FINISHED OBJECT FRIDAY

This was a good week for finishing things. Some weeks I knit and knit and knit and it doesn't look like I've made any progress on anything. This week I have several things to show you.

First, a blanket. The ripple pattern has been around forever and continues to be a favorite, sometimes under the pseudonym of "chevron." This particular version caught my eye because of the stripe pattern and I have made several.

I think the teal yarn was some I bought on Ebay a couple years ago (a good place to find big lots of yarn, usually the clean out of Grandma's closet, but a bit of a pig in a poke); the white was given to me (it originally was sold by Woolworth's for $1.59 a 3.5 oz skein). The pattern is called Ripple Baby Blanket and is free on Ravelry (click here for the pattern). My only complaint is that because you change colors nearly every row there are a lot of ends to weave in at the end, but sometimes the end result is worth the extra work, and this is one of those times. 

Next, a hat and scarf combination. This yarn came in the form of blanket squares that were made by different people but from the same yarn. Because of differences in gauge and skill the squares were different sizes, so I decided to unravel them and do something else with the yarn. This is the result: 

 The yarn is just a basic worsted weight yarn - I'm not sure what brand since I didn't have the labels, but it's decent quality acrylic yarn. The scarf pattern is the Super Plush Faux Knit Infinity Scarf, free on Ravelry (click here for the pattern); the hat is just a basic crocheted beanie. I love the look and feel of this scarf. The stitch makes a very squishy, cozy fabric, and it was very simple once I figured out the "secret sauce" that makes it work. I will be making more of these before the winter is over.

Next, a hat that used some leftover wool yarn. The pattern is Brioche Basic Beanie (click here for the free pattern on Ravelry). I had made a couple of these this year, and knew it would be stunning with this self-striping yarn and a strong contrast. It's not quite reversible, but can certainly be worn with the brim turned up, or not. Brioche knitting is a lot easier than it sounds - at least straight knitting is - and once the set up was done it was good autopilot knitting.
The only trick was to keep track of the start of the row, and that's what stitch markers are for. There will be more of these coming off the needles this winter as well.









The last project I finished this week was another scarf. This is one of my favorite crocheted scarf patterns. I like working on the bias because I think it makes the finished product look less "homemade," in the worst sense of that word. This one is simple, and looks stunning in almost any yarn. This one was done with Red Heart Symphony, a discontinued yarn; I got this whole scarf from one skein. It's a very soft yarn, but it has no "bounce" at all, meaning that it doesn't work for anything that has to fit snugly like it has some elastic in it. But for something like a scarf it's quite nice because it drapes beautifully. The close up shows the bias characteristic of the stitch. The pattern is Schoppel Gradient Scarf (click here for the free pattern on Ravelry); it was designed for a particular brand of yarn but I have made several in different kinds of yarns and they all look elegant.


All of these things are scheduled for donation. Because of my work this week, several people will be warmer this winter. That's the best part. And I've created things that are beautiful and useful from yarn that was already in my house, and that's a good thing, too.