Knitting: Complete

Giveaway: Before I talk about my own knitting, just a reminder that the giveaway of a book – Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater – yarn and a totebag from Patricia’s Yarns via the podcast ends May 5th.  Check it out and enter to win!

Last week got away from me; I wrote not one blog post for Knitting and Crochet Blog Week although I did read quite a few great blog posts by other participants.  Chaperoning various trips and events along with the need to get my vegan e-cookbook completed left little time for daily blog posts.  Trust me, if I’m not cooking, asking Caiti to take pictures of my food, or writing and rewriting recipes, I’m wondering why I thought writing a cookbook would be a simple process.  One good thing came out of my various escapades thought – in order to relax after all this activity, I picked up one of my WIPs and in doing so, made some significant inroads over the past week or so.

I mentioned on the podcast that I thought I’d take a dip in the sweater knitting pond by trying my hand at a baby sweater.  A very good friend and his wife recently had their second child.  Since I don’t have any other babies handy, and this fellow teacher has done a lot for me over the years, I decided to knit the Easy Baby Sweater from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.  An apropos book title because, yes, this baby is over a month old, and while I did contribute to the generic staff gift, I wanted to give this newborn something special.

Blue Sky Alpacas has become my absolute favorite yarn brand, so I had no problem selecting their worsted cotton in Bone and ordering 2 skeins from Loop in Philly for this project.  My swatch indicated that it was comparable to the yarn suggested, but it’s a good thing I made the largest size.  The sweater was so not big enough for a 6-9 month baby! I did have a moment of panic and sent David a DM asking just how big this baby was – no way was any human being going to fit into this tiny cardigan – but after he responded “a meaty 12 pounds” I knew she’d fit in this lightweight garment perfect for air conditioning as we head into summer.

Below is a photo of the finished sweater before I wrapped it.  Of course, David didn’t wait to open it until he got home and his wife could share the fun, but she did write a very nice thank you note.  Surprised me as I think I am so digital now I forget about actual handwritten notes!

I also finished Robin Ulrich’s Frostlight scarf.  I made this out of Paton’s wool in the same color I used to make my mother a Monmouth hat for her birthday.  Yes, this is her Mother’s Day gift even though she lives in Texas, and as I write this, it’s 85 degrees out and will be approaching 90 by the end of the week.  My Mom’s a good sport; she says no matter how old the child is, a parent always appreciates a handmade gift.

Finally, I finished the cowl out of Painted Lady mohair from Stitchuary that I purchased at Vogue Knitting Live.  The colors remind me of the desert southwest; now I have to buy a new winter coat to show off the cowl! Or maybe I’ll be inspired by Isabel of the Fluffy Fibers podcast and sew my own.

Never fear, I still have Sarah’s drawstring bag out of the Koigu we bought at Purl Soho to finish along with my year long project, the Sky Scarf, and I just wound KnitPicks yarn for a v-neck tank that I plan to start this week.  The knitting never ends… and once again, if you’re looking for pattern ideas, a great summer read, and a ball of lovely yarn, check out the giveaway still going on through the podcast!