It's almost Christmas! Which means it's scarf time.

Cold weather and Secret Santa exchanges often demand it. Some knitters bore of it, as it is really just knitting in a very long rectangle the same thing over and over again. But you know, when you've written a 12 page paper on constitutional law or finished a homework assignment about delta hedging stocks, it's really all you can handle.


Scrunchable Sunshine (ravelink)
pattern: Scrunchable Scarf
yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (one and a half skeins)
needles: US 10 / 6.00 mm

Perfect. And just in time for these grey, grey wintry days. Sometimes, when I need a pick me up, these brightly colored scarves do just the trick. This and my Noro Striped Scarf do a lot just to make me feel a little more cheery.

Then there's the Secret Santa exchange... I don't usually knit with anything heavier than worsted, but in this case, I think it was called for.


Chunky Brioche Scarf (ravelink)
yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash, 2 skeins
needles: US 11 / 8.00 mm

I kind of just winged the pattern, casting on 18 stitches and just going at it with a brioche stitch. I fretted for a while about whether it'd be long enough. It turned out plenty long.


I really love it. The yarn is really soft and the brioche makes the scarf super squishy. I think I'll have to knit one for my self, though probably in a different color. I'll probably go down a needle size, too. I think it's a little too open.

The exchange was yesterday, and it was well received. :) Though, the recipient was a little perplexed as to who made it for her!

Anywho, I reckon I should return to my plethora of papers. Or maybe I'll knit some more. Who knows!

Repetion

I don't know if it's because I'm just getting back into knitting. Or maybe it's because I'm a little stressed this year, and the easy repetition of doing the same thing over and over again takes a load off my mind.

Whatever the reason, I've just been absolutely in love with knitting scarves.


Olivia's Brioche Scarf [ravelink]
pattern: Berlin Scarf
yarn: Dream in Color Classy in "Blue Lagoon"
needles: US 7

The yarn is beyond perfect. It's squishy, beautifully colored, sproingy, soft, defined and omg I want moar.

I meant this for Olivia's Christmas gift, but the brioche was so addictive that I finished it before I even realized I cast on. Oh well.

And in other scarf news,


Yes that is Malabrigo, and yes it is the best yarn in the whole wide world.

In the groove

I have too much yarn.

No, that's not true. But lately I've been on this buying-yarn spree that can't be too good for my wallet, but truth be told, I don't really care. The yarn - it calls to me. I go into yarn stores and go slightly nutty being in the presence of all this yarn I can't have.

And today I went and bought more. But it was so glorious!!!

What I really wanted to talk about though was this:

For whatever reason, I had this inexplicable desire for a big white scarf. Why? you ask. I don't know either. I wanted a big white, poofy, wonderful scarf to wrap around my neck during the cold winter months. I wanted cables. I wanted it to be squishy.

I searched for a pattern for a really long time, and in the end just decided to create my own. I think I went a little overboard on the width, but I do enjoy it. It's knitting up nicely, and I'm pleased with it.

More on the new yarnz next time...

Hello again

Knitting has been sparse lately, but after a visit from Amy, the knitting!love was renewed. (Thanks a lot, Amy. And I say that only half sarcastically.)

So, there has been a lot of knitting. But as always, no time to really blog about it. So I leave you with the first FO in a very, very long time...



Scarlet Gretel (ravelink)
pattern: Gretel by Ysolda
yarn: madelinetosh, tosh worsted in Vermillion

I've wanted one of these for a freakishly long time, and I finally have one! I'm so ready for fall, people. So ready.

Just a small note on this: I knit as directed except I had to fudge with the decreases a little. It kept puckering, and in the end it just bothered me way too much. So a little frogging, and little fudging... voila!

Now, it just needs to be cold enough...

Two Ways to Keep Your Sanity

Exhibit A:
Lace.

Exhibit B:
Mindless garter stitch

Yes, I'm struggling through that part of the semester where everything just seems like it's dragging. So two projects - just for me! The first is the Spring Tulips Stole from Night Owl Knits and the second project is the super quick garter stitch cowl.

Two midterms, one paper down...

one paper, two midterms to go...

How much you want to bet I finish the cowl before my paper on Hobbes?