I am doing a little spring needle cleaning. In other words, I am clearing the UFO’s off my needles to make room for new projects.

Lucky 13

First, I finished my 13th pair of socks. Another pair of Horcrux socks. This pair matches the pair I made for my daughter. They are a birthday gift for DD’s best friend who is also a Harry Potter fan.

I knit this pair 2 at once on 2 circs – my first pair this way. The jury is still out on whether I like this method or not. I do like that I finished them both at about the same time but I am still not sure I like all the yarn tangles. My thanks to KyleAnn for the tutorial that helped me learn this method.

This leaves me with only 4 pair OTN. Will keep you posted on the progress for those.

Shrunken Bag

Next, I completed a felted bag for my husband’s niece – her graduation gift. It turned out really cute and I hate to part with it. It is a great size for a knitting project bag – just the perfect size for a sock.

This was my first attempt at deliberate shrinking felting. The whole process is fascinating.

Before.

After.

I am surprised how long it took me to get the bag felted to the correct size. If I had thrown a wool sock or sweater in the washer by accident it would have shrunk the instant the water hit it. I actually ran this bag through 3 prewash cycles. Go figure.

Miss Hattie’s Shawl

Miss Hattie is a 93 year old widow from the church where I attend. She always comes to services alone and she drives herself. She is in good health for her age but she does have her health problems. Miss Hattie recently broke her wrist and was confined to her home for about 8 weeks. As soon as the doctor cleared her to drive, she was right back at worship services. I find her to be quite an inspiration.

Like a lot of aging ladies, Miss Hattie gets cold easily. And what does any self-respecting knitter do when someone is cold? That’s right, whip out those knitting needles. Her favorite color is pink – hot pink. I found a simple lace shawl pattern that would work well with a bulky yarn. I have had this OTN way too long but since this project had no specific deadline – i.e. it wasn’t a birthday or special occasion gift – it tended to get pushed to the back of the stack. I pulled it out when I started my Spring Cleaning.

This is the shawl before blocking. The color is actually a little brighter – a very bright pure pink – but the photo was taken indoors. I used Homespun acrylic from Lion Brand. I know there are a lot of you who don’t like acrylic but this yarn is light, soft and warm at the same time. I have a shawl knit from it that I adore. Plus this cost fits my very tight budget a lot better than wool, silk and cashmere.

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Deets
Lucky 13 Socks
Pattern – Horcrux Socks by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn Caron Simply Soft – Autumn Red, Lemonade
Needles – 2 Size 4 circulars

Shrunken Bag
Pattern – Amanda’s Squatty Sidekick from Knitting Daily
Yarn – Lion Wool – Autumn Sunset
Needles – Size 11 circular

Miss Hattie’s Shawl
Pattern – Easy Triangular Shawl from Lion Brand
Yarn – Lion Brand Homespun – Cotton Candy
Needles – Size 13 circulars