Last Minute Holidays

i was sitting pretty, thinking i had finished all my holiday knitting and was really enjoying working on the elizabeth zimmerman green sweater for myself when my husband turned to me and asked what i had made for his mother! 5 days before christmas!!! i could have killed him - i specifically said i wasn't going to make anything for her this time - i had already made the hourglass sweater for her for mother's day. i really thought this time it would be a store bought gift. but the laziness of not wanting to deal with the stores and a huge snowstorm won out and searched my stash of magazines and yarn to find something fast. vogue holiday had a cute lace beret pattern for fingering weight yarn - and i have more of that than anything else. perfect! and it only took 2 days! here it is:

and on ravelry.

i have made a little bit of progress on "the green sweater" - one sleeve almost done. i have to be honest, i am losing a little bit of interest. and i have a little bit of a problem with the sleeve - it decreased very fast and is pretty narrow. i really, really don't want to rip back though. trying to decide what to do...

Steeking

as i mentioned in my last post, my current project is the elizabeth zimmerman green sweater that i am making out of elsebeth lavold silky wool. this week i got up to the steeking part. i spent much of my time researching how to secure the stitches and eventually decided to go with the crochet method. (mostly because i am not secure enough in my sewing skills to attempt sewing such a stretchy piece of fabric). many thanks to eunny jang's online tutorial!

so here we go! before cutting:

a before cutting close up:

cutting - eeks!!! i definitely needed a drink after!:

but after cutting look at how neat it is:

i sewed down the crochet edge inside, knit up the stitches and started on the sleeve:

The true color of the yarn is closer to the blue pictures.

all in all it worked really well. i don't like how i sewed down the edges so i will be redoing those. also, it took a really, really long time. much longer than if i had just knit separate pieces and sewn them together. i don't know if i would use a steek for a solid color sweater again. besides not having to purl, count rows or piece together, i don't know if there is an upside? if you know of any other reason - please share!!!

normally, i would be knitting on this sweater like crazy and have it done by the end of this week but my husband sprung on me the fact that he never bought his mother a christmas gift. so now i am rushing to get a pretty lace beret done by friday with some stash sock yarn! - thank god for stash yarn and my habit of never throwing out a vogue knitting or interweave!!

Holiday Knitting Done!

i can't believe i finished all my holiday knitting so early! i have even started a project for myself - but more about that later. as for the presents, my list was

seamless hybrid for my brother - done

seamless hybrid for my brother in law - done

little scarf for mother in law - decided not to do

little scarf for mother - done

norah gaughn tank for my sister - done

socks for my brother's girlfriend - done

something for dad?!? - decided not to do

cth sweater for niece - done

baby surprise jacket for niece - done

ok - so i decided not to do everything - but i think i got a lot done. two men's sweaters!!!! now for some pictures (with links to ravelry for details, of course)...

the little scarf for my mom. i made from some handspun from guanaco. my friend - hellomello - made it and i had just one skein. i thought this was the perfect use and my mom loves it.

the norah gaughn tank for my sister. i used one of my favorite noro colorways - silk garden sock. it isn't my favorite thing i've made but if anyone can wear it, my sister can.

socks for my brother's girlfriend. i made one last summer and just knocked out the other one in a few days!

cornelia tuttle hamilton sweater for my older niece. i had made this sweater for h years ago and it still fits him! i love the pattern, such a quick knit! this one is made from my all time favorite noro silk garden colorway. and no, i did not cut out the green - the new dye lot just has a lot less! - for those of you familiar with noro color #87...

a baby surprise jacket for my younger niece. what can i say - love the bsj and of course, favorite color!

since i finished all those presents, i thought it was a good time to start a project for myself. the brand new elizabeth zimmerman pattern came out and i am not embarrassed to say i bought the pattern 5 minutes after i got the email! yes, i am talking about the infamous elizabeth zimmerman green sweater. i'm making it from elsebeth lavold silky wool. this is my first steeking project and i am terrified. in truth, i am writing this post now to avoid getting to the steeking part. here it is on ravelry - but i will be posting more pictures as i move along with the process... please send all knitting prayers this way!

some big news - my favorite yarn store - brooklyn general - now has online shopping! i also think i may be teaching a class at downtown yarns in manhattan in january - more details later!!!

Holiday Hybrids

i have been so busy lately. too much going on in this house - including a tree falling on our car, eeks!!!! i have been getting some knitting done though. have been totally feeling the holiday crunch. of course, i took on too much and now feel like i can't get it all done.

here is the list:

seamless hybrid for my brother - done

seamless hybrid for my brother in law - done

little scarf for mother in law

little scarf for mother

norah gaughn tank for my sister - almost done

socks for brother's girlfriend - one done

something for dad?!?

cth sweater for niece - needs a little finishing

baby surprise jacket for niece - needs buttons and two seams sewn.

ok - i guess that looks doable - i hope...

i gave the boys their seamless hybrids on thanksgiving since they were also their birthday presents. the fit is perfect! here they are on ravelry. i think they like them - what do you think?

promise to post any progress this weekend!!!