Bougainvillea scarf-shawl

I rushed to add this pattern to the list of Ravelry "help for haiti" patterns. This is my first not-free pattern, because 50% (at least) of proceeds are going to Doctors without Borders (Medicins sans Frontieres). Especially as a physician, it is awful to realize there is little I can do for the terrible tragedy in Haiti except send money and good thoughts. At least with MSF I know it's going to be put to good use. And I can put this disarmingly cheerful pattern out there, a thing with feathers that perches in the soul* and on the shoulders.

Here's the link to the ravelry pattern page. It's a long shawl that narrows at the ends, so it works as a scarf too. The leaf (bract) edge is knitted at the same time as the scarf-shawl, so you don't need to pick up any stitches, and there are only the two ends to weave in. This pattern is suitable for any yarn thickness, as long as needles large enough for a loose fabric are used. Directions are given to knit up every scrap of yarn.

Please (even if you're not a raveler):



*Thank you Emily Dickinson

FO: Bougainvillea shawl-scarf

Bougainvillea is a shawl-and-scarf-mashup, knit in one piece, with a leaf (bract) edge.

Both ends narrow to one leaf, and, because of short rows on the edging, the leaves ruffle and tend to wind around each other.

Pattern, with more pictures, coming soon!

PIP (pattern in progress): Bougainvillea

Sadly it looks a bit fluorescent and so does the floor, but such are the photos taken indoors during wintertime. I am not so secretly in love with the matchy-matchiness of the circs.

This is an upcoming pattern, a narrow-shawlette-cum-scarf with a leaf edge pattern that spirals and ruffles like bougainvillea. Check back for it soon!

(from DR vacation 2 years ago)

Back when I was little and lived by bougainvillea year-round, my sister and I made bougainvillea juice. I don't remember what it tasted like, just that it took a LOT of papery purple leaves (technically, bracts), and then we still had to add water to make juice. We made it in a film canister (remember those?) and then split/spilt it. Good times!

FO: Sea-tron; and gift exchange

The first FO of the year! Actually that's a white lie because it was the last FO of 2009, but since it was blocked and gifted in 2010, it counts for this year.

This is the very-popular and also free (eee!) Citron, by Hilary Smith Callis, in the most recent Knitty. It's a cute little shawlette for anti-lace knitters (or lace-knitters on break), and the perfect project for a single skein of yarn. The half-rounds (or -rinds, har!) of ruching are made by doubling the stitches on those rows, as is the ruffled edge. This is a great mindless mindless stockinette knit that makes one feel more brilliant and talented in the end than the project actually required.

In case you are so lucky to live on the west coast, you should know that the rest of the US (and probably Canada too, but Canadians don't seem to complain about bad weather) has been suffering through a blight of coldness and snow so severe as to squeeze the last drop of cheer out of our hearts. Today, at last, there was some sunshine. Sweet, sweet, sunshine! So I took a picture of the blue sky, and tried to match up the shawl with the half-moon windows.

I call it Sea-tron, like how a French person would say it, because the color is just dark enough that it's not very citrus-y, and more oceanic. It was my contribution to the knit-group's hand-made gift exchange today, which started out with a dozen people a couple months ago, but was down to three of us in the end. The color is perfect for Silvana, who shall remain faceless here, but believe me when I say it suits her wonderfully.

She crocheted pretty towels, too darling to actually use for toweling purposes...here's a preview, but you'll see the rest on Tina's blog soon.

Tina gave me a gift certificate to Knitorious--whee! I'm hankering to knit some skinny-yarn cardi-shell combos, so a big shopping trip will be in the near future. Hooray for hand-knit (or hand-delivered) goodies!

A new year

2009 went by too fast. Knitting took a far back seat to work this past year, so the FO list isn't quite what it was last year: 5 short-sleeved or sleeveless tops, 4 sweaters, 4 Vests (1*), 4 hats, 3 shawls,  2 pairs socks, 1 pair gloves, 1 baby dress, 1 headband, 1 cat bed, 1 skirt*, 1 easter toy.
(*Frogged down from larger projects.)

Here they all are:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

I wrote only one pattern, Mermaid, although Akimbo is also written up, just waiting for math for sizing.

I usually make as many resolutions/goals as the years I'll have lived, ie 30 for 2009. I usually throw in a couple freebies, like passing the board exam, and those are the only ones I kept this past year. My knitting-related resolution in 2009 was to avoid accumulating any stash, which I sort of did. I have only two projects' worth of unused yarn, the orange yarn from Baltimore, and a single skein of purple yarn from Rochester. Otherwise the rest of the stash bin is all leftovers. Thankfully my mom came to visit, and crocheted up almost all of it into five pairs of slippers and a couple potholders!!

So the year can start on a new, fresh note, at least in terms of knitting. The knitting resolution for this year is to write up at least one pattern per season.

Happy New Year everyone!