Queue of presents!

Incredible! This is the only word that comes in my mind when thinking to the development of my hobby in those last months!
Christmas is a nice time of the year to show to the beloved ones you love them and you think of them and you dedicate a special moment to them... when all this is made with knitting presents the situation starts being hectic.....

Who are the ones I love most?
First of all my husband... and I started knitting for him a scarf... the longest scarf I've ever knitted!
Long because of the length but long even because of the gauge: to make 10 cm of scarf I had to knit 40 rows... when I came to the end I could just repeat to myself NEVER ANYMORE!

It took me two whole months, but the result was awesome! I'm really proud of it!

Then it came to my parents: who does not love mum and dad?!!!

For dad I went for a simple ribbed beanie of soft alpaca. I was happy with the result and it took me 4 hours of work,but I did not expect the fact that my grumpy dad could be so happy to receive it... project really worth doing!

For my mum I was a little doubtful to what exactly she would like because she continues to say that after a certain age she decided to wear more sober outfits, with dark colors... so I let her decide the color, that was a dark gray, but I decided the shape... that was the patter of the Meret hat that I find lovely and feminine... she loved it too and I was happy!

Then my heart is all for my nephew and niece... two little ones of four and six that decided to draw themselves their own sweater.....

After Christmas I started with the more difficult one... the one for my nephew....
he wanted a green like a field sweater with triangles on it and trees!

Now I'm not just the genius of the knitting.... I'm a beginner and this was a real challenge... it was the first time I had to project a whole sweater by myself.... I started with the gauge and his measures, programming the developing of a top down raglan sweater. Then, to that plane project, I added some design elements....

It can be a simple result, but I'm glad because I was able to finish it!

Now that it's January I'm ready to start the sweater for my little princess... it will be a variation in pink and I bet she will love it! As she did not ask for a specific design element, but just for a color I will base it on a ravelry project and it will make me go faster!

The only thing is that, wanting to show them how much I love them, I had to put on hold my nice red Ambiente project... will I ever finish it?

Mountain knitting!

I've been  in mountain for a few dais and there I've been knitting some projects....



The first is a two crafts project made of:
the Worsted Capelet (by Abuelita n Ravelry)

and the Quick Cable Slouch Hat (by Azure)

I had this yarn from last year in mountain and it was very "wild"... to tell you the truth it smells of goat scent!
But the nice thing is that it's really warm and a beautiful dark grey colour. I wanted to do something with a country touch and I thought about cables. I had already done the Quick Cable Slouch Hat for a present and really liked the way it came out, so I decided for a two objects match with cables and the use of even a contrasting colour to make the dark grey a bit more lively and feminine.

I have to tell that the main cable (front of capelet) has some little mistakes. But I'm very happy of how it came and it's very useful!

The other project is the BoHo Blouse by Stefanie Japel.
I really love almost everything I've seen from Stefanie Japel creations and I fell in love with this blouse the minute I saw it!

From last winter I had this white soft angora that was the right size for the project so I decided that my first BoHo Blouse would be white (In my intentions it's not my last BoHo Blouse!).

I've read all the comments on Ravelry of people that already had done it and I decided to do it a small size to make it fit fine and it worked well! As I'm not so skinny as the model in the photo I had to add some extra stitches after the waist line for my hips. I added total 12 stitches in 12 rows divided in 3 additions of 4  (two each side with a kfb stitch).

Autumn, new yarn, new projects!

This autumn I have many projects in my queue...

First it comes the most important request... 

my auntie Francesca is in bed, she has been in this situation for a long time and doctors say that she is old and so ill that there are no possibilities she could be better than this.  Now I love my auntie a lot and she has been playing a lot with me and my brother, when we were children. 

The other thing is that she is most affectionate to her mother (my grandmother) as my auntie never married and lived all her life with her family. My grandmother used to knit a lot ant to make for each nephew and niece a big adult blanket each with recycled wool from old sweaters. Every time I use needles I can still see my grandmother near the window of her house knitting and so can my auntie. We have this big love of Grandma in common. 

So, when last time I went to auntie Francesca to make her see my progresses in knitting, it was a big surprise that she asked me a red shawl... I bought a very soft and warm wool - Mondial Prima in red. Then I decided about the pattern Alma Ella Shawl by Robin Lynn... At the moment I've finished the garter section and it very well written and easy to follow... I'm very grateful to the author for this nice present, as it's a free ravelry download.

Second yarn bought, second project!

When I went to Cafilan to buy the red yarn I decided to try for the second time to do a scarf for my beloved husband. The other attempt has been a failure, as the scarf was too short and he did not use it. So I could find some 100% cashmere on sale with a pale blue colour (my husband wears just all the shades of blue).

Now I have to find the right pattern, but I'm almost sure that I will have to do it in stockinette stitch, after trying to talk with him about cabled patterns or with squares or whatever... every time he tells me that he prefers the stockinette... so the problem is how to do it with edges that don't curl.... I'm a little bit scared that i will have to knit it with the double knitting technique, to make it perfect, so I think I will have to run to buy the double of the yarn not to make it short another time!!!!

Then I bought even a yarn for me! 

I've seen this yarn for the first time last May and I fell in love with it! It's a mix of cashmere and silk that was made by Filatura di Crosa and that now is out of production.

What a crazy choice... I found it soooooooooo beautiful and soft. Soooo lovely the colours, that I had to have it!

I dreamt about it for all the summer and now, at the beginning of the Autumn, I bought it. I've not still decided what to do.. but all I know is that I want a soft soft sweater with lace pattern... we will see!