Thwarted by weather

I was all ready to come home and post Tuesday - and we had no power all night. Thanks to the measly rain that fell earlier that day. I was a wee bit pissed. And last night we had to go out to dinner on Hubby's demand, so I was exhausted when we got home - no post.

Finally - a FO I'm really really proud of, and that took way too long to finish.

Pattern: Icarus from Interweave Knits and Best of Interweave by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Sky Blue (I think)- 2 skeins
Needles: Sz 3 Clover circulars and Addi Lace
Dates: December 2006-May 2008
Mods: none
Thoughts: The needles made all the difference on this knit. I started it on the Clovers, as that's what I had, and the tiny yarn caught every time on the join. I probably spent more time moving stitches than knitting. But the purchase of the Addi Lace needles last summer considerably sped up the knitting process, and I would have been finished much sooner if not for other obligations (Christmas knitting, I'm looking at you) and the somewhat monotony of the first chart (Gah - I was sick of it by the last repeat!). But the edging is beautiful and I really enjoyed the last bit. At least I learned my lesson - I need more pattern in a shawl to keep my interest.


I did get to use my blocking wires (that I received Christmas 2006) for the first time, and I'm not sure I used them correctly, but they worked great for the top edge, and I pinned out each point individually. This ended up so bit it almost didn't fit on my blocking surface (The Girl's bed).

Overall, I"m really really pleased with it. It is lovely and soft and now, if I only had a place to wear it (or anything that fit to wear it with!)

I've got tons of other UFOs, but I've been bitten by the baby knits bug bad, and they will most likely remain UFOs for the forseeable future. More FOs soon!

I can still finish things!

Proof that I don't only start projects, and that I am still knitting, contrary to what the contents of the recent blog entries would have you believe - finished knits!!

Some of these have been finished for a bit, but they were gifts, so they had to wait to have their turn in the spotlight.


Pattern: Reverse-Bloom Washcloth from Weekend Knitting
Yarn: Baby Bee Pitter Patter (Hobby Lobby brand) - barely a skotch of it
Needles: Sz 6 Circular and DPNs
Dates: Um, early May until early May?
For: Mom
Mods: none
Thoughts - goes surprisingly quickly, especially after you get into the rhythm of the petals. That said, I chose not to make another for my MIL for her gift. But I do need to use up the TONS of this yarn I have (OK, I think I only have five skeins, but since this project didn't even put a dent in one skein, I'll be knitting lots of washcloths).



Pattern: Feather and Fan Bonnet from Larissa at stitch marker
Yarn: Cantina cotton, 1/2 ball
Needles: Sz 6 Circular
Dates: sometime in April -May
For: two summer babies
Mods: none
Thoughts: I like this so much I made it twice! We have two friends having baby girls this summer, and I didn't want to suffocate them with wool gifts. I remembered I had this odd-ball of yarn in the stash (purchased a few years ago to get me up to Little Knits $25 minimum purchase). Cotton is good for those summer babies, and I thought the colors would look summery as well. Delightfully, I had enough yarn to make 2 bonnets, and bust a ball of the stash! Woo Hoo!



Pattern: Cherry-O! from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton
Needles: Sz 7 Addi Turbo
Dates: April-May
For: Shop sample
Mods: none
Thoughts: When I make this again (and I probably will, as the baby will need one), I'll go down a needle size for the cheeries, as you can see the stuffing coming through. I also really didn't like the cotton/addi combination - it hurt my hands and this took longer than it should have as a result.


I've got one TWO! more FO(s) up my sleeve, but they deserve their own posts. I'm hoping to get a lot of knitting done on our extra day off Monday. 10 more days of school! Now if my principal would just make up her mind about whether I'm teaching summer school or not (kind of crunch time here!) and what grade I'm teaching next year, that'd be great.

Baby knits

My sister asked the other day if I had started knitting for the baby - I have, even though you haven't seen them yet. Here goes:


Sweet Baby Cap in HIll Country Yarns Sweet Feet


Baby Bolero from One Skein in Manos Cotton Stira


Ribbons Baby Blanket in Sublime Organic Coton


Baby Surprise Jacket in Mirasol Hacho


February Baby Sweater in Mirasol Sulka (I think)

I'm starting to think that she's going to be naked if I don't get moving. Luckily, only 3 more weeks of school left, so hopefully I can get some more stuff knit up.

Again, apologies for my bloggy absence - it's been tough as I seem to be thwarted by the camera - it is either dead or only takes blurry pictures, but I do have some FOs to share - hopefully soon!

Thanks for hanging in there!

Sex?

Break out the pink yarn - she's a girl!