Shades of Gothic Rose

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A Better Bucket

Christmas Knitting...

I told myself I was not going to pressure myself into knitting for Christmas.

Seriously.

I told myself I was not going to pressure myself into knitting for Christmas this year.

I didn't.

Well, not really.

A friend of mine moved to Baltimore a month or so ago.  I hated to see her go, but it was a wonderful opportunity.  Baltimore is a lot colder than South Texas, even though she is originally from New York.

She needed a hat or something warm for her head.

I saw this pattern:  A Better Bucket (I swiped the photo from the designer):

It is a GREAT pattern, free, too!

I made the first one out of Malabrigo Rios in Ravelry Red.  The only thing, I made it while intoxicated on cold medicine the week after Thanksgiving when I was quite ill.  It came out looking like a top hat a la Dr. Seuss.  Apparently, there's a difference from knitting 6.5 inches from the edge of the brim, as opposed to knitting 6.5 inches from where the brim attaches to the body of the hat.  I missed that.  It was supposed to be from the edge of the brim.  sigh.

The second one one I made out of Malabrigo Merino in Ravelry Red.  Notice a trend forming here?  Kicking the cold medicine habit, I was able to knock it out correctly this time.  It was adorable, especially with the vintage button I attached.

Unfortunately, I failed to take pictures of either of them.  The second one, I brought to the office to show off before I mailed it off. I explained to a colleague about my drug-addled mistake, and she begged me to bring her the first one because she wanted it.  Actually, she wanted anything knitted and duly promised to wear it.  Rather than save it for a Halloween costume for one of the kids, I caved and gave it to her.  She loves it.

Here's a shot of all that remains of both hats, 1 and 2, as well as my last two of these vintage buttons:

Inspired, I needed a little sweet something for a ten-year-old I know. I cast on a third time, but went down a needle size.  This time I used Malabrigo Rios in Arcos Iris, AND I got a shot of it:

Those are actually a combination of buttons.  I had a coconut button with just one hole in it.  I added a little mother of pearl vintage button with a brass pin and shaft and combined them for the perfect cloche accessory.

Again, this is a great pattern that knits up quickly (an evening) and uses less than 1 skein of yarn!

It's a Wrap! is now available!!

It's a Wrap! is a versatile design I created using only one skein of Miss Bab's Yowza - a light worsted weight yarn that comes in 560 yard skeins.  

The ever gracious and wonderfully creative Woolgirl is now offering a mini-kit featuring this pattern, 1 skein of Miss Babs Yowza in your choice of one of thirteen different colorways, and a Winter snowflake tape measure, as well as shipping for $46!   She is taking orders now through December 25th for a January delivery!

Here is the full flyer.

All photos are courtesy of Woolgirl.com.

Bohus, anyone?

This Bountiful Bohus pattern has been in my queue for a long while.

This one is knit from the bottom up, in the round.  It has a little bit of stranded knitting (Fair Isle) at the yoke collar.  Once the body is done, the front is steeked (as in cut open with scissors), and the button bands are added.  It looks far more complicated than it is.  It only calls for three different colors of yarn, and the pattern is free!

The yarn arrived about the time the husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas.

Ergo, the yarn is now a Christmas gift, and the actual knitting will not begin until January.

Here's the yarn I chose:

Cascade Eco Cloud in three undyed shades from bottom to top:  1810-charcoal, 1805-doe, and 1801-cream. This yarn is 70% undyed merino wool and 30% undyed baby alpaca.  Each strand is braided.  It is amazingly soft and cushy.

I won two skeins in color 1807-otter from the Yarn Crawl in October.  While I was knitting a quick swatch with it, I did not think the yarn could get any better, but once it was soaked and allowed to dry, it bloomed beautifully!  I also love the muted tones of the undyed yarn.

Here is the 1807-otter with swatch (I must confess, I bought a bag in this colorway, too for another sweater):

With the flash of the camera, all the photos are slightly washed out.  This brown above is a good bit deeper in tone.

Love this yarn!

I am naming my sweater Bohussy.

So, is anyone interested in getting some yarn together and knitting this sweater with me after the first of the year?