FO: Super Secret Projects Revealed!

It’s going to be extremely obvious from the rest of this post, but I love my parents. Seriously. I got extremely lucky in the Mom and Dad department. They’re smart, funny, give great hugs, and always listen when I need an ear. The fact that they saw almost every single play I was ever in proves that they are patient and kind. They even sat through a two and a half hour high school production of “West Side Story” complete with bad karaoke versions of each song to witness my 10 minutes of stage time.

For that, they deserve sainthood.

This year, after over 50 years of marriage, 6 kids, 19 grandkids, 1 great-grandkid, they are taking a their first, and very much deserved, European vacation. They’ll be gone for a few weeks in late November and early December, and I couldn’t be more excited for them.

How do I show my excitement? I knit. What else?

I gotta say, it was nice to finally be able to knit something for Mom and Dad, as they live in Florida and I don’t get much opportunity to knit warm and fuzzy things for them. I sent these out last week, and got word that they arrived safe and sound. So now I can post about them, and finally reveal the “Super Secret Projects” that were in the sidebar for so long.

Here’s number one:

Scarf: Cabled Scarf based on pattern in One Skein, made with 2+ balls of Karabella Aurora 8 (100% extrafine merino wool in a dark chocolate brown) on #9(?) KnitPicks Options circular needles
Started: September 2, 2006
Completed: October 3, 2006

First and foremost, I love this yarn. I’ve been reading everyone’s raves about it, and I can see exactly what they are talking about – it’s sproingy and soft and, to my fingers, has no “wooliness” that can sometimes be scratchy. The color is simply gorgeous. Since Dad’s a “drape & cross” kind of scarf wearer, not a “wrap around and around” type, I didn’t want to make the scarf too long. Early reports say that the length got a thumbs up.

Granted, this was lots and lots of ribbing (my favorite – ha!) but the cables at the end give it a little pizzazz. I like them. I hope you like it, Dad!

I really wish I had a better picture of this.

Scarf: Cat Bordhi’s Mobius Cowl (pdf!), made with Handmaiden’s 4-ply Cashmere (100% cashmere in colorway “Paris”) on one #9 KnitPicks Options circular needle
Started: October 22, 2006
Completed: October 23, 2006

I don’t know where to start with this one – the fun pattern or the gorgeous yarn!

The pattern is really a treat. When I saw the Knitty Gritty episode explaining the mobius cast on and the rest of the pattern, I was intrigued. I had some sport-weight yarn in my stash, and immediately cast on just to see if I could make one of these magical things. Only two short evenings of knitting (I could have finished in one) and I had my own little cowl (pictures coming soon).

I figured this would be a perfect little item for Mom on her trip – something to slip over her head that wouldn’t need tying or futzing, that wouldn’t blow off in the wind, but would provide a little warmth under a jacket or over a sweater. To make it more luxurious, I wanted to find a really nice yarn, and ended up getting some of the cashmere yarn that they suggested on the show. I chose the “Paris” colorway because the main color is a pretty burgundy, but it does have some other colors thrown in for contrast to make it workable with almost any outfit.

The pattern calls for size 10 needles, but I found the stitches to be too big for the outcome I wanted. The cowl in the pattern is a lot bigger, and could almost be used as a shoulder wrap if you’re of slight build. I’m happy with how the smaller cowl turned out, and I think it will look pretty on Mom.

And there you have it – two finished objects that will soon be travelling around Europe with Mom and Dad. Enjoy them, you two!