Basketweave Celebration Dance

Basketweave is done. DONE!!! It is such a great feeling to have this monumental project completed. I am so happy with the way it all turned out. The zipper installation freaked me out but looks perfect. Charlene at my LYS suggested using invisible thread, and that made a huge difference. I was able to concentrate on getting it straight without worrying where the stitches were going. I am a terrible hand sewer but it didn't matter since my crooked stitches were invisible!

In the end, I knitted a facing to line the interior of the zipper. I wasn't happy with the contrast between the sweater color and zipper fabric color, and since Rob will not likely zip this thing all the way (althought he can! the zipper works! it's not just for looks!), that interior zipper will always be showing. So here's a shot of that (click for a larger view):


And here's a shot of Rob heading off to work in his new sweater (I stayed up til 2AM to finish it so he could wear it for casual day):


I felt such a thrill to see him wearing this sweater. He looks so fantastic in it! He is so impressed with my work and loves it. He told me he felt very loved when he wore it, which is exactly how I wanted him to feel. Merry Christmas, Rob!

Another FO

Long after the funeral, for which this sweater was intended to be worn, I've attached the buttons. My own design, I think it turned out pretty well. I would make it again for a girl, as the collar is a bit wide and seems a bit feminine to me, even in these boyish colors. Someday I will write up the pattern! It took only a few days (of frantic car-knitting) to knit because I used two strands of yarn held together. Here's the back (click any photo for a larger one):



Side:


And front:


The sweater is knit from Lana Gatto Labrador, and if anyone remembers, that's the yarn I got at the Super Bowl sale and planned to use for myself. Like most things around here, it went to Marty. Cute though, eh?

Cute for a Granny

I was so excited to make these littles cuties, after seeing them discussed in a knitting forum, that I ran to Joann's to buy some yarn:



They are egg covers for plastic or Cadbury eggs. I used Paton's Divine to make the bunny soft and fluffy, but used something much less expensive for the chick - not sure what it was, but I'm sure it's acrylic. The eyes, pompoms, and pipe cleaners were super cheap. I was planning to make a whole family of them, but lost heart a bit when my mom saw them and remarked that they were a bit old-ladyish. Are they? I still think they are cute, but don't giggle quite as much every time I pass by them.

Instead of making more egg covers or finishing one of my pairs of something (did I mention I also have one slipper that I made about 5 months ago?), I cast on the Dale cardigan. I loved doing the colorwork chart from the Norwegian mitten workshop, and felt much less intimidated by this cardigan. I'm a bit concerned that it is puckering too muhc, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can pull the stitches into place and that blocking will solve all. I've gotten through all the grey and a bit of the khaki - about 6 inches so far:

SES - Second Everything Syndrome

Here are my most recent cast-offs:

One clog, not yet felted:


One mitten:


I learned how to make this Norwegian mitten at an all-day knitting workshop, led by Beth Brown-Reinsel (author of Knitting Ganseys). It was a wonderful workshop and I learned a ton. It was also the first time I had been gone from Marty all day - from before he woke up in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. Rob took great care of him, even if he did give him cinnamon toast. He even got him down for a nap!

Back to the mitten: look at the palm!


The thumb shaping is a bit off, so I will be re-working it. And here's a shot of the back of the thumb, which I love:


Now with one clog and one mitten, you'd think I'd be working on the second of one of those pairs, right? Not me! I cast on a ribbed sock with my lovely Koigu, and couldn't be happier! I'm using my new 5" DPNs from doublepointed.com and am thrilled with the way the shorter needles stay out of my way. I'm also thrilled with the color selection of this Koigu:


So here I am with one of everything, and nothing to wear!

Sheep in the news...

This poor guy,

evaded his shephards for 4 years. Finally captured, he has 60 pounds of merino on him! Click here for the full news story.

10 Signs you are an over-ambitious knitter

1. You plan to knit a toddler sweater for a funeral scheduled for the next day and pack clothes to match
2. You pack 2 additional projects and extra yarn
3. You bring all your knitting needles, just in case
4. You modify the pattern for said toddler sweater in order to complete it in time for the funeral
5. You get home from the trip and unpack 2 untouched projects, extra yarn, unopened needles, and the book you never opened
6. You get home from the trip and finish the sweater that was to be worn earlier that day
7. Your son is the only child not in cold-weather gear, because his sweater isn't finished yet
8. Things like sleep, eating, and bathing become real nuisances that interfere with your ability to dress your child in weather-appropriate attire
9. You really start to think that a toddler would like to wear a vest instead

and the 10th sign you're an over-ambitious knitter...
You wish the drive to Chicago were longer so that you can finish your projects!

Honest, I have been knitting

I have been working diligently to complete two rather large projects. Rob's basketweave sweater is knitted and seamed, and just needs a zipper and blocking (Hooray!). I also made "My Constant Companion" from Knitter's Stash. This is a very large bag to knit; once felted, it is still quite large and will easily hold all my WIPs and more. My cat is really anxious to sleep in this bag, so I may be knitting something for her out of the leftover yarn from this project. I used Reynold's Lopi, which felted beautifully. My favorite part of the whole project was the i-cord bind-off, which I did 3 times to get the contrasting color trim.


I also recently made this for a friend. While it is not knit, it is for knitting needles:


I even learned how to use the button-hole attachment on my sewing machine to make the matching pouch: