I received my first issue of KnitSimple over the weekend and read it cover to cover yesterday.  I like that it’s full of patterns and new sources to find yarn and notions.  They’ve also reviewed 10 organic and eco friendly yarns that looks pretty interesting.  This will come in handy this winter when I sit down to really learn more about the yarn I use in my projects.

There’s also a technique I’ve never heard of called Broomstick Lace which is used for the center panel of this bag. I like it.  I want to learn it.  I can’t wrap my brain around the instructions, but I’m definitely going to give it a try.  I have to start moving beyond the scarf and work my way up the knitter’s food chain.

Admittedly, this past month, or two,  I haven’t knit 1 stitch for some reason.  I blame the lazy days of summer, but, I have been planning for future projects.  The problem is I’ve been so busy knitting gifts for this Christmas that I haven’t made myself anything since last year.  I want to make myself something pretty and non-scarf related.  This made me think of all the WIP I have to finish up so I can actually make something for me, myself and I.

I pulled out all of my finished objects this morning and realized that I am practically done with my Christmas list.  Yay!!!  Mind you, this is the completely revised list of handmade treasures.  By my calculations, I have 1 wrap and 5 more scarves to make.  The scarves are knit on size 35 needles and done in a garter stitch so they go fairly quickly.  I’m using a colorful fancy fun fur paired with a worsted weight yarn.  Don’t worry, these are for the ladies.  FYI – this scarf is a great way to knit down your stash.

My only only task will be to block almost every piece I’ve knitted.  Yes, the stockinette stitch is to blame, but at least I’ll have another month or 2 before I have to start laying everything out.

I’m curious, when do you start making your holiday gifts?  Some people start in the fall but I can’t knit that fast.

This scarf was for my cousin Kam-Marie.  Like me, her favorite color is purple and I had a few skeins of nice variegated lavender, gray and black worsted weight yarn that I inherited.   It was knit on size 8 needles and took for-ev-er to complete.  This scarf is how I got backed up with making the other gifts.  This scarf is the reason why Aunt Glo did not get her pom-poms!  FYI – knitting up these gifts was a great way to knit down my stash.

I will say that, aside from the crocheted decrease fiasco, this was the most time consuming and complicated of all the gifts.  I know the point of making them was to learn a new stitch/technique, but I mean this one was a doozy.  I cannot tell you how many times I had to restart this pattern.  It was the first time I had to do an increase, and I had to do it one stitch and one row at a time.  I could not wrap my head around the instructions.  It was as if I could see it, but my brain kept saying “there’s NO WAY that’s right.  you’ve got to be kidding me!”  I finally gave up and put out a cry for help on the Ravelry.com boards and got an answer to my dilemma.

After finally moving forward (I was actually doing it right before I asked for help), I moved through the increase section without any more problems.  When I came to the straight section, alternating rows of knit and purl, I developed knitters ADD.  I could not stay focused on the scarf.  I got bored, started something else, worked on the crochet blanket (and you know know how I feel about crocheting!). Anything.  Finally, in June during the Philadelphia’s Writers’ Conference, I took the scarf along so I could work on it between workshops and on the train ride to and from Center City.  Once the straight section was completed, the decrease section went smoothly.

Because this project put me so far behind (it took me two to three months to complete) I didn’t get a chance to knit scarves for my uncles.  I also didn’t have time to block this one.  I thought I could get away with steam ironing it, but the sides eventually rolled back in on itself.  So, this one had to be returned so I could block it.