Category Archives: Finished Objects

FO Friday: Mom’s Bonus Christmas Hat

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Mom’s Bonus Hat is done and dusted! I crushed this project with only inches of yarn leftover!! (Picture me doing enthusiastic fist pumps in the air.) And perhaps by coincidence or fate….today is her birthday. So happy birthday Mom!!

Pattern: My own 88 stitch basic beanie with a flat/seamed crown

Needles: US 7

Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 2 ply DK in the Berry Gradient colorway

Mods: None really I was just creating on the fly for this project.

This hat used up almost every last bit of the 51 grams or 141 yards of the remaining gradient I had leftover from my Mom’s first Christmas gift hat. I am SUPER pleased with how my idea for the boxed crown came out. An my Kitchener skills aren’t too shabby either, lol.

I think I will plan on wrapping up the first hat I knit and give to her for her birthday with a bottle of wine. And then this recent hat will sit until Christmas time where everyone I know will be getting hand knit hats, lol.

Now I just need to scheme my next hat cast on! Happy knitting!!

FO Friday: Scrappy Marl #2

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Despite my hesitations about this project I did manage to finish my second scrappy marl hat. My second Scrappy Marl is done, blocked and photographed. In the end, I’m okay with this project but still largely “meh” about it.

Pattern: Scrappy Marl by Beata Jezek (Ravelry link)

Needles: US 6s and 8s

Yarn: A whole bunch of tiny sock yarn scraps with no real scheme

Mods: I upped the needle sizes by 2 in order to get a bigger hat than my first one.

This hat ended up using just over 300 yards of sock yarn. I think I used up all but four of my tiny balls of sock. I consider it “tiny” when its under 5 grams. So this was a great stash buster for me.

Just as in my first one I used a spit splice to join all my ends so I didn’t have 1,000 ends to weave in ends. My kiddos laughed at me because I legit used a balloon to block this hat. I inflated the balloon inside this hat and set out to dry. They couldn’t wait for it to dry so they could have the balloon, lol.

This FO is definitely going into the donate pile. It is a fine hat but I just don’t love the chaos of colors. But it is still a functioning hat and will keep a head warm. The yarn is all superwash so I would feel comfortable donating this to a local shelter or other charity.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Mom’s Christmas Hat 2021

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After accidently leaving my project bag at my parents house…I can finally show you that I finished my Mom’s 2021 Christmas Hat!

I took advantage of a grandparent babysitting weekend to really power through this project. I only had like 3 inches of hat and the decreases to go so it wasn’t too bad. But it felt great to get another gift hat off the needles. So much so that I tossed the project bag behind their recliner and forgot it when I left for home, lol.

Pattern: None, just a 96 stitch basic beanie

Needle: US 7

Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 2 Ply DK in the Berry Gradient

Mods: really none because I just made things up as I went (including the decreases)

I purposely made the brim super long so it could be folded up and keep ears warm. This yarn is made of wool and bamboo so it blocked quite a bit with little stretching. So I gained a lot of length in blocking. I used roughly 52 grams or just over half the skein of this long gradient. I think I have enough for a second (and slightly shorter) hat….

The only bummer of this project is that the yarn my mom chose was too long of a gradient to really get much color difference in one hat. It does change from bright berry to dull berry but I never got to any of the browns. I guess I’ll save those for a bonus hat!

My mom was pleased with the finished product so that is all that counts. And it’s another hat down this year with my hat mojo still going strong. Happy Knitting!!

Scraps Go Fast

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I could not put this project down. As with my faded/marled shawls I just kept wanting to knit another row and see how the new yarn was fitting in. The bonus? I have a finished Scrappy Marl!

Pattern: Scrappy Marl by  by Beata Jezek (Ravelry Link)

Yarns: Many many many assorted scraps leftover from my sock weigh yarn. You can see some of them on my Ravelry page if that is a safe place for you

Needles: US 4s and 6s

Mods: None

After final tally this project used up 349 yards of sock weight scraps. That is almost a full skein of yarn! And I was able to craft something purposeful and beautiful. The finished hat does have a little bit of a slouch but not so much that you can turn the brim.

I am tempted to do another one of these hats with the TINY balls of scraps that I have floating around. I don’t think I will be able to plan or fade what I have left. It will be more of a “chaotic” pairing of yarns. But I weighed the bag and I have almost 100 grams of scraps I could use.

As I anticipated, the hat blocked nicely and fits well. It was tight on my skull prior to washing but has relaxed nicely. I really love this hat so I’m not sure if this will go in the gift bin or into my personal hand knit drawer. I have time to decide before it gets cold, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: In The Light (Pink Version)

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Ta Dah!! My In The Light (Pink Version) is finished finished finished. And I’m over the moon happy with it!

Pattern: In The Light by Casey Day-Crosier (Rav link)

Yarn: Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Sock in Super Happy Fun, Knitted Witt Victory Sock in Unicorn Giggles and finally KirbyWirby in an OOAK colorway. All combined I used about 1,050 yards of sock yarn out of my stash. So just about two and a half of three skeins.

