Collar done - finally!

At long last, I finished the Irish Lace Collar.

It turned out larger than I thought it would be, but I really love it. This has been a true educational project for me in learning to interpret vaguely-written patterns and trying to understand the intention of the designer. It took me longer than I would have wished, but it was totally worth it.

Here's a closeup of one of the scalloped areas:

I blocked it last night and persuaded all those little triple picots to behave themselves and line up straight.

So, that's Project #3 finally done.

Last week, I also started and finished Project #10, my first chemo cap to donate to Crochet for Cancer. It allowed me to use up some of the ivory colored eyelash yarn, as well as take up some more of the ivory Silk-Bamboo. The original pattern is called Faux Fur by Nancy Brown and I found it in the book 100 Hats to Knit & Crochet. I like to call it my Phyllis Diller Hat:

Now, I'm off to have fun at The Knitting Closet! Be back later for more destashing projects.

Baby sweater set complete

I went ahead with my plan to knit up the sweater to match the baby hat I finished for Project 6. The Ripple Eyelet Baby Sweater is so sweet.

The original photo shows a solid color sweater under the garter ridge for the lacy part, and then a coordinating color for the yoke, but I didn't like this color-block idea. In the matching hat, I had done a single white stripe, so I decided I wanted to do white piping on the sweater. It took a little thought, but I love the finished product. The designer, Jeannie Leech, gives instructions for flat or circular sleeves, and since I hate seaming, I opted for the circular. I also chose to omit the ribbed neckline and opted for a garter edging at the neck, in keeping with the garter edging throughout the rest of the sweater. I couldn't be happier with the results.

Now, I'll have a nice gift set for little Jessica. :)

Unbelievably, there is still quite a bit of both colors of this Cottontots yarn left! This yarn just never ends! However, I've figured out what to do with the rest. My LYS, The Knitting Closet in Palm Bay, is sponsoring Crochet for Cancer and serving as a drop-off site for anyone wanting to help knit or crochet caps for anyone - child, teen, or adult - going through chemotherapy. The soft Cottontots yarn would be perfect (as is much of the yarn in my stash!), so I'll be using up as much as I can to make some caps.

If you live in the Brevard County area, please consider knitting or crocheting a chemo cap or two. Even if you don't knit or crochet, you can come into the shop, purchase some yarn, and donate it for one of our knitters to make on your behalf. Instructions are on The Knitting Closet's Facebook page.