too much!

Although I haven’t been posting here in the last couple weeks, I’ve been taking advantage of having some time to relax, and have been crafting up a storm while I’m at it! Taking a cue from Ms. Frick, I’m going to catch y’all up on what I’ve been up to, in list-form.

Thing the first:

I’ve made it nearly through the waist/bust shaping on the Hollyberry Cardigan. Progress is slow with this project, because of the small gauge, but I know it’s a sweater I will love once I finish, so it’s all worth it. And yes, there will be a pattern at the end of it all.

Thing the second:

Thrums! I started my husband’s Thrummed Mittens, and am having a great time with them so far. I’m slightly paranoid about whether I’m knitting the right size, because with how puffy the thrums are, it’s hard to tell whether or not his hand will fit. Here’s hoping it all works out!

Thing the third:

I’m knitting a modified Vivian sweater for my friend. It’s going to be done as a pullover rather than a cardigan, with a very low split v-neck. I obviously haven’t made it very far yet!

Thing the fourth:

I knit most of what you see above in a single day last week. It’s a February Baby Sweater, for a February baby…namely, for my future little nieceling. I just have the sleeves to go, so it won’t be long!

Thing the fifth:

My dad will be excited to see this one, since he has been patiently waiting for a handknit item for a very long time. I bought a kit to knit him a Skier Hat quite awhile ago now, but was struggling to make it through the cotton hem facing, as my hands really dislike knitting with cotton. But I powered through it last week, and am now knitting away with wool. I plan to finish this in time for his birthday (in late February), which is particularly good because he’s going to be skiing the Birkebeiner race a few days after that!

Thing the sixth:

Oh, I’m going beyond the 5-item limit here, but I just have to share this:

That thing that Ren is trying to steal? It’s crocheted! I have been taken with a sudden desire to create a blanket, and knowing what I know about the relative speed, etc of crochet vs. knitting for blanket-creating purposes, I decided I wanted to learn to crochet. Well, it turns out I am not alone in this desire, and with the help of several friends, I finally conquered crochet!

Well, sort of. My “square” is rather wonky, and it took me something like 25 tries, but I finally think that I get it. My plan is to use the yarn from my failed vest (Eco Wool and Noro) to make a giant granny square blanket. We’ll see how it all turns out, but for now I’m just pretty excited to have a new craft in my crafty arsenal!