Finished projets to date

Before I get into things that I currently have going on, I'll let you in on what I have done so far.

My very first finished project was a garter stich scarf on size 11 needles with cheap red heart grey yarn. Looking at it now, I see about 20 mistakes and the stiches are all sloppy but, at the time I was very proud. I am sure when fall comes I will probably still wear that scarf because it was my first.

After the scarf, I attempted a hat. I love this hat, I found it on Treats & Treasures. It is a little bigger than it is supposed to be. After this project, I realized the importance of needle size and yarn type.

So... I made another one! This one fits much better but the yarn is a little stiff so the back of the hat doesn't fall like it is supposed to.

Up next was a pattern I found on Knitty. The Calorimetry taught me the value of getting the gauge correct before starting the project. Mine turned out huge! I will have to make another one that fits before fall comes. It was easy to knit and only took a few hours to finish.

The next project is the best one yet. I decided to make a baby blanket for my friend who is expecting. I decided on the Big Bad Baby Blanket pattern that is in Stich and Bitch. This project was the reason for my first trip to a yarn store. I had previously been using cheap yarns from Joann fabrics. I went to Nina and asked the woman there for advice in yarn. The pattern calls for merino wool and that would require handwashing and line drying. How exactly is that a nice gift to a single new mother? It would be too much work to wash and it would never be used. Not to mention little guy might be sensitive to animal fibers. The woman at Nina suggested a cotton yarn. I picked out a pale green blue Sky Cotton yarn. It took some getting used to knitting but I finally finished the blanket (that is, after a 6 hour trip to Kentucky and a total of 8 hours on a bus to visit my parents). The blanket turned out beautiful. There were a few mistakes but my friend isn't a knitter so I doubt she will notice. This project started was is sure to be a long standing debt with yarn stores around Chicago. I can't knit with itchy, squeaky, acrylic yarns anymore.

Ok, the last thing I have finished (well, half finished) was my sock. I have been practicing knitting with double pointed needles and still wasn't ready to start a big project with them. I found a really simple pattern online for a basic sock and tested it out. I took me a few hours to do one sock and it was actually very easy. I'm excited to start knitting socks that have some pattern to them.