What the HK is on Viki's Needles?

January! A fresh start, right? 

My first order of business was to clean out my knitting basket. I threw away orphaned ball bands, put away needles and various oddments of yarn and recycled printouts of patterns I was done with. Then I turned my eye to my works in progress. Decisions had to be made and a few things went to the frog pond. It's hard to be honest with one's self about the likelihood of ever finishing a project.  But to be honest, I probably wasn't honest enough. There are still a few things around that I will really have to get tough with myself about one of these days. But I'm not perfect, so it won't be today.

And now it is time to look at the HK projects that have visited my needles since my last update here. 

I try to add a few handmade bits and pieces to my Christmas tree every year. And this year was no exception. The first thing I made was this fun Christmas ball using the pattern Sheep Balls and Artisan sock in a Limited Edition Red that I've had for ages (I think it was released at Sock Summit 2009), Nekkid, Sedge and Arroyo. I probably should have used a darker brown for a little more contrast but I still like it.  It isn't instantly recognizable as sheep so it is my little sheepy secret.

Then, I adapted the same pattern to make a Minion ornament for my kids. I'm sure in a couple of years this will look ridiculous on my tree. But for now, the kids love it! And I'm quite proud of it too. Plus, it gives me the giggles whenever I see it.

One of the presents I made for my daughter was an adorable bunny with a collection of sweet dresses. The bunny was made with bits of stash I had around but the dresses had to be made of only the finest materials! Artisan Sock in Flicker, Surf, Queen of the Night and Nekkid. Taking just a couple of hours each, it was fun to come up with assortment of stylish frocks using some leftover stash. My daughter is just learning to knit now. Perhaps one day she will want to add to the collection.

Once January came around it was time for a little selfish knitting. So the first thing I did was finish a hat for myself. Castiel knits up quickly in DK Lively. I choose to knit mine in Queen of the Night. With slightly less frigid temperatures this week, it should be the perfect hat to wear to the bus stop in the afternoons.

So what's on my needles now? Lots of secret projects, as January has also brought with it a new desire to produce more of my own patterns. More on that soon.

In the meantime, I am getting ready to cast on a project for the latest HK Ravelry KAL. If you haven't checked it out yet, visit our group and join in. For January and February, we are featuring patterns inspired by Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tales and Mythology. It's time for me to make a decision and cast on.