Hat Addiction! Fourth Knitted Hat

I love knitting these Nordic style hats.  Again, I used the Kathleen Taylor pattern with modifications.  The hat is taller and the sprial near the bottom is twice as tall.  We all like the larger spiral.  This hat is for Bruce,  With modification that he suggested, but on Christmas Eve, there may be trading going on!  The hat is knitted of Red Heart Super Saver leftovers.

Gift Slippers for Wayne (a friend)

I make double knit slippers every year for our life-long friend Wayne, who lives in Delaware.  I tucked these into his stocking with some other things and Bruce mailed them. 

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Fair Isle Hat #3

I just finished knitting a third Fair Isle hat to be given as a Christmas gift.  Again, I am using Kathleen Taylor's free pattern, with modifications.  This one is knitted in burgundy and aran Red Heart Super Saver yarn on circular needles.  I have started on a fourth variation, another hat for my husband.

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Plumecrazy China Blue, New Knitting Helper

Introducing our new Maine Coon cat, Plumecrazy China Blue!  She is a four-year-old from Plumecrazy Cattery, via MJ's Cats, in Fargo and Fergus Falls.  We are getting acquainted at our lake home in northern Minnesota.  China kneads very well, can knitting be far behind?

Bruce's Christmas Hat

I finished the hat I was making for my husband for Christmas!  The pattern is Kathleen Taylor's Picot Hem Stranded Snowflake Hat, modified to use Red Heart Super Saver yarn and size 8 circular needles.  It is a perfect fit, but Bruce only got to touch it once.  It will be under the tree!

Another Hat for Christmas

This Fair Isle hat is also knitted using the Kathleen Taylor pattern (see the previous entry).  For this hat, I used size 8 Denise circular needles and magic loop technique.  It also has four sections.  I used size 8 needles to make a larger size.  The yarn is Red Heart Super Saver.  My husband asked for ribbing instead of the picot edge in the original pattern, so I added that, too.  It is to be a Christmas present.

Hat for Christmas!

Here is the finished hat that I knitted using Kathleen Taylor's free pattern posted November 16, 2007 on http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/  I modified the pattern to knit the proper size with size 6 Denise circulars and Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  The number of segments in Kathi's hat is 6, in this modified hat, 4.  It is planned as a Christmas gift.

 

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Shawnee Parkway Cardigan Update

The first set of maple leaf designs is starting to take shape.  Knitting with five colors across and back is a little challenging.  I am using the miniature plastic bags to help control the dangling yarn ready for the next pass.  The next design will be maple leaves facing the other direction in different shades.  Needles are size 5, yarn is Caron  Simply Soft.

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Shawnee Parkway Cardigan

The lower band and ribbing are on the needles.  The design, as planned, has this border of slip stitch combined with Fair Isle knitting on the rows where the colors change.  I am using this combined technique to make the sweater lighter in weight.  The bird border was modified from a border in Barbara Walker's Mosaic Knitting.  I removed the "cartoon" look for the head of the bird.  The next section of the sweater will have fall leaves in the colors shown in the yarn bin (hopefully, if it works out!).

Jackson Elk Fair Isle Cardigan completed

The Jackson Elk Fair Isle cardigan is finally completed.  The body was knitted in one piece up to the armholes, then split and knitted in four parts.  The bottom part was designed using the Hillswick chart from Ann Feitelson's book.  The elk were adapted from the chart given on the Jess-Tromp web site.

 

Cherry Iris Inverse Stripe Pullover Sweater

Today, I completed the iris sweater for our daughter, Julie.  It is an adult sweater, designed to be loose-fitting for summer.  The yarn is Caron Simply Soft in Iris and Red.  I call my original sweater design the Cherry Iris Inverse Stripe Pullover, because I started the red stripes on the back side of the knitting to give the dots and dashes look.  The texture was achieved by using a 16 row pattern of knit and purl rows.  The sweater was knitted in pieces and assembled using three needle bind off and sewing.

Knitted mouse for Handsome, a kitty friend

I knitted this catnip mouse for my daughter's kitty friend.  Julie's cat, Edina, does not like my knitted mice.

 

Jackson Elk Cardigan

We have been traveling, helping our daughter purchase a home in New Jersey, so it has been a while since my last update.  Here is a photo of the progress on the red cardigan.  It is knitted in one piece, this is a view of the back.  My husband told me I was in error calling this design reindeer, when they are obviously ELK!  I had to change the name!

Progress on Red Cardigan

Here are a couple of photos showing progress on the red cardigan I am knitting with seven colors of Caron Simply Soft.  One sleeve is completed.  There is a photo of the armhole short row shaping.  The other sleeve is nearly finished.  I have not started the body of the sweater, yet.  This pattern is from Anne's Fietelson's book design, Hillswick, with the colors changed, the yarn and gauge changed and the sweater pattern changed.  Right now, I am planning to put a band of reindeer across the top of the body.  The swatch looks good with the rest of the design, but I will see how it develops as I knit the body.

Sweaters Being Worn

Bruce and I wore our sweaters on a cool day during our recent five weeks on Sanibel Island, Florida.

Not a Fair Isle, Bev's Butterfly Bag

This is a bag that I knitted for my cousin and friend, Bev.  She likes to wear denim colors.   I designed it using a butterfly pattern in slip stitch from Barbara Walker's book, Mosaic Knitting.  I used left-over yarn.  The photos also show the inside lining and Bev modeling her new bag.

Other Projects Completed This Year, First Fair Isle

This is my first Fair Isle knitted sweater.  I knitted it for myself, using a section of the Fair Isle design suggested by Wendy Hanson on her web site.  I used a different colorway and different yarn and made a different type of sweater.  I used conventinal cardigan assembly.  I completed the sweater in April.

Other Projects This Year, Julie's Cat Sweater

I decided to add some photos of the other sweaters I knitted this year.  I designed this sweater to show silhouettes of our daughter's former and present cats.  I knitted it to her measurements from Caron Simply Soft yarn.  I completed it in early June.

Bruce's Sailiing Sweater Completed

I finished Bruce's Sweater about a week ago.  He is very pleased with the design and the fit!  The yarn is Caron Simply Soft.  The design and pattern are original.  The sweater feels very nice.  It is soft yarn.

Sittin' and Knittin' New Year

Here I am knitting a sleeve on Bruce's cardigan sweater.  The Maine Coon cat belonging to our daughter, Julie, Edina Monsoon, is watching every stitch!