So much to write about!  I know it has been ages since my last post, and actually I've been quite busy.  Oldest projects come first I guess.
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Here is a photo of a sweater I made for my mom.  A very sweet friend chose to de-stash and gave me the proceeds.  This fuchsia mohair was just screaming my mom's name, so I dug around a little and found this pattern.  I have to say I was surprised how hard it was to find a reasonable mohair pattern.  I mean, I know all the arguments against it, it can be scratchy, and too warm, and sheds, but come on.  This was the only modern pattern I could find for worsted weight mohair.  All other patterns are either from the 80s or the 60s, and in either case most closely resemble ottoman covers.  Like I said, I get why mohair isn’t popular any more, but I also don’t get it.  This was truly a weekend long project, knit on size 11 needles.  It went so quickly, and after blocking, it has a very nice drape.  It has been reported to me that it was a success on its maiden outing. 
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Next are some more little mice.  These little mice, commissioned by my mom for a gift, are the country mouse and the city mouse.  I used the same pattern I've been using from Fuzzy Mitten and then used guess work to create some little clothes for them.  The country mouse wears a little hooded cape.  I did try to make an apron for her first, but these little mouse bodies are not really set up for clothes that cover the waist down.  The city mouse wears a little fancy hat. 
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I'm going to crow about the flower on her hat for a second.  It was done with sewing thread and a 0.75mm crochet hook.  I'm quite proud of it.  The city mouse also wears a string of glass beads.  These little mice represent my favorite type of project, riffing on an established pattern by making changes in yarn and embellishment. 
Next on the agenda for sharing are some repair jobs I did.  Both projects were completed for the same friend about five years ago when I was still pretty inexperienced.  I recently took them back to fix them after being unable to withstand the guilt of turning out lousy product any longer.  As I tell everyone, my projects are guaranteed.  If they fall apart, send them back.  I’ll fix them or make something else. 
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First, pictured above are the ill effects of whip stitching a granny square blanket together that was made from soft acrylic yarn.  The effects are quite ill.  The poor thing was washed once or twice and went all to pieces. 
Now here is my repair job.  I took the whole blanket apart and single crocheted the squares together using a yellow that was pretty close to the original yellow.  I think it looks better than before and I kind of want my own now. 
The second "repair" was blocking this poor scarf.  This is really my first successful knitted garment.  I chose the pattern and the boarder pattern from a book of 500 (or some such number) knitting patterns.  I didn't know doodly-squat about blocking when I made this poor scarf though, and as a result, for the last few years it has existed as a kind of thick neck sock, all rolled up upon itself. 
The blocking was really pleasant because I got to see the lace pattern open up.  Due to the fact that the pattern is knit all the way to the edges though, I'm afraid it will always roll up a little, but it is much improved.  The yarn is a cotton silk blend and was lovely to handle again. 
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Here is a quilt update photo.   I’ve gotten a little farther than this, but not by much.
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And finally, here is one of my kitties reminding me that if it is crocheted, no matter how small it is, it will be sat upon and kneaded by one cat or another.  How could I have forgotten that? 
 
 

The beaded scarf is finished, looks lovely, and was received with much joy and surprise by my mother-in-law.  I highly recommend this sucker as an introduction to bead knitting.  Again, I'll just say, I got it from Heartstrings Fiber Arts.  They have lots of other lovely patterns which I will some day investigate once I run out of things to do..  ha ha.

In other project news, I will include a photo of a baby blanket I made for my cousin and his wife who are expecting their first child in about two months.  I made this blanket during my period of unemployed-craftacular-movie-watching-time.  As anyone who has been through a period like this knows, it isn't all it is cracked up to be, but you sure get a lot of crafting done. 

This blanket is filet crocheted in panels.  Originally it was supposed to have ribbon woven in between these panels, however, what I learned is that ribbon is not stretchy, and yarn things are.  This annoying paradox (of course not guessed at until much careful weaving had been accomplished) resulted in a blanket that would either un-weave its ribbons every time you wrapped it around a baby, or a blanket that would try to cinch the baby with its steel-girder like ribbons.  So the ribbons removed, the blanket was sent on its way, off to become a useful member of blanket society. 

And finally, a little sneak peak of a hat I'm working on for a Boston friend.  It is mosaic, so when I do work on it, it is very quick.  I only have really two more vertical squares worth of rows to go and then I'll sew this puppy together and send it off to Boston.  I'm sure it will still be snowing there.  Even if I don't send it till May.  No, really, I hope to finish it soon, if only because it seems like I don't find the impetus to post without having finished a project, a practice I would love to remedy, but really, who are we kidding?


 
 

So, I actually finished my mom's socks a little while ago.  Maybe January 24th?  Her birthday is on Valentine's day, so I'll be mailing them off soon.  Here are some pictures of the finished product:

The best part of making these by far was learning how to do the mosaic pattern.  I love Fair Isle type patterns, and enjoy the challenge of working with the multiple strands, but I have to say, I think once you go mosaic, it is hard to see why you would want to go back.  All that being said about multiple pattners and strands etc, I also love the way the heel of these socks came out, (eye-of-the-partridge).  The texture is lovely, and the natural inconsistency of the dye on the yarn lends some depth without being overbearing.  It may just be that I'm saying that because it is juxtaposed to the rainbow (which I secretly came to like, shhh.)  They are perfect for my mom though.  Anyone who knows her would tell you so.  I feel a little bad because she keeps hint-asking if I've been able to start them and I keep saying how busy I am.  But she loves surprises, so the thrill of the surprise will cancel out the disapointment.  But I still feel a little like a tricky jerk.

At any rate, onward, and away from socks for a while.  Though there are a few different heels and ribbings, and they are really so practical, there isn't so much techinque once you've mastered the basics.  Therefore, onward to a gift for my mother-in-law.  I wanted to make her something that looked like it could be bought in a boutique.  A lacy beaded scarf is what I chose.  This was supposed to be a Christmas present, and then turned into a late Christmas present when my husband was going out to see his parents in January, and now will just be a mid-February/early-March present.  She lives in a very cold climate, so it will still be a useful gift when it finally arrives at its destination.  With 10 of 15 repeats finished, I should be done pretty soon. 

The beads are all pre-strung and then pushed along on the yarn until they are needed, so I string on about 5 diamonds worth of beads and then when I've run out, I cut the yarn, add more beads, and get back to knitting.  It is a lovely process and the yarn is lace weight on size 5 needles, so it goes pretty quickly.  There are four colors of beads, which you may or may not be able to see in the detail picture, a matte brown, a shiny brown, a pearl, and an iridescent white which comes out almost lavender.  The original pattern which I really love, used only one color of bead.  It looked too stark to me, and so with the help of friends, one visionary in particular, I became convinced that not only was it not insane to use multiple colors (I had great fears about stringing them in the right order, but it turns out that once you have done it a few times and messed up once, it is pretty simple) but also a slightly more muted palette was devised.  I happened upon the "Beadwrangler" who has the most beautiful treat for the eyes of a website you've ever seen.  Also the yarn is baby mohair and silk, so it is like knitting with what you wish spider webs felt like.  Once I'm finished I will block this beast, something I never do with my knitting, so I would imagine will post some pictures of that as well. 

 

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