WIP Wednesday - Week 16

I never got around to posting my WIP Wednesday post last week, so this week I have a finished object that I never got to show in progress!!

Ages ago I stumbled across Heidi Bears' designs and completely fell in love with her African Flower animals. I especially kept returning to the happypotamus as being too cute for words. A couple of weeks ago I finally decided to buy the pattern, and once I did, I naturally had to cast it on right away.Well! Turned out it was a MUCH easier (not to mention quicker!!!) pattern to make than I had ever expected, and Sunday morning my darling Happy Hippo was done!I am SO pleased with how he turned out, and can easily see myself making more of these. Even Lars was surprised by how utterly CUTE he is :-D

In other news I finished Miriam's hat. Not a big feat as I had all the knitting done last time and just needed to add the pompom :-P We are celebrating her birthday next week... of course, it is far too hot for hats now, but at least she can save it for next year.

Nina helped me sew on buttons for Peter's cardigan (THANK YOU, Nina! ♥ ) and Saturday evening I could FINALLY hand it off to him! Fortunately it fits him perfectly, and he's already asked me if I'd knit him another 7! Not entirely sure why he'd need (or WANT!) 8 identical cardigans, but I heard and appreciated the compliment all the same :-) (... and also told him I'd consider ONE... in a few years :P Hopefully by then I can convince him to chose another pattern instead)

I've also finished a small pendant with Yggdrasil for a friend of mine. It was really easy until I came to the last round which is done in crab stitch (reversed sc). I'd never tried that stitch before, and it was a hassle and a half to execute! Took almost as long time to do as all the rest of the pendant put together! Worth it though - I really like the finished result, and hope my friend will like it too :-)

As for "currently knitting", I'm still working on the wingspan made out of miniskeins, and have added 3 more colours since last time. However, I recently forgot it at Mixi's place when I went to babysit Frederik, so took a bit of an unexpected break :-P I've gotten it back now though.

During the break I picked "Snowmelt" back up (I know, I know - so many different projects on the go at once! But I'm really enjoying having NO obligation-knitting on the needles :-D ) and have just finished clue 3.
Not terribly fond of the brown colour of the gradient that I've reached now, but I'm counting on it all coming together once the green starts emerging :)

WIP Wednesday - week 14

I spent most of my Easter break knitting, so have gotten quite a lot of progress done on my various projects.

I've finished the Punk Hedgehog since last I posted, and though cute, I don't think it's something I'll make again. It was easy enough to make but a hassle and a half to finish up! seeming the parts together is always fiddly and adding all the hair took forEVER! Ah well - as long as my niece likes it, it'll have been worth it.

I needed a mindless knitting project for an Easter lunch I was going to last Thursday, and as none of my current projects really fit the bill, I decided to cast on for another Wingspan. I've knit two of these already, and really enjoy the pattern. Besides, I had 24 mini-skeins in a DK weight which would be PERFECT for this project, so why not :) I'm half-way done already as it's a great pattern for when I'm too tired/distracted to follow any of my patterns.

"Any of my patterns" is mainly the favourite things cowl. I've added a few more sections since last time and have a feeling this is going to be a recurring guest in these posts for quite awhile yet.

Finally, Miriam asked for a knitted hat for her birthday. Obviously I couldn't pass on that opportunity, so I've cast on and almost finished a lovely cabled hat for her :) I've finished the hat itself and am just missing the pompom :-) It was a super-quick knit (took me two evenings) and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Just hope it fits, but ribbing is generally very forgiving in that regard :-)

WIP Wednesday - Week 13

Not one, but TWO finished objects this time! Mostly because I never got around to posting last week :-P
After finishing Morfar's cardigan I decided to take a bit of a break before returning to Peter's cardigan, and finished my Exploration Station shawl. I love the way it turned out! It's huge, the colours are so amazingly vibrant and I just love wearing it. It'll be perfect come summer when I just need something light to wear instead of a jacket (and in winter when I need something to wrap around me indoors!)





I've also finally finished the knitting on Peter's cardigan. All ends are woven in and it's been blocked, but I still need to buy and sew in buttons before I can hand it off to him.

Miriam asked if I'd make her this hedgehog. I thought it absolutely adorable, so of course said yes! I've finished the head, the body and the ears and Miriam came by last night to pick out the yarn for the hair. so it's going well.

And finally - after more than half a year in hibernation - I decided to FINALLY continue work on My Favourite Things cowl. I'd forgotten how incredibly satisfying it is to work on this cowl - it's so potato-chippy to see the patterns emerge, and though I'm not entirely happy with all my colour choices, as a whole, it works so well and looks absolutely amazing... if I get to say so myself :-D My only problem at this point is that I have FAR too many patterns I want to incorporate and far too little space left! I may have to make another once this one is done, because though time-consuming, this is probably one of my favourite knits yet.

