New makes and a maker's plans

I finished up last year with a shawl for my daughter Lucia which was knitted entirely while on a South American cruise.  It was gifted over Christmas and I didn't take a photo....

While on the same cruise I finished this, a bead embroidered pendant which I will teach later on this year.

Turns out there is a lot of time on a cruise so I also made these bone baby earrings designed and kitted by Kinga Nichols.  They are very fun to wear.

 This is my finished Fintry in Malabrigo Rios, color ochre.  A departure for me but I love it.

A close up of the Fintry lace parttern.

 I finished up this hat in November for December gifting.  The yarn was a left over unique sheep gradient and the pompom snaps on so there is also a white one.  This little one really appreciates a hand knit.  Pattern was found on ravelry, but the only similarity to the pattern I chose was the cast on and rib sequence and even those I changed.  I did an every 6th row cable to add interest, and changed the depth before decreases from 9 to 6 1/2 inches.  It fit perfectly!   She even stealthily tucked the spare pompom underneath for a quick change!

 This was a knitters gift from our son the perfect on the go knitting bag!  I love it, it's very very comfortable.  Easy to pull out a sock and work on it wherever.  The bag came from Uncommon Goods.

 This knit happened in January... Purl Sohos no purl scarf, a free pattern on their website.  The rib pattern is outstanding and it was a fun, very meditative knit.  My poor husband was desperate (cold enough) to wear my pink and green Stephen West Smock It shawl one night in San Francisco.  I decided before NYC in January he should have his own scarf.  This was 100% cashmere that I found in my stash.  It was not a very well plied or particularly soft cashemere and I have no idea why I had it, but the color was perfect and he reports it to be warm and comfortable, so that's good.

Becasue I am always dreaming of snow I decided to make a second Cindy Holsclaw Bead Origami snowflake.  This one is reversible with blue on one side and dusty coral on the other.  I'll be wearing them this week in New York City hoping that I get to see snow!

One last make, this one from the kitchen.  My mother was a good cook and every year she made fruit bread with citon and raisins and in her version, red and green dried maraschino cherries (I waited too far past Christmas and they were not to be found.)  I had her recipe and had tried it before, but it literally just has the ingredients and the oven temperature, no directions at all.  But I have a new little helper in my kitchen, a Thermomix and I decided to give it a go.  I had been successful with pita bread and pizza dough, so why not.  Well this is as close to my Mom's as I've ever accomplished, so I'm calling it a success.  Next year I'll get all the right fruit and try again.  The secret ingredient is cardamon seed.  Makes the house smell heavenly and makes me just a bit nostalgic for my New England childhood.

Yesterday I cast on Volition which is a knit along sweater class from Patty Lyon that started in September.  I had too many other things on the agenda to get properly started then, so yesterday I decided to get it cast on.  It's a very interesting construction with lot's of new to me techniques.  There is video support of each technique and construction tips and I've downloaded them all to my  you tube for watching on the plane this week.  

The very exciting thing is that we are traveling to Vogue Knitting live in NYC.   I went to the first one ten years ago!  I'm a tad overwhelmed as I've been watching knitting vlogs and paging through Stephen West's latest shawl book and I am not entirely sure what special thing I want to make next.  I'm trying to sit quietly with the various designs that are calling me so I can make a decision and make one purchase of special  yarn to make one special design.  So far the word that keeps coming up for me is color.  I would like to do something with some bold color work.  I suspect that is a  Stephen West influence, but also the Kristy  Glass interview with the inventor of the Freia gradient.   I've also been thinking about technique and the Fruity Knitting interview with Nancy Marchant and her Brioche lace.  A lot to think about it!  What are you knitting?