Yeah, I know. It's been another "while." I promised I would keep this up more regularly, but stuff happened.
I got a dose of that vile bronchitis going around, and it slowed me down a bit. I'm done with the antibiotic - this followed a sinus infection about 2 weeks prior. I swear, global warming sucks: we need about 2 weeks of a good, hard freeze to wipe out all the crud.
However, all that being said, I'm better; I just get a little croaky and my vocals aren't where they should be yet. And I could do without the massive post-nasal drip. Sorry for TMI...
But. I've been knitting. And I've got everything baked, wrapped, purchased for dinner, and practiced for. I'm done. Ready for Santa. Two days ahead of time. Wowza.
Here's the headband for K, the girlfriend (Kid #1's girlfriend). She's a lovely blonde, so this should look great on her. Alongside it is a small bottle of "Soak" for her to use. "Soak" is the equivalent of Eucalan - a rinseless product for use on knitting, fine lingerie, etc. I like using it for my stuff that needs to be blocked. It also smells nice.
In case you're curious, the wide part goes on the top of your head, and the I-cords go under, then back over the wide part, to be tied into a bow or fancy knot at the top of your head. She's also got long hair - I'd never be able to pull this one off, because I'm frankly in the same pixie cut I've had for a century and a half!
She's also getting a tote (small one) of Bath and Body products. She's been around a while, so the gifts are a little more plenteous this time.
 |
| Yellow Sweater |
Also, Orange Sweater is done. Not assembled, but done. We know, though: a BOY and a GIRL. My mom is beside herself with being able to buy "pink." We all run to boys, so it's been a long, LONG time for her! Yellow Sweater is still in the works (I should be knitting on it now...) and it should be done before I go back to work. Here's what they look like, so far.
 |
| Orange with buttons |
I've put the buttons "on" the orange one, just so you can see. I'm not interested in "twinning" the babies to death, so the only things that match will be the buttons. And of course, the basic structure of the sweater, but that's kind of secondary. I could truly whip out a couple more of these for "baby stash" because they're just about mindless, but they look really cute. They only go up to 6-month size, and since I refuse to make "newborn" patterns, this is it. I love the off-center front, and the fact that this is a basic construction. This pattern is rated "easy" and for good reason. But still - there's a ton of knitting in here. I'm sure a faster knitter than I would say "oh, a weekend sweater" but I'm not going to fuss. This was enough to enable me to make 2 sweaters. The crib afghans are going to be a haul, but these are almost an "instant gratification" project.
 |
| Flat knit |
Here's the basic format before you fold and stitch, and a close-up of the buttons. The buttons look very different on each sweater. I suppose a more talented knitter could make this bigger - for say a 12-month size. But by that time, I'd just give in and make a poncho!
Buttons.... The buttons are plastic, washable. Obvious, right? You might be surprised!! I remember my friend Mary Ellen made a whole layette out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino - and her DIL washed it. Washed. It.
This is, as I said, Cascade 220 superwash. I don't mess around.
And this may be a repeat, but I'm going to post it again. Here's a shot of our 2012 crop of ornaments. The only thing I need to do is find 36 more - for the upcoming twins!! I haven't done that yet, but if nothing else, I'm sure I can find them on The Google somewhere. I finished one kid...and next year, there'll be one more off to college, so she'll be done, too.
And of course, my kids got theirs, too - even though Kid #1 is 29 and Kid #2 is 24... Kid #1 has the blue Santa in the middle. And Kid #2 has the bright green ornament to the right. He's a high school teacher and the colors of his school are green and white.
So on to the rest of the stuff going on. I've done the intro to the yoga teacher training already and I signed up. Wish me luck! I'm excited, and I'm hoping that all goes well. I think it will. I'm training at Prairie Yoga, doing the weekend intensives. It's a 9-month program, and I have a year to finish - I have to put off one seminar because of a Zonta Club event... I have all my books; I've read 2 of them (well, 3, but I have to re-read #3). I have my calendar all set up already. It's all good.
And finally, I can't help myself. I'm beyond sorrow about Sandy Hook Elementary. And I'm beyond mad at the NRA - in the person of Wayne LaPierre. I think he and his organization need a rectal-cranial enema. Because maybe then that will dislodge where his (and his members') heads are. "Arm the teachers." Right. Not. He is, apparently, ignorant. Well, obviously. But ignorant about basic facts of history. Columbine High School had an armed security guard. That worked well... So did Virginia Tech (a whole campus security department), and Northern Illinois University. And the Gabby Giffords shooting? The one guy with a gun couldn't get a clean shot, so instead of taking out MORE people, he chose (wisely) not to shoot.
We need common sense gun regulation. We need to parse the Second Amendment and realize that it does NOT give us the right to military-style assault weapons. It may give us the right to have a gun, but I can't see the Founders reacting well to this situation. The Second Amendment says we can arm ourselves to protect ourselves from an oppressive government - which isn't the country we live in.
And we need to become a kinder society. Caring for the least of these, caring about individuals and making sure that people are given what they need to function in society. Unfortunately, we're not there. I'm afraid that we won't be, for some time yet.
So I finished the scarf that Kid #1 will eventually ask me to do for his G/F of just over a year. I can see it coming, so I figured I'd get it done before it got too late. He seems to think that I'm sustained by "knitting fairies" who allow me to knit without sleep and still function at work the next day!
I know that his G/F, lovely as she is, is no yarn fancier. