Striped Infinity Scarf

Striped Infinity Scarf
A pattern my Michelle Hunter
www.knitpurlhunter.com
 

I have actually had this Striped Infinity Scarf done for a few weeks.  I was struggling with the seam so I tossed it aside for awhile, but buckled down and finished and blocked this project this weekend.  This will be a gift for my friend, Bev... we've know each other at work for 20 years.  Twenty years!  Somehow a statement like that makes me feel old.  Whatever the case may be, Bev is very fashionable and I think she will like this accessory.  Bev is one of those ladies who looks very pulled together and fabulous even on dress down days when we wear are allowed to wear jeans to work.  At work, dress down days are fund raisers for the Employee's Club.  You pay $2.00 for the privilege to dress down.  Funny, huh?  My son was patient enough to model the scarf for me.  Thanks, Buddy!

In case this pattern looks familiar, this is my 3rd scarf using this same pattern. It's a very fun knit!  This scarf is knit in Zauberball.

 

Cabernet Sauvignon Mittens

Another pair of mittens in Berroco Boboli yarn. The pattern is called "Woodhaven" and it's a free pattern from Berroco.  I picked this yarn for my coworker, Mrs. W, as she loves purple!  We exchange handmade gifts each year; she paints ceramics and, of course, I knit.  We've worked together since January 2007.

The pair of mittens I finished last week reminded me of Monet's water lily paintings because of the colors in the yarn. This time around, the yarn used for these mittens reminded me of the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I just poured for myself this evening.  A nice glass of wine to relax and celebrate the fact that my Christmas knitting and my Christmas cards are done, done, done!

Water Lily Mittens

I love, love, love to make mittens.  They can be rather quick to make, especially with worsted weight yarn.  These are a last minute Christmas gift.  The yarn is Berroco Boboli and the pattern can be found HERE.  By the way, I haven't yet met a Berroco yarn I do not like.

I snapped this photo with the mittens lying on top of my clothes dryer so the colors are not true. When I was knitting this project, the colors in the yarn reminded me of tones in Monet's water lily painting. 

Ouch! Cast Covers for Toasty Tootsies

Poor Pam!  She was petting a dog on a farm in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a few weeks back.

The dog was a great big dog (a Great Pyrenees).   A youthful, vivacious, great big dog.  Good dog!

A grumpy old sheep came along and apparently did not like the looks of the dog.  So the sheep some how collided with the dog and the dog some how collided with Pam.  Bad sheep!

Poor Pam!  Ankle broken in three places, both lower leg bones also broken, two plates and five screws placed during surgery.  Pam is now safely back home in Illinois but winter is coming and her toes were getting cold. She asked for some covers for her cast to keep her toes warm.   She suggested a cap "like for a new born".  I made six, hoping at least one would work well for her.

I made two in crochet (like the purple cap pictured above); one small and one large. It's hard to make something for someone several states away.

I made two in pale blue... one knit (above) and one crochet (below).

Finally, I made two using self-striping yarn in knit two, purl two ribbing; a short version and a longer version.  Pam says the one listed below is working out best. 

Sorry for the "not so glamorous" photos. I snapped the photos in my car on the way from work to the post office to mail these off.

Yummy Socks

I have been spending a bit of time at my local yarn shop, “Grandma’s Beads and Yarn”. I typically knit there with a group of friends on Thursdays in the afternoon but, once in a while, especially since school is back in session, I find myself at the knit shop a little more often.  Michelle, the shop’s owner, loves to show me the new yarn that arrives each week; she is really a hoot.  She won’t just let you look at the yarn; she hands it to you so you can really appreciate how nice and soft it is.  Michelle’s favorite adjective for yarn is “yummy,” as in… “isn’t this yarn YUMMY?!” and as she says this, her eyes get really big, she sort of arches her eyebrows, and she doesn’t blink as she looks at your face to see your reaction to the yarn.  Yep, she’s a hoot and quite the sales person.  And, of course, I am more than happy to help support this shop.

This week I bought some new yarn by Classic Elite Yarn called “Liberty Wool Light” in a color way featuring shades of blues, off-white, and lavender. The yarn comes in some interesting color ways and surprising color combinations.  Liberty Wool Light is “sport weight” and it knit up quickly this weekend into a pair of comfy socks I plan to wear around the house. They are YUMMY.   I am not sure this is the best yarn for socks... it's all wool and contains no nylon to help them keep their shape (I think that's what nylon does). But these socks are are great for lounging on the sofa, which is precisely what I intend to do... time to cast on another pair of socks!  I am in a sock-sort-of mood. I get that way sometimes.

KnitPurlHunter projects

Disappearing Act (Sock #1 in progress... from the toe up)

Striped Infinity Scarf (my 3rd time making this pattern... I love it!)

October Knit A-long called "Intertwisted"
Clue #1 on the left with Clue #2 to the right of that.  Clue #3 is in the works.

Fall is a busy time of year.  Now that the high school tennis season is over, the leaves in the yard are keeping us busy.  I have been spending a lot of time cooking and baking, mowing and mulching leaves, knitting and knitting... and that pesky full-time job of mine keeps me busy too.  I am trying to find a good balance between being active and being sedentary. I've noticed in the four years I have been knitting, it's really easy to forgo exercise when I am excited to knit.  But balance is important.  This fall, I have enjoyed going for lots of walks but, now that it's getting cold out, I've been checking out classes offered at the gym.  So far I am liking yoga.  In the evenings I find a bit of time to knit.  I am working on three things right now and all are patterns from Michelle Hunter (patterns on her blog www.knitpurlhunter.com)  As you can tell, I am a big fan of her patterns?!

Tofutsies

I made these socks over the past few weeks.  I used "Tofutsies" yarn which is made out of soy silk, merino wool, and chitin (made from lobster and crab shells).   Pretty wild, huh?

I did not realize it until I was knitting these socks that the colors in the yarn are my high school colors. Doh!  My friend "K2" likes to point that out and tease me about that.

"Seriously Kim?  Our high school colors? What were you thinking!?"  We went to Aloha High School in Beaverton, Oregon.  Go Warriors!  Blue-Gold-Green!  Oh, and just so you know "Aloha" is pronounced "uh-lowwa"... not "uh-low-HA".  It's important. Trust me.

My first short row heels. I followed the instructions for the short row heel in the book called "Socks a la Carte".  The book exclusively uses Tofutsies yarn in the patterns.  I can see why; the yarn is so nice and comes in a variety of nice colors.