Latest additions up close

Full length shot

WIP Wednesday - Week 11

I have a finished item - weeee!!! :-D

Yes, I FINALLY finished the cardigan for Granddad. I finished off the button band weekend before last, and put it down to block immediately. Fortunately I already owned suitable buttons for it, so as soon as it was dry (after a quick spin in the dryer to tighten things up a bit again) I got all the ends weaved in and the buttons sewn on (still really not a fan of sewing on buttons.... *sigh*). I finished this at 7pm Thursday evening, and immediately called Granddad to ask if he was home that evening, and if I could come over to hand him his Christmas present. Fortunately he was and I could, and it fits him perfectly! ... Well, it is a little big, but he likes his sweaters loose, so that's just fine with him :-)




It was a fun knit, but I'm glad to have it over and done with. Now I just need to finish Peter's cardigan and then I'm DONE with gift knitting for awhile.

Speaking of Peter's cardigan, that one is coming along really nicely too :) I've finished one sleeve now and am well on my way on the second. They look oddly short compared to the body but fit the measurements I was given, so I'm going to trust my measurements and hope for the best. Fortunately adding a bit of length to sleeves is one of the EASIEST modifications to make post-finishing.

I did also allow myself to knit on something else though. After finishing Graddad's cardigan I felt I was due for a treat, so I picked up my Exploration Station and have finished another two sections there! I really love the way it's turning out, and can't wait to finish so I can see how big it'll get post-blocking.

Oh, I almost forgot (until I started adding photos) - I've also finished another gift-knit - the Maluka shawlette knit out of MadTosh merino light. It's so lovely soft and I can't wait to give it to my sister for her birthday :-)
Unfortunately, while it was a fun knit, I wasn't too impressed by the finished shawl. It was a LOT smaller than I had expected, and the edge rolled quite a bit. I ripped back and added a few rows of reverse stockinette which helped a lot, and blocking took care of the rest. I also added a bit of length to either side which made it into more of a shawlette and less of a handkerchief. In the end, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully Nina will be too.

WIP Wednesday - Week 8

I haven't posted one of these in AGES and therefore have quite a number of things to show off for once!

A few weeks ago, I went to a charity knitting event at church where we knitted headbands for homeless in Copenhagen. In 2 hours I finished a plain garter headband out of some deliciously soft merino yarn. Hope it was well received :-)

At that event one of the others was wearing some amazing knitted slippers which made me feel like making a pair for myself. I decided to cast on the seamless slippers I've made a few times before as they really are incredibly fast knits - just a few hours per slipper. Funnily enough, just like the previous 3 times I knit these slippers, a friend of mine spotted them as I had finished the first one, tried them on and immediately asked if I would knit her a pair too. In the end, I just gave her the ones I was knitting as they fit her better than they did me anyway ;-) So that's the fourth pair knitted and every one of them passed on to somebody else! :-D

Apart from that I've been busily working on the cardigan for Morfar. I'm still missing 2/3 of one sleeve and then the button band. Gotta be honest - I'm ready for this cardigan do be done! I still really like it, but it's slow-going and I have so many other things I want to cast on, but can't because I feel an obligation to finish this ASAP.... That sounds more negative than I mean it - I AM enjoying the knit, and love the way it's turning out. Just want to finish it already :-P

WIP Wednesday: Week 4

Soooo.... I cast on a new pair of socks :-P Yes, I know I already have 3 pairs on my needles, but I needed something completely vanilla that I could knit on without looking for a meeting Friday, and none of the other pairs fit that bill (in fact, I need to actually look at pattern instructions for two of them and to count continuously for the last), so obviously I really had no choice ;-) I knit most of the foot at the meeting and made sure to get past the heel today (which I also needed pattern instructions for, as I was trying out a new heel) so it's ready for another meeting tomorrow.

I've done a bit of work on the Snowmelt Shawl, but not as much as last week, so I'm only about half-way through clue two. I'm not too crazy about the colours just now, but I know that'll change as soon as the green starts coming in. It's my plan to use up as much of the yarn as at all possible, so I may have to do some maths once I near the end, to see how many rows extra I can add to the pattern.

Mostly though, I've been working diligently on the cardigan for Morfar. I finished the back yesterday and did the first 3-needle bind-off with the left front. So now I just need the other front and then I can start working on the sleeves! I hope to get that far by the weekend, but we'll see.

WIP Wednesday - Week 3

First, a finished object! I finished Christian's socks shortly after last WIP post as expected and gave them to him this past Monday. Fortunately they fit, and he's been wearing them ever since! I think I may need to start a new pair for him right away ;-)

Once I finished those, I've been diligently knitting on the cardigan for Morfar. It's slow-going due to all rows being pattern rows, but it's turning out just gorgeous and the yarn is lovely to work with, so I don't mind too much :) Still have quite a ways to go, but I've finished the left front and have just started on the back.

But despite all the gift-knitting I have on my needles, this past weekend I was craving a new cast on, and as I'd just bought some new needles (wanted to try some ChiaoGoos as KnitPro tips are selling out and I needed a replacement) I caved and cast on for the Snowmelt shawl. I've just finished the first clue and love the way it's knitting up. It's a very enjoyable knit and the yarn (a cotton-acrylic blend) is a lot softer to work with than I had expected, despite being a bit splitty.