Last FO of 2010

Happy New Year to everyone out there in the blogosphere! I hope that 2011 will be great year for you all.

This is my last finished object for 2010. It is a cardigan-stole, more or less. It wears like a stole in the back, but the front feels like a long slouchy cardi. The yarn is Shepherd's Wool from Stonehenge Fiber Mill. I think this yarn is probably one of my favorite worsted weight wool yarns. It's really soft against the skin, comfy to knit with, and reasonably priced. The pattern is self-designed. I wanted to make something like this after finishing the textured cardi, which also wears like a stole on the back. I wanted something shorter and without the inverted V back.

This garment doesn't look that interesting from the back when photographed, but up close and personal, the texture stitching is sort of nice. The color in this back photo is much closer to the actual teal color.

WIP

Looking at the above photo, you're probably wondering what it's going to become when finished. It's probably best described as a stole with armholes. I sort of like stoles because they provide a nice covering for the back without being too warm. However, I don't like having to hang on to them to keep them in place, so I find them a bit impractical. The textured cardi feels a lot like a stole when worn, but it's a bit too long, and I wanted to make something without the inverted V in the back.
So, I created by own pattern for this stole with armholes. I made a "muslin" of my pattern using some inexpensive knit fabric in order to get the pattern right. Here's what it will look like when done, more or less. There's going to be a 2x2 ribbing added at the bottom edge.

Sort of ugly but really functional

I picked these up at a thrift shop recently for 25 cents each. I don't really like their looks that much but they are the best thing ever for keeping slippery garments like knit jersey dresses from slipping off the hanger.
These were crocheted over basic wooden hangers, and I should just make a few myself because I think I would find them more attractive if I just chose a different color scheme.

Fall color

We don't get much in the way of fall colors in the SF bay area. However, our one Japanese maple tree will do its thing once a year. I'm not sure if it's my imagination or what, but it seems a bit late this year.