The good news is that I found the camera that went missing in winter 2009. So I can post good photos again.
The other good news is that, due to some slow weeks at work and an increased craving for fiber, I've had time to knit!
I didn't get a lot done over the summer or fall, but Jess and I did start another KAL. We both started Bridgewater by Jared Flood. We spent quite some time finding the right yarn ... I ended up with some Colourmart yarn in the perfect pale gray. I love it. But then I got busy with Christmas projects and life in general and set it aside temporarily. Jess finished hers. I'm almost halfway through the center garter-stitch square. Lots left to go! I'm anxious to get back to it. I'm really happy with it. I'm double-stranding the center for extra warmth and squishiness, but I'll do the lace edgings with only a single strand to emphasize the delicateness.
I haven't added the project to Ravelry yet, but I'll try to do that later. I'm at work now and don't have the yarn information handy. If I do that, I'll try to remember to also post a photo here.
Part of the reason I was too busy to finish Bridgewater is that I taught a knitting class! It went unbelievably well. I had 13 active students, and they were all outstanding students. Also very encouraging. So encouraging, in fact, that several of them convinced me to teach another, more advanced class this spring. So, starting in April, I'll be teaching colorwork.
Then came Christmas. A few months before Christmas, I was looking at hat patterns on Ravelry, and my sister-in-law spotted Koolhaas. She went on and on about how cool it was and how much she liked it. So, for Christmas, she got this:
I had some issues with that project. I followed the pattern, finished it, blocked it, looked at it and realized it was pretty short. 2" short in fact. That was on Dec. 23. We celebrated Christmas on Dec. 24. So what she actually received in her wrapped package looked more like this:
Then I ripped back to the last row before the decreases, added a repeat and reknit the crown. That's the version you see on my head in the first picture. It fit her much better with the extra repeat, but I was unable to get a photo of her wearing the final product. So far. She loved it, though.
I finished Koolhaas this month. I've had a very busy month, due in no small part to the fact that I'm competing in the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. I was sorted into Hufflepuff (GO BADGERS!), which I absolutely love. My housemates are awesome. Seriously. They're great. I highly recommend the House Cup to all knitters/crocheters/spinners/weavers/dyers, especially those interested in Harry Potter. (Although, honestly, that's not a requirement ... the projects don't have to be HP themed or anything.) And I highly recommend that all new players request to be sorted into Hufflepuff, because we're the best house! ;)
Basically, the HPKCHC requires that each player complete one project each month for three months. Easy, right? Projects have to fit into a "class," but categories are pretty broad. And if you're good enough with creative storytelling, you can make just about any project fit into at least one class. For example, this month's Charms assignment was to complete a project already completed by a first-year player other than yourself. Transfiguration required players to create something based on a non-HP book. Flying's assignment was to create something to keep a person warm or something made out of animal fur. You get 15 points for each homework assignment you turn in (or 5 points for a project you started but didn't finish), and the house that earns the most points over the three-month term wins the competition. There's even a Detention category for WIPs ... each player gets points for the first Detention project they turn in each month. I used Koolhaas for a Detention project and got 10 points just for completing it. I've also turned in Charms (a Saroyan) and Transfiguration (earrings based on the Lord of the Rings) for 15 points each. I'm on a roll!
Charms (Saroyan):
Transfiguration (Lord of the Earrings):
Now I'm working on an earwarmer based on Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts, which I'm called my Earpaper. I needed something to match the convertible Endpapers I got in a mitten swap. I'm using pale pink alpaca and brown wool.
Progress so far:
I'm about halfway finished. I plan to turn this in for my 15 points in Flying when I finish it, which will hopefully be soon.
I'm also working on a bigger project, an OWL, which is just a big project that takes longer than a month but less than three months. I've promised some people some hats, so I'm making four hats for my OWL: a bearded Viking hat for my brother, a cable and eyelet "Hermione Loves Ron" hat for Mom, Luke's gamer hat (finally!) and a Robin's Egg Blue hat for myself. I haven't started those yet, but I'll need to start soon.
Most of these projects are available (with more information and photos) on my Ravelry.
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