The Final-Push Knits

This is it! The final push to get my gifts finished. As you see, there are still several skeins in the pile to be turned into some special for my recipients.

Loopy has been helping by sitting on my desk, reminding me that every minute counts. In that pile are four gifts so that is not as bad as it looks.

I have to admit that these projects are additions to the list I made last June in preparation for this Christmas. As promised, finished projects have been photoed and will be up on the blog on December 26th.

I hope everyone is to the enjoyment of the season point in their world!

Hat Attack!

With weather like this wouldn't you want to knit everything you could to stay warm? This may be what brought on my Hat Attack!


I started out the new year with nothing to knit - if you can believe that. I finished all of my Christmas gift knits for 2007, on time, (that could be because I started them in August) and nothing left on my project list.



So I was free wheeling and antsy to get started on a new project list for the first quarter of the year. I went to my new One Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn-Shop Favorites book by Judith Durant and perused the multitude of patterns. I found the cutest hat, the Twirly-top Toque. I found some yarn and cast on, got started and realized that I did not own the necessary size of double pointed needles (DPNS) to finish the top. So after shopping three major craft stores I ended up ordering them from Knitting Warehouse. Once I finished that first hat, I discovered that the headband portion makes up beautifully on its own. So I made a couple of those.


By January 3rd, I was fully enraptured by hats and headbands at it became more so when I received my Knitting Daily newsletter that mentioned Cecily's Beanie. It is a free pattern obtainable by registering at Knitting Daily and it is a wonderfully simple, fast hat pattern, that so far fits everyone I have tried it on. Since January 3rd I have completed a baker's dozen of these hats. The picture only shows a few that I managed to keep in the house long enough to photograph them.


The pattern calls for it to be knit in the flat and seamed up the back. I retrofit the pattern to knit it in the round and can share that trick with you if you want, just let me know.

Pedro tried to keep warm on the couch and eventually shamed me into bringing his kitty igloo out and setting it up on the couch. Once that was done I did not have to look far for him. Even my dad was feeling it when he came to visit.























And, of course, there were more hats. I found that knitting them helped keep me warm. One, because I was wearing one in the house while I knit and even to bed one night, and two, because I was focused on my knitting and not on the temperature.



Hope your knitting is keeping you warm this year and that you are following your passion.

New Knitterly Endeavors

For you fellow knitters out there: Do you buy yarn just because or do you buy for projects? And then, if you do not cast on right away, do you forget what it was for three months later when you are digging through your yarn box? Well, I am taking a hint from my favorite cooking show host, Rachel Ray, and prepping my produce (yarn) as soon as I get it home.






I am a project shopper. I go to the yarn shop when I need yarn for a pattern I want to knit. I do not always cast it on immediately. And I do have yarn in my storage bucket that I have forgotten what it was for. So this year I am packaging my purchase in my favorite 2-gallon ziplock bags with the pattern and any notes regarding the project inside. I am then adding it to my To Be Knit list with the recipient and pattern name so I know it is in the house, ready to cast on, when I am ready. That may be too much organization, but it works for me.

So my current Knit Project List looks like this:

Horde of Headbands for giveaway items for the upcoming contest on my blog (watch for it)

Cowls for Mom and me

Headband (made from Vanna's Choice yarn) for Dad

Fingerless Gloves for Dad

Sox for Mom

Kitty Pi bed for Pedro

That list should get me through to March. Then I will begin researching and knitting the prototype for my 2008 Christmas gifts.

All of this, plus my full time job, and I am working on Level One of the Craft Yarn Council of America (CYCA) Knitting Instructor Certification program.

Hope your knitting pursuits lead down happy paths!