More hats

Hats are about all I can manage these days. There's the blue mohair-y one, the shocking coral pink bulky one, the little Red Heart variegated one. This is the first winter in several years I have not made mittens. I wore the Jo Sharp sage green scarf and was very warm.

Did I mention the crocuses started popping up on Sunday? It was the Ides of March, too. Today there are five. The daffodils are budded and making the neighbors envious. Kira and Edward want to learn to ride two wheelers. At last, there is no snow for St. Patrick's Day.

So I want to make Soleil, or some other cotton-yarn affair. Maybe I should retrench and make the eyelet cardigan Bonne Marie Burns designed. Was it called Soap Opera Star?

Still more baby-knitting

Knitting, knitting, knitting. Not enough knitting, as my life as I know it is rapidly consuming my knitting time! Still knitting for the baby who is nearly five months old and who is a delightful little pumpkin. Fortunately baby blankets are not as easily outgrown. This one is the Diagonal baby blanket, bias with a yarnover edge. Soothing to knit in Homespun, very practical but soft and cuddly. Doesn't seem to shed, although it fluffs up. Knit in "Montana Sky" it seemed to be a wonderful heathered royal blue with tones of azure and violet. Delightfully and unexpectedly, it striped! about 3 inches wide striping, subtle and lovely like the "Regency" green one made first. The second, "Baroque" was a blue chosen for its "airplane" shade but I was disappointed when it remained an even variegation without the stripes. Guess I should get some pix up. Each blanket takes at least 4 skeins and is large enough for a small afghan, taking the children through naps up to school size. No skimpy little stroller covers, these.

Also WIP is a Soulful Knitting Ministries prayer shawl to comfort abused women. Pretty, easy to do. The second Horcrux sock in Patons Classic Wool Palais Royale is languishing on the needles. A skein of Trekking is afraid to be spoilt by my beginner attempts. Somewhere in the stash (behind closet door #1, #2, or #3?) is some medium blue Patons Kroy, unafraid to be a sock, but hiding all the same.

I made it back to the newest knitting group. A wider variety of talents and learners, a wider variety of personalities. The word "character" comes to mind and not in a particularly flattering context. Mostly we are a kind and thoughtful bunch. Now it is time for sleep. 'Night, all.

A local source of handspun...

I was at a knitting class yesterday, where another woman "of a certain age" - oh wait, that would be my age too - and her 9 year old daughter were learning to knit. Knit, purl, rib. Having difficulty casting on. The woman said that she was learning to knit because although she could already crochet, she could knit but not crochet at work. Where do you work? said I, curiosity piqued. Well, she works at a local historical site which represents Federal and colonial life -eighteenth century - and there is no evidence of crochet in the US before 1800. So she is allowed to knit, but not crochet, since it is not historically accurate. I was quite envious, too, when she mentioned that they are always spinning yarn, but nothing is ever done with the product - she would have pounds of material to work with. They even dye these wool yarns!

Caps

A bunch of baby hats I made to send to Westport and thence to be carried to Washington to demonstrate the knitting community's support of initiatives to save newborns in underserved countries. I like knitting the caps and I like the idea of keeping babies warm. I am less certain they will carry much weight on Capitol Hill.

Hello, Mr. Sock

Voila, my first sock! The basic sock from Lion Brand magic stripes, it comes out fairly attractive, more comfortable than I would have thought, even though I grafted the toe in the wrong direction. Go figure. But it is lonely waiting for its mate to be made. I want to pick out the toe and re-graft it properly.

It is unshaped, and made with a heel flap. But the wool stretches to fit nicely and is warm and pleasant to wear. I made it on size 2 Clover bamboo dpns. Clumsy. I cast on the second sock using two circulars, but the rhythm isn't as good as with dpns. Some day....

Huzzah!

Looks familiar, but this time, speedier!

Went to a baby shower. More a friendly acquaintance than a friend, I decided to knit a sweater at the last minute. Pulled out my friend the 5 hour baby sweater pattern with zeal and determination: can it take anywhere close to 5 hours to complete? I found baby blue Red Heart in a box downstairs. Soft acrylic yarn, soft and smooth, with a little sheen and not at all squeaky. I must say, there were sections that were fuzzy and irregular, but the yarn held together without splitting much. I think I like Caron's Simply Soft better. That was the pink sweater. Decided to avoid having to think about buttonholes (to say nothing of the sewing on of buttons) to save time - got to follow the pattern as written. I wasn't sure if it was too girly, in spite of the baby blue, lighter than it photographed. I took two rows of trim off the bottom. Knitting the sleeves flat and seaming them is neater and easier - the underarm seams look better, too.

I sat with my friend Sharon for two hours and completed the yoke. I then stayed up till 2 AM and finished both sleeves and most of the bottom. We're up to 6 hours here. Sleepy and my fingers unwilling to continue, I went to sleep. This morning, I completed the garter stitch hem and sewed up the sleeves and wove in the ends. Okay! Only 7 hours, not so shabby.

I wrapped it in tissue paper, added a card and left for the baby shower, much pleased with myself. It was duly received with much more acclaim than its quick and dirty origins deserved. The only handmade item at the shower, oohs and aahs aplenty. A handy thing to have, this 5 hour baby sweater.

In the dumps

Emerging from under a rock, Sisyphus and the boulder. Dazed and confused, blinking a bit at the light. Today I feel nearly ordinary. Where have I been? Lost and afraid. Knitting mechanically, the only normal in this day.

The mittens turned out very pretty, even if I frogged them three times trying to get the length right. They are still too long in the fingers, but I like them.

Back from Camp

Spent a week in Maine on Lake Sebago, where blissfully knitted away on the Spiritual Knitting Ministries Prayer Shawl. Finished it too, with its myriad colors and fluttering tail ends which thankfully are not woven in, but just pushed to one side (the "wrong" side). Then I sent it off to Sydney but not before taking a picture of it :-(

So we started another one. :-)

Abigail has a baby sister, Amelie, and thus another sweater to make! Meanwhile I'm also working on Caps to the Capital http://www.savethechildren.org/capstothecapital/index.asp in support of keeping babies in third world countries alive all for want of a hat? We made a pretty little one and gave it to Amelie. I have three or four others to send to Save the Children.

Whilst at Camp, I met a wonderful woman who is not knitting, but she is crocheting love and prayers into afghans for children with cancer. She is now blogging too at www.crochetinghearts.blogspot.com. She has made over 125 afghans herself and is still going strong. If you can help, send an email her way at rsebud@sbcglobal.net.

Hugs,
Nutrageous!