Things I've Finished So Far This Year

Even though I hadn't blogged in a while, I have been knitting! I want to take some time to share with you what I have finished, most of them while knitting on my new design at the same time. I have also acquired more yarn!

The first thing I finished was a pair of my Vanilla Fingerless Mitts that I had started some time last year and never finished them. I had all but 15 rounds to go on the second mitt when I put the pair down. It was time to finish them! The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in the colorway of Autumn something or other. I can't really remember...

I really liked this pair when I finally finished them! The colors were fantastic. There is a hit of blue in the yarn that sets the whole colorway off nicely. This pic was taken during the first half of our Tuesday Knitting. Shortly after this last pic was taken, at the second half of Tuesday Knitting, I saw my dear friend Sidney. Sidney has the most striking blue eyes. Blue eyes like my brother had. Bright blue. A hue somewhere between sky blue and turquoise depending on what she is wearing. I knew instantly that these mitts were really hers so I gave them to her. Sidney LOVES hand knits! Moreover, she appreciates them. Sidney is an artist herself and so talented in so many different crafts. Almost everything EXCEPT knitting. SO she really loves and appreciates knitted gifts. These mitts belonged to her and I would expect some time this winter to see her wearing them! Thank you to my friend Roxane for modeling them in the above picture. 

After I finished The Journeyman Scarf at the end of last year, I gave the original denim blue scarf to George as a Thank You for modeling it for me...

He was so thankful to have it...so much so that he called his mother to tell her! To know that he loves it and will wear it makes it all completely worth it to me. I am happy he has it! It did leave a whole in my collection though. I knew when I made the decision to give it to him that I would be making another one pronto. I started a second one in Wooly Wonka Fibers Ceridwen Sock in the colorway Brick...

It came out fabulously! I still haven't blocked it yet though. It doesn't need an aggressive blocking by any means. Just a little shaping more than anything else. Since I haven't had a trunk show lately it has just sat waiting patiently for its block...

I've taken to putting my foot in some of my pictures to show the scale of what I'm working on...

If y'all haven't had a chance to knit with Wooly Wonka Fibers yarn, I HIGHLY recommend that you add it to your list of things you must try. The Ceridwen sock Anne's merino/nylon blend that has a twist to die for. It knits up into fabric that is so cushy! 

The next thing I finished was a lace weight Cornwall Coast that I have had on the needles far longer than I like to admit to! I was made with Classic Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca Lace in the green colors, the Color # is 2469 and the Lot # is 7100...

I had known for a while that this shawl was going to go to my bestie Dilshani. She has been working her tail off getting her Masters Degree in Family Counseling with an emphasis on Death, Dying & Bereavement. She only has 2 semesters to go and she is done! Her favorite colors are green. I knew this would be perfect for her. I finished it and gave it to her just as she was finishing last semester. We are all so beyond proud of her and her accomplishments! Dilshani herself is an AMAZING knitter! She knits all kinds of things but one of her knitting passions is SOCKS! She is a fabulous sock knitter and teacher. I knew she would appreciate having a Cornwall Coast in lace weight in her favorite colors!

Speaking of Dilshani, she had recently knitted a beautiful little dress for her new niece born a few months ago. I offered to knit a pair of matching little Mary Jane's to go with the dress. I love this pattern for Mary Jane Bootie Shoes! They are too cute and the combination of colors you can use is endless. I simply used the same yarn the dress was made out of...

Dilshani also gave me the two remaining buttons from the ones she bought for the dress. Its a very catchy catchy ensemble!

The lighting in this pic makes it look like the dress is much lighter than the shoes, but it isn't. Its exactly the same yarn! SUCH cute little outfit. I believe this dress is a Taiga Hilliard pattern but I am not sure of the name of the pattern or I would link it for you. At the time I wrote this I did not yet have permission for the baby's family as whether or not I could post the pic I have of her wearing this lovely set! But trust me when I tell you that the picture is TOO FREAKIN' CUTE!!!!

Another project I have had on my needles for a long freaking time is a shawl for a friend of mine. The pattern is Haruni by Emily Ross. I've knitted it with Malabrigo's Baby Merino lace weight in the colorway VAA (which stands for Verano (green) Amarillo (yellow) and Azul (blue)). This is another one that I have had on my needles for an embarrassingly long time. At the moment I have 3 rows and the crochet bind off to complete and then its finished. I will definitely finish this before moving on to my next design with Skein Yarn. Here are some progress pictures of the shawl. I added extra repeats in the body of the shawl fearing that it will be too small. I have a feeling I will be able to block it aggressively enough to get it large enough for the recipient to really like it...

Here you can see the different shades of colors in the yarn. I was beginning to run out of this yarn and knew I needed to order another skein. Knowing that Malabrigo dyes in small batches, 5 skeins at a time, I was really worried I would not end up with something that would remotely match what I already had and had originally purchased several years previously. As luck would have it, I got this from Jimmy Beans Wool...

A near perfect match! I was so pleased with it. 

And here is the final pic that I have of it. It just needs 3 more rows and the crochet bind off and its finished!

I will definitely share the finished pics of this once it is blocked. I look forward to that being very soon!

How do you like the new layout of my blog? It feels much more streamlined and contemporary to me. Not overdone. I really like it. I had not made any changes to my blog since I first started it back in 2013 for the Interweave contest....Blog It To Win It. I was SO HAPPY that I started this blog for that reason. There were three categories of the competition and I won the design category. It was totally worth it for me! So I just also kept going with my writing and very much enjoy this outlet of expression. I do hope you all like the new look of my blog! 

Thanks so much for spending a little time with me this afternoon! It is much appreciated! As Always, I would LOVE to know what you all are working on. Please leave comments for me about what you are working on and add pictures if you can. I actually don't know if you can add photos to a comment or not. At any rate, I would love to know what you are all working on in your knitting world!

Until the next time....KNIT ON!!!