Last Minute

File this away for "Night before Christmas and no gifts in the house."  Or for "Polar Vortex coming and no scarf on the shelf."

Stock up on big thick yarn and a big fat crochet hook and be ready to produce something impressive in a very short time.

The very thing for time travel.

I've tweaked the prototype of my crocheted version of Clare's Outlander cowl and you can download the pattern right now:  Out of Time Cowl.  For free.

Progress Derailed

The socks I nicknamed "Take the A Train," should have been nicknamed Derailed, if not Train Wreck. Or maybe I should call them Goldilocks, because one is too long and the other too short and I am still seeking "just right."

I have analyzed the difficulty I have had with this pattern and the answer is:  the triumph of wishful thinking over the evidence of my senses.  I won't go so far as to say this a life problem, but it surely is a craft problem.

I can't bear to take a picture of these two deformities, so I'm including photo of an autumnal project that did work out.  Thankfully, no one has to wear a flower arrangement.

  

I worked on one sock to the all but the toe graft point and found it long enough for one foot plus another smaller foot.   I left it be, went back to the other, tore back a few dozen rows and, after what I thought was careful calculation, shortened it by deleting some repeats in the middle of the foot.  I knit along, again to the all but the toe graft point, and this time it barely covered the toe cleavage.  Tore back again to add a few more rows before the toe decreases.

What I have learned (in addition to the wishful thinking bit):  not all sock patterns are suitable for all foot shapes.  I will pay more attention in the future.

For now, I just want to get them off the needles and onto the feet and move along to something else.

I hope everyone else is making fine progress this week.

Straight to Finished

It's not even Christmas Eve and here I am finishing gifts.


1. Hat: This one worked up so fast it leapt right over WIP Wednesday and landed here. The pattern is Alex Tinsley's Catacombs which makes a nice warm beanie with a hint of slouch.

2. Mitts: Another quick knit. This is Susan Lawrence's Ragtop, a warm mitt with a fold over cuff at the top. I modified it to use the stitch patterns from Catacombs.

3. Potholders: The companions for the green ones. Topflappen pattern. Highly recommended for a cute quick gift or for your own kitchen update.

One more gift to go and then it's back to sweaters and socks for the long haul.

Take a look at Tami's Amis to see what other projects were finished this week.

A Flurry of Progress

What's that?  Only three weeks until Christmas? That means it time once again to play Beat the Christmas Clock.

I seem to find myself playing that game every year. Currently in progress:

1. Infinity Scarf for niece.

It's great when they get old enough to be specific: this item, this size, this color.

2. Potholders for hostess gifts:

Why, yes, they do look finished. They are, but my plan is to make a pair of red ones as well and the yarn is en route. Topflappen nach Oma's Muster is a terrific pattern for a last minute hostess gift or when you want to perk up your own supply without spending much in the way of time or money. The pattern is in German, but has lots of photos so it is very easy to decipher.

3. Hat for other niece. Since she is now a vegan I had to order some vegan-friendly acrylic yarn, since I didn't think a hat made from  the tough, scratchy tawashi acrylic I had on hand would be very nice to wear. She wants a beanie, so it should be quick to knit.

4. Striped Cowl for teacher. The only process that has occurred is that I have moved the yarn from the cabinet to the desk where the ball-winder is set up. 

Visit Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday post to see what else is in progress this week.

Happy Halloween

Well, I didn't start in time to knit myself a bat costume this year.

But, while I was curating my yarn collection. . .oh, who am I kidding. . .while I was sitting on top of a plastic bin trying to  keep the skeins from exploding before I could snap the cover shut I had the revelation that I could actually use the yarn and relieve the storage problem. 

The bin was full of funky hand spun yarns and I found two that were perfect for quick Halloween gifts for my sisters.

Skull-A-Tor Cowl

Pumpkinhead Cowl

Material Whirled "Skull Skein"

Using a huge S/19mm hook I worked 65 Foundation Single Crochet. Then I worked back and forth in rows, varying the stitches for each row.  I used sc, sl st, and sc-ch1-skip-next-st. When I was almost out of yarn I finished the row I was working on and crocheted the ends together. The finished infinity scarves are about 4" x 53" (10cm x  cm) and took about an hour each to complete.