knitting foliage

Hey, look, knitting content!

I was in a bit of a knitting slump during February and March. It's not that I didn't want to knit, really, it's just that I became a bit...obsessed. With the Sims 2. Um, yeah, it's hard to knit while you're playing computer games. ;)

So last week I decided that what I really needed was a quick, nearly-instant-gratification project to get me going again. Enter Foliage! I already had the yarn, so all I had to do was dig out the proper needles and start. (I even had the pattern printed out already.)

I used the suggested yarn, Malabrigo Chunky (100% Merino, yum), in a gorgeous burgundy with very slight variations in color. Followed the instructions exactly, I believe (that's a miracle in itself). Super-fast, fun knit. I'm so happy that I picked it up. I started the hat around 3 pm last Thursday afternoon, and finished--including weaving in the ends (another miracle!)--Saturday morning. I love how it turned out. I think it'll be really warm, which is perfect since it's for my cousin Jeannie, who moved from Hawaii to Connecticut a few months ago. Poor girl's freezing over there! I didn't manage to get it to her for this winter, but she'll have it for the next one.

Here's the hat:



And me, goofily modeling the hat:



(Nik liked that one best of the "modeled" shots. I think it's goofy, but if he likes it I guess I can post it. :D)

I also worked out a design for a matching scarf based on the lace pattern in the hat and started that on Saturday. I just hope I have enough yarn to make it a decent length! Here's my progress on it so far: