I know, I know...it's way too early to start thinking about Christmas, right? I mean, it was 100 degrees today here in Spokane, WA not very long ago and I could hardly stand it! I've been knitting lightweight and small items, like a baby sweater made of organic cotton, in a gorgeous super light lilac shade. I've also started a late summer/early fall transitional cowl that I hope to have enough yarn for to make it useful for a nursing cover as well.
Those pattern links are here:
The baby sweater is called the Cradle Cardigan and it is from a small baby pattern book called Mabel's Closet by Hannah Fettig. It was given to me as a gift by a very good girlfriend of mine. The entire collection is made with Quince & Co. Yarn, so it's been a treat to look through it and go through my stash looking for the perfect yarn choices. I ended up using a yarn that's been in my stash for a long time and I believe it's been discontinued. It's called:
The cowl/cape is the Standing Stones Cowl/Infinity scarf and I'm using Cascade Yarns Venezia worsted. Here are a few finished pictures. It will have to be blocked.
Why Christmas in July, August, and September? Well, I started thinking about Christmas stockings and Christmas gifts. I don't want to get down to the wire again this year, like I usually do. I always end up racing to finish projects. I mean, I started the stockings in July, and I was dying from heat while my lap was covered with wool. Now, here it is September....I'm on my 3rd stocking, out of 4. It finally started cooling off and the weather teased us, so we dug out long sleeve shirts, lightweight sweaters, and shawls or cowls. I was giddy with excitement! Then the weather channel tells us that it will in the 80s this week! I'm kind of bummed and looking forward to when the mini heat wave ends.
This is the big year that I've decided to make Christmas stockings. It's been a difficult choice for me because my late grandmother cross stitches some family stockings many many years ago. While I cherish them for the memories and because they were made by my grandmother, who I was very close to, I am a knitter and knitting stockings for the mantle has always been something I've wanted to do since I started knitting. I will eventually find a way to have handmade hand knit stockings hanging from the mantle, while still displaying the ones she made somewhere nearby. Plus, the only ones that truly match are for my parents, my brother, and myself. The ones for my son and husband are similar, but not matching. Now that there is another baby on the way, I'd like to have some for my immediate family that are all the same style and colors that reflect each of our personalities a little bit.
I've finished the first 3 stockings in this 4 part project and is was easy and fun, not to mention rather quick! The yarns are gorgeous, the colors are fun, and the deal on the yarn was impossible to beat! I have one more going on the needles and then I will be done! The pattern isn't one I can share, it's a pattern from my local yarn shop. A simple design that was easy to follow. The stocking is on the rather large size, but I don't mind.
I'm having a great time working on these almost instant gratification projects! What are you working on?