Needles: US 9

Mods: none

I’m going to toot toot my own horn and fawn over how well all these pinks fade into one another. It really looks like the yarn was designed this way. The truth is that these are three random skeins of yarn I pulled from my stash. I could stare at this for hours…

In the end I love how warm and squishy this shawl turned out to be. I am envisioning wearing this over a black tee or top to really make the pinks pop! This being my third version of this pattern in two months I do think I will move on to other patterns for a bit. But I wouldn’t rule out making this pattern again some day.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Purple Worsted Hat

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Happy Glorious Friday! Spring is really starting to bloom in full force here and I have a FO to share today. My Purple Worsted Hat is done, washed, blocked and photographed!

Pattern: None – a basic 80 stitch toque/beanie with 2×2 rib brim

Yarn: Shepherd’s Mill 3 ply worsted

Needles: US 8s

Mods: None really as I made this up as I went

I went with an 8 point decrease on this hat for no other reason than it divided nicely into the 80 stitch count. I even leveled up my knitting skill and I worked these hat decreases with DPNs while doing an outdoor walk. And I didn’t even fall!!

This hat probably won’t fit the hugest head but will fit an average adult or large child. The fabric did end up very robust and dense so this will be a very warm hat. This has been tucked away in the cedar chest for whenever I need a gift. I didn’t knit this one with a recipient in mind.

And even after four or five hats I am still scheming my next hat cast on, lol. Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks

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I held true to my arbitrary knitting rules and finished my Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks!

Pattern: my own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe”

Yarn: Lemonade Shop Sturdy Sock in Toxic Oreo

Needles: US 1

Mods: none really except for a few increases in the leg region to account my calves

The speckling turns out more pronounced in one sock versus the other. But this happens with indie hand dyed yarn and I’m happy with the individuality. The fit is pretty good with some negative ease without being too tight.

The toe up gusset heel from Wendy Johnson turns out to be a really good fit for my foot and instep. They stay well on my foot during wearing them without stretching out or slouching. I ended using 315 yards of yarn or 68 grams of the 100 gram skein of yarn. So there is a decent skein of yarn leftover for scrap projects.

Now I need to scheme/brainstorm for my next pair of vanilla socks! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Dad’s Camo Hat

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My Dad’s Camo Hat is done, blocked and ready to be tucked away for Christmas 2021! Worsted weight decreases really truly go ZOOM and I was done before I know it. I even had time to wash and set this hat out last night to block and dry before I headed to bed.

Pattern: My own beanie “recipe” worked with 80 stitches

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lanaloft Worsted in Chameleon Green colorway

Needles: US 8s

I used roughly 131 yards or 120 meters of yarn to finish this hat. So just shy of a full skein. The whole thing weighs 82 grams.

The yarn is a single and was quite nice to work with. At my gauge and needle size I ended up with a pretty nicely dense fabric. This hat should be wind proof. The finished fabric is not exactly merino soft but its not 100% rustic either. It is somewhere in the middle.

I’m really happy with this hat and I feel quite accomplished to be already building my Christmas stash. That isn’t my primary intention, I’m just following where my knitting mojo is leading me.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: He Will Have His Revenge Hat

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I have another hat that fairly FLEW off my needles. My He Will Have His Revenge Hat is complete and tucked away in the Christmas gift pile.

Pattern: None, just a basic beanie I unvented using 88 stitch cast on

Yarn: Leading Men Fiber Arts Box Office base in He Will Have His Revent

Needles: US 8s

Mods: none really I just knit a basic beanie I have memorized.

I was really pleased with how the decreases spiraled and came in on themselves. Also a fantastic happenstance is how the speckles never really pooled or flashed…even as I decreased.

I will definitely work with this yarn again. Those guys at LMFA realy know their color theory and the base itself feels great in my hands as I knit. This was a skein of yarn I picked up at a trunk show they did in Kansas City before the world shut down. It has a unique place in my heart.

This beanie ended up being pretty slouchy/massively tall. In my estimation this will make it even warmer when you double over the brim. And the recipient can choose their level of slouch or not slouch. I ended up using about 3/4 of the skein or 166 yarns/76 grams. So I have a little nugget to add to my leftover pile.

And my hat mojo is going strong so I’m already plotting my next hat cast on!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: 2020 Advent Socks

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I have another pair of socks for my sock drawer! The 2020 Advent Socks are done and ready for my feet.

Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe” with a gusset heel

Needles: US 1s

Yarn: AGirlAndHerWool 2020 Christmas Advent Calendar (minis #1 through #8)

These socks are just so cheery and happy. It felt satisfying to actually use up the mini skeins from my advent calendar instead of hoarding them. I will admit the socks are a tad bit big or maybe have less ease that I would normally want. I could have probably done with 64 stitches instead of 68 for the foot and heel sections. But 68 feels good in the leg.

The socks ended up decently tall and the BFL content feels soft but hardy on my feet. I ended up using roughly 360 yards of yarn to finish these socks so that puts these on par with the amount I use from a normal skein.

Finishing these socks inspired me to clean my sock drawer. I pulled out six pairs of socks that I have knit that have shrank in washing (or my feet grew during pregnancy) and no longer fit super well. I gave all six pairs to my sister who wears a size 7 shoe compared to my size 9.5. She was super grateful and I’m hoping those socks get some wear instead of hanging out sadly in my drawer.

Happy Knitting!!