Semaphore Hat

Another late Christmas present, but I just couldn't figure out how to do intarsia in garter stitch. I tried SO many times, and frankly I'm still not happy with how it turned out. I'm hoping to get a pic of him wearing it soon. I chose this design because he goes fishing in the Ozarks and since he's bald, I figure this would keep his head warm.

METHOD:
The pattern was in the Knitter's Magazine Spring 2006 issue. The semaphore spells out MIKE for my pop-in-law. The base is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (YUM!) and the flags are done in Cascade Yarns 128. The whole thing was knit on #4 circular needles.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
How to do intarsia in garter stitch, that Cashmerino is FUN to knit with, and that I really really need to pay attention when I'm counting. Also, this was my first experience with short-row shaping. The hat itself looks good, it's the flag (actually the first one) that needs work.

Boucle Poncho

I loved the colors in this yarn so much I ordered some of it from Smileys to make this poncho.

METHOD:
Done in Lionbrand Funfur "Lava" and LionBrand Boucle "Snow Cone," I used 10.5 needles, which seem to be my favorites for bulky yarns. It's one of Lionbrand's free patterns, and I had a devil of a time trying to figure out what color fur would match those weird purples in the boucle.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. That I should have seamed this with thread instead of the boucle, as the bulkiness of the boucle made the seams overly bulky.
2. How to pick up stitches around an edge.
3. That LionBrand tells you to buy waaaaaaay more yarn than you will actually ever need.
4. I don't care much for hoods.

More socks! Now I want some for me.

Sock redux. Another gift for mom. She was supposed to get these for her birthday. In September. Of last year. I'm SO bad.

METHOD:
Lionbrand Sock yarn Magic Stripes again, in the purple color. Done from the pattern on the label, on #3 dpns.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
One is still shorter than the other. Maybe I need to knit for people with odd-sized feet?

I can't wait to make more socks, but I want to keep them for myself!

First Abandoned Project

I started this tank top at the monthly knit day at Borders, and was all excited about it for a week, until I started wearing the other one and realized I don't like the way it fits.

This is the same yarn, Caron's Jewel Box, only I thought I'd actually try to knit it to gauge this time. I'm just not keen on having no shaping around the waistline and under the ribs. I mean, I HAVE a waist, and I'd like to see it! The white version looks dumpy. The pattern is not flattering.

I took the jump. I frogged it and rewound the yarn back into a ball.


AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
It actually feels good to rip out and abandon something hideous. Now I can devote my time and energy to something that looks better.