendly yarn shop in Bethesda, MD.

I’m currently working on a pair for Stacy, too, though she bought something colorful and RED and gorgeous. I can’t wait to show you once they’re finished!

Temporary Hat

Here’s I am wearing a quickie hat I knit up for my recent visit to cold Washington DC.

This bright, bulky, super-girly yarn was a gift from my mom and sisters! I loved working with it. Here’s a picture in progress at my local beach playground, before I left the warm weather.

My niece loved the hat, and begged for it unrepentantly every day. So, when I departed, I left it on a chair with a note to say “I love you!” It looked better on her, anyway. Here is the Boogedy and his cousin Miss M on the Metro.

For knitters, the technical specs: Araucania Calafquen, color 1501, needle size 15.

M’s Mittens

Zach and the Boogedy and I came to Washington DC to visit family for the week. This cold weather makes me want to knit, and I was really glad I brought some scraps of Koigu pppm on the plane to play around with. My 6-year-old niece flipped over the idea that I might make something just for her. I really only had enough to make some tiny, ribbed fingerless mitts.

She hounded me every day to make sure I finished them! Every little kid should have an aunt who knits something special when she comes to town!

These mittens were even more exciting than the nutella-filled crepes we made the kids for breakfast (which I forgot to wash off before photographing these mitts).

Here are some photos of the cousins piling stuff on top of my brother-in-law while he tried to work last night:

Owl Hat

My sister-in-law Julianne asked me to make a hat for Baby D, who is 7 months old. It took me a while to design, make, and send it, but here is a picture of him wearing it!

Before I sent it off, I modeled it on two adorable sisters here in town. Baby O was not terribly impressed with it.

Her sister Miss C really liked it.

I like that, when it is laying about by itself, it has that nervous, hyper-aware look that owls always wear.

For knitters: the body and eyes are Nature Spun sport, the ear tufts are Koigu.  The beak and pupils are scraps from the same ball of Zauberball. I made this pattern up, but will write it out, if you’re interested.

Hot Pink-Purple-Orange Baby Cap

My friend’s adorable daughter, Baby O, is modeling the most recent baby hat I made. There are at least 3 babies on the way among my family and friends right now, so I gotta get cracking on hats! Fortuitously, I made this one ages ago, before any pregnancies were announced.

I was between projects and I had some of this colorific yarn leftover from the amazing mittens I made in Spring of 2010. This is probably my favorite yarn ever, and now it is used up. I might have to buy another ball. The photo above (side view of the hat) is probably the truest for color).

Why am I putting it on my blog before I send it to the new mom? Because I can’t decide who to give it to! So I am going to let them choose. If one of them loves it, they will get it. Otherwise, they can wait and hope for something more….traditional….from me.

That third photo (top view of hat) is included not to show color or construction, but simply for those baby toes!

For knitters, I used the pattern serenaded here by the Yarn Harlot.  The yarn is Zauberball Fuchsienbeet.

Xmas Knitting and Pottery

I started this rainbow scarf when I was in Salt Lake City this summer. My sister Jeaka flipped over it, and asked for it outright. This was supposed to be a lightweight scarf for my occasional Key West chilly days (like today…53 degrees!).

But how could I keep it for myself when she begged for it shamelessly?

All any knitter wants is a properly grateful and gushing person to wear and show off their time-consuming handiwork!

For my mom, I knitted something ghastly. I used a beautiful minty green, super bulky, nubbly, spun-cocoon-looking yarn. It made the most lopsided, lumpy, misshapen “purse” one could ever knit. I struggled with it for weeks before finally chucking it as a failure and buying her this lovely bowl instead.

It was made by my friends Adam and Kelly at Honest Works Pottery here in town. They are famous for their boisterous use of color and their rooster mugs are hugely popular. Roosters always make me think of my mom, who made the mistake of mentioning that she loves them and that they remind her of her own mother. I am not the only person always tempted to give her rooster gifts.

Roosters are Key West’s pests and icons; well photographed by tourists and hated by anyone with a bedroom window. I frequently photograph the prettiest ones when I’m out and about.

I’ve started making Key West christmas gingerbread roosters (becoming an annual tradition).

For knitters: the scarf used three balls of Koigu PPPM (no, I don’t have any clue as to the color numbers) and this Churchmouse linen stitch pattern. This was an excellent exercise in forcing myself to knit continental, because the constant switching between k, p, and yf, yb would have taken even longer if I had “thrown” my yarn the whole time.

Handmade Presents for ME!

Months and months ago I participated in on of those Handmade Pay it Forward gift exchange dealies on Facebook. I sent Sunshine a baby chick hat for her tiny daughter.

This weekend I received some handmade goodness in the mail from her!! Check out these cute and super strong refrigerator magnets.

My favorite is cake.

Now I can retire the ugly bottle opener and ridiculous knife sharpener that I had been using to hold up the Boogedy’s artwork!

Also, she sent this adorable garland that says “Frosty”.

I wish I had had time to take it to the beach and model it there! But here I am in front of my neighbor’s house, with their garden composed of vegetation that is considered “houseplants” in most of the country!

Also, Sunshine was kind enough to send me a jar of Mentholatum, which must not be popular in the south, because no one here carries it. A few weeks ago I had the worst cold, and all I could find was nasty ol’ Vicks!

Sunshine, this was such an awesome box to receive. Thank you so much for making me these gorgeous presents!

Higgs Seascape Stole

Looky what I made for Kristin! I insured this package with the post office and they rolled.their.eyes when I told them what I thought it was worth. Or maybe they were incredulous that I would actually spend 120 hours knitting.

Here is the Higgs Seascape Stole modeled in front of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Here it is modeled on me. I was standing at the end of the Higgs pier on a VERY windy day, and praying I wouldn’t drop the scarf in the water.

Me again with my artfully wind-tousled locks.

Here it is modeled in the empty chocolate box I sent it in. (I hope Kristin wasn’t disappointed that there were no chocolates in that lavender box!)

This pattern is Seascape from Knitty, and I used a LOVELY, softy-soft teal alpaca lace yarn from Cascade. I wish my photos had captured the subtle heathered hues in this yarn.

Happy Birthday Kristin!! I love you!