Nothing to do!

Can you believe it, no WIP! When I finished the last one last night I felt sort of lonely and lost. I looked at Charley and said “now what do I do”? So, tonight I will start on a sweater for me in Barkarole and start…wait for it…CHRISTMAS GIFTS! Yes kids, I am starting Christmas in April. I should start now that way I have time to get sidetracked by other projects.

Susan has now posted the photos from our little yarn swap on Saturday—go check them out! I have not laughed that hard in a very long time. The blonde chick stuffing her face with cheesecake would be Moi. And check out the kicky little shrug I am sporting.

Speaking of Le Shrug…I wore it to work today and got several unsolicited compliments from non-knitters. To me, this means my get up doesn’t look “handmade”. I told one woman that I made it myself and it turns out that she is a knitter. Well, she is a lapsed knitter and hasn’t done it since the 80’s. She didn’t even know that you could get supplies online or that needles came in something other than metal. I didn’t invite her to SnB because, well…I work with her…and…she gets on my nerves a little.

Finally, photos of the finished objects. Here we have:



Blanket for Baby Sos due in May. Yarn: Shine & Shine Twist from Knitpicks. Color: Grass. Needles: Size 8. Pattern: from a Leisure Arts book purchased at Michael’s when I didn’t know there was anywhere else to go. Review: The yarn is great to work with! It is soft and smooth. However, I found quite a few kinks in the skeins and had to rewind most of them. The pattern is super easy and I pretty much had it memorized by the end. The pattern called for 10 skeins but I ended up using only 8 because it knit up larger than gauge.

Shrug for ME. Yarn: Endless Summer Collection Luna from Elann, Karabella Roses for the trim. Color: Pink. Needles: Size 4 and 3. Pattern: A Debbie Bliss from Interweave Knits Summer 2005. Review: This yarn is a pain in the ass! It split like crazy and had no give. It was so slippery that I had to use bamboo just to keep it on the needles. Worth it in the end on a small project. I would never use it for a blanket or scarf! The pattern was super easy considering Debbie Bliss is known for being evasive in the instructions. I fully intend to make this pattern again. I used 5 skeins even though the pattern yarn called for 7.

Clapotis for my niece. Yarn: Filatura Di Crosa Diwa from Elann. Color: Light Blue. Needles: Size 6. Pattern: The famous Clappy from Knitty. Review: This yarn was not as soft as I had hoped but also not rough. It didn’t hurt my hands or anything like that. I ended up doing 20 repeats of the straight rows but I think that may have been a few too many. It is a little long but it will wrap nicely. I used a little over 700 yards.

Sweater for another baby. Yarn: Schachenmayr Only Stretch from Elann. Colors: White, Purple, Blue, Orange and Green. Needles: Size 9 and 7. Pattern: Garter Stitch Sweater from Knitting for Babies by Melanie Falick (can’t keep from laughing here). Review: This yarn is a dream to work with! It was soft, pliable and makes you look like a professional knitter. It is a little too heavy for carrying in the stripes but I did it anyway. I have quite a bit left. Hmmm, what should I make with it? The pattern is standard baby sweater and not hard to work at all.

Today I was a little bored at work so I designed a database for my yarn. I want to make sure I have everything recorded before we move. I should have saved the project for tomorrow since the boss announced he would be out tomorrow. If I don't look busy I will get stuck doing my own work and that is just a giant PITA.