Things have been pretty hectic the last month or so . . . plenty of not-so-good stuff, but there have been bright spots.
Since my last knitting project update, there has been some (albeit limited) progress:
I have to knit about 6 rows on the button band and embroider in the black hooves and noses on the sheep. However, I haven’t touched this sweater in about a month and the baby will be here in just a few weeks. Finishing is a goal for this weekend.
When last I wrote, I thought I’d figured out a workable gauge (cuff on 2.5 mm, body of mitten on 2.25) but . . . since then I’ve knit almost to the tip of one mitten, only to realize that it is still way too short (like 2 inches too short). The pattern doesn’t let me repeat it without some funky fiddling, which I don’t really care to do, so the mittens are “resting” at the moment. Since I have so much yarn, I’m considering ripping and re-knitting with the yarn doubled. I WILL CONQUOR THESE MITTENS!!!
– Baby Booties:
So the whole idea of making up my own pattern has sort of fallen by the wayside in favor of all the projects I keep accumulating. I did manage to do an eyelet variation on Saartje’s Booties: instead of the straps, I worked a row of yo, k2tog and yo, ssk, then just threaded a ribbon through the booties. Fast and dirty (took me under two hours to do both) but they sure did turn out well I think:
– Ice Queen:
Somehow I managed to finish, block and gift, all without getting a photo. I loved the project though — a quick, easy smoke ring with a single ball of yarn. The beading was really fun too, and came out beautifully. I would absolutely knit this pattern again.
There is other big news too . . . I know, I know, way to bury the lead . . . but finally, after so much trouble, I’ve managed to climb aboard the Monkey Sock bandwagon. Using Knit Picks Essential (soon to be Stroll) I was able to knit a decent pair of socks. Since I started the socks without a foot in mind (long story, I needed an portable, emergency knitting project) I found a foot to fit the socks after they were half-knit:
This particular foot belongs to Miss V, one corner of my four-person knitting circle. I think the socks ended up fitting pretty well:
Now that I’ve knitted socks for one member of the group, I’m going to knit up a pair for the other two ladies. Fun 🙂
Of course, as soon as the first pair of Monkeys were done, I immediately cast on another pair, this one in the Essential Kettle Dyed colorway Eggplant. The socks are a gift for Adorable, whose birthday is today. Here is my progress as of this moment:
I have just one more repeat and the toes to finish — lucky for me, she has tiny little feet.
A truer picture of the beautiful deep purple of the socks:
As you can see, there is a slight color change at the top of the gusset where I changed skeins. I don’t love it, especially since the yarns were both from the same dye lot, but hey, they are handmade socks made from kettle dyed yarn. I am also hoping that the difference will be more subtle when the socks are worn, and that a good washing will help blend the colors a bit.
And what’s next up?
I would like to make some birthing socks to go with the Sheep Baby Sweater — if I start a pair of Monkeys now, can I get them to the mom-to-be before her due date in late July? I think so . . . I hope so . . . I would also like to make a small stuffed animal for the baby, to go with the sweater and socks. It’s a lot of knitting and not a lot of time!
Type-K 