I made this pattern in pink for Christy when she was about six or seven and it was always one of my favourites.

But this poncho didn’t start out as a poncho. I had two skeins of yarn that I bought somewhere without having any particular pattern in mind. When I decided to use it my first thought was that it would make a nice shawl. So I started my standard triangular shawl; I wasn’t very far along when I decided I could come up with a better pattern so took it all apart

I went looking through my patterns and came up with a variation on a shawl – it was called a shawl poncho. It was a free pattern that I’d picked up somewhere and in the photo the shawl went over your head but it was only about shoulder length. So I started knitting but when I was finished I didn’t really like it. Since I give most of my knitting away I wasn’t sure anyone would “get” the idea of it without the photo.

That’s when I remembered the poncho that I had made for Christy. I found the pattern and started crocheting (ripping out the shawl/poncho as I went along). Because I wasn’t sure how much yarn I was going to need I made the poncho in the smallest size but when it was done I still had half a ball of yarn left.

So I moved on to making the next largest size (ripping out this second poncho as I went along). I was within a few rows of finishing the larger size when I ran out of yarn. What to do? I decided I’d tried and failed enough times already that I wasn’t starting over again. So I stopped just short of the larger size but it is a bit longer than the smaller size and I didn’t do the fringe on the bottom. I don’t often donate kids things other than hats and scarves but I think this will work in the Salvation Army Christmas baskets.

I haven’t posted my latest knitting projects so I’ll do them all at once now.

This shawl, using my go-to triangular shawl pattern, used up the last of my textured yarn. There wasn’t enough of any one colour to do anything with but I think they go together well enough in this pattern.

I purchased a couple of balls of this yarn in different colours – the label assured me that one ball would make a shawl. I didn’t particularly like the pattern they gave me but I went ahead with it anyway. It is very fine and took a long time to knit up. About half-way through I decided I would send it to Caye as she had a birthday in June. Sadly we lost Caye before I was finished knitting her gift. I’m sure this will end up as a donation but I’ll make sure it goes to someone I know. I’ll use the second ball for a baby blanket.

I found some Phentex yarn in the bottom of the bin I’ve been knitting out of. Does that sound weird? I’m not actually in the bin! I tried to make some slippers but it isn’t the “old” plastic phentex but more of a softer (but not very soft) yarn. When the slippers didn’t work I made this hat and used the remainder of the yarn in a couple of scrap afghans I’m making.

I know this 100% cotton yarn came with me from Yellowknife. At that time dishcloths weren’t the “thing” they are now and I have no clue what it was originally intended for. With six skeins of it that would be a lot of dishcloths so I went to my shawl pattern once more. The texture and colours were enough of a pattern that it was easy to do it in straight garter stitch. Unlike some of the other shawls I put the edging along all three sides.

This will be a donation.

I’m still using up some of my “old” yarn. The scarf was made from yarn I found in a bin in our closet that probably came from the thrift shop. It had some fluff but no texture so I used a seed stitch in the pattern.

The hats were made from a single skein I purchased not long ago from a yarn shop in Courtenay or Comox – they both have lovely shops. The pattern I purchased for the yarn was a baby sweater but I really don’t do sweaters anymore so used it up this way. Two of the hats are the same pattern but knit on two different sizes of needles. The third one is a smaller size; I ran out of yarn the first time I knit on it so I had to take it out and start over.

All of this will be donated to the Salvation Army.