Thursday, July 21, 2005

Bring on the Babies!

Yes, I'm nearing the finish line on the baby stuff I had in the works. Of course, today, I discovered that I lost my little bet that my friends would have one of each in their various pregnancies--the NJ folks had a boy this week, and my local friends found out that theirs is a boy, too. So, the kimono won't be gifted to either of them. It'll keep. :) I'm going to start Trellis for boy #2, due in October. No sweat!

Finished:
Bunny Hat: So very darling. If I ever make another one, I’m making the ears a little bit wider, but darn, this thing’s cute.

Thick & Quick Hat: So, Sunday knitting at Borealis is supposed to be knitting for charity—St. Joseph’s home and Afghans for Afghans, etc. I’d been working on my own stuff on Sundays instead, and it finally got to me. I’m cleaning out my stash of Wool-Ease Thick-N-Quick by making stuff for St. Joe’s—it needs to be machine washable, since the main residents at the place are kids, and, well, y’know how kids and dirt are. I cranked out a cute little baby hat in the two hours I was there.

Several cat toys for Dad: I made a Koigu fish, kitty won-ton and eggroll, and a Wendy catnip mouse to go with some purchased toys and the Wendy cat bed I finished a few weeks ago. They hit the post this week!

Requiring Finishing: The next exciting challenge will be: setting in and seaming up the sleeves.

Devan: Button band complete. I admit to blaspheming a little bit while attempting to pick up all 242 stitches on size 1s . . . and Rowan arrived on Tuesday! (The baby’s name, not the yarn company.) Time to get those sleeves in!

Baby Kimono: Shoulders seamed, neckband picked up and complete, one tie picked up and started. I cursed over that neckband, too.

On the Needles:
Second Sock: I knit some rows on the cuff while in the KFAI studio, sitting in on an interview with Steven Greenberg, the writer and producer behind Lipps, Inc. (a.k.a. Mr. Funkytown.) Pretty cool!

Fluffy Cuff Mittens: I cast on the fluff for mitten #2, but not much more.

Party-Time Apron: Back from the dead! Now without a fluffy hem, because it annoyed me and obscured my stitches, and didn’t seem like it would wear well. It’s 13 rows big right now, but it’s BACK, baby!

In the hoop: (with the dust blown off)
Merry Cox Sailor's Huswif: No change.
Joe and Sally Snow: No change.
Wedding Snowflake Hardanger: I found one corner of the inside border. Woo! Go me.
Floral afghan: Shelved for the summer until it gets cool again.


Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: Stiff, by Mary Roach. I love icky, nasty books about dead things and true crime. This one isn’t disappointing me. And, of course, I took a little break from it to plow through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Really, how could I resist?
Listening to: The cat yodel out in the hall.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Finishing School

Okay, I did this on a conference call while I was wishing I was knitting--no nice backstory for you--just the goods.

Finished:
Tank Girl Tank: Finished! I’ve even worn it once—it turned out nicely. It’s warm when it’s super-hot out, though.

Wendy’s Felted Cat Bed: Felted and blocked over my Tupperware knock-off cake taker. Ready for giving!

Dishcloth: Cheesy. Easy. Will make a great Christmas gift! The pretty variegated cotton at Michaels got the best of me. But I know for a fact that my grandmas love ‘em.

Requiring Finishing:
Bunny Hat: Cuteness pending! I sewed up one ear the other night.

Devan: Shoulders bound off, pieces blocked. Assembly continues . . .

Baby Kimono: All pieces finished and ready for assembly.

On the Needles:
Second Sock: Ribbing the cuff, cuff, cuff, ribbing the cuff. . . . (is it bad that I think of this Two Lumps song as I knit along happily?)

Fluffy Cuff Mittens: Yeah, it’s July. I decided to knit mittens. I’ve been wanting these mittens since I picked up Stitch ‘n Bitch originally—but the GGH Esprit fluffy cuff yarn proved too difficult for me to join and knit with my limited experience one year ago. This past weekend however, I just sucked it up and plowed through it. One mitten done! I should have enough cuff fluff left over to make a pair for charity with some stash oddballs.

Several cat toys for Dad: To go with the felted cat bed up there for a super-nifty birthday present.

In the hoop: (with the dust blown off)
Merry Cox Sailor's Huswif: No change.
Joe and Sally Snow: No change.
Wedding Snowflake Hardanger: No change.
Floral afghan: No change.

Obligatory Cultural References
Reading: Finished Assassination Vacation. Have officially given up on Under the Volcano, and am seriously considering giving away the book. Re-read Wicked, which is our next book club selection, which I enjoyed the first time AND this time. Gregory Maguire’s written a sequel, too—due in October. Should be fun! Started Stiff last night as a nice, gory break from fiction.

Listening to: Office noise.