Baby Blanket Finished!

And the baby hasn't even arrived yet! I am very happy with how it came out. I improvised a 5 sc shell border and it is a little uneven in places, but it isn't very noticeable.



I have some extra yarn and extra time since baby is not here yet, so I think I will do a little pair of socks and possibly a hat too.

Second Sock Syndrome

So Ivy Sock #1 is done, ends sewn in and everything. It fits!

In an effort to avoid second sock syndrome I am going to cast on for sock #2 tonight and get it moving. Sock #1 is so pretty and lovely I really would like to have a pair.

I also need to make some serious progress on the baby blanket, I would like to get that project done before my May travel schedule begins.

Ivy Sock Update

Things are progressing nicely with my first color work project. Ivy Sock #1 is almost done. With just a few inches of foot left before the toe decreases I am very pleased with this project so far:


I particularly like the heel flap construction which you can't really see very well here. I have tried for a close up, but I'm not sure that does it justice either:

Instead of a standard Sl1, K1 RS row on the heel flap this is a 4 row repeat with Row 1 the regular Sl1, K1 and Row 3 is Sl1, K2 *Sl1, K1* to last 3 stitches K2, Sl1, so the K stitches are offset giving it a kind of diamond pattern.

I know I am a true knit sock aficionado when I am totally entranced by a heel flap!

The Baby Blanket Groweth

In just 1 week I have made some pretty sizable progress on the baby blanket for my assistant.



I continue to be very happy with the project and am now convinced I can get it to her around the birth of her child and not as a high school graduation gift for the kid.

I have 2 concerns left. First, running out of yarn. I have enough yardage and my gauge is correct, but I am nervous about running out of yarn. Mostly because I have no idea how much I will need for the edging and the pattern does not break it down.

The second concern is all the ends being woven in neatly. The pattern calls for these large skeins of yarn, so you only use 2 total. I am using little 50 g balls, so I will use 12 by the time I am done. I hate weaving in ends. Hopefully the edging will provided a good camouflage for the weaving.

Hopefully by this time next week I will be ready to start the edging!

Ivy Socks

So I have done some color work this week. I cast on for the Ivy Socks on Sunday and got through the color work band by the end of Monday evening. Alas, the sock looked and proved to be -- too small.

So I tore out on Wednesday and cast on again in a larger size. And here we are:


Pretty, huh?

I love everything about this project. The pattern is written very well, the yarn is lovely, the whole thing is a joy so far.

Why Knitting Groups Rock: A Testimonial

Back in February I began a baby blanket for my assistant who is due in May. I had some serious Goldilocks issues with the blanket.

The first was too scratchy and heavy, but I loved the pattern. Then I bought lighter softer yarn, but it made the pattern too floppy, so I switched patterns and things were going ok, but it just wasn't right and it was very slow going.

So Monday night at my knitting group, my sassy knitting pal (we call him "the yarn whisperer) said with all kinds of sarcasm dripping from his voice: "There is this other craft, called crochet, and it works great for baby blankets!" I should mention he was crocheting a baby blanket as he said this.

Now I started out a crocheter and since learning to knit have hardly picked up a hook, but I knew crochet was great for blankets and had actually found a pattern. So last night I started in crochet and have already done more than the 6 weeks I spent waffling on the knitted version.

It is great to have a group of like-minded crafters in your life to give you the encouragement, warnings and ideas that good yarn-loving folks need.

I love how this is coming out, I love how the resulting material feels and at the rate I am crocheting I will be done in plenty of time for baby's arrival!

A Gift Complete, A Gift Abandoned

I finished the little baby socks to go with my earlier posted hat:


They still need to be washed and blocked, but are complete in plenty of time for the April gift-giving at my last hair dressing appointment before the arrival of the baby.

I hit a major snag (every pun intended) in the Corded Rib socks I was making for my mother's birthday. What I thought was an extra YO resulting in a bigger hole than normal was actually a dropped stitch (that I somehow made up in the heel construction). When I poked at it to investigate it ran all the way down the leg and left me so distraught I frogged the whole thing. No birthday socks for Mom. It is OK really as I just made her a pair for Christmas.

Taking advice from experienced knitters I decided to start a new exciting project to get me out of my rut. Last night I cast on for my first color work project! The Ivy Socks from A Cuff Above jumped out at me from a Knit Picks catalog and I immediately ordered the book and the suggested Knit Picks sock yarn (which is fantastic to work with).

Between finishing the baby gift and this exciting new project I hope to jump start my knitting again!