I’m going to make up for missing last week’s Indie Gift-A-Long update with a bumper post today—so buckle in, because this is gonna be a long one!
My first finished object of this GAL is Stitch Oasis by CJ Brady (Ravelry link). I’m really thrilled with the way the yarn and pattern worked up together; this is SweetGeorgia SeaSilk Lace in Quiet Time. The pattern was very clear and well-written, and pays great attention to detail. It won’t be my last CJ Brady project, that’s for sure! This will be going to a friend this Christmas; I can’t wait to give it to her.
I’ve been slowly working away at my Glymur (pattern by Jennifer Weissman, Ravelry link). The reason it’s off the needles is that I had a mid-project panic about the size; I started thinking it was narrower than I wanted it, so I bound off what I had and blocked it to see how big it would turn out. Kids, don’t swatch like this. Make the 6″ square, really. Before you start your project. But I didn’t, so here’s my giant swatch. I think the size will be fine, so I’m going to put this back on the needles and knit on it tonight while I drive around with my family looking at Christmas lights.
After finishing Stitch Oasis, I really wanted another quick project, so I made a Heartwood Hat by Amy van de Laar (Ravelry link) for my grandfather. This flew off my needles in a couple of days—the cabled/ribbed motif isn’t like anything I’ve ever knit before, and it worked up in no time in worsted weight yarn. (The pattern calls for DK, but since large heads run in the family, I used worsted to make it just a bit roomier.) I love the use of positive/negative space in the motif, and the textures are intricate without being too busy. It’s actually still a bit wet from washing in this photo, but I couldn’t resist grabbing a few pictures to show you.
Finally, I cast on a pair of mittens for my grandmother yesterday. This pattern is Traditions by Katie Noseworthy (Ravelry link). I’d never seen it before this year’s GAL, so I was pretty chuffed when I stumbled across it in the eligible pattern bundle. Discovering unfamiliar designers is one of the best things about the GAL. I’m enjoying the pattern immensely and am hoping to finish up by this weekend. And can I just say how much I love this yarn and color? This is SweetGeorgia Superwash DK in their Arbutus colorway, which I’ve been eyeing for years, but never purchased. (Despite appearances, I’m a rather disciplined yarn buyer, all things considered. Y’all only see the yarn I buy, not the yarn I don’t buy…) Anyhow, I love all the rich earth tones in this colorway; and the blips of olive highlighting the cables are making me really, really happy. They remind me of moss growing on tree bark or stonework, which, considering the Celtic look of these mittens, is rather apropos.
As I’ve mentioned before, this is my third GAL; my personal goal for each successive year is to finish more projects than I did the year previous. Last year I completed four projects—a hat, a pair of mitts, and two big shawls. So far this year, I’ve finished two items and have three more in various stages of completion (my Callisto shawl isn’t shown here because, bad girl that I am, I haven’t done much more work on it since last time I showed it). I have quite a few more planned, so we’ll see how far I get. There are two solid weeks of GAL left…
