Sunday, July 30, 2006

Current Knitting Projects

Now what you've all been waiting for: pictures of my latest obsession. I learned to knit in elementary school from my mother (the queen of scarves, felted bags, and purchasing extensive amounts of yarn she will probably never use). My first project (mittens) was abandoned after I knit one mitten. I knit little things (hats, scarves, blankets) off an on, but recently I have dove into the hobby with reckless abandon. Except for Christmas gifts for J., thus far I seem very good at purchasing yarn and starting projects yet not nearly as successful at finishing projects.

1. Lotus Blossom Tank (Interweave Knits Summer 2006):

I started this one a couple of months ago. I was very excited about it but the impending deadline for #2 and my love of #3 have relegated this project to the bottom of the pile for now. I thought I was making great progress until I read the lotus blossom tank KAL and realized that I need to knit another lace repeat into the pattern for length purposes. Also, the bloggers who contribute to that site have made me a little worried about the fit of the pattern. LBT calls for bamboo yarn and I substituted 100% cotton, so I have NO idea of how it will turn out. If I do manage to finish this and it doesn't fit, I'm going to have to try to find someone to give it to.


2. Leaf lace pattern Baby Blanket:

I inherited the yarn for this project from a friend. I changed the pattern and decided to use it to knit a baby blanket for our friends who are expecting their first child in August, therefore this is my "top" priority. I added the leaf lace pattern to make the baby blue color seem less boy-ish, since we don't know the gender of the baby yet. I plan on adding a yellow border (in seed stitch or garter stitch) to make the blanket more gender-neutral. I'm not sure if my concept will work, so I'm also hoping for a baby boy!


And a close up of the leaf lace pattern:


3. Devan (knitty.com):

This is a cardigan that I am knitting for one of J.'s coworkers who just had their first baby. I thought it would take me a lot longer so I started knitting the 1-2 year size when the baby was 1 week old! The cardigan is knit on size 1 needles but the yarn is so much fun that I can knit it for hours. Currently both sides of the front are done and I'm about half-way done on both of the sleeves. I loved the version that Sarah knit so I am also using Marks & Kattens Clown yarn.


Sleeves (in progress)