Ishbel, Blocked

Snapped these pics while I blocked the Ishbel scarf, finally.  It's beautiful.  It's a gift for my friend, but I'm 97% sure she's never seen this blog, so I feel safe posting these pics.

Here's a little washcloth made using short rows.  I used Christmas yarn, and every time I spy it in my kitchen now I think it looks like a giant Christmas mint.  Yum.

Teacher Gifts and Other WIPs

I made it into Chart B on the Travel Shawl but now I am feeling burned out.  That thing is getting really big.  I was going to try to knit it on the 24" circular I already had.  I gave up on that.  I bought a 32" from the LYS (all they had in stock was an Addi Turbo - completely fake sadness here).  That was many rounds ago.  Now even the 32" is packed with stitches.  Approximately 460 stitches.  Plus Chart B is awkward to knit.  And honestly I just needed a break from the Travel Shawl.

I made a hat for my friend:

It is the Rustling Leaves Beret from Coastal Knits.  I used Fiddleknits Dye-a-Tonic and I am pleased as punch with how it turned out.  The pale green looks great worked up in wavy leaves on the hat.  Also the yarn blocked up all soft but still defined.  Ravelry details here.  Friend says she loves it!

  

I also started some cross stitching.  I've been making tiny things, because they don't take long, but then I have something cute to show for my labors.  As opposed to a giant gray blob that is still on needles.  Ahem.

I made a tiny sewing machine as a tag for a Christmas present.  Obviously I can't show that one yet.  I am also stitching up little ornaments for the kids' teachers (3 school, 2 church).  At first I wanted to make 5 snowflakes:

But that freaking snowflake took like 4 hours.  You can't even tell but it's a boatload of backstitching.  Plus I foolishly did white on red felt which looks snappy when finished, but when I was stitching white on WHITE waste canvas it was a pain in the neck.  So I was like, forget that.  The remaining four are two reindeer with a heart between.  Takes an hour to pop out one.  I'll take another pic once I have them in actual ornament state.  I have 1.5 left to stitch.