Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Scarf unveiling...

I bet you were expecting a Ten on Tuesday post, weren't you? ToT is taking a little holiday break, but I will be back with more random questions/answers next week!

So today I am going to show you the scarves that I made for my mom, sisters, and sisters-in-law. I started working on these back in April, I believe? It was so hard to keep them a secret. No one, besides my mom, really knew that I was doing this!!

Without further ado, here they are!

The first one is for my mom - we saw a scarf that was knit from this pattern when we were shopping for yarn in the town close to my parents' lake cabin. My mom just loved the scarf but the shop owner didn't have the pattern. Luckily I randomly stumbled upon it while browsing a pattern site this winter. There are probably thousands of patterns, so it's extremely odd that I found this! It looks difficult, but it's not too tricky. It does require a lot of concentration, though! Many of the patterns I do are kind of 'mindless' but this one definitely isn't!


Here's a close-up of it - the entire scarf has that wave pattern going on. My mom loved it and I think she has worn it every day so far!!


I made this one for my younger sister, Abby. She LOVES green so I chose this variegated green yarn and found a checkered pattern. The odd thing is that it matches her winter coat PERFECTLY. I seriously couldn't have found a better matching scarf! Granted, she probably won't get a whole lot of use out of it since she lives in Arizona, but it is definitely keeping her warm while she is home over the holidays!


Here's a close-up of the checkered pattern.


I made this one for my sister-in-law, Julie. This one was actually the most time consuming. I am going to guess it took about 20-25 hours? The reason is that I used pretty small needles. It turned out great, though! Ribbed scarves are my favorite!


I made this one for my older sister, Emily. She is a teacher and this scarf sort of struck me as an 'academic' scarf. No idea why - maybe because it sort of reminds me of Harry Potter's scarf? The colors are similar.


Last, but not least, I made this scarf for my sister-in-law, Emily. Yep, you read that right, I have a sister AND a SIL named Emily. Gets a bit confusing sometimes - we definitely have to use middle or last names when referring to them! Anyways, I knit this one out of a really, really thick yarn and huge needles. I basically felt like I was knitting with baseball bats since I knit this right after I made my SIL's scarf on smaller needles. It turned out great and features a diagonal pattern that switches direction.


Here's a close-up of the diagonal pattern. It's kind of hard to see it, but it's there. :) This was probably the most frustrating pattern. You had to use a certain set of stitches to get the diagonal to go the direction you wanted it to go. One night I freaking could NOT get it to go the right direction. I knit & undid the same 10-20 rows over. and over. and over. I finally gave up and went to bed. The next night I got it on my first try!


So there you have it! I really enjoyed making these scarves and the recipients all seemed to really like them! I am currently working on another gift - it's so fun to have a hobby that makes fun gifts that people usually enjoy receiving. I mean, who doesn't like scarves, right?

I've gotten some questions about how I got started on knitting so will put together a post on that in early January!

Which of the scarves I made do you like best?

26 comments:

Becky said...

Your knitting skills are hardcore! All those scarves are awesome - if I had to pick my fav though it would be the "harry potter" scarf. I'm sure everyone was so appreciative!

I'maNolaGirl said...

You are amazing! I love the academic scarf!!!

J said...

Omg those are gorgeous! I made a scarf similar to the gray and red one. I had red where you put gray and then white on the ends. I was unsure if the recipient would like it...giving that gift today so we will see. Plus I crocheted it! Im working on my knitting.

Lisa-Marie said...

Talented much?!

I like the green one and the Harry Potter one!

Dae's step-mum is called Lisa. we are both Lisa Hughes. It is VERY confusing sometimes!

Angie said...

You are very talented! They are all beautiful but my favorite one is the one you made for your Mom! I LOVE the colors and the pattern! <3

Rebecca Foster said...

They are all beautiful! I am so impressed and awestruck by your talent.

I think the green one is my favorite, I like the way the colors blend together.

Mandy said...

They are all incredible Lisa! You are so talented. I think the one you made your mom is my favorite. Thats a really neat pattern. I am so impressed by you, especially since I am absolutely clueless as to how you get the different patterns onto the scarves. You did a great job!

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

Those scarves are so gorgeous! I am so impressed and inspired to learn how to knit myself!!
I cannot choose which one I like the best, but I think it might by the one for your mom! Very pretty!
That would be so hard to keep that a secret for that long but I bet it was SO worth it!!

Abby said...

I am going to have to say that my scarf is my favorite because it is just perfect! And the coat it matches is light so I will get use of it in AZ :)

Moms scarf is pretty amazing too!

Unknown said...

My goodness, you are so talented! All of those scarves are so beautiful. What wonderful gifts. And, with the temperatures out there right now, I am sure they are enjoying them immensely!! Well done.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I like the one you made your mom and I like the red and gray one because it reminds me of Ohio State and I'm in love with all things OSU. I also pretty much can find a reason to like most of them. :) Excellent job!

Anais said...

Beautiful!!! I love them all!! I'm so totally jealous - I wish I was 1% as good as you! You'd be so ashamed if you saw my scarf.....

I f I had to chose one I'd say the first one, just because I love the patter for up close :)

Amber said...

You're SO talented Lisa! I'm jealous!! My grandma always makes me stuff for Christmas and her presents are always my favourite because I know that she put so much hardwork and love into them. I wish I had a talent that allowed me to do that!

I LOVE the scarf you made for your mom and also the one for your SIL Emily. I have a similar one to that in red and orange (that my Grandma made me) and I like the look of the really thick yarn - so warm and comfy :)

Once again, you're amazing!!!

Little Fish said...

Gorgeous!!

I especially like the first one!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

These are beautiful, Lisa! I'm so impressed by the patterns. I think my favs are the 1st one and the ribbon grey/red one.

qwerkyqook said...

I love emily's (em M), very Cambridge :)

Chelsea Talks Smack said...

THEY'RE FANTASTIC! I LIKE THEM ALL!

Nora said...

I love the gray & red one and the "academic" one as well. I know it takes a lot of time to make these but you could totally sell them on etsy and people would buy them!

I LOVE the colors & Patterns you chose since it's clear they celebrate each individual. Very special, thoughtful presents.

Emily Jane said...

Oh wow!! You are so very talented - I love them all, but especially the academic scarf (it reminds me of Harry Potter too!) and the green one. I bet everybody just loved them :)

Marlys said...

I'm Lisa's Mom and I love, love, love my scarf! I show it off to everyone I meet! Thanks, Lisa!

Mama Nastase said...

Lisa, you are SO talented!! I am amazed and impressed with the lovely scarves. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift, I am sure the recipients were all thrilled. What CAN'T you do?! :)

Merry Christmas and happy new year!
Lora

Kari Ayers said...

Lisa - you are amazing! I tried to teach myself how to knit and it was a disaster. Maybe someday you can teach me some of your skills. My favorites are the Abby and the Marlys, but they are all awesome. I don't think you can go wrong with scarves. I love them!

Nicole said...

These are all so awesome! I'm really going to start working on different patterns with my knitting this year. I really like the ribbed scarf you made.

Shoshanah said...

They're all amazing, but I think I like the scarf you made for your sister-in-law the best.

Anonymous said...

The first scarf is my favorite because I've made that one before. It was my first scarf ever.

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