FO's and an OWL

Hello!

Life
Every morning when I get up, usually around 6:00, I take a photo of Lake Samammish and the Cascade Mountains from our back deck.  Well, now that we are headed into winter, and the sun is rising so much later, I usually wait until 7 to take the first photos.  As we approach the solstice, on December 21, I will have to take that first shot later and later.  I grew up in Southern California, and I know the days were shorter in the winter, but not like this.  The sun will rise here at about 8 am and set by 4:30 pm in the end of December.

Anyway, I just love our view, and am compelled to try to capture it.  Lately, with all the foggy mornings, the shots just look like trees against a gray background.  If I wait until 10 am and take more photos, I can usually get one like this:

You can see the lake and the eastern shore and hills, but the Cascade Mountains are still hidden.  Sometimes, by early afternoon, the mountains begin to appear.

My favorites are the mornings with some cloud cover but no fog.  On these days, because the sun rises so late, we get the most spectacular sunrises.  You don't have to get up early for them, either.

Enough about my lake.  Just a warning, though.  As I am obsessed with photographing it, expect to see photos here as headers and footers, often.

Knitting
I am working furiously on the last of my classes for the HPKCHC (Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup) and simultaneously finishing up some things people have asked me to knit for them.

The first is a Green Bay Packers Hat.

My youngest sister called me about a month ago and said, "Is it too late to get in some orders for knitted Christmas Gifts?"

Hmmm.... Well, I supposed not, though I always have about a million projects I want to make.

So she asked for a scarf and a hat.

I can crochet a scarf, but not knit one.  I was remembering the Dr. Who Scarf that I made for my gaming friend, Aelfric:

She agreed that a crocheted scarf was ok (what does she know?).  Then she said... the stuff was not for her OR HER KIDS, but for:
her boyfriend's sister and the sister's husband.
So I crocheted a scarf for my Sister's Boyfriend's Sister,

And knit a hat for my Sister's Boyfriend's Sister's Husband.  Talk about 4 degrees of separation!  Here is the hat modeled by my favorite model, my son, Pookie.

It's made in Cascade 220 in Goldenrod, White, and Christmas Green.

It is long enough to easily cover the ears, with a bit of a slouch, or be folded up and still fit tightly against the head if the wearer wishes.

In this case, the wearer will be my sister's boyfriend's sister's husband.

This hat will fulfill the prompt for the Muggle Studies class.  We are studying Muggle games, such as football, soccer, board games, and video games.  The prompt is to make something inspired by a Muggle game, and something made in the colors of a muggle team will work.  The sister's boyfriend's sister's husband is a Green Bay Packers Fan.  Enough said.

The second project I have finished is my own design.  This is for the Defense against the Dark Arts (DADA) class.  The first choice from that class's assignment this month is to create your own original design.  I still have to write up the pattern for this, and that will be my first official pattern.

I made a ribbed mobius headband.

My daughter, Moogie, is growing out her bangs, and she tells me that they are at an unfortunate and awkward length right now, and some knitted headbands would be nice.

I used Cat Bordhi's Mobius Cast On (Video on YouTube). And then went on from there.  The yarn is Madelinetosh, Tosh DK, in Grey Garden, that I bought at my LYS, Serial Knitters.

I like this headband so much, it is cute and a quick knit, that I think I will make another one for my niece, S, who lives in Texas, for her birthday.

I am waiting for a photo from Moogie, or I will take one of her modeling the headband over Thanksgiving.  Until then, you get the bowl model.

I am still working on my last pair of socks for my History of Magic OWL.  These are the Snape's Stockings by Erica Lueder in Patons Kroy Socks in Gentry Grey.

I am making these for my husband, Doc.
I made him his first pair of handknit socks last November, the Movember Mystery Socks by Deb Barnhill.

I made his second pair last March, the Menehune Cobblestone pattern by Adrienne Fong.

He has truly proved sock-worthy as he wears both pairs of socks all the time, and frequently tells me how much he likes them.  The only problem is that I made the first pair with 9 inch legs.  Yes, 9 inches.  Doc does not have giant feet, unlike our 3 sons.  But still, they are man feet.  With 9 inch legs.  When I made the Cobblestone socks, I asked if he would perhaps like them a bit shorter in the leg.  "Nope,"  he replied happily.  "The first socks are perfect."  Ugh!  So now I am stuck making all of his socks... with 9 inch legs. 

I have 8 inches so far on the Snape's Stockings.

I really like how elegant yet manly the textured pattern looks in this gray.

One more half repeat to go, then I can start on the heels.  I am sure I can finish this project on time and score some serious points for my house, Gryffindor.

I will be so proud to have finished an OWL in my first term in the game.

Go Lions!

Stay safe and well.
Yours,

f1bercat
shaping the planet with hats, headbands and a half-finished OWL.