Yes, I Still Knit

It has been awhile since I have posted any substantial knitting content.  A peek at what I have been up to:

Arrowhead Mittens v3. ©Wildknits.

Thumb gusset

This version has a more traditional 3 inch cuff (vs the original pair with a 7 inch cuff) and a redesigned thumb pattern.  I actually knit three mittens for this pair. The first acted as a gauge swatch and resulted in my adjusting the pattern for a  better fit for the recipient.

Lorne's Hat - design by Yarn Harlot

If you follow the link you will see this hat is meant to be folded up. I had a skein of sock yarn that when knitted up yielded a pattern that I did not like. But in a hat, the stripes worked much better.

Jenny's Socks 

This yarn was much more subtle in the skein. Interesting how the use of flash really made the colors stand out. As you can see, I do not obsess about ensuring that socks perfectly match each other.

Shell Lace Scarf - ©Wildknits.
Based on a pattern stitch from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker, pg 209

I have a large supply of Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift in this colorway leftover from a previous project. I find having a little lace on hand to be comforting. I designed the scarf to test this pattern to see if it would work as an edging for a circular shawl I need to finish. This is it's second incarnation; on the first I had three repeats of the pattern, which turned out to be too wide for my liking (~10 inches lightly blocked). This scarf should be about 6 - 6.5 inches wide once blocked. Length will be determined by my attention span.

Heart Elbow Patch - Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmerman (EZ), pg 155

I picked up this sweater (100% wool, men's x-large) years ago at a thrift store. It had been shrunk by a previous owner. I love the color and the warmth and had worn it to the point of holes in the elbows and battered cuffs. The other night I finally got around to knitting up some elbow patches and sewing them in place. I also darned the cuffs back together. While I was working on this Mr. Wildknits commented that I could have just replaced the sweater. I informed him that I had been unable to find one in that particular color. He then suggested I knit myself a new sweater. I do have a pattern for a saddle-shouldered sweater knit in the round ( Thanks EZ!) and I am pretty sure I can match this color. Will be adding this to my project queue.

Vortex Shawl - ready to be finished

This shawl has been languishing for quite a while. The pattern calls for a picot edge. I am NOT a fan of picot, and in this yarn, with these needles.... ugh! I have been searching for just the right edging for this, taking into account that I have only one skein left of the yarn and no real guarantee I could find another. As mentioned above, I thought the shell lace pattern might work, the curves reflecting the spirals in the shawl. As I worked on the scarf I became less fond of that idea, concerned that the pattern would be too wide and too yarn intensive. Off I went searching again. I finally stumbled on an edging that I think may work. It is the one used on the Hemlock Ring Doily Blanket. I will be giving this a try over the weekend as I really want the 40 inch circular needle for this:

Mini Mania Scarf

Supplies for the Mini Mania Scarf

As you can see I have accumulated a bit of sock yarn over the years (this is a 11 x 17 x 10 inch box). The pattern calls for a minimum of 5 grams of each color. So, I sat down one night with our kitchen scale and weighed all of the sock yarn that easily came to hand. Looking through my stash led to memories of each pair of socks knitted, and who for, over the past 15+ years.  It also yielded a supply of the exact yarn needed to darn a pair of Mr. Wildknits socks. My goal is to use up most, if not all, of the yarn in this box by the time the scarf is finished. Bonus: I will learn a new stitch pattern. It is always good to expand ones skills.