Marian the Librarian

Note from Janet: I requested a skein of Cascade Magnum for Christmas in no particular color, but love this dark purple!! It went super fast, in between all my Christmas clean-up and toy assembly. I love huge yarn and fast projects :)

Christmas Bobble Hat

Note from Janet: This very well may be the cutest thing I’ve ever knit!!! I absolutely love it in red! It was my first bobble project - so simple, but a little time consuming since you're working that one stitch 15 times.

Double Down Fingerless Mitts

Note from Janet: My sister gave me this yarn in a bag of wool yarn for felting when she requested another pair of slipper socks, and this was a brand new ball that she told me I could just have. I’ve had it for almost a year and never knew what to do w/ it, but I made my wham bam cowl and realized this matches it pretty well.

I wanted to stick w/ a garter stitch pattern so doubled the yarn and cranked out some fingerless mitts in an evening! Again, I just saved the seaming for this morning. I could have done them in the round, but I was happy to just knit 2 squares while I watchedAndy Williams Christmas specials :)

wham bam thank you Spud & Chloe

Note from Janet:  I made a hat last weekend that turned out to be way too small for me and needed something quick to redeem myself! I don't know how I didn't notice how small the hat was until I was done, but it was supposed to be for me and it barely fits my 10 mo old niece! So, I was at The Yarn Basket the next day, picked up a skein of Spud & Chloe outer and had no idea what I wanted to make w/ it. This was perfect! It barely took me 2 hrs and I love it! I don't want to take it off!! I even have some yarn in my stash that is varigated almost this same color and browns... maybe a hat or some fingerless mitts?

Gray Lace Scarf

Note from Janet: I will not be making another one of these any time soon!! I love the pattern and the yarn (it's Malabrigo, so that goes without saying!) but it took me forever, or at least it felt like it! Since it is lace yarn on small needles (although I used #5 which is 2 sizes bigger than the pattern called for) I felt like I wasn't making any progress when I'd work on it for short amounts of time. I'm happy to be done and now I can just enjoy wearing it!

Noro Scarf

Note from Janet:  I love this pattern and the yarn! It went really fast for me (10 days) with those triple wraps. I made one for my sister for her b-day and I'm pretty sure my MIL will be buying some Noro for me to make one for her, too :) 

Capelet by Janet Potter

Note from Janet: I saw something like this capelet in a catalog and figured it would be so simple to make and it was! I love the Berocco Cuzco - it is so soft and squishy and warm! I was so close to getting it done with 2 balls of yarn, but needed the 3rd one for about 6 rows and the "surprisingly stretchy bind off."

Wicked!

Note from Janet: This was a fun and easy pattern! I used a little bit heavier yarn, but it is so soft and warm! I bought the yarn on a girls' trip to Cedar Falls w/ Heather and Addison, then I had to find the store a 2nd time (thought they were moving a week after we were there, but they were still in the same location over a month later!) to get more yarn. I only used the last ball of yarn for the pocket, but it was so worth it!!

5th Avenue Cowl

Note from Janet: I got a free ball of yarn from Caron Country yarn on Facebook and how well they must know me -- they sent me charcoal! Yeah!! I bought a second ball of it to complete this and I love it! It was super easy (4 row pattern) and knit in a round - my favorite! I really like how it looks wrapped 3 times and will probably wear it like that most often.

Bike Helmet Ear Warmers

Orange Socks

Note from Janet: They are finally done!! I got this sock yarn on vacation almost 2 yrs ago and finally knit it this winter. I am definitely not a sock knitter! I am strangely attracted to sock yarn and think they look fun, but I do not enjoy making them! I really mean that I don't like doing the ones on tiny needles, but I've made worsted weight socks and felted slipper socks without so much drama! This is my second pair of "tiny needle" (#1-3) socks. Maybe I can handle making one pair a year. I do have yarn in my stash for one more pair...

Necklace!

Note from Janet: Okay, so it's really more of a scrap buster than a stash buster, but you know how I can't have scraps of yarn around! This is such awesome yarn - baby alpaca that Erik's mom bought for me to make her a scarf and I've had this little bit sitting in my bag for almost 2 yrs now. This is so cute!! I love it! I wore it to church this morning. It took maybe 2 hrs, so one of those things to just whip up, Carrie ;) 

Lindsey Vonn Olympic hat

Note from Janet:  I picked some nice spring-like days to work on my first attempt at duplicate stitch for this hat! I finished it just in time for the first day of spring and March snow :) 

More fingerless mitts, but for me!

Note from Janet: I love fingerless mitts, but I think this is the first pair I've actually made for myself! I got this yarn from my sister for Christmas and made these to go with my black fleece jacket for fall and warmer winter days. (huh? what are those?!?!) I've also been known to wear them in the house while I'm knitting :)  The colors got a little funny with the hand increases, but I still love the colors and the pattern, although I think I'll frog them to make them longer over my fingers. They just go to my knuckles now.

Love this yarn!

Note from Janet: I loved this yarn so much that it took me a year to make a hat, scarf, mitten set out of it. I know that sounds crazy, but I loved this hat pattern that was a lot of work, but I figured I might as well take the time to do it w/ this great yarn. The colors are perfect (2shades of gray and 2 shades of brown) for me, the neutral loving gal :)  I made the mittens next, from my trusty mitten pattern. It took me a while to find a scarf pattern that I loved to go with it and then I found the rib and cable scarf - 3 ribs and cable down the side. This is a great set that goes with anything - dressy, casual, white, cream, brown... It's my fav!!

crazy long fingerless mitts

Note from Janet: These truly are "fingerless" because you can hardly see my fingers in them!! I made my sister-in-law a regular size pair for Christmas and she LOVES them and wears them all the time. When we went running together one weekend, she was wearing them backwards, with the longer wrist part over her fingers! So when she requested another pair, I told her I'd make the fingers longer this time, and that they are!

Yep, I'm going to mosey in my legwarmers

Note from Janet: I wondered if I'd really wear these as I was making them, but they were too cute to not make! I finished them last fall and wore them once w/ a denim skirt, but they are pretty loose and kept sliding down my leg. They are perfect w/ jeans though! It's been such a snowy and sloppy winter, but they were wonderful on a freezing cold day!

Star Beret

Note from Janet: I'd had my eye on this pattern for a while and needed a distraction from Erik's Harry Potter stuff so whipped this up w/ some Ecological Wool that I had in my stash/leftovers. I love it! I have the same yarn in gray and brown so may need another.

Janet's Hermione Hat

Note from Janet: Here is my Hermione hat that I made with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (which was a Christmas gift) to make a perfect gray hat for myself! The pattern was simple and knit up quickly, and the yarn is lovely! I wish I had done a twisted rib for the ribbing, but I didn't check out other peoples' projects and comments until I was ready to decrease. Doing an alternate cable cast on was enough to think about at the time! Maybe I'll make another one sometime. Now I need to get to work on my husband's Harry Potter scarf, hat and mittens :)

Addison's red hat from Janet

Note from Heather:  Addison enjoys her red hat.  She wears it in the house.  She won't let me take it off her.  She wore it to church on Sunday with a red and black outfit.  She got tons of compliments on her hat.  I was sure to give Janet all the credit.