I've been bitten by the knitting bug this winter. I find that I really prefer a knitting project to almost anything else lately -- it's been really meditative and soothing for me, and that's a mindspace I've been craving.
I taught myself to knit a couple of years ago and made a scarf for each of the girls. I also bought several skeins of yarn for future projects, but never went any further on those projects. This winter, I pulled the needles back out and ended up making my mom two gifts for Christmas -- a large scarf/wrap out of a soft bulky blue yarn and a variegated cowl with a simple double-ribbed pattern. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of either.
Since then, I've been working on and have completed a number of projects, and I thought I'd share them here with you.
Over Christmas break, I knitted up several pairs of these cute wristwarmers (though I had to do a lot of pattern modifying to get them to fit the smaller girly hands I was knitting for). Cami and her cousin Kendall each got a pair in similar colors, and Cass got a pair in a colorway that I ADORE (blue, brown, flecked cream) -- though hers still need to be seamed. Oops. I knit a simple ribbed cowl for the younger girls as well, which is so versatile. They can wear it around the neck or pulled up over their ears. The yarn was an acrylic variegated type -- just the cheaper stuff from Hobby Lobby that would stand up to a lot of everyday abuse. I love how the variations in the coloring added some fun striping to the knits.
I also knitted up two cute little twirly scarfs -- well, one is completely finished and the other is still on the needles. The variegated one is for Cami, and it's really just for "decoration." She wears it with cute little thermal shirts and it adds just the right touch of color and fun to her outfits. Plus, it isn't bulky or long, which means she can wear it all day at school without it getting in the way (or getting on the teacher's nerves). Here's the pattern.
I'm also working on this one for Cass -- I'm having to take breaks from it a little more often than normal, because those short rows over and over tend to get a bit tedious after a while for me. Still, I think it's going to be really cute once it's finished.
I've had this Debbie Bliss eco cotton in my stash for ages -- I also have it in a gorgeous blue, a mustardy yellow, and a lovely orange/red. I cast on for this cowl (the first thing I've ever knitted in the round) last night while watching TV with the girls. I thought the leaf pattern would look nice with the green cotton, and while it isn't bulky, it will provide a nice "transition to spring" look and feel, I think.
I've got a scarf for Chris in the works for next week while I'm traveling, plus a couple more cowls and some baby hats and legwarmers. I've added several blankets to my Ravelry favorites list and I've even made note of some vests and other more elaborate items to get started on. I've found that keeping my iPhone handy so I can watch stitch demonstrations on YouTube has been the best knitting tool I could find -- I've branched out so much farther/faster than I would've otherwise done.
