Break of day

Shawl done!



Pattern: Daybreak, by Stephen West
Yarn: Blue Moon Socks that Rock Lightweight in The Cookie Next Door (almost the full skein) and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Island Red (almost the full skein) on US4 needles



It's a very simple pattern--so simple you might get tired of the stockinette--but really pretty. I love the stripes and the slipped stitches, and how these two yarns worked together.



And from the front...

the socks that would never end

They just went on and on, my friend.

Seriously. I started this pair of socks in January, as a carry around project. After months of stopping and starting I finally finished them this afternoon.



Pattern: Basic Stockinette Sock (72 stitches)
Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in red on US1 needles



I love the color and gradation effect of this yarn. The yarn itself I'm not so in love with. It's single plied, and not tightly, and tends to be splitty. And at points where it's very loosely plied it breaks apart entirely. So beside the two knots in the ball of yarn, I had at least three other breaks to contend with.



But they look nice and they're done, and I can move on to something else. Time to go through the stash!

Sheeps!

This weekend was the annual Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place.

Alpaca!



Sheep shearing!





Sheep herding and dogs!



Nigerian dwarf goats!



Lambies!



Woolly stuff!



Hedgehogs! (for Kate)



Kilts!







Always a fun day, with the critters and the crafts.

baby in blue

Thanks to amazingly speedy service by the USPS and the Royal Mail, you're seeing this a lot sooner than expected!

The baby parade continues with Lizzie, who is due early next month. For this little one--who we've been told will be a girl--I made these goodies:



Pattern: Ballet Blossom Cardigan from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies, size 6-12 months
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Forget-Me-Not (1.5 skeins) on US3 and US5 needles



I didn't do the flower called for in the pattern but improvised a rose instead.



And instead of doing a tie around the back I put a button closure at the front, with a snap inside.

What I'm most proud of on this project is the seams. I've been knitting for six years but I've only just figured out invisible seams!

See, right side:



And wrong side:



And since it's going to be a spring/summer baby, I made another of the sun hats.



Pattern: On the sunny side, by Melanie Hoffman
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Coral Beaches on US7 needles

And booties, too, of course!



Pattern: Triange Edged Booties from Debbie Bliss's Quick Baby Knits
Yarn: Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Heather in Crocus on US2 and US3 needles



Welcome, little one.

in lieu of actual knitting content

I give you photos.

My Wollmeise stash as it stands after scoring two skeins in last week's Loopy Ewe update:



So prettttty.

And this is from yesterday.



PAX East, a video game convention, is going on here in Boston. Which means the city is currently overrun by geeks, a very good thing in my opinion. And while I'm not a gamer, I am most definitely a geek. So when a friend of mine going to the convention planned a knitting get-together for convention-goers I decided to tag along. So I spent a few hours knitting and chatting with my fellow geek girls, eating cookies, looking at costumes, and generally having fun. And the girl next to me was crocheting a D20, hence the picture above.

And here's the finished D20, too.



Dear geeks, you are always welcome back.

oodles of babies

I've got a lot of friends having babies in the next few months, and I've started stocking up on the baby knitting in preparation. I can't show you everything yet, but these few were sent off yesterday.



Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat, from Stitch n Bitch
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cherub Collection Kaleidoscope DK (what a long name!) on US 7

And modeled by my lovely teddy bear:



And another hat...



Pattern: On the Sunny Side
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Tea Rose, on US 7 needles

And modeled by a fabulous poodle:



And, of course, there have to be booties, too.



Pattern: Herringbone Bootees by Zoe Mellor
Yarn: Sandes Garn Sisu in red, with a little bit of Patons Kroy in white, on US 2.5 needles



There are more things done, but those will have to wait until it's closer to the arrival of those little ones!

The three day scarf

So, remember those two balls of yarn I walked out of the store with on Thursday? By Sunday night they had turned into this:



Pattern: Mochi Plus Beaded Rib Scarf
Yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus (2 skeins) in color 552 (as I refer to it, sunset colors) on US 8 needles



Just a quick, satisfying project. And wonderful colors to look at during winter!