Frog or Finish 2011

Around October I started thinking that I should frog or finish my WIPs by the end of the year. This week, it got obvious that I wasn't going to finish everything, so I buckled down and made decisions (and live-tweeted it with the hashtag #frogorfinish).

It quickly became obvious that I like making hats, but I don't like weaving in ends.


I remembered the dishcloth kick I got onto last year.


I even had a few projects that had been finished and just needed a wash! A few more hats were finished and washed, then dried in the oven (with a timer so I wouldn't forget - 170F, checked every 10 minutes). I bagged up several finished hats and mailed them off to a dear friend of mine in the Pacific Northwest, to be used/shared/gifted as she chooses.


Now I have two big bags of WIPs that can be finished quickly; my plan is to keep one next to the couch so I can grab projects to work on during my commute or while relaxing at home. I grabbed two dishcloths on my way to the post office yesterday; they just needed the edgings finished and ends woven in. Done!


Last night, I couldn't fall asleep, so I finished a set of crochet potholders and coordinating dishcloth. Done!


I've also gotten started on destashing. More on that later.

Hawaiian Homegrown Wool Co.

Did you know? You can buy fleece, roving, and yarn grown and processed in Hawaii. You can buy directly from the farm at the

Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market

on the first Saturday of the month, order online from

Maluhia Farm

(home of the Hawaiian Homegrown Wool Co.) or buy ready-to-spin roving from

YarnStory

in Honolulu.

Slouchy Spiral Hat

A few weeks ago, I picked up a skein of locally hand-dyed yarn at YarnStory (Nadezdha's Crayon Box, yarn Ka'a'awa, colorway "Shallow Water" and started swatching with it. Then I thought it would be nice to make a hat and scarf set, bought another skein of the yarn, cast on, and spent most of my spare time for the next two days knitting.







Still no scarf, and this used up most of the yarn.
Ravelry: Slouchy Spiral Hat

Holiday Hot Water Bottle Cozy

It's not perfect, but it's done. I'm reminding myself that I can knit another one, and having this gift checked off my list is more important right now! Weaving in all the ends and washing this tonight, then getting it wrapped up for Mom.

Ravelry Project: Holiday Hot Water Bottle

Pattern: Rachael's ISBN Hot Water Bottle Cozy by Rachael Herron, modified to use stranded colorwork instead of the cable panel and with a shorter neck. The heart band at the bottom is from the chart in the Hearty-stripy sock pattern by Patty McEldowney.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn, Galway, color 16 (red) and color 127 (light green)

More Rock Doilies

More crochet lace rock doilies:

...and what the undersides look like:

These are fun and a good, healthy way for me to relieve stress. These are all freehanded - I don't work from a pattern, just improvise motifs and then close the doily around the rocks with crocheted loops and decreases, using triple crochet, double crochet, and single crochet stitches. Margaret Oomen's crochet covered sea stones have been a huge inspiration for these; you can find a free pattern for Little Urchin Crochet Covered Sea Stones on the Purl Bee blog and photos of Margaret's work on her blog, Resurrection Fern