November/December KAL

The end of another Knitalong is upon us and I don't know about you, but I had a lot of fun knitting the Mystery Socks by verybusymonkey. What a wonderful pattern and I'm pleased to have another gorgeous pair of socks in my sock drawer. I'll be back soon to share some of the beautiful projects that were completed as part of this KAL, but in the meantime we've got to get ready for our next KAL - it starts at midnight tonight!

The Hazel Knits November/December Ravelry KAL will be Mittens/Mitts and Gloves. You can find out more about the rules here, but basically we are hoping you will join us to knit any "handwear" pattern in any HK yarn. There have already been some awesome pattern suggestions made. I'm anxious to get started on my first project.

It's no secret around here that I love mittens. I've even designed a couple of mitten patterns myself. I think mittens are a great opportunity to practice your colourwork or cables on a slightly smaller scale - one where fit isn't maybe as crucial as it is for socks. For this KAL I will continue to practice my colourwork skills in an effort to get somewhere close to the intended gauge.

So for today, hopefully as a sort of inspiration, I'm going to share some of my HK mitten projects.

My very first HK project was a pair of basic 2-needle mittens in Greenlake.



I quickly followed those up with a pair of Mock Cable gloves in Daphne.



Then another pair of basic two-needle mittens in Cami Chic - my most used HK colorway ever.



I loved Cami Chic so much I used it to knit these Swedish fish mittens. I wore these today. They are still my go - to mittens for this time of year.



During the Ravelympics I challenged myself with this pair of Dimorphous mittens knit in Chuckanut and Euphorbia. Euphorbia is still my favourite colour ever.



I used Vamp in Entice to design my very first pattern, Wintry.



And finally, I designed Kirju specifically with Loosey Juicy (my favourite variegated colourway) in mind.



I'm looking forward to adding at least one more pair to my winter wardrobe during the upcoming KAL.

I hope you'll join me!

What the HK is on your Needles? Vol 18

Oh, boy, I have a wonderful bunch of projects to share with you today. Not only are these projects gorgeous but they all use Hazel Knits DK Lively and two of them aren't even knit.

But, first up, the knits.

Madeleine (ravname: madfitz) knit this sweet baby sweater, Relish (or as Madeleine calls it, Sea Monster) in Laguna. Isn't the edging interesting? It does look like it's from the sea. I bet that took some time.



Becky (ravname: brillian1knitter) got a head start knitting for her baby girl. She combined a couple of patterns to come up with this classic looking Button's and Bows dress in Strawberry Lemonade. Good plan! You never know how much time babies and toddlers are going to give you to knit. The trick here is to remember to put it into circulation before your baby girl outgrows it.



Cory Ellen (ravname: kirinlemon) designed this next project, Salt Creek, herself. Cory Ellen lists the colour as Denim, so I think it might be Indigo or possibly Blueberry. Regardless, it looks really good. She hopes to release the pattern soon.



Now, how about some crochet? Ravname: Tamscrap crocheted this beautiful Helios shawl in Daphne. Hmm, it may be time to dig out my hooks again.



And finally, check out Emily (ravname: Cringer)'s woven scarf in Plum glass and Jay Blue. Those colours look amazing together. And get this, this was Emily's second weaving project. I couldn't believe it when she told me. Those edges are perfect. Well done, Emily. I'm seriously going to have to consider getting a loom.




Thanks to everyone for sharing their projects with us.

What the HK is on your Needles? Vol. 17

Wow! October is half over. Where did the time go? We are now into an awesome time of year to be a knitter. The crisp air is just begging you to don handknits. My daughter has already requested a new pair of colourful mittens - momma must obey. And I don't know about you, but I can already feel the holidays looming over me. Time to get those needles clackety clacking.

Where better to turn for inspiration than to some newly completed Hazel Knits projects.

Let's have a look, shall we?

Julie (ravname jfond) has completed Romi Hill's recently released, Kleio in the August 2011 club colours, Barn Door and Weathervane. A beautiful colour combination and I love that braid detail. I just finished a pair of socks in Weathervane and it is a great colour.



(Ravname) Pimpernel knit this lovely Tongues of Fire shawl in Shady Verdant.



You want to know what makes it even more lovely? Look at all the tiny beads! Amazing!



Fall is definitely shawl season, and while Tea (ravname Teacosy) was ready to knit a Fall shawl she wasn't ready to give up on summer completely, so she choose Euphorbia to knit her Little Colonnade shawl. My favourite. An excellent choice.



We'd better get those babies ready for Fall too. Jen (ravname Jenmag) knit up two sweet Rhythm hats in the club colours Pick Me and Lily Pad with Good Morning for the stripe. These are such a quick knit and were very well received by the baby mamas I gave mine to. I'm sure I'll be whipping up a couple more of these again soon.



We can't have a post without socks and Becky (ravname larkspur91) has knit up a very cute pair.



Aren't her Love Bugs adorable? They look so pretty in the club colour Pick Me.



And finally, Jenica (Jenicaknits) has another gorgeous sweater to share with us. This is Darling Emma in Vamp. Jenica was inspired to choose this colour after she woke up one night to find two bats flying around her room. I love Vamp, but I hope I never have to experience the same kind of inspiration.



Not only is Jenica's knitting beautiful but so are the photos she presents on her project pages. That's the kind of inspiration I can handle.



Thank you to everyone for allowing me to share your projects. Time to knit!