2.17.2006

Favorite FOs

Ok, I did a parade of horribles and lost some subscribers :-) so it's time to tout my talents and reassure myself that I really can knit!

The handknit item I reach for most often:



My Making Waves Socks (scroll down). I love them. They're machine washable (love that Lorna's) and such a happy color!

The handknit item I am proudest of:



My Charlotte. I love this thing. It has been reblocked since this photo, and is just glorious. It took me three weeks to knit from start to finish. I LUUUURV Koigu. And I am really really really proud of my color sense in picking out which shades to use.

The handknit item I love to wear when it's really cold outside:



My Cherry Scarf. I love this thing! So fun! I thought I had lost it this winter and was devastated. Turned out that I had hung it in my closet with my other scarves one night while cleaning my room. I won't ever do that again! :-)

The handknit GARMENT that wasn't a total failure:



Orangina. Ignore the boobage- I had put it on over a t-shirt to take the picture. Looks way more normal usually. I love that it doesn't sag at the neck- I made it rather tight and it fits just right, which prevents the droopy droopy thing most of these on the web are doing.

The handknit item my Mom, the fashionista, likes the best:



Clapotis: This was a gift for my mother, queen of accessories, and she loves it. The yarn was CHEAP ($10 for the entire thing, and it's silk ribbon!) and the scarf version of clapotis came out really well. It also matches my Mom's favorite jacket, so it has seen a lot of wear.

Best Baby Item:

This baby blanket turned out so well. It was super soft, 100% cotton and machine washable (Bernat Cotton Tots) from Joann's or Michael's or some place... But the drape was perfect and the recipient loved it.



And the mitred square rug from an old IW magazine (free online pattern!)



This wasn't so fun to actually make, but I love the result.


I am really pleased with all of these projects. I love the accessories- in part because fit doesn't matter as much and in part because you can do wild color without looking too rediculous (shut up about the socks- I love them despite the rediculous hot pink and yellow tv static). The variegated yarns work here, whereas I would NEVER in a MILLION YEARS knit a garment out of variegated yarn- can only end badly.

And Orangina works because it was such a fine gauge yarn knit with little to no ease (maybe even negative ease)- thin, form-fitting instead of the bulky crap sweaters featured a week or so ago.

6 comments:

Stacey said...

Heh. I actually subscribed because of your parade of horrors :) (I thought it was very funny & thought about doing one myself) But your fabulous FOs are much better & I absolutly love the cherry scarf...I think I may need to make one for myself! :)

Ramona said...

I love that Cherry Scarf! Awesome parade of knits.

Anonymous said...

Love your blog, and LOVE the cherry scarf! How did you do the stems/leaves? Yarn or embroidery floss? Sewn on? Crocheted? Do they show up on both sides of the scarf? Inquiring minds want to know...

Jenny said...

the leaves were knitted individually then sewn on. i *think* i did something like co 5, increase 1 at each end on the next 2 rows, then decrease 1 at each end until 1 stitch remains- then bo. i used the same yarn (cotton fleece) to embroider the stems.

my sewing skills are awful, which is why there's no close up of the leaves. :-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the cherry scarf instructions, I'm adding it to my (absurdly long) to-do list of projects!

Suzanne said...

Yay! I love your Charlotte too!