I actually made something!

I have been totally free of knitting mojo. Too many unpleasant things have been cropping into my head when I knit. So I took a pretty big break. I did carry knitting around wherever I went, though. Every so often I would knit a few rows on the shawl using two complementary sock yarn colors, and think how nice it would be to wear it. Then I would stop again.

Shawl made from two complementary sock yarns, each knitted from the opposite side.

At some point in the fall, Leigh asked for a pair of leg warmers. So, I found what looked to be an easy enough pattern, Waterlily Leg Warmers. To make sure the pattern would work, I got some inexpensive worsted weight yarn, two skeins of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool. Well, I have now made four projects with that yarn and I STILL have half a skein left. I need to move on!

Here are the leg warmers as I was working on them. I am in the RV somewhere, because I recognize that upholstery! Oh yeah, in case I haven't mentioned it, we have an RV, of all things, Ursula, and I blog about that a lot. Feel free to visit Ursula Lumbers!

Leg Warmer on me!

Here are the completed leg warmers. I realize this picture is not very pretty, but I have not gotten a photo of them on her.

Obviously I should have cropped this.

So, when I finished this, I still had a lot of yarn. So I decided to surprise Leigh with hand warmers to match the leg warmers. I would knit them really hard whenever we were going to the ranch or farm, then forget about them at home, because Words with Friends is too enticing.

Just before Christmas, I managed to finish the last couple of rounds.  What I did was cut the number of stitches by a third, and only put in one cable pattern (there are three on the leg warmers). I knit back and forth to create the thumb holes. I should have started back and forthing on an odd row, because I ended up having to do the cables on a purl row. Well, I can fix that next time. It was easy to just improvise a pattern based on the leg warmers, though. They came out quite cute and made a nice Christmas gift!

Happy with hand warmers.

I single crocheted an edging around the thumb openings, too.

Tuba Boy (Kynan) looked at all the yarn and had left and mentioned that he did not have a warm hat. I knew I could make one pretty quickly, so I went to find a really simple ribbed pattern. Sure enough, I found the extremely popular Hat Fit for a Boyfriend. It also made a hat fit for a son! It came out rather short when I made it following the instructions--the original was made for a fellow with no hair, and my kids, they have hair. Once I made it longer, it looked great! I finished it on Christmas Eve as the kids were serenading Lee's dad with the blues.

A warm head means warm musical tone.

Lee's dad is not doing real well, health-wise. It was a hard Christmas, with my dad gone and Lee's dad so sick. But he is holding on...has a new tractor and cows about to calve. He has to hang on for them! He remarked more than once how warm Kynan's hat looked. I asked if he would like one and he said, "Oh yes, I would." So I started knitting fast and furious. There's nothing like a request from the father-in-law to get back your knitting mojo! By the time Christmas dinner was done, the second hat was finished!

Looking very modern in his beanie.

This will help him in the biting wind out on the farm. Lee's dad is a warm weather person--he thrives in heat. Long-time readers will remember I made him socks a few years ago.

Speaking of socks. I keep making holes in mine. Makes me sad. Either I have a moth or they are showing their age. Makes me not want to knit more socks, too.

I was asked by a friend to make her some hand warmers, so maybe I will have another post for the new year. Things ARE better for me, in many ways. Just need to work on knitting happiness.