Baby Love

Here's to a great Valentines Day for all! I finished some baby booties and hat for one of my coworkers. I kinda feel bad, like I've cursed the baby to be late (she's over due by a week or so) by not getting these knit faster. Here's a super close up psychedelic shot. And then the far back shot as well (so you can actually tell what this is).

The Specs: Morehouse Original Kit "Baby Hat and Booties." The kit was purchases at MS&WF last year (I think I cleaned out their booth, I bought so many of their kits) for around $15.00.

It took around five hours to finish the booties and the hat. I changed the pattern of the hat a wee bit (crown shaping and i-cord top) and used i-cord for bootee ties rather than a braid or crochet chain. Over all, a super-simple and pleasant pattern and yarn to work with. The only thing I didn't like was the number of twigs I had to pick out of the yarn (It really was just shorn off the sheep at the farm).

When at first...

I've got gauge! Here's sock #1. Just one more to go. This took much longer than I thought it would (Do you think it really makes such a huge difference in knitting time to go down to size zero needles, or is it all in my head?). I caught up on all my podcast listening for the week and listened to Plum Lovin' on Audible (I'm a book on tape fiend and audible makes it affordable and easy). The Yarn is Yarn Pirate Hydrangea in a Merino/Tencil blend. She's switched yarn bases since I bought this, and I'd like to try the new stuff. I'll have all the details on the whole shebang, when I finish the second sock.

Six Inches!!?!

I'm knitting a really cool pattern (It's the Ann Budd's Baby Sock) out of really great yarn (Yarn Pirate). All should be right in my world. It's not.

This should be much smaller than 6 inches wide.

Much, much smaller. This could fit a five year old, not a baby. Crud, now I need to knit with size zeros. Let the frogging begin.

Becky's Socks

Yesterday was Becky's twenty-first birthday! She's "all grown up and saving China (Disney's Mulan)." In order to celebrate in an awesome fashion, I knit her a pair of socks (they're the ones I finished forever ago but never showed a picture of). My total sock count for January and February is now 3 pairs. Becky and I are currently tied (she finished a pair of Monkey socks and I finished Nikki's Wick socks). Here are the specifics on Becky's Socks:

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight in Hard Rock. This was my first skein of STR and I loved it. Mom bought it for me in Port Townsend WA (The same store Grandma bought my XMas skeins from).

Pattern: Beth's Toe up Pattern from her Class (It uses a figure 8 cast on and is worked on 2 circulars with a short row heel) I used twisted 1x1 ribbing at the top for 2 inches.

Notes: Becky has huge feet and I was a little worried about running out of yarn, but I had plenty and these socks are bigger than could really be blocked on a size large fiber trends blocker. I really like the strips on the feet portion of the socks and kinda wonder why it didn't continue on the ankle portion. Have I mentioned that I love the texture and feel of this yarn. I can't wait until my first sock club arrives.! Happy Birthday to Becky!!!

Loopy Groupie

I got the cute little lampwork stitch markers and the Yarn Pirate yarn I ordered from Sheri at the Loopy Ewe today. I knew I was going to become a Loopy Groupie (this was my 6th order) but I had no idea what that entailed. Sheri went above and beyond herself with the coolness of the free stuff. First, we have the tote bag itself, so cute! Then the free Online yarn. Tehehehe free sock yarn. I really haven't stopped smiling since I got this. PLUS a cute sheep related calendar, chocolate (good chocolate) and a note from Sheri. My fingers are itching with how much I want to knit (and eat chocolate)!

Silent Poetry

"Snow-Flakes"
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

To get more information about the silent poetry reading please click here.
No school today but now we have snow.

Snow Day (Without Snow)

No school today because of slippy roads and the possibility of an ice storm around 3pm. I enjoyed sleeping in, watching Knitty Gritty, and catching up on some reading. I'm a little disappointed with the lack of snow (ARK got around 2 inches) but I'm still glad to have a day off.
In knitting news: I am knitting a simple garter stitch scarf for a friend (she's my mentee and having a bad week at school). It's out of a thick and thin yarn by Lorna's Laces.

Added later: I'm done. It's just a simple 15 stitch garter stitch scarf. Knit until the yarn runs out. I wanted something simple for watching school cancellation lists as they zoomed across the bottom of the TV.

Here it is SOAKing:And here it is getting blocked: