Months

Considering that, like most everyone else, I've been staying home, I'd think I would have gotten more done in the four months since I last posted.

  Many months ago, many moons ago <he he!>, a friend sent me a "how cute is this" with a link to this pattern.

This turtle doesn't have to stay home. His shell can be put on and off, like a sweater.

And for my home, I finished the towels I'd started months ago on Julia.

Years ago (that's a change), I made most of a sweater with this Cool Wool yarn. Then, I decided that I didn't like the look, and put it away in the naughty corner.

The new pattern is called, Cable Yoke Cardigan. I found the making of it fascinating! Most sweaters I knit are made in separate pieces and then, sewn together. This one started with a long strip of cable knitting, for the yoke. Then, I picked up some stitches along the edge for the right front. When that was done, I picked up stitches to make the right sleeve. And so, it went.

Unfortunately, I left it too long in the wash, and it felted some. Fortunately, I was able to re-home it with my niece!

Again, months ago, I was so pleased to have set up my Sophie to make some more baby blankets. Then, I got stuck. I just didn't want to weave. I never got beyond this point. I ended up deciding that I didn't like the look and unwove it all.

Then, Sophie sat for a couple more months until I pushed myself to find a pattern I liked. I also changed to a different weft. Now, I'm making progress.

I finally finished spinning up this silk/baby camel from RedFish. I don't know what I'm going to do with the finished yarn, so I've left it as singles.

I didn't realize how similar the colors of these fibers are. This cotton is my next project. Because I'm spinning it so fine, it'll take a while to finish...probably, you guessed it...months.

Puttering

It feels like I've just been puttering, doing small projects.

For starters, some years ago, I wove this yardage for curtains. I don't remember why I took them down, but our old front door curtains needed to be replaced and they did the trick!

I finished the last baby blanket on Sophie.

And I've been playing with more of the crocheted creatures from Edward's Animals. Here's a Lakeland Terrier,

 

a Cocker Spaniel,

and a gray cat.

 

My grandbaby needed a hat for Groundhog Day.

And he definitely needed a Dude sweater!

This may not look like puttering to you, but for whatever reason, this time around, each step to dress Julia has felt like a separate project. This Tencel basketweave will be yardage.

 

This is the first time I've ever knitted up a swatch and actually washed it. My usual is to knit it up, measure to make sure I'm getting the right number of stitches per inch and rip it back out.

I just finished spinning this fiber with Gingie and plying it with Suzie.

And next up is this cotton.

This "wool" was spun up, but not plied, because I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. Typical. Anyway, when I realized I needed a hat, I went ahead and took the singles and Navajo plied it (finger crocheting the spun fiber while spinning it some more). 

Knitting it up took no time, so, here we are!

 

To Baby Land

I'm not a fan of flying, so my sister held my hand for a flight to baby land to see my daughter and son-in-law.
I took a few <wink, wink> things I'd made for the coming baby.

 

Remember that tangle of yarn? Here's Blake from Edward's Menagerie, all made up. And I knit a Raggedy doll, too, with the standard dress and overalls. When the baby of unknown gender made an entrance (after this photo was taken), I dressed the doll.



Every baby needs a pair of muck-lucks, a hunter's cap

and a pink bunny.

And just because, I made baby a few pairs of socks.

What's there to do while away from home and waiting? I found this knitted lace, shawl pattern on Ravelry. It is Orenburg Harmony by Loginova Svetlana and made up from Forest Hills, silk 51%, merino 49%.



Once I was home again, I went back to the baby blankets on Sophie and her drawloom. For the purple blanket, I designed as I went. I also used it as a sample, to see what would work for the next design. You see, normally, there are, for example, 4 warp threads and 4 weft or 6 X 6 or 8 X 8 to make a [design] unit (like a pixel or square on graph paper). Each one of the tiny squares on the design on the top edge of the blanket in this picture is a single unit. In this case, each is made with 6 warp and 12 weft threads. If I hadn't bothered to sample, my next project would have shown a distorted picture. 

Yay! No flat cats!      Now, look near the top of the picture, you can see white and brown threads that are pulled down onto pegs. Look directly over the left hand cat's head. That's one unit (six warp threads) raised by pulling down the brown draw cord. This pattern is one I found on Pinterest: club-kreuzstich.com. 

 



I've been a bit out of control, making stuffed animals out of patterns from Edward's Menagerie. I made this elephant for the grandbaby and another for a friend (she begged).



Father tested, baby approved.

Baby tested, father approved requested a few minor changes.  <Snort!> I just read what I wrote. It stands.        I saw this cloth at the fabric store. How could I resist giving it a try, making some cloth diaper covers?

I Couldn't Resist!

I couldn't resist! After I made the kitty, I saw this pattern for a dog. And I just happened to see the yarn in a store I was visiting, in all the right colors. I had to buy it. Really, I did! Then, with 15 rows to go, I ran out of yarn. So, I ordered one more skein. And if I was ordering one skein...

I might as well get enough to make the teddy bear.

Believe it or not, I'm stopping while I'm ahead. I'm on a stuffed animal hiatus. Instead, I'm spinning and knitting from my stash.

For example, this little bag is from leftovers I had originally used to crochet over the straps of flip-flops. I am SO proud of it! This is the first time I've made anything asymmetric without breaking into hives. And, I did it without a pattern, too!!! The bag is the perfect size to carry the lace scarf I'm knitting. (And from this angle, it hides my naked loom. Shhhh! Don't tell!)