scarves - they're the new socks!
(see volume 1 of the scarf file for more scarves!)



turtleneck scarf from Scarf Styles in Noro Cash Iroha
and a funky scarf in Silky Wool and Naturwolle

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My boys are just starting to understand about days and weeks and months and how long it takes until holidays and birthdays come around. As soon as we hung up the new 2006 calendar (a SpongeBob calendar, of course), they asked the all-important question: how long until Christmas comes again. Conclusion: "it's a loooong way from Christmas."

So I guess that means it's time to send the holiday gift knitalong to the archives.

holiday gift knitalong
(who wouldn't love a handknitted gift?!)

November 2005 - January 2006

And I can now say that my holiday knitting is really and truly all finished! Yeah, I finished my 12 of 12 gifties back in December, but I had to take the Scarf Style turtleneck shrug out of the count, since I was waiting for more yarn to arrive. Well, the yarn arrived just in the nick of time for nothing on February 9th and the finished shrug finally went out to the recipient this weekend.

picture by B

picture by S

and as a scarf

The cash iroha feels so warm and snuggly on. And the style is really fun. I just know it's going to look great on the person I knit it for. Still, it's a long way from Christmas.

(I hope you caught some of the other late but great knitgifts, like Angela's man sweater, Orli's daughter's sweater, and Anne's Spectacular patterned sweater!)

I've been waiting since just after Thanksgiving for one more ball of black Noro cash iroha to finish the turtleneck shrug. (Don't remember the turtleneck shrug? You're not alone. When they handed me the Noro at the store yesterday, I almost couldn't remember what it was for!) This was meant to be a Christmas gift for a friend - luckily, I hadn't really told her that I was making it. Two months and a few weeks later and even more luckily, I remembered where I stashed the almost-finished shrug.

Just three more inches of turtleneck and she'll finally be done. Just in the nick of time for, ahhhh, ummmm, President's Day?

After hours of knitting on that tiny circular needle (which I've forgiven for being so fiddly now that I'm on a 24 inch circ), the turtleneck shrug has two sleeves and the beginnings of an actual turtleneck.

But now I'm out of yarn. Ooops! Well, that's what happens when you substitute. Another thing that happens: the yarn store sells its last skeins while you're knitting. Double oops. So it's on order. No worries, though, it's not discontinued (although that is the third thing that usually happens). I should have it in time for Christmas.

Did I just jinx myself?

Scarf Style, that is. They're working away on the turtleneck shrug and have just finished the first sleeve.

This scarf will be for my mom's friend who I recently made the ruffles scarf for. She saw the pattern pic for this scarf and said she'd love it. And she's such an appreciative recipient that I couldn't say no. She asked for black and after searching a bit for the most fabulous possible yarn, I settled on Noro Cash Iroha in this awesome jet black color. The yarn feels so great with the cashmere and the silk gives it a beautiful sheen. It's going to be wonderful to wear.

The elves would like me to mention, however, that they are not so much enjoying the tiny little 11 inch circular needle that you need to use to knit the shrug according to pattern. I'd asked others who've made this pattern or worked with the wee needles before if it was a nightmare, and everyone seemed to suggest that it was fine, so I thought I'd give it a try. After about foot of knitting, I sort of got the hang of it, but I'm still not liking it. I can't help but think that this would be SO much faster if I simply knit it flat and then sewed the seam up the inner arm. I'm determined, however, not to give up. I may be a seamer, but I'm not a quitter! Plus, the elves are planning on making holiday cookies.

Have you been over to the holiday gift knit-along recently?! There's so much incredible knitting going on, I can't keep up! Every day there are like 20 new posts, most with finished projects! (This sort of blog is exactly why we've got Bloglines notifier, people.) Seeing so many projects finished makes me feel like my gift knitting is moving at a glacial pace. Only one new knitgift to show you today.

A scarf-sized clapotis, also in Kosmos yarn, also knit in two days, for my other Great Aunt. I'm afraid that the quick and frugal gifts are at an end though. The next gift scarf is the turtleneck shrug from the cover of Scarf Styles in some rather pricey but fabulous Cash Iroha. 3x3 rib in black for miles. This one is definitely going to take a while.

And then it'll be time to get down to the socks.

Here's my sock pot, full of yarn for holiday socks. There's six pairs in there - one Koigu, two Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, and three in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport (so glad that I went sport weight for at least half of these babies!) - all waiting for the elves to dig out the dpn's and work up their courage.

If I can only get them to stop surfing the holiday knit-along!

Speaking of socks, I'll be working on some final sockapaltwoza details (checking in with sock saviors and those still waiting for socks). Let me know if you still haven't received socks and have given up on your pal and I'll get you on the final sock savior list.

Halloween knitting is back on! I've started the fronts of the costumes, but to reduce strain on my wrists, I've picked out a few small projects in different gauges to knit between Thing sessions. Since I'm teaching my beginners "hat" class over the next few weeks, I decided to start with a hat. And the hat I most wanted to knit was the matching hat to my funky handspun scarf.

I used the wonderfully soft merino/angora Jamie Harmon hand spun and dyed yarn I got at Rhinebeck. In addition to selling the beautiful large hanks of variegated, striping yarns, she also sells small hank-lets of just 30 yds of one color. I got one in the peachy-pink color for the edge of the hat. I really love how all the yarns and pieces of the set go together, but aren't completely matchy-matchy. It's been so much fun creating this set that I've got some more yarn (not handspun, but commercial yarn) picked out to make another funky scarf and hat.

Sometime after Halloween of course.