Gerald the Unfelted Stuffed Pig

Pattern: Felted Pigs by Judy Head
Yarn: Impeccable Antique Rose

I love my little piggy!

Things I learned while doing this project:

• how to use my new row counter (which was very important for this very row-specific increase/decrease project)
• sewing several pieces of knitting together
• sewing buttons onto knitting
• “embroidering” a snout
• stuffing a project
• crocheting a spiral tail (cast on 10 sts, half-crochet 3x into each st)

Next time I knit a stuffed toy, I have to make sure my knitting is tighter because you can see the stuffing through Gerry. Also, perhaps next time I’ll make a stuffed toy out of wool for felting.

Ugly Fingerless Gloves

Pattern: pattern on back of yarn
Yarn: Bernat's Jacquard Gemstone

Things I learned doing this project:

• the Magic Loop technique
• making a thumb gusset
• picking up stitches

I got this yarn on clearance. Personally, I don't like the colors, but my mom loves them. For some reason, they seem faded to me and very 1970's. The acrylic yarn is a little scratchy, so I hope that it softens up after a run through the washer. This was my first time trying the Magic Loop method. I really like it. So much easier than juggling four DPNs.

Booties for my Brother

Pattern: Bulky Yarn Booty by KnitAddicted community

Yarn: Wool-Ease Thick & Easy - Denim

I made these booties because my brother really wanted a pair. He wears a men's size 13 shoe. Unfortunately, the one skein that I had in my stash wasn't enough, so I had to go out and get another, albeit of a different dye lot.

What I learned while making these:

• my brother’s huge feet made me go out and get another skein of the same colorway (but not dye lot)
• 74 stitches in super bulky yarn weight is A LOT

I modified the pattern by starting the cuff at 36 stitches and then doing the cuff on 10.5 DPN.

My brother loves these.

Lauren Hat

Pattern: Lauren Hat by Lion's Brand
Yarn: Patton's Classic Wool

Come on… how could I pass this up, considering it has my name in it…

What I learned while knitting this piece:

• How to cable (sort of)


• How to work in pattern more than 2 rows


• I should really get larger US9’s because 10” was way to short for this project

It ended up a tad smaller than I would have liked, but it still fits fine. The “geometric pattern” is a little difficult to see, but perhaps the variegation in the wool is contributing to that problem. Overall, I really like it. My first hat! And it’s quite warm.

Facial Scrubbie

Pattern: Dishcloth Duo (PDF)
Yarn: Lily's Sugar N' Cream Twist

I made this facial scrubbie to go with a gift for my work's White Elephant gift exchange. This went so fast, that I even made another one for my mother! I will definitely be making more in the future.

Things I learned while making this:

• Increasing and decreasing to make a diagonal piece of knitting
• Not only seaming the ends, but around the sides to make a circle
  

Slippers for Mom

Pattern: Easy Family Slippers in Two Ways
Yarn: Lions Brand Wool-Ease Chunky

When my mom heard that I picked up knitting again, she said that she wanted a pair of slippers. This was my first go at it. I figured that if I messed up, I could keep the slippers and work on a new pair for her. Luckily, I didn't mess up that badly. :)

In making this project, I learned several new techniques:

• Working with bulky yarn
• Working in the round using DPN
• Decreasing stitches
• Seaming

I think the slippers turned out pretty okay. It took me a while to get the hang of knitting in the round. I am much slower with DPN than with straight needles. I imagine that this will be the case for a while. Also, the fact that the slippers turned out to be a similar size was probably due more to luck than technique. In the future, I'll probably have to block out things that are not scarves.

I hope my mom likes them!

Purpose

This will be my blog where I talk about my knitting projects, knitting woes, and generally stuff about my experiences in the world of knitting. I also have a wine blog, thus my name. :)