Mr. Bolz's Christmas Hat

Pattern:

Cabled Dad Hat

Alexis Winslow

Yarn:

Knit Picks Swish Worsted

Lost Lake Heather

After I had finished this hat and started on Mrs. Bolz's Ahull, a pen exploded in my purse and totally wrecked it. I had to start all over and it totally threw off my Christmas knitting schedule. I had plenty of time to get everything finished early, but I ended up having to finish this at the last minute while I was on the train to Algonquin. 

Despite it being a total pain in the neck, I really like the finished hat. This color is crazy gorgeous. I love the flecks of bright blue mingled with the Browns and greens. It's really interesting looking and a really rusticly elegant finished project. 

Cutting the timing close!!! Knitting on the Metra!

Gorgeous color

Really like the subtle cable

Mrs. Bolz's Christmas Hat

Pattern:
Sweet William
Alicia Plummer

Yarn:
Knit Picks Swish DK
Squirrel Heather

I have loved this pattern for a long time but have never bought it. When I decided to make John's parents hats for Christmas I figured this was a good time to buy a pattern I wanted for myself. The subtle stitch texture is super pretty and easy. I love the finished hat, despite the fact that a pen exploded in my purse and I had to redo the hat because it had been covered in ink splotches.

I already bought some close out yarn on Webs to make my own!!

Really interesting stitch texture

Love this

Dillon's Blanket

Pattern:
Arboria
Ash Kearns

Yarn:
Berocco Comfort
White

Man. This blanket is gorgeous and I love it, but it was a pretty tedious knit. It wasn't difficult to follow the charts, but it was a pain to carry it around and manage the bulk while working. Next time I make a blanket, I'm definitely not going to make one with finishing pieces because mustering the energy after working for so long was hard.

The yarn was perfect for the project though. It pops well and washes really well. At one point, I spilled Chicken Parmesan on  it but it all washed out. I dont know about the white, but it looks very pretty, especially after being washed. I like the finished product and I feel like it was a successful first blanket.

The shape got a little wonky, but it's not super obvious

Really pretty pattern

It looks much prettier now that I have been able to step back from it for a few weeks

My Very Own Toorie!

Pattern:

Toorie

Carina Spencer

Yarn:
Lace Merino Worsted
Purples

So after making Courtney's Toorie and thinking it was way cuter than I expected, I decided to make my own! I randomly bought this yarn in the clearance section because all of the clearance yarn was 50% off. I picked it up because I loved the original Lace Merino, and the color seemed okay. I figured I'd find a hat pattern eventually to make with it. The Toorie hat seemed like a good pattern to experiment with. I ended up absolutely LOVING the yarn color. It was so much prettier made up in the project than it was in the skein. All of the colors remind me of a vineyard. Like, grapes and wine and such. All the things. I love the hat, and the bow was a fun way to embellish it without it being gaudy.

I love the hat, and I wish I could buy more of this color so that I could make a set of gloves to match. I am thinking of going back to the yarn shop and seeing if there is any left. Probably not though. Oh well. At least I have this lovely hat!!!

Also, I started this hat in the morning while at work, and I managed to make the whole thing in one day! I'm super proud of my one day project. I completed it even though I didn't have a third needle to do the casing finishing. I totally did it with a pen though!

Hooray for the third needle!

Adorbs bow

Loving the colors!

Mom's Rock Island

Pattern:
Rock Island
Jared Flood

Yarn:
Maharashtra Silk
3 Burgundy Purple

My mom picked out this pattern and yarn. It's a lace shawl I have always had my eye on, but never bought because I was worried about how the rock island lace would look after looking it's blocked structure. My local yarn shop had it worked up, and it looked really pretty even though it was really soft and drapey. My mom loved the way it looked and also loved the colors of the silk. The owner of the shop suggested it because the silk wouldn't be heavy or stifling for my mom. I hope she likes it and I can't wait to send it to her!

I might make the pattern again. It looks really pretty. The lace itself was a little boring, but it worked up super quickly and looks really cool and different.

Really big!

Love the Rock Island Lace 

Cute edging

Love the airiness

Courtney's Toorie

Pattern:

Toorie

Carina Spencer

Yarn:

Classic Wool

Dark Grey Mix

My friend Courtney at work is amazing at making seasonal wreaths. We decided that we'd do a crafting swap. I'd make her a hat, and she'd make me a fall wreath! She has the most glamorous 40s style, so I knew that we needed to pick out a cool, vintage looking hat for her. She loved this hat, and while it didn't seem like it would be my style, I knew she'd be able to pull it off. 

The yarn was a bit tricky because the pattern called for DK or Bulky, because this was a Worsted, I tried to knit it as tightly as possible, but it came out a little bigger than anticipated. When I tried it on however, it looked super cute! I now think that I may need one of these for myself... It's really comfy and feels secure on my head. I like that it's also an unusually shaped hat, without being dumb looking.

So cute!

Love the shape

Rachael's Hazel

Pattern:

Hazel the Humpback Whale

Bec Brittain

Yarn:

Vanna's Choice

Purple

Silver Heather

When Rachael's first niece was born, I offered to knit her a stuffed animal. The nursery is nautical themed, and I was super excited because I have always wanted to make this pattern, but never really had a reason to. This was the perfect time! I should have looked more carefully at the projects on Ravelry though, because Hazel is HUGE. I don't think I would have chosen the Vanna's Choice since it's an Aran weight. A DK would have been much more manageable. However Hazel came out stunning and was totally worth all of the sweat and achy joints.

MASSIVE

So scary!!!