Malabrigo March Madness and So Many WIPs!

Well, I'm almost to my one year anniversary of the knitting journey! Wow! I can't remember how I spent my "down" time before I started knitting. So many non-knitting years, just wasted!

One year ago tomorrow, Pamela was set to have the baby, so I bought a "Complete Beginners Guide to Knitting" DVD. On April 2, 2009, while she sat in labor, I sat and enjoyed the DVD, it was quite productive and made time go quickly. The DVD was great, it started with how to hold the needles, so simple, you would think, until I realized I was completely wrong....Best money I ever spent. I left the hospital with a Grandson, and without the DVD -- I passed it on to one of the nurses.

I finished Mom's birthday mitts! This was a great knit. The pattern is Susies Reading Mitts and is free from Dancing Ewe Yarns. I made these from just over one skein of Malabrigo Twist in Indiceita colorway.

I'm also working on a cardigan for Shaylin's Graduation present. It's out of some beautiful silk that was gifted to me by my ravelry friend, Gwynneknit. This is another free pattern, it is the "Orange Wave Cardigan" from Jennifer Lang.



One of my most ambitious projects is part of the Malabrigo March Madness. I'm not exaggerating the madness part. I must have been crazy to cast on so many projects at once. This is the Geodesic Cardigan, made from Malabrigo Lace, in colorway Burgundy. I hope to finish this before I retire. Wow...knitting lace, takes fingers far less clumsy than mine! LOL

And one more for the Malabrigo Family...this is my Springtime Bandit. Another great pattern!

And finally, the last part of the set I'm working on for Grandma. These are some beautiful mitts, made out of the Mal Silky in "Lillita" to match the Beret and scarf I finished earlier this month. I feel like I've been a knitting fool. These have been tough because I'm not a dpn person, and I've never knit on anything on size 2 needles. Ouch!

I've got so many WIPs right now, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Hopefully, now that Malabrigo March is about over, I can start wrapping a few of these up!

Yes, I've Been Bad...

I haven't really wanted to write in my blog. I've been just knitting up a storm. I've gotten a lot accomplished, so I'll have to do this "update" in two parts. Part I will be, items I've finished since the last post. :-)

I finished John's Jacques Cousteaux Hat, I really like the way it looks, but it is pretty big. He wears it, so I put this in the win column.

I finished the Casual Kaitlyn for Pamela. This was a test knit for a fellow Raveler. I really enjoyed this, and it was a very quick knit. I made a few mods. I didn't put the trim on the end of the sleeves (Pam's request), and rather than long sleeves, I made them shorter. Also, I added waist shaping, and added about 5 inches to the length. So, rather than a short top that shows the belly, it's more a long tunic, to be worn with leggings.

I caught the Malabrigo March Madness Bug. I've been casting-on and knitting Malabrigo projects like crazy. This is the first one. It's a Grace Lace Beret, out of Malabrigo Silky, in colorway Lillita.

Here is the rest of the set I've made out of the Malabrigo Silky. I really like the way that it's comign out. The scarf matches the design of the hat very closely. I'm not done with the mitts yet, but they are in the pic to show their progress.

Here are some gloves, made with Malabrigo Chunky, in colorway Verde Esperanza. I got some Malabrigo Worsted in this same colorway to make a matching scarf. I'm thinking that this can be a Christmas present for one of my Grandmothers.

Here is a cowl out of Malabrigo Worsted, colorway Indigo.

And my Daphne Hat out of Malabrigo Twist. I have to admit, I think that the Malabrigo Twist is my new favorite yarn. All the Mal is so soft and squishy, but I especially like the way the stitches pop when using this yarn!

Almost all of the preceding knits were made with yarn purchased at Little Knits, oh what bargains she has, and the best customer service!

So, that is Part I of the update. Next part will be what is on my needles. I have to take this in managable chunks, so that I don't over-whelm myself (or you!).

Also, for future reference, it is so much easier to prepare a blog post if you upload the pics first, manually add the

tags, and then put in the text!