In Which I Use Other People’s Photos

Yes.  Other people’s photos and great models to make my blog look good.  Like you haven’t done it?

First up is Holly, wearing her Incognito.  I’m assuming her husband Chris took this one, unless five-week-old Ryan has some incredible skillz we haven’t heard about yet.

Additional, gratuitous baby picture of Ryan:

(Pulling out all the stops today.)  Plus I counted at least 3 hand-knit or crocheted blankets that kid has (note one in background).

I also asked my friend Michelle, who is a great photographer, to send me pictures of herself and her mom wearing their Christmas gifts.

It’s the wonderful Honey Cowl, made ubiquitous by Kay and her legions of followers.

Michelle’s just happened to wind up in one of her school colors.

Now, I’m almost to the point where I can begin a project for myself again.  Either that or get a jump on this year’s holiday knitting.

 

Somehow This Keeps Happening

Falling behind on  my posts, I mean.

First, I’ve been in stealth mode because the knitting has been all about gifts lately.  Then, I’ve been in rush, rush, rush mode to finish out the knitting, the school semester, and the holidays.  But now I’d better take the opportunity of this last little bit of free time before I go back to work on Monday to get caught up.

The first week in December was Holly’s school baby shower.  Although I’d already knit her a stuffed dog (see previous post), I had to have something useful to give at the shower, right?  So enter Orange Flower’s Garter Rib Baby Blanket.

Even though I spilled coffee on it at one point during the knitting, it came out of its bath fine and worked up nice and soft in the end.

[Note, the top picture is more accurate for color; the bottom was taken at night in bad lighting.]

Also early in December was our school secretary’s birthday.  She’d been coveting my handwarmers, so you can guess what she got.

I think she’s pretty happy with them.

Finally, almost all of my knitting time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was spent on this gorgeous pink stuff.

It’s KnitPicks Shine Worsted in Blush and it became this, Angela Hahn’s Primrose Path for my mom’s Christmas present.

That’s about it.  Oh, except for a couple of Honey Cowls, which I’ll have pictures of if a certain college student remembers to take them.  And some leg warmers if a certain mom remembers to take the picture.  And a couple of other things, which should be finished soon . . .  (Wait, I was supposed to be caught up?!?!)

In the mean time, Happy New Year to you and yours.

Heinz 57

Yes, it’s certainly catch-up time again.  That time-space continuum just keeps doing me in.

My LYS had a “gumball” kit on sale ages ago (spring? summer?) and I bought one thinking it would be perfect to knit up for my mom’s birthday.

It’s basically leftover pieces of similarly colored yarns, so you could stash bust with the same idea.  There was a pattern for a lacy chevron scarf that came with it.

I thought it knit up nicely, although I did have to pick up some extra yarn for the fringe.  Mom seemed to like it.

In other knitting front news, this is Chewie:

I made him as a baby shower gift for my friend Holly who is due in December.  She and her husband Chris have a (live) pug of that name.  When I found the book Knit Your Own Dog: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 25 Pedigree Pooches in the library I  thought it would be a cute gift.  For the record, the subtitle of that book lies:  this was one of the hardest things I’ve knit — and I’ve been knitting for over a decade.  From a certain angle I think his face looks frog-like rather than puggish, and the knit Chewie doesn’t stand up very well.  ”That’s okay,” said Holly’s mom, “neither does the real Chewie.”

Princessa Bella

That darling girl turned four on Thursday, which I find incredibly hard to imagine.

 
Of course, I’ve been knitting for her.

Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark’s Incognito from Knitty.com.

In Uptown Worsted lavender and black.

It couldn’t compete for attention with the Disney princesses, the balloons, and the twirly shoes, or the Rapunzel dress-up outfit.

That’s okay.  It will keep her warm this winter.  And as I said to her mother, I bet she’s the only kid at preschool with a moustache scarf.

“I Don’t Remember That Brain Being There.”

This weekend Denise and I took her daughter Michelle back to IU after a couple of days in Speedway.  I was waxing nostalgic as we were driving around campus when I spotted a glittery brain statue on the south side of Third Street.  I said, “I don’t remember that brain being there.”

Apparently there is a town-wide art installation, inspired by the Chicago Cow Parade, that features 22 brain statues decorated in a variety of ways.  You can read about it here.  I thought this was way cool, especially when we were stumbling around Fountain Square Mall on the square looking for Yarns Unlimited and came around a corner.  ”There’s another brain,” I said.  Then “It’s a knitted one!”

I think it made Michelle’s day to hear someone get that excited about a knitted brain.

 

Enormous Stealth Project Revealed (At Last)

Dear Michelle,

This was supposed to be a graduation present, of course.  Then a going-away gift.  But as it has worked out it can be both of those as well as a house-warming offering for your new room.

I’ve tried to put a bit of love and adventure in every stitch.  This afghan has been knitted on during a rainy day at a Maine fairgrounds.  It was a pillow for me on a ferry across Fundy Bay.  It even spent some time in the Ottawa jail (hostel).  Most of it, though, was knit during the hottest, driest Indiana summer on record.

I hope you can add your own memories to it during your wonderful time in college.  Use it for comfort, for warmth, and just for a splash of color.  Go bravely forward into life but always keep your faith in God, friends, and family.

P.S.  Lady Jane made sure there are cat hairs knit into it so that you won’t miss Mookie too much!

Play Time

Yesterday I got to work in some sewing time, some felting time, and some knitting time.  In other words, fun time!

My grocery bag holder I’d knitted a few years ago was coming apart at the edges.

So I went into my scrap piles to sew one and found an embroidery project I vaguely remember starting as kid.  This thing must have been over 30 years old!

I think from the markings on it for seams I had been meaning to make it a purse or pillow (something square).  I found some other fabric that came from who-knows-where to add length, sewed it up, and finished the embroidery.

I’m not usually a “country blue” and calico type, but it looks okay hanging in the stairwell around the corner from the litter box where I can easily grab the grocery bags.

I also felted some dryer balls.

These came mostly from yarn left over from the Christmas hats.

They’re a little small (the balls, not the hats) but I can always add felt to them if they’re not working.

Finally, the BIG NEWS:  the Enormous Stealth Project is finished!!!!!  No pictures as yet because I still have to wrap it and gift it before it comes out of stealth mode.  Stay tuned.