My knitting adventures for 2025:

1) I made a pair of flip-top mittens out of yummy Malabrigo Rios yarn. The thumbs took forever to figure out (I think I redid them 10 times between the thumb gusset and the thumb flap issues). I adore the cables. Pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gabriella-7

2) Frog & Strawb hat that was a kit from the Rose City yarn crawl a couple of years ago – my first attempts at colorwork! I’m attempting to make a matching pair of mittens right now, but I have to do some maths to convert it. Yarn is Penelope, a wool and silk blend, which is super soft and squishy. Pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frog–strawb-hat

3) Lace top. This took up the majority of my summer. It’s a unique construction where you start under the bust, knit down, and then pick up for the bust and knit up for the arms and neckline. I made an “design flaw” where I twisted my yarn overs, thereby making the lace much more tightly woven, which means I don’t have to wear an undershirt, and it worked perfectly. I also added a lace panel at the neck because it was a little too revealing. The neckline is a little wider than what I like, but I enjoyed the pattern enough that I’m tempted to make another one. Yarn is Queensland Coastal Cotton Fine. Pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/…/kari-blondetopp—kari-lace-top

4) I used my left over skein of the Queensland and made dish clothes when I was in Montreal and Ottawa for a medical conference – great way to pass the time. Pattern is available on the wayback machine and is not worth the $5 on ravelry, since she didn’t create the pattern (it was a pattern from her mother-in-law’s neighbor).

5) I had just a little left to make a Palpitations heart. It was such a fun and simple project that i want to make a whole collection from my yarn scraps. Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/palpitation