More Knitted Gifts

So once I started telling people about the boutique, more requests came in. So I made a red watch cap for my dad using Malabrigo Rios -- it's super soft and washable. I also modified the pattern a bit because I had problems with the side by side decreases leaving a hole between them. For this hat, I left one knit stitch between the decreases. More information on Ravelry.

I also made another glitzy cowl from the sequin yarn and Eco Duo for Frances because she's hard to buy for and she admired the one I made for the gift exchange. I picked a darker colorway of the alpaca yarn and black yarn with silver sequins. Details on Ravelry.

Sequin Cowls and the Gift Exchange

Jennifer & Debra wanted cowls made from some lovely gray sequined yarn (Universal Yarns Classic Shades Sequins Lite). I made the two cowls from one skein, with a little left over. Both pretty much look like the photo below. More about the pattern from Ravelry.

Of course, before all this boutique stuff, I had intended to make a sequined cowl for our group's gift exchange. I went ahead with it because it is quite different at least in appearance. I really like the Eco Duo; it is almost like angora. I'm not a fan of angora; it's a little prickly. Alpaca is so soft and non-allergenic. I almost didn't want to give it up. More information on Ravelry.

Making a Snowman

Snowmen are a favorite of mine. I have a bunch of different kinds of snowmen that I use to decorate for winter. So when I got a magazine with instructions for making one out of paper clay, I had to try it.

Boutique Follow-Up

Well, the boutique went pretty well. I sold a few things, but ended up with several commissions. It's nice to have my knitting appreciated and compensated, but it does take some of the fun out of knitting. Fortunately, the projects were quick and turned out well.

Jennifer's mom wanted a cotton version of the moebius cowl. It was a bit difficult to find a cotton yarn that would work for the pattern. I ended up with Lang Sol Degrade, which is a variegated/striping aran-weight ribbon yarn. I'm really happy with how it turned out, even though I had to rip it out and knit it again because I didn't make detailed notes about how I made the original. More information on Ravelry.

I also had a commission for a navy watch cap, which you think would be easy, but it needed to have a deep ribbed brim and work for worsted weight yarn. I selected Encore Worsted in a dark blue, it wasn't exactly navy, though. Why doesn't the finished hat look blue?

And Jennifer wanted a hat for her mom to match the cowl. I didn't think the Sol Degrade would work well for a hat, but I didn't know of a non-wool yarn that would work. So I picked Martha Stewart's Extra Soft Wool Blend since it is washable and mostly non-wool. I picked Grumperina's Odessa for the pattern since it has a swirl ridge pattern that complements the diagonal pattern in the cowl. The color is also a good match. Again, the hat does not look blue in the photo...Ravelry Notes.