What are you knitting/crocheting right now?

[VeganBikeChick]

I've decided that next year all of my Christmas gifts will be handmade (as I say every year!)

I briefly picked up knitting a couple years ago, learned by watching online videos, and was able to knit my nephew a pretty basketweave blanket and some cute mary jane slippers for myself (love the purlbee website!)

I stopped after that and it appears I've completely forgotten. I would love to get into hat and sock making - they seem like an impossible challenge to me. What was the best (easiest) way for you all to learn these?

P.S. Reesha those hats look beautiful!!

[Reesha]

As for hats, my mom gave me a couple skeins of Blizzard... a super super chunky alpaca/acrylic yarn with some size 15 double pointed needles. She taught me to connect the cast on stitches in the round and to decrease (knit 2 together). Hats are much easier than you think once you know how to connect a work in the round and decrease.

I find circular needles easier than double pointeds, but you'll still DP's to finish the hat! Maybe go into a yarn shop and ask for a pattern suggestion for a beginner hat knitter?

[jessmarimba]

I'm always worried about TSA taking the needles. It specifically says they're allowed, but it's at the discretion of the agent I guess.

I made a beautiful seed stitch hat for the BF last year. Beautiful more for the yarn than the knitting, but I didn't mess it up either The hardest part was converting the pattern I was using to keep the seed stitch as I reduced the stitching (pattern didn't keep the stitch pattern as it decreased!). I was flying when I was finishing it and had pages of p's and k's and little arrows I was trying to read and follow on the plane. I'm looking for pictures to upload!

And I have circular needles but have never used double-pointed. The hats I've done, you knit together (or purl) to decrease and then just run the yarn through and cinch, then stitch up the back. I'd like to learn to use them but might have to lock up new kitty first!

[NbyNW]

I've got a few projects going on right now:

1. a pair of fingerless gloves - nice small project for car trips and air travel
   
2. shrug/bolero - my watching TV project
   
3. chunky ribbed hat - knitalong project with DH, who is learning to knit
   
4. pair of socks that I will probably frog because I'm not liking the pattern.
   
5. sock yarn scarf that is taking forever!

I only made one thing for holiday gifts -- I learned the hard way last year that it's generally bad for me to knit on a deadline!

ETA: I've flown a lot this last year with my knitting, and security has never been interested in my needles. And I've had all kinds -- metal circs, bamboo, double points. However, they were not so happy about my bike tool in my carry on, they made me check that in.

[Reesha]

They won't take wooden needles. I take them on often. It also helps that they're usually circular needles (I make scarves on circular ones also).

Oh god, seed stitch makes me crazy. It's not exciting enough to really pull my interest, but not easy enough that I can kind of tune out and knit to a movie or something.

Also, yeah, I was working on a hat with my kitty in my lap and looked down and discovered she had gnawed through the strand of yarn I was working with. Doh!

[jessmarimba]

I thought seed stitch was intricate enough to entertain me without being "too much" for a guy. But oh my gosh was it a pain when I had to take stitches out.

Here's a side shot


And a view of the top that sort of shows the spiral as the pattern decreases


I know I have some of that yarn leftover, too, that would make a great headband or something for me (how matchy-matchy).

[Brandi]

I did 7 scarves and am finishing up my 8th. The 8th one is a ruffle one the rest were made with yarn my friend sheered, spun and dyed with natural dye's from veggie's and such on her farm. These are my gifts to very special people this year including myself!

[jessmarimba]

So my sister just gave me a hank of beautiful violet pima cotton. Need to find something to do with that, too. Scarf? Hat? Something hippie-ish, to match the theme of my Christmas presents. Time to play