Olympic Knitting

Yes, I know the Olympics are over.  Sniff.  But I still want to share what I knit during the 2 weeks of awesomeness.  I put Bigger on the inside on hold because, let's face it, I simply cannot do complex knitting while doing much of anything else.  Besides, I have this completely geeky thing going where I only work on it while watching old episodes of Doctor Who.  But more on that later.

Friends of ours are having a baby in January, so I decided to use my Olympic tv watching time working on this:

It's the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'N Bitch, one of my very first knitting books.  It's a great pattern; it's easy to follow and creates an adorable hat with no seaming.

I received a free ball of Brava, the newish acrylic yarn from Knit Picks with my last order of wool.  It was some sort of promo where I got to pick a color and get a freebie with my order.  I'm not big on acrylic yarns, only because they are made from petroleum products.  Not even going to attempt to go into all that.  You're either with me on that one or you're not.  At any rate, despite my dislike of acrylic yarn, I really did enjoy using Brava.  It's super soft and not at all squeaky or scratchy, the way some acrylics can be.

This little hat only took a few days, so I started on Hoodsie for Evy.  I chose to work the 3-year-old size, because nothing is more irritating that working on something for a child and having them grow out of it before you're finished.  But now Hoodsie is on hold while I get back to Bigger on the inside and my beloved Doctor Who.

Allons-y Scarf

I've finished my Allons-y scarf!  I know, a scarf in the middle of summer - what am I thinking?  I'm thinking that I'm not the hugest fan of cotton, and I am a sucker for both themed things and sequins yarn.  I based the scarf off Lisa Gentry's Sparkle Scarf pattern, published in Knit Simple.

My scarf is a bit skinnier than the original (details on ravelry).  The lace pattern was nice and simple, nothing too daunting but still an interesting knit.

I love the sequins on the yarn, and I love the way the colors gently change as the scarf progresses.

I called it my Allons-y scarf because I am still obsessively watching Doctor Who.  So this scarf is my take on the quintessential Doctor Who scarf: tonal color instead of stripes, 6 feet instead of....10 (12?), and lace instead of garter stitch.  And of course, it's blue.

I love it.  And now, come Fall, when my doctor says, "Should we take Little Miss to the park?" I can grab my blue scarf and say, "Allons-y!"

Spacey Lace Cowl

Sometimes my daughter and I find ourselves in Hobby Lobby, just for something to do.  I can't imagine how that happens.  Well one day I happened upon this pretty yarn by Patons.  And hanging right next to the yarn was this lovely pattern.  Well it only called for one ball.  So of course I bought the yarn, took the free pattern, and started myself a lovely cowl in the middle of summer. 

I'm calling it my Spacey Lace Cowl because I knit most of it while watching Doctor Who, my new obsession.  I'd like to say it's the new show I've discovered, but let's be honest and call it what it is, the new obsession.  The best part about this pattern is that the lace pattern was easy to memorize, even for me.  So it was good late at night, watching tv knitting.  I also like the way the cowl looks good on both sides.

And the absolute best part, besides the lovely blue color, is the sequins.  I'm a sucker for sparkly things.

This is the first cowl I've knit, and I definitely don't think it will the the last.  Next up, my Allons-y scarf.  Told you it was an obsession.