Finished Object Parade

Well, my plans to knit holiday presents for everyone turned out to be a bit too ambitious to complete by December 25th, but I still think I made a pretty good showing!

Numero Un:

Joann's Socks

Pattern: my own (basic sock with picot-edge cuff)

Yarn: 1 skein, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Tahoe (or Lakeshore --lost the tag, so I don't know)

Needles: Susan Bates size 1 dpns (Ha! And I got these at Joann Fabrics!)

Made For: Joann

Notes: I made these for my boyfriend's mom, Joann, whose favorite color is green. There is actually more green in the yarn than the photo shows -- it's a gorgeous color, and once again, Miss Lorna doesn't fail to disappoint! Joann has apparently shown these to everyone she knows, and I hope she also wears them too!

Part Deux:

IOU's

Pattern: Sock Ornaments from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: No idea; these all came from single skeins in my stash. The red and purple ones are some kind of aran-weight wool; the green is a wool/synthetic blend in sport weight. The white snow flakes (I think) are Rowan All Seasons Cotton.

Made For: Green - Brett, my brother; Purple - Heather, my sister-in-law to be; Red - Dad, my dad.

Notes: Eh, so I'm lazy. Or just got busy, that's it! The "Last-Minute" title is a bit deceiving. These babies took me about an hour each (!!!), which I realize could have been spent making a scarf or neckwarmer or something that's actually useful. But this way, I could present them with these little do-dads (which double as Xmas ornaments, donchaknow) and ask them what they wanted me to knit them.

Épisode Trois:

A Roza is a Roza is a Roza Socks

Pattern: Roza's Socks (Spring 2007 Interweave Knits), by the fabulous Grumperina

Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Soft in Honk

Needles: Size 1 Knitpicks dpns

Made For: MAMAN!

Notes: Boy howdy, am I ever proud of these babies. (Please excuse my shiny, pasty legs in the above picture, as well as the random jean cuff. I wasn't drunk when I took this picture, I promise.) Anyway, the pattern is really easy to memorize and just beautiful. I love the ribbing alternating with the brioche stitch. Kudos to Grumperina for creating a pattern that is lovely to look at and easy to create. I daresay I have become a fully-fledged sockknittaaa. There's no going back now! I didn't finish these in time for Christmas (oh the shame!), but my mom doesn't really care because, hey, she's my mama. She'd love it if I made her a log cabin out of popsicle sticks. Which I think I did once. But she loves the color red, so I think these sassy things will suit that sassy lady just fine.

Here's another shot of the pattern. And I want to eat this yarn. Rowan 4 Ply Soft, will you marry me?

Grande Finale:

Just like that Vanessa Williams song (did I really just type that? I think I did!), I went and saved the best for laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast.

Scott's Cadet Hat

Pattern: Topi from Knitty

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, less than 1 skein

Needles: Takami Bamboo size 7 dpns and Crystal Palace size 7 16" circ

Made For: The handsome Scottito, pictured above

Notes: Scott had wanted a hat in this style for a long time, but I could never find a pattern that lived up to the idea of it he carried in his noggin. He found this pattern all by his lonesome, then he actually braved the Yarn Garden with me to pick out a yarn he liked. I was a bit hesitant to use alpaca for a hat, but so far, so good. No weird stretching. I made the bill out of felt, and the whole thing took me about two days to complete.

Scotty sportingly modeled his hat during our New Year's Day stroll.



Happy 2008!