Double the FO's: Stalking Socks and Oreo Mittens

Slipper socks in women's size 9 for my cousin for Christmas. The yarn is Jo-Ann Sensations Angel Hair, which is an absolute pain to knit with, but OMG SO SOFT. And they are the very neon-est of neon blue (which is why they're called Stalking Socks…fuzzy blue things instantly remind me of Monsters, Inc. :P )

Mittens for myself! I've been needing a pair. They look sort of large because, well, they are large. They're warm, but too thin to wear alone in Pittsburgh's windy winter, so the largeness leaves room for a pair of gloves to be worn underneath.

Both patterns were improvised, which makes me kind of proud, since I haven't designed a pattern in…let's not even count, ugh.

And speaking of accomplishments:

IT'S THE HOMESTRETCH, BABY.

Halvsies

Socks for my cousin

and mittens for me

Getting my winter knitting in gear with these projects, as well as my brainpower. Since these socks and these mittens, I haven't improvised a design in a loooooong time :P

So. Psychotically. Happy.

Oh, what this shall spawn…

And the joy lives on

I. Love. My. Grandma.
Because she got me yarn.


She also got me money.

To buy more yarn.

GRANDMAS ROCK!!!!

How great is this day?!?!?!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Why am I soooooo happy? It's Christmas, that's why!!!!!! *twirls and giggles deliriously*
Oh, and I GOT A PHONE!!!!

AND IT'S A RAZR!!!! A PINK ONE!!!!!!

The little guys loved their hats, too.



Along with The Phone, I got One-Skein Wonders. It came in a kit with US 9 straight needles, a crochet hook, and 81 yards of Patons Jet in colorway 12. It's sooooo pretty and soft and will be gorgeous as fingerless mitts (which is what I plan to make out of it).



Merry Christmas everybody!!!!

Hope your living room doesn't suffer from as much Christmas carnage ;)

Free Pattern: The Nutcracker Scarf

Materials:
1 skein Moda-Dea Dream or any aran or fingering weight yarn
US 11 needles

Gauge:
15 stitches (worked loosely) in stockinette on US 11 needles=4 inches

Snowflake Lace (adapted from Snowflake Lace Socks)
Row 1: K2, YO [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, K2.
Row 2 and all even rows: P across.
Row 3: K3, (YO, K3) across.
Row 5: K1, K2tog, YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, [Slip 1, K2tog, PSSO], YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1.
Row 7: K2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K2.
Row 9: K3, (YO, K3) across.
Row 11: K2, K2tog, YO, [Slip 1, K2tog, PSSO], YO, [Slip 1, K1, PSSO], K1, K2tog, YO, [Slip 1, K2tog, PSSO], YO, (slip 1, K1, PSSO], K2.
Row 12: P across.



Pattern:
CO 15 using Provisional Cast-on.
K 1 row.
Work in Snowflake Lace until the scarf is as long as you want. On the last repeat, work 11 rows of the pattern, then knit across the 12th row.
BO using Picot Bind-off.
Unravel Provisional Cast-on and pick up 15 stitches.
BO using Picot Bind-off.

Blocking Dimensions:
This scarf can be as long or as short as you want, but you should block the width to 4 inches.

Merry Christmas!

FO: The Nutcracker Scarf

Aww, look how cute I am in my self-designed scarf (ignoring my horrible un-glossed lips, of course)!

The lace detail

It turned out really great, considering it was my first time ever blocking.
Ooo, and I have photos of that, too!!

Maybe I'll give the pattern as a Christmas present ;)

Great Gaping Dropped Stitch Hole, Batman!

Yay!! John's Cool Dude Hat is done!

So that means, my Christmas knitting is done!!! *jumps up and dances*

It also means I have now have no projects to start and no new yarn I need.
*twitch*
I take that back. I need new yarn. Or at least something to knit.
So I dug through my stash, and seeing my very un-wispy Wisp, picked it up and started to knit.
And then I spotted IT.

Look at it. How on Earth did that sneak in? No amount of blocking will close that crater.
So I performed a trademark knitting technique.

And now my yarn problem is solved :)

Addiction

I've been browsing through old posts on Thinking in Magenta, and I noticed something: I can't seem to more than four days to publish a new post. Is this common among new bloggers? That we get so excited we just post post post until something comes up and then we forget about the blog and then three weeks later we remember about so we post but by that time all the readers are gone?
Anywho, I finished the Tough Guy Hat. This was an incredibly fast knit. I swear it was finished in less than three days, probably two if I had more time.

Does a brother this geeky deserve a hat this awesome?

Ah, it's Christmas :)

New (secret!) WIP's

My brothers have been begging and begging for me to make them hats. So I intend to make them hats for Christmas.

Now it's time for the small problems to come in.

I want the hats to be a surprise Christmas present, so I can't knit them while the bro's are around. That means no knitting in front of the TV :(
Also, how in the world will I measure their heads without them thinking something's up?

Honestly, what would your brother (or sister) think if you just came up to them, took a tape measure and wrapped it around their head, wrote something down (which CO 80, K1P1 rib 1 inch, K8 M1 around, K2P2 rib 5 inches must look like some kind of code to a non-knitter), and just walked away?
I'd be pretty suspicious, that's for sure. And slightly creeped out.

I hope my brothers aren't light sleepers, cause they'll probably get a visit from the head-measuring fairy tonight ;)