Acid Pop (TM) Scarf!

My mom wanted a bright green scarf this year, so I ordered 4 balls of Shine Worsted from Knit Picks in Green Apple.  It's quite a color, and the Cotton + Modal yarn is sooo soft and buttery!  Also, it was just enough to push me into the free shipping category, yay!

I then went paging through some stitch cards to find something I wanted to turn into a pattern, and I found the Eyelet-Diamond Pattern.  After two repeats of the pattern I knew that I had a bona-fide WIN on my hands, so I'm sharing it with the world even before I'm done knitting it!  It reminds me of the embossing that the Harry Potter book covers have (if you have a hardcover, American version).  The color of the yarn just lends itself so nicely to the title I decided on : *Acid Pop (TM) Scarf* 

CLICK on the Pattern (and HERE) for a FREE PDF download!

The pattern can also be found on Ravelry.

Speaking of Ravelry, I put the pattern up this morning and people LOVED it!  I was so pleasantly surprised to have 130+ people download it today, wow!  :-)

[Side Note: I know the pattern says to end on Row 1, but it really makes more sense to end on Row 2 and then bind off knit-wise.  That's minor though.]

Finished that Noro Stripe scarf!

I finished my 1x1 rib Noro Cash Island scarf and I love it! It's super soft (duh, cashmere) and doesn't make my neck itch. Ok, if I think really hard about it, I can feel a little itchy-ness, but I'm sure it's imaginary. Like when you think about little creepy crawly critters like ants and all of a sudden you can feel them on you. [Shudder]

I've decided that this is my favorite section of the scarf, because I love the turquoise color, and the way it transitions into pink.

This is the whole scarf, or most of it. It's pretty skinny, as scarves go, but I like it better that way. I tried a bunch of different widths during the 'Knit 6" and then change my mind' part of the process, and this one was perfect. 36 sts wide, on size 7 straight needles.

P.S. There hasn't been any pilling, but if I keep petting it, it might felt. Oops!

P.S.S. Also pictured are the pretty bathroom towels that no one is allowed to use.

Wait a second ... all the handknits have to match?!

After an incredible bit of insight from the Yarn Harlot today I realized that none of my knits actually match any other knits.  At least not really.  And at the time I was wearing my Dumbledore socks, my red not-so-invisible scarf, and my olive hat which is far too many knitted items at one time (bordering on crazy knitter levels).  In my own defense, the 'pimento' on the hat matches the scarf and I wear a plain black pea-coat.  You couldn't even see the socks.  [Side Note: Yes, I'm trying to justify the crazy.]

So that's how the muggles pick us out from the crowd, mismatched handknit items?!  Well, that and the pointy sticks and the yarn ;-)

In a separate and unrelated conversation as we were walking into Costco:

me: Oh, what if they sold yarn at Costco!

mom: *stunned silence*

me: How long do you think it would take me to get more than I could knit in my lifetime.

mom: *stunned and horrified silence*

me: They probably wouldn't have much variety, but I think they would make up for it in sheer quantity.

mom: I can just imagine them loading a pallet of yarn into your Jeep.  Stay away from the Member Services desk.

Irish Hiking Hat = British Driving Hat

"You know, I don't think you've ever knit anything for me." -- Dad

Well, we can't have that!  My dad really needed a warm hat as he likes to take his MG roadster out for a spin with the top down on a regular basis.  Baseball caps just don't do the job when the chilly air is rushing past your ears.

I used this pattern right off of ravelry (Irish Hiking Hat-Archived) and knit it to the letter.  [Side Note: The only modification that I made was to the title, since my dad won't be using it for Irish hiking but British driving.]  

This was the feel-good project of the weekend because I cast on Friday afternoon and finished blocking and all by Sunday afternoon!  This might be the fastest project I've ever done.

This is the hat with the brim folded down.  I love how dimensional those cables are!  And yes, it is sitting on a silver charger plate.  The hat was clean, the plate was clean, I'm not bothered by it and the colors seemed to want to be together.  So there.

This is the top view of the hat (which looks like a flower to me) graciously modeled by my brother.  "Jeez, did  you use a watermelon for size?"--Brother 

It's going to fit my dad just right though, and I didn't use a watermelon for size :-P

Curtains!

That might look like just a pile of fabric full of grommets, but it's really my new curtains (on sale)! They are going to help filter that afternoon sunlight that comes streaming in (right at eye-level) when I'm at my desk. And I'm at my desk quite a lot, just not between 1pm and 4pm (see 'blinding light at eye-level', above). I've never found anything, window treatment wise, that works for the big semicircle windows without reminding me of those crepe paper 3D decorations, so the whole little nook is getting curtained off. I'll bore you with pictures when it's finished!

One Draco Sock

This is my first finished (sort of) project of the new year, yay!
It's going to be a good year :-) sock-wise anyways.

"UFO's of 2008" or "It Came From The BIN OF UNFINISHED KNITS"

Cotton I-cord dish drain-board mat thing

• I finally picked up some embroidery floss to finish this!
• There's still cord to be made.  Probably half a ball left.
• I don't know, but I might need another ball's worth of cord to make the mat wide enough.
• Now, how to sew this together?  Hmm.

Quidditch/Rugby Sweater

• There are no sleeves, only yarn cakes waiting patiently.
• I really want this sweater, so I don't know what the hold-up is.

The Never-Ending Afghan

• The name really is self-explanatory.

Noro Scarf

• It's a beautiful product with really enjoyable yarn.
• I'm not dragging my feet (needles?), I'm just, uh, "savoring the experience".  Yeah, that's it.
• I like it so much, in fact, that I've knit the same 6" half a dozen times now, trying for perfection.

Broad-Street Mitts ... OF DOOM!

• Well, these were an unmitigated disaster and will require frogging, ripping, or maybe just a good ol' burning.  Ugh.
• When knitty says "extra spicy" boy do they mean it.
• I still need gloves.  My hands are so cold on the way in to work.  What a pathetic situation for a knitter!

Draco Socks

• This project lives in my work-bag and gets a few rows every now and again.
• Also, it's rather difficult to take a picture in a bag.  Just in case you were wondering.

I kind of thought there were more than this, so it's relieving to see an end in sight for some of these projects.  [Side Note: Except for the Never-Ending Afghan, which will never end.  I'm pretty sure that something cataclysmic would happen to the fabric of space and time if I ever cast-off.  Because I have that sort of power apparently.  In all seriousness though, there are only 8 more BIG yarn cakes to go.]