Knitting Dark Projects

The days here keep getting shorter and colder. It's the nature of things, I guess. The garage seems to be at least ten degrees colder than the outside temperature. Doesn't take a genius to figure out it's almost the Winter Solstice.

Some of you may not know that in addition to building props, I also knit (and paint faux finishes, and write, and raise orchids, and am learning to sculpt. But that's another bunch of blogs.). This time of year I get very knitty, although this year, I have decided not to pressure myself into knitting gifts for Yule or Christmas. I'm currently finishing three hats (two Jayne Cobb hats and a God Save The Queen hat), a guernsey sweater for my husband, and a sort of legwarmer-shaped collar for my friend's doberman, who is a delicate flower and gets cold. Oh, and an alpaca wool scarf on size 3 needles.

Knitting can be one of the biggest tests of patience you can put yourself through. Yesterday, I'd almost finished my husband's hat and discovered that I had mis-counted my stitches and I had to frog the whole thing (Frogging, for those of you who don't know, is ripping out your project down to the place where you've made your mistake.) and start over. Jen Stafford, a.k.a. the Domiknitrix, can tell you all about the sweet pain of this in her book. Love her designs! Check out the free Eyeball Pillow pattern here.

One of the places I love to go for inspiration (and a break)is Ravelry, a knitting website that was started a year ago. If you're a knitter, go to the site and request an invitation. In roughly two weeks, you'll be able to access the site. Believe me when I tell you it's worth the wait.

I ran across these projects in a woman named Adrian's (helloyarn) finished projects file. I use her pictures with her permission. You can check out her website here.

Adrian is one of these wonderful people who gets to do what they love for a living. She has her own knitting shop. She also spins and dyes her own wool. And, like us, she sometimes designs things for those of us who have a darker side. I love this Jack Skelington face mask.

This matching set of Pirate mittens and hat are quite cunning, too. Maybe I'll make the hat for Stewie.

Source of Adrian's projects.