Catching Up

What have I been doing?

Let's see. And hopefully I will be able to add photos, so you WILL see.

1. I finally finished that bamboo sweater. It's short-sleeved, with lace sleeves.

It fits.

It's beautiful.

I'm keeping it.

No photo yet, but it's coming.

2. My friend, who has 6 girls, is having a boy in November. She asked me to make him a little sweater out of brown Merino, so I did. It took me less than 2 days. It's the style she wanted, but it isn't what I would have chosen for my baby. Here it is:

3. I made ties for the men in my life. Here's my son's:

4. During our trip to Ireland, Wales and England, I made wrist warmers for Daughters #1 and #2. Here are Daughter #1's:

5. I discovered Teeny, Tiny Mochimochi. These are the tiniest things you could possibly imagine. Just for an example, here's the first little gnome I made. He has his own little computer to book a flight on, and a tiny little airplane to fly on (although he has to ride on top).

6. In July, I got the ladies from our ward Relief Society to make 2 twin-sized quilts for donation to Primary Children's Hospital here in the city. One was made of pastel colors and wasn't (to my mind) very interesting. The other was made of bold colors. I really liked that one, and had a difficult time parting with it. I had to put it in a bag so I couldn't see it before I could give it away.

Immediately after that, I got called to be the President of the aforesaid Relief Society. Whoda thunkit?

Now it is October, so Christmas is preying on my mind. I have two projects in mind.

A. A shrug for a daughter in bulky, washable yarn. No buttons! It should knit up quickly.
B. A short scarf that buttons around the neck for another daughter, also in bulky, washable yarn. It should knit up quickly, also.
The yarn for both of these projects is on the way. Until then, I'll make more mochimochi!

Oh. And finish the Christmas stocking for my son-in-law. It's 8/10 finished! Seriously! The stocking is my work project, the mochimochi are my traveling project, and the shrug and scarf are my at home projects.

Then, after Christmas I will get the yarn and cast on for my Celtic Cable sweater.

So I have been busy. Too busy to post to the blog. I hope to correct that in future.

Third Time's Charm

Once upon a time, this yarn was in skeins. It's a bamboo blend that I got at a local fabric store years ago. Over the course of a YEAR, I knit it into a rather shapeless sweater, which had so many problems with it (caused by me) and was so frustrating to look at as a result, that I frogged it and it sat around like this for 2 more years.

Since it was bamboo, I decided I would try again, but this time make a short-sleeved summer sweater. So, the yarn took a bath and hung lightly weighted over the bathtub for 24 hours, and then it looked like this:

I took it to my local yarn store, Black Sheep Wool, and used their skein winder to wind it into usable skeins. So far I have the back and most of the front finished. The sleeves, as I said, are short, and have a lace pattern on them, which I am really excited to get to but . . . Murphy's Law. . . they are the last thing to be made.

This is my Home Project because it's rather bulky to carry around.

The tie, mentioned previously, is my Traveling Project because it is small and can fit into my bag.

I'll keep you updated on both.

It's Alive!

After 11 months, I finished the Handsome Husband sweater! And he's worn it multiple times! I should have posted about it sooner, but life (and death) got in the way and I forgot.



Also, Not-So-Small Son was taken with the idea of a knitted tie. I found a pattern, and a color he liked (yellow, of course), and literally whipped it out. I had some trouble lining it because the instructions are overly fussy and came to naught, but eventually it got done. He wore it on Sunday but I was . . . out of commission. As soon as I catch him in it again, I'll get a pic posted.

Then, Handsome Husband liked the tie and wanted one for himself, in a different color of course. I'm in the middle of that. It's miles of tiny rows and lots of turns, so rather monotonous.

I also made some beautiful fingerless gloves with a lace inset on the back, in black to match my band sweater. Pics also to be posted soon . . . probably after Memorial Day, as my time is not my own this weekend. I usually spend it wandering through cemeteries and piping for the living--and the dead. I have another skein of French Provincial Blue for another pair of these gloves, and Oldest Daughter wants a pair in Burgundy . . . Luckily, they're quickly made.

After Memorial Day weekend.