Holiday FOs

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in colorway Black Parade

Needles: US 5 and 7

Amount: less than 1 ball

Mods: None

I whipped this up for myself before heading north for my vacation. It came in handy too as it was pretty cold at home. The only thing I didn't like was that the yarn bled onto my needles, turning them black, before I even washed the FO! It's a beautiful yarn, but I don't think I will ever want to use it again. I always get sad when my bamboo needles get stained.

* Can you spot Audrey in the background?

* Miles of lace

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in colorway Polar Morn

Needles: US 6

Amount: ~ 360 yards

Mods: None

This was made with the same yarn and size (small) as my first Ishbel, but somehow it came out bigger, especially the lace section. When I made the pink Ishbel for my Mom's Christmas gift, I had to sacrifice my US 6 circulars due to knitting too tightly and the stitches not being able to slip over the join where the needles meet the plastic. Ever since that experience, I have been paranoid about knitting more loosely and so I most likely overcompensated by knitting too loosely on this one. I think it actually "blooms" more with the open lace. Also, my bind-off was a bit too tight as I was unable to create much of the "points" with my blocking pins. But I still love this Ishbel as I feel like it gives off a different look/vibe than the first one. Isn't it strange that knitting can rarely be identical even when using the same materials as before?

In other knitting news, I am still chugging along on my second Gathered Pullover. I also bought more Malabrigo Lace last week from Little Knits when they finally had some shipments in of the darker shades such as Paris Night and Pearl Ten. I've never seen those colorways in person, but I really want to make my mom a dark-colored Ishbel that could go well with more of her outfits. I really should diversify my shawl knitting (maybe go for that infamous Swallowtail), but I can't seem to stop knitting Ishbels. :-D The thing I love most about Ishbel is the fact that it's wider than it is deep, making it easier to wear as a scarf. Can anybody recommend similar shawl patterns with that feature?

FO: Gretel #3

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Camel Hair

Amount: 1 ball

Needles: US 5 and 7

Size: Regular
Mods: None

If this hat sounds familiar to you, it's because it's exactly the same as the Gretel I made for my boyfriend's mother. Right down to yarn and color of yarn. :-) My mom asked me to make a hat for one of my aunts that we will be visiting next week.

FO: Gretel #2

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Camel Hair

Amount: 1 ball
Needles: US 5 and 7
Size: Regular
Mods: None

This hat is a Christmas present for my boyfriend's mother. I thought it would be nice to make her a hat with alpaca content, especially since she drove us to an alpaca farm when I was visiting them in Washington in September. (Which reminds me, I still need to put up my Washington pictures! Sigh.) I love this pattern. It is the 2nd Gretel that I have made and I even managed to master tubular cast-on! Yay! I'm not sure how big her head is, but when I tried it on after finishing it, it came out too small on me. So I washed again and this time, I blocked it around a plate that was about 11" in diameter. Now it's a perfect fit (hopefully for her too)!

I love the smooshiness of the Ultra Alpaca, and the way it looks slightly hairy to give it a soft, muted look. This is definitely my most favorite yarn yet. :-)

FO: Gretel

After admiring countless Gretels online, I have finally made my first one. And yes, there will be many more to come. The pattern is beautiful, clear, and very easy to understand. The only thing that stumped me was the tubular cast-on which took me a while to grasp. However, I didn't realize that Ysolda had a pictorial for tubular cast-on on her website, so I will try to use that next time. I ended up using a different tutorial that left me skeptical as to whether it really was a tubular cast-on, or plain 1 x 1 cabling. My Knitting Answer Book clearly explained the 1 x 1 rib tubular cast-on, but there were no specifics on how to convert for 2 x 2 rib.

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Cognac Heather

Amount: 1 ball

Needles: US 5 and 7

Size: Regular
Mods: My cast-on was too loose so I added a round of crochet slip stitches to tighten the brim up

This particular hat will go towards my mom. I plan to make more for her, and as Christmas gifts for other people. It's funny I find it so satisfying to make hats for others, but I don't own even one for myself. Wait, scratch that. I do have one hat - the last lacy beret I made that came out a bit too big. It's beautiful but it doesn't fit me well enough for me to love it.

Footnote: And those are my new glasses! First glasses that I've had since I was 8 that did not have round and/or pink frames! :-)