FO: The 5 Year GAP-tastic Cowl

Anytime I finish a large knitting project, I am left with a little void in my life. Don't get me wrong, I love that accomplished feeling of holding a finished object in my hands and being able to show it to others, but I always am a little nostalgic for that moment when I was back in the middle of that project just knitting away. I suppose it's because I just like the act of knitting so much. I completed my Anaheim Sweater on a Sunday afternoon, leaving me with the awful problem of not having anything to knit that night! I didn't really feel like planning and starting a new project, but I had a sudden flash of memory about this cowl I started back when I first learned to knit 5 years ago (!?!), so I decided to unearth the ufo and see what I could do. This only took me 2 hours to finish :/ But now it's done and I don't have to feel guilty about such an old unfinished project :)

This is the GAP-tastic Cowl by Jen Geigley, a free pattern on Ravelry. I had only been knitting a few weeks and I was looking for beginner friendly but cute projects when I saw a lovely version of this pattern made up in a friend's Ravelry account. I went to the only place close by I knew to get yarn - Walmart - and grabbed the only type of Bulky yarn they had in a color I liked and I got to work, trying to get used to seed stitch in English style knitting. I knitted a few inches, but I was quickly bored with this. Seed stitch in English style is tedious to say the least. A few inches in I realized that I had accidentally switched to rib stitch for over an inch and I was so frustrated that I set it aside. I think I pulled it out once more over the years, but I bored quickly again so I put it back in my original WIP box (a clear tub that contained this cowl, a swatch of yellow acrylic garter stitch I was thinking would be a scarf, and crocheted limbs for a Winnie the Pooh I never finished).

When I picked up the cowl after 5 years, I decided to just keep knitting and not worry about the rib stitch area. This yarn is Lion Brand Homespun in the Waterfall colorway, and while the colors are lovely this was probably the worst yarn to make a textured design with. Homespun is spun in a way that makes it bumpy no matter what, which completely masks the knitted texture of seed stitch. In the photo above I can see the rib stitch section like a big shining beacon, but in reality this will be doubled up around my neck and bunched up to where no one will see anything wrong unless I point it out (which I don't plan to do). I remember I was so bummed 5 years ago when I noticed this mistake - seriously just 1 stitch wrong caused this - but I also remember I didn't know how to fix it. I didn't want to pull out all that work, and in this bumpy yarn I had a very hard time differentiating between what was a knit and what was a purl anyway in my inexperience. Isn't it funny to go back to old projects and see how much we've improved? I had worked on this cowl for weeks and only got a few inches knit only to fast forward to now and finish the whole thing in 2 hours. Crazy. At least I know I'm better now, I guess. Click here to see my post in August of 2012 when I was showing off this project for the first time.

Here's a close up so you can see the details and colors better. See the ribbing? lol I can't look away! I like the fading colors though, and the loft of the yarn will certainly keep me nice and cozy for the 1 or 2 days a year I can wear it in Florida, haha. What was I thinking back then? I had never heard of a cowl except as a neckline on a shirt before I started knitting, so I don't see how I thought I could use one. Ah well, I certainly have something to wear if I vacation anywhere cold.

I only had one skein of this yarn (and I was not about to go buy more), so I just knitted until I ran out of yarn. My cowl is a little narrower than the pattern calls for - mine is 12" deep - but seriously on a piece like this it makes absolutely zero difference. Also my cast on was (unsurprisingly) too tight for this loose gauge, so my cowl is only 60" long instead of 72" like the pattern specifies. You can see that the seed stitch area would definitely stretch longer, but the cast on holds it back. Again, it's a common beginner mistake, and it's not keeping me up at night.

Once the cowl is doubled up and arranged around the neck none of these details matter. All that matters is that I managed to finish such an old project and that I have something wearable to show for my efforts. This also means I can burn that awful fixed Boye cable needle I bought to make this with too (seriously after 5 years that plastic cord still had the original folds in it from their packaging, ugh). Who am I kidding, I keep everything. It now is in my great grandma's knitting basket with all the other needles I never use :)

This photo was taken under my husband's art direction, lol. I spite of this snarky post, I am really happy about this cowl. I'm happy to have it finished, and I'm thrilled by how much my knitting abilities and know-how have improved since I started. Finishing this got me pretty jazzed about finishing old projects, so I'm hoping to keep the momentum going and finish a few more. I have that box of projects plus a granny square blanket I made 25 squares for, about 15 squares for my Happypotomus, and a Lady Russell Shawl in cashmere that need knitting and crocheting not to mention my drawer filled with very old sewing projects (an apron, at least 3 Frenchy bags, a baby dress, an entire quilt, plus a few dresses for myself). Maybe one day I will deal with all these things, but I'm sure I'll produce more ufos in the meantime :) At least I can mark one off the list.

FO Friday: Christmas Gift Edition

Since I have utterly failed at posting my finished objects as I finished them this month, I figured I would just put them all together in one epic post today :) Just to warn you, this is a long one, but there are plenty of pictures.

First up is my husband's birthday hat. I actually finished this in November and never posted it  here.

It's all just knit in k2p2 rib until the decreases at the top. He chose the color and everything, although he has yet to wear it, lol.

I love looking at the nice swirl going on at the top. It was incredibly easy to make and I hope my husband enjoys it.

Next up is the Hello Kitty for my sister. Isn't she cute?! Honestly I couldn't be happier with how it came out. The face may have given me some trouble, but the rest went very smoothly.

And the back shot. I love that she has thumbs! I will probably use that technique on other animals to come just because it's so cute.

I freehand-designed the dress myself. I was really going for the classic Hello Kitty and I just couldn't find any patters already out there that were right. So, I started off with foundation single crochet and made a strand long enough to go around her hips. I just went up and down from there, connecting and decreasing/increasing, etc. I'm really happy with its shape.

Also for Shannon, I made this Hello Kitty style headband, lol. She's in Japan, so I think this will help her fit right in, don't you? I used this free pattern for the headband and then just used circles overlapped for the bow. Embroidering the black took some patience, but it paid off.

Here is another requested item. My sister Marisa's Lattice Cowl. This baby has 2.3 skeins of Lion Brand Hometown USA! I had to go buy a third skein a few weeks after buying the initial 2 skeins, and do you think Walmart still had any of the same dye lot? Of course they didn't. So, the front section is a slightly different color in certain lighting. Hopefully she likes it other than that. I think it matches the inspiration photo really well :)

The buttons all come undone and can be fastened pretty much anywhere you want since it's all double crochet.

I also finished the broomstick lace scarf for my mother-in-law. I'm really loving how it came out and I really have a new found respect for Lion Brand Microspun yarn. At first i hated working with it, but I've really become attached to it now. It drapes so nicely!

I added a picot edging just for extra flare.

And the scarf was started in foundation single crochet so I was able to neatly pick up to do the edge. It looks a little different than the other side, but honestly I don't think anyone but a knitter/crocheter would notice.

In EPIC news, I was able to finish my Red Rosie Hat! It was a small miracle, and one that convinced me that I needed a set of Knitter's Pride Dreamz interchangeable needles :) I was really having a problem with the Boye fixed circular I was using, but I ordered the Knitter's Pride Comby Set to see which type of needle set I wanted for Christmas from my parents. It just so happened that the set included a size 8 which is what this hat needed, so I just switched over to that new needle and had a grand time. It's amazing the difference when you have really flexible cables while you're trying to do magic loop knitting.

This is the Rosie Hat pattern from Knit Lab: Hats Four Ways class on Craftsy. It's my first experience with magic loop knitting, cables, a purl background, blocking on a plate, and my Knitter's Pride needle :) I love how all the cables converge in the center - it's so pretty!

And here it is from the bottom just for good measure. I haven't gotten to get pics of me wearing it yet, but hopefully they are to come soon. Also, the yarn is a much deeper red than it shows up in there photos - these shots make it look red/orange but it's more red/blue. It's made in Cascade 220 Superwash in Ruby.

I also finished the ties for my latest wig :) I can't wait to unveil this project, but I have a few more wigs to make first.

And last but not least, my FINAL HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFT - the Bobble Beard Beanie for my brother, Briggs. He specifically requested this, I made it all except the last 1/2 of the last round of the beard because I ran out of yarn. Luckily, I was able to swing by Joann's on Wednesday night and grab a new skein of the brown yarn, phew, and I finished this up last night.

I altered the pattern so that the beard is removable. I added button loops to the corners on the beard and buttons to the inside of the ribbing on the beanie. The result looks pretty good, I must say :) I'm excited to see he face when he opens it!

So that's pretty much what my last few months of knitting and crocheting has looked like, lol. If you want to see what others have finished this week, head over to Tami's Amis' blog!

WIP Wednesday: Christmas Gift #1

I've been quite the stitching machine lately, but I've actually finished my projects! So, I only have one thing to show today :)

(Photo courtesy of CraftyRed)

My youngest sister saw this cowl on Pinterest and has been begging me to make it for the last several months. I decided to make it part of her Christmas gift :) The blog post about this cowl was nice enough to link to the pattern and list the changes she made, so I tried to follow it as best I could. Sadly, the original maker was English and used a yarn that not only is not available in the states, but it's also discontinued. So, I searched for a reasonable alternative and settled on Lion Brand Hometown USA in LA Tan. I'm using a size N hook. Here is my version so far:

This sucker is a yarn hog! The fabric is seriously so tight. I've used 2 full skeins and I can barely wrap it over its edge around my neck. So, I'm thinking it will need at least 1/2 a skein more. This thing is thick and heavy, but it it made the same as the inspiration so hopefully she still likes it. Now I have to get another skein to continue and I have to find some really big buttons that look similar to the inspiration.

I've got a list of other items to make as gifts over the next month, so you'll be seeing more posts like this :)

To see what others are making this week, check out Tami's Amis' blog!