Merry Christmas!

For me, anyway. Mom and Dad gave me a swift to go with my ball winder. Many thanks, Mom and Dad! Oh, so very much fun. My family just doesn’t understand- can’t you just do it by hand like you always do? Why doesn’t all yarn come in balls? They just don’t get it. (Hence I will not clue them in on how much these little toys cost.) I have done more than wind yarn…. I knit it!

Good thing I like pink, since half way up the back of my pink Debbie Bliss sweater I remembered that I have two pink cotton sweaters in my closet already. At least this one is a darker rose, and with my two pinkish scarves I can do some mixing and matching. (Should I mention that I ordered more pink yarn? And yellow is my favorite color!) The next socks I knit will definitely have to be pink. Must color coordinate.

The shawl I stalled on is finished. Knitting for Children does more for Parkland Hospital than just baby things. Slippers and shoulder shawls are much needed, so I worked a couple more inches and bound off. It’s longish in the back for it’s width, but fine for a small shawl. The pattern is hard to see, but it really is quite pretty. If I knit another, I'll increase every row so can make it plenty wide. Also knit a hat over the weekend for Ship Support and a pair of booties for Warm Hearts- Warm Babies.

Then there was the frogging. I’m pretty sure I learned to count in kindergarten. Everyone else did. And you’d think using a pattern I’ve used a dozen times- especially my own- I could get it right. But no. As I was unraveling the yoke, Hubby declared that I have now officially un-knit more than I have knit. Probably true. A friend is expecting her first grandbaby in March. She asked me to knit a sweater for the little one and offered to pay, but of course I said heck no. I’m going to knit, so I may as well knit for someone who will really appreciate it. We decided on mint green since the gender will be a surprise. No picture yet- use your imagination.

Also in the frog pond is the preemie blanket I started last weekend. I keep thinking I can get a preemie blanket out of a skein of LB Jamie, and I keep running short. Will I ever learn? There is a middle-out pattern in one of the EZ books I’m going to try. I’ll find out how many licks in a Tootsie Pop, and if it’s too small, I can keep going in another color for a border.

Also knit and still on the needles is the beginnings of a pair of mittens. Yay mittens! I’m still using the rag wool mittens I got in college a (ahem) couple of years ago. I keep thinking I’ll sew up the holes, but new mittens are even better. This is a pattern by Gail Bable for the Knit Baby Surprise group (click for a picture of finished mittens). It’s an intro to fancy-pants mitten knitten that I know will entice me to try more. (I have the yarn and pattern ready to go.) Using worsted weight, they'll knit up quickly.

I gathered fresh parsley and chives from the herb garden a couple of days ago, but it’s finally turning cold. With temperatures dropping below 60 (yeah, we're freezing here), the puppies are sleeping inside more. Sammie usually is sprawled across someone’s feet, and my cold feet don’t mind a bit.

Comments

[Carrie K]

I'll have you know that below 60 is officially freezing weather. Cute pic of the pups all in a row!

That checkerboard looks cute. The mitten? I mean, is that the mitten? And pink is a lovely color. Along with yellow.

Yay for the FO's! But mostly for the swift. Why don't they come wound to knit with?

[Wool Winder]

You definitely needed a swift to go with your winder. They are expensive, but so worth it.