Friday, September 07, 2007

She knits, she scores!

Yes, once in a while, I actually do more than take pictures of my incredibly cute offspring. Occasionally, I knit. Not that you would know this by reading this blog, but I am actually a pretty crafty person. I just have been very bad about documenting said craftiness lately.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I finished the Cloud Bolero! And here it is, in all its glory:
Cloud Bolero
Sorry for the yellow hue, but I am really happy with how it turned out. I used 2 skeins of Patons Classic Merino Wool in Forest -- a cute little merino wool sweater for a grand total of $12? Not bad! The pattern was super easy -- great TV or SnB knitting -- but the ripples provided enough interest so I didn't get bored.

Before the drive to Tucson last month, I realized that I needed a good, simple project for knitting in the car -- something to keep my hands busy that was basic enough that I could put down at any moment. So I decided on the Montego Bay Scarf from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. I'm not a scarf knitter -- I tend to get bored too easily to finish one of the proper length. But the fishnet lace pattern was easy yet nice looking, so I picked up a few balls of stash yarn (DiVe Tiwi from a Yarn lady sale ages ago) and started knitting. Here's how it turned out:
Montego Bay Scarf
I love it. It's not exactly a warm & snuggly scarf (the yarn has multiple threads: a slub, a cotton and a metallic thread, so it causes a slight itch if wrapped too tightly), but it's perfect for summer.

I've also been doing some sewing (a bit). I made a simple baby quilt for our friends Matt & Candice's new baby boy. I found this fabulous cotton print showing a sketch of a peg board hung with tools: hammers, saws, wrenches, etc. It was done in shades of orange, green & blue, so I alternated squares of the print with squares of those solid colors. It turned out super cute, but of course, I forgot to take a photo before we gave it. I'll try to get one taken with the baby (once we get word that he's been born!).

I started to make the Tank with 3-d Crochet Embellishments from Knitting Lingerie. I made a gauge swatch and everything looked good -- I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Except that by the time I'd knit about 1/2 of the back, I noticed that everything had stretched. And not a little bit. I mean sssstttrrreeettccchhhheeeeddd. If I had kept going, this tank would have had a 52" waist! I know I'm not in pre-pregnancy shape yet, but I'm not that far gone! So that project has been officially frogged, perhaps to be picked up again, perhaps not.

I haven't started on Vivian's Christmas stocking yet (I actually haven't even bought the yarn) because I'm working on a gift or two. I'll post pictures once they are gifted.

And that's all for today's crafty update. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.