I spent most of my time right before and after Christmas knitting - and I have, now, finally finished all my Christmas projects. I know, it's February, but considering that I didn't start working on knitting presents until the week before Christmas, it isn't too bad. Anyway, here're the things I made:
The purse was for my sister (she's requested a hat out of the half-skein I have left). the fuzzy blue thing next to it is an owl I made for my nephew. I am so glad I found a use for that yarn! it made a fantastic Kooky owl, but I have no idea what else I could have made out of it. Joe seemed to like him alright, too. We decided, though, that it kinda looks like the love-child of Gonzo and one of his chickens. Both of these were done before Christmas, by the way - I did have some things done!
This is the purse I made for my mom - I didn't even start it until after Christmas, because I just didn't have time, but mom promised she didn't mind. Honestly, this is the first project I've done with cables, so it took longer than it could have, too. I love the way this yarn feels and works, though, and I think I'm going to make myself a version of this - but probably only half as tall. And definitely with shorter handles - which means I might actually do the cable pattern for the handles, too, instead of cheating and doing stockinette.
And these little buggers are the reason I didn't have everything done for Christmas! I know, there's only three - but multiply that by about 7. I made 22 of these before Christmas, for the rest of the family. Most of those I did in the three days right before Christmas. We had a little assembly line running, actually - I knit the sweaters, my mom sewed on the initials, then I sewed the sweaters up, and my dad made little hangers for them, to make them into ornaments. I literally spent all day knitting the two days before Christmas - each sweater takes me about three and a half hours to knit, and I was less than halfway through.Needless to say, I have learned my lesson, and I am already working out what I want to make people for next Christmas, so that I can try to get at least 2-3 stocking stuffers done a month.
Another project I've finally finished is the cat-stand I mentioned a few posts (months) ago. Hermes absolutely loves it, so it was worth the effort of figuring out how on
earth you're supposed to carpet curves and weird shapes. Still, if/when he kills this thing, I'll just buy him a new one, I think. It costs twice as much to buy a premade one like the one we built, but considering the amount of effort and time that went into working this thing out, I think that's actually worth it. Anyway, a store-bought one would look nicer. Hermes won't care too much - he's so excited that he can perch up on the top of this one and survey his kingdom! That top tier is slightly taller than I am, and he loves to lay up there and bat at your head if you come too close. He hasn't really used the little cubbies in the bottom yet, but if he doesn't warm up to them, I figure I can use them to store his toys.~~~
Well, so those are the projects I've finished lately (I also made a little lion backpack for my nephew's birthday present, but I forgot to take a pic). Right at the moment, I only have 3, soon to be 4, projects that are WIP's (works-in-progress), and I have resolved to get those done before I start any new ones - because I seriously need to clear some space in my stash. Technically that means I probably shouldn't start that 4th one, but since it's to be a b-day present for my brother, and his birthday is a week from Sunday, I need to get it done. And since I'm making up my own pattern, I'm trying to leave enough time to rip it apart and start over if need be. I'll let you know how that goes.
So, with all the knitting I've been doing lately, I have a set of goals/projects I've decided to get done this year. Right now, this is the plan(although the order is bound to change):
1. Bryan's Birthday present
2. finish the scarf, purse, and poncho WIPs
3. Hat for my sis
4. fingerless mitts for myself and a friend
5. Hooded scarf for mom
6. house-slippers for my sis
7. afghan for myself
8. 25 assorted stocking stuffers
9. first pair of socks!
10. learn fair isle
That list looks a lot shorter than I was thinking it is. But then I looked at it again, and noticed that I combined things. Sneaking 2 or more projects into one slot makes it look shorter than it really is. Guess that means I better get moving!
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