Sorry about that, knittas. The husband told me that he was leaving in early December, which sent me into a funk so deep that I couldn't craft for awhile. Then, when I was finishing stuff like mad, my camera was missing. This is the first day that I've had pics and details for anything since November.

104: tintinito mittens

Blake has these awesomely wacky shoes that Nic bought him last birthday. I started these matching mittens last winter, but put them aside for a really long while. It was only when I realized that I had nothing for Blake's birthday that I lit a fire under my butt and finished the embroidery. Yarn is Patons Classic Merino (except the red, which is Cascade 220 superwash) and the pattern is the basic mitten from Knitting for Peace.

blurry but fun

105: Nic's beanie

Last year I loved making his armwarmers so much that I decided to make him a beanie out of the same variegated Patons merino yarn. Then I ran out of yarn. So this became his Christmas present, and one of only two knit presents for the holiday (I was sad). Pattern is the Boy Beanie from The Happy Hooker. No picture yet.

106: Blake's Sleep Socks

Ever since Blake aged out of footie pj's (or more accurately, ever since he stopped wearing a diaper all night) he's wanted special sleep socks. I managed to crank out his pair in time for Christmas. He wears them every night, and has thanked me for them without prompting many times. (Love!) The pattern is based on the rotating rib from Traditional Knitted Socks, and they have no heel. The yarn is Patons Kroy.

107: Replacement Armwarmer

The Nic lost his left armwarmer. (He told me this when I gave him the beanie.) This is the new armwarmer. Patons Classic Merino variegated, my own pattern.

108: Last Minute Fetchings

I was lame enough to show up to Stacy's surprise birthday party with a loud kid and no gift. This was my week late/buck short attempt to make it up to her. The yarn is Dream in Colour "Classy" in a purple colourway that reminds me of Stacy's hair back in 2001. The pattern is Fetching, of course. They are quite possibly the most beautiful garments I have ever made. Sorry there's no picture.

that's the hair I remember!

109: Fluffy Cuff Mittens

I've always wanted knit mittens. I constantly extol their virtues. And yet I've never knit myself a pair. I've been planning these ones since the July Knitty Yarn tasting when I went home with a fantastic sample of pistachio coloured mohair boucle from a South African company called Be Sweet. Later that summer, I bought a ball of chartreuse Lion Brand Wool while we were on vacation in Watertown. This week was their moment, and I hardly stopped knitting them to teach, mark, eat, mother, etc. I remain insanely infatuated with them.

Pattern: Fluffy Cuff Mittens in Sn'B, mated with the Basic Mittens in Knitting for Peace (which uses worsted weight).

Labels: fo, knitting for peace, snb

More stashbusting, this time for Hugs for Homeless Animals. In the course of making this blanket I finished my last ball of blue Patons chunky acrylic from my first project and had to raid the "teach other people to knit" stash I have at Bat Masterson High (a.k.a. work) just so I can have a square instead of a strip. But half-way through we had a crisis, and so...

...with the other end of the ball, I started a top-down hat with the navy, modeled on a hat knit for my brother in the 70's and in heavy rotation on Blake's head until it was lost a few weeks ago at the grocery store. This took very little time, yet it stalled when I had to raid the work stash again for some powder blue...

...that allowed me to finish the blanket, since I used up so much navy on the hat! Phew!

meet the new hat, same as the old hat

I should also mention that Drea very kindly crocheted an edging around the finished blankie at the March Knit Night Out. It gives the square a finished look, rather than a "random crap from my stash" look. She ended up granny squarin' the powder blue, so she took it home at the end of the night. You don't say no to the Queen of the Grannies.

they're more fraternal than identical

Labels: bat masterson, blake, fo, knitting for peace, stash

My first Dulaan 2007 hat, knit from a Caps for Kids pattern in Knitting for Peace and my leftover Plymouth Galway worsted from the marsupial bag. Now, with pompom! I wonder if it will be warm enough for the little Mongolians - I'll solicit more opinions before I take up space in the shipping box.

Isn't it cool that I finished my eightieth project on my second knitversary? Another victory for NaKniSewMo!

Labels: dulaan, fo, knitting for peace, naknisewmo

A little cotton bear out of left-over Sugar n' Cream for the Mother Bear Project. The Boy got me Knitting for Peace for Christmas and this was my first foray into the charity knitting therein. I had trouble with the facial embroidery (this is the third draft of that nose/mouth combo) and one of the seams is kind of gross. Other than that, I couldn't be more pleased at the way this little girl has turned out.

I finished her on Saturday night and took her to church the next morning so I could collect some good vibes for whomever will get her. While I was there I got many, many compliments; I'm playing with the idea of organizing a drive in which some parishioners will knit bears along with me, and we'll offer them for sponsorship to the rest of the congregation. The hard part is convincing a notoriously frugal congregation to pay $8 for a bear they don't even get to take home. Maybe it'll go over better if I read the article about the AIDS orphans in K4P from the pulpit.

Labels: embroidery, fo, knitting for peace, stash, toy