February is half-gone... an Update

This month has been fantastic for stashburning and filling the gift pile. Here's my update so far:

1. Baby socks/ for mystery baby/ FO
2. Green Frivol Hat/ Xmas '08 pile/ FO
3. EZ's BSJ with stash Lamb's Pride random superwash remnants/ for one of the babies/ FO
4. (added) EZ's BSJ, shortened to Bolero length/ for the other baby/ FO
5. Simple ankle socks from stashed Regia sock yarn/ a co-worker, Xmas '08/ Feb. 28th

As you can see, I have several pairs of friends who are having their first child later this year, one in Brevard, NC and one in New Zealand. My friends in Nova Scotia are trying to conceive their second child, so I figured three baby gifts this month would be a safe bet.

I'm also making my 2nd pair of Anemoi mittens, but these are for me. Also, I've been commissioned by a student's mother to knit her a hat, which I'm doing with a stashed blue skein of Lamb's Pride. Yup, my yarn diet continues... all the projects in this post have been done with stashed yarn! Hooray!

First Feb goal met!

I think the beginning of the month might be better for my gift knitting than the end. I finished the Half Pipe Hat from the Son of Stitch-n-Bitch:



I am also back to work on my dad's sweater. I am working on the right front!

January Wrap-Up/February Goals

One thing that I learned last month is that lists aren't necessarily made to be followed. I have completed three of the projects from last month's list--the 2 x 4 Hat, and the Copihue mittens and the Handsome Scarf (finished 2/3/08):



While the other two projects on my list--socks for my brother, sweater for my dad--weren't meant to get done in January I thought I would give them some attention. As it turns out the gauge was waaaaaay off for my brother's socks so they were frogged and dad's sweater is going to move at a slow pace. I need to be patient with myself. Knitting is relaxing (repeat mantra until calm settles in . . .)

That said, I am setting another five goals for February. They are open-ended, mutable goals.

(1) Continue slow & steady work on Dad's sweater/Dad's birthday last year/April?
(2) Half Pipe Hat/Dad's birthday/February 7th
(3) Decide on a project for impending niece/nephew & swatch it/Baby's birth/Mid-April
(4) Swatch brother's socks/Brother/Some gift giving occasion/2008
(5) Mittens/Christmas/Unknown recipient/February 28

Unstated goal: remember to knit for me!

January List: FINISHED!

Ta da! I just finished my 5 January gifts. I ended substituting out one gift, as I previously posted, and one of the gifts I have ended up adopting as my own (the purple Frivol hat). But I started a second Frivol hat, also to be finished before January is over, to make up for it. So that totals 5 gifts plus 1 new hat for me!

Gifts, clockwise from bottom: Textured handtowel, my own design, knit with 2 skeins of Rowan Cotton Jeans; Frivol hat, knit with leftover Shearer's Yarn (which I cannot get enough of!) from last year's sweater; Fiesta Mittens knit with Claudia's handpainted and Louet Gems; Simple 2x2 ribbed hat with pompom, with yarn mailed to be last year from Sera, for whom I made those fingerless mitts, with improvised cables.

Oh yeah, and they're all knit from my stash. Whew!

FO2: Copihue mittens

I just finished my second January goal: a pair of mittens made out of Araucania Copihue! These are a gift for next Christmas, although I don't have a recipient yet. They are cozy and pretty. The pattern is improvised, although the wrist is based on Fetching.



More photos on Flickr.

My other January goals have due dates in February, so I am excited to see what I can get done in the next two weeks!

FO: 2 by 4 hat

In a surprise move, I finished one of my gifts this week. I present you with my improvised 2 by 4 hat:



This is a simple four by two rib (as the name suggests). I knit for about 6.5" and then decreased every row, first eliminating every other knit rib section, then the purls, then the last knit section. This will go to Ron next month for his birthday.

Time to commit!

I have been turning this list over and over in my mind since I signed up for this KAL. Since today is the new year, I suppose it is time to commit!

(1) Dad's sweater/Dad/Last February/This February (with the help of the knitting machine)
(2) Mittens/Unknown/Xmas 08/January 31
(3) Gentlemen's Sock with Lozenge Pattern/Ad/Birthday/February 9 (although realistically, these are more like March)
(4) Scarf/John/Valentine's Day
(5) Hat/Ron/Birthday/February 16 Finished 1/5/08

Three of these projects are already on the needles (1, 2, & 5), when I have something to show I will post some photos.