Knit update: July edition

Knitters are prepared. We have plenty of yarn to keep us busy probably way after we die. I am not a fast knitter. I prefer to knit with sock yarn mostly so that will extend my knitting process. Sometimes I switch it up and double the sock yarn to get worsted weight which is a bit faster for hats.

This project called for 3 strands of sock yarn so I was down to try it. I have lots of sock yarn leftovers and mini-skeins so I am always looking for projects to make me feel productive and get my yarn stash lower.  I laugh because yarn, in general doesn't weigh much so in the grand scheme probably didn't put much of a dent in my stash.

So the pattern I found is called Scrappy Birthday Cowl. It calls for 3 strands of sock yarn (which can be a little tangled) and lots of bobbles which is a nubbin or boobles (my term) of yarn so it'll just use up more yarn so I was game for this. 

The fun thing with using different strands of yarn, you can achieve some interesting looks depending on our choices. I decided to use a dark, almost black green yarn to be used thoughout the entire cowl and throw in other colors similar or contrasting because I wanted the bobbles to stand out a bit. Overall, the cowl has that dark tone with some pops of color.

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Scrappy Birthday cowl is done. Lots of #bobbles with 3 strands of #sockyarn to make a thick, warm #cowl for someone. #2020yarnstashdown

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Jul 24, 2020 at 2:17pm PDT

This cowl is heavy, way heavier than I thought it would be. Definitely for colder weather than SoCal. I am thinking of gifting this to my SIL who lives in MD.

And here is another cowl but in a single strand of fingering weight which may be okay for California but only for those really cold spells. This cowl hugs the neck so we will see. Also it sits tall (about 14 inches) but can be scrunched down and my neck is not long & elegant enough for this cowl to work for me. This why there is no photo of me wearing it. It really is pretty though. I'll put it in the gift pile for now.

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Wolkig cowl is complete!! I am not a fast knitter but have many projects going at once so I can choose. Only 1 row repeat and even I messed that up by k3tog instead of p3tog during the entire pattern. I didn’t even realize my error till I was almost done so I was consistent in my knitting. I’ll have to wait and see if this will be useful for SoCal.

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Jul 28, 2020 at 10:03am PDT

I have a couple more sock yarn projects waiting in the wings, a hat and another cowl. Seriously, I need to stop with the cowls. I do want to start another shawl. I volunteered for a test knit of a hat in worsted weight so I can get that done fairly fast. at the beginning of the year, I gave myself a goal of completing 25 knit projects and currently I am at 11. Hats are the easiest for me to get to my goal but I am trying to challenge myself with bigger projects.

I do want to start another 10-stitch blanket because I heard a little birdie say another baby is on the way. Not me...

UCLA Baby

Well, we heard of a new addition to our family! They haven't made an official announcement as far I know but they told us the news. So of course, I had to get started on a terrific baby gift. 

Now since I don't knit adult sized sweaters (while I'm typing in 80* weather), I'm all for baby sized sweaters. After that, it's strictly accessories! Side note: in the very beginning of my knitting  adventures, I chose to knit a sweater with the wrong yarn which I completed but it was a total disaster! It was not good.

So anyway, I present the UCLA Baby Sophisticate sweater. Isn't it adorable? I want to knit another one for my cousin but they live in Arizona which might not be all that practical is can be useful when they visit Cali. What the heck~!
I'm going to knit them one too anyway! Thinking a dark gray or a blue...



Lucky for me (and them) I had the right colors and enough to produce this cute sweater....it just feels awesome to have the perfect yarn in your stash. I also happened to have the right buttons although only 2 of each style. I think it adds some whimsy.








  I get to knit sweet, adorable baby things for 2 babies. Oh the possibilities!!

Baby Gifts

My cousin, Hannah is expecting her first baby at the end of September. Over the years, she has received various knit stuffed items ie. armadillo, bunny and monster. She will be putting them in the baby's room so that got me thinking I should do another search. Boy, my library has increased by at least 5 more stuffies.

I'm always trying to use up stash yarn and this Hungry Caterpillar is a prime example. I knit this in 2 days and used a variegated blue yarn for the body. The felt eyes don't match exactly like the book but that's okay. It sure does capture the essence of the book's version and that's fine with me. A very cute rendition and I will be knitting more if I need a baby gift.







So that got me thinking since the book is the hungry caterpillar maybe I can find a pattern for some fruit. Well, this apple is perfect. My first attempt I read a line wrong and had way too many stitches so I ripped it all out and began over. Much better.



So adorable. If I had  found this earlier, it would have been the perfect gift for the kids' teachers over the years. :)




Look how great it fits in Josh's hand. It's actually apple sized. He was laying on the ground watching TV so I had him hold it and it reminds me of Snow White after she bit into the apple. So now this part is complete with the apple and the hungry caterpillar.