Back to my roots.

This blog was originally born to discuss my new found passion of knitting, but naturally, it has taken some turns to include a lot of my other interests (namely, television, but also the occasional bout of healthy living). I thought it was about time that I shared a little bit of what has been going on in my world of patterns, needles, and delectable yarns.

First off, here are two pics of finished projects that went out as Christmas gifts. The first one is a scarf I knit for my brother's girlfriend's daughter (whew! She is technically Anakin's sister, so maybe that is a shorter description?). I loved the yarn (one scored at my Black Friday JoAnn's binge) and I used a drop stitch pattern that was actually really fun. Sadly, this will be the last picture for some time taken in Colts gear (I finish *so* many projects on Sundays!).


Next, we have a scarf with more stitch pattern than I have ever used before. I saw this criss-cross pattern on an old DVR'ed episode of Knitty Gritty (recently returned to the airwaves! Thank the heavens!) and it looked pretty simple. I decided to make it for Deane's mom for Christmas, but it turned out to be a bit harder than I anticipated (she just got it today...!). I knit it with the disgusting old Red Heart Super Saver (a girl's gotta use her stash somehow...) but the pattern made this piece, not the yarn, so it worked out nicely. I was worried that it looked more 'grandma' than 'grandma-chic' (a new favorite term of mine), but then Deane pointed out that his mom *is* a grandma, so it was ok. She loved it, either way.

I have 2 more post-holiday projects on the needles still. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times... I can *not* knit on a deadline! Michael, you and Kimberly might get your scarfs my winter '09.

As far as a holiday recap, Deane came through with another quality crafty gift this year. His previous presents have started me on some pretty fabulous artistic journeys (one stroke painting, and of course, KNITTING!), and this year, he kept that theme. Behold, the Knifty Knitter!

I have looked at this bad little lady several times when purchasing yarn, but it really scared me. I didn't understand all the pegs, hooks, and wrapping of yarn. I finally busted it out last night, read the (super easy) instructions, and produced a nice length (wish it would have been longer, but ran out of yarn, as I thought I would just be practicing) scarf in about an hour and a half! The only downfall (I thought) was that the loom is not versatile, but then I went on ravelry and found a *ton* of patterns just for Knifty Knitter looms. I am excited to pursue this new avenue of needlework, and I especially want to pick up the circular Knifty.

So there you have it, the extent of my holiday gift-giving. What did I learn in '08? First off, MAKE A LIST. Secondly, start gift knitting for the holidays by mid-August. Third, no. more. scarves. I'm too good for this!