Thursday, February 28, 2008

Very Belated Thanks

I have been remiss, and I appologize for not getting this written sooner.

Backstory: I got a message on Ravelry back in January asking about some yarn I had posted in my stash that I was willing to sell or trade. One of my fellow Ravelers was asking if I was still interested in passing it on, and when I said yes, she pointed me towards a blogger, Kosher Nostra, who had run out of yarn while making a project for her adorable baby.

We got in touch, and she offered to do a sale or a swap. The yarn was discontinued, I had no recollection of what I'd paid for it (how does that happen?), and it was mocking me. So I told her I'd send it to her and she could either send me a check or send me something pretty in return.

So I boxed it up and sent my husband off to the post office. A few days later I got another e-mail thanking me and saying there was something in the mail for me. What arrived was a most pleasant surprise. A set of stitch holders (how is it that I never had any of these), a set of darning needles (never can seem to find them when I need them), a lovely sock pattern, and, best of all, a set of lever-back stitch markers.

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Aren't they lovely? Wasn't she generous? My goodness yes!

I know that I am months late with this, but thank you so very much. The elephant you finished for your son is lovely, and I'm so glad I could help.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

One Does What One Must

I'm working on another sweater, VĂ©ronik Avery's Notre Dame de Grace (Ravelry link) from Interweave Knits.

I'm using the 1824 Wool I bought on my birthday road trip, which I must say is a joy to work with.

Mission Falls Teal

It's soft and luscious and easy to knit. It's even softer knitted up that it is on the ball.

I was cruising along on the sleeves, working the selvedge stitches, getting the increases in all the right places. I was on fire. I was going to set some kind of personal record with this pattern.

And then...

And then, when I was 110 rows into the sleeves, just about to start the decreases, I draped one of them over my arm and realized... I was making the pattern a size too large. It was going to be too big, and I might even run out of yarn.

I knew what I had to do. The sleeves had to be frogged and re-knit. I admitted it. I accepted it.

I put it off for two weeks.

Last Sunday I finally frogged them, reballed the yarn and started over again.
Sleeves (make two)
Cast on 38 stitches. Work set-up row, then work double moss stitch until work measures 1 inch from cast-on edge...
I'm on row 25 now. I may not be setting a personal speed record for this project, but at least the finished project will fit me when I'm done.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Wonderful Moments

There has been a small baby boom in my office. One baby born in the Fall, another in Winter, and yet another due in just a couple of weeks.

What to knit, what to knit?

For the first of the babies, I must admit I went just the tiniest bit overboard.

A stack of washcloths, must've been five or six of them, which I somehow did not get pictures of. What's wrong with me?

And then not one but two of the Baby Kimonos from Mason-Dixon Knitting.

One in garter stitch, in a lovely red:
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And another in stockinette in a very nice blue:

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Both shown here being modeled by my ever-faithful Paddington Bear, a long-ago hand-made gift from my grandmother. With special thanks to my mother for sewing on the ribbon ties. They really are cute, and a quick knit as well.

This baby also got a belated pair of Tulip Toes:
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A couple of weeks ago I got this e-mail:
Subject: booties

Oh man,

Those booties you knit are so awesome. They don't fall off, they're really warm, and CUUUUTE! Wow, are they cute. C. wears them all the time.

Thank you again for making those.

S.
Made my eyes puddle up right there at my desk.

But wait, it gets better! S. came back to work last week, and she brought wee baby C. up to see me. He’s adorable; bright eyes and fat cheeks, a fascination for people who wear glasses and a big smile.

And guess what? He was wearing the blue kimono and the booties. What a thrill it was to see him wearing things I’d made for him!

Almost makes me feel guilty for how long it took me to get the booties done… but not quite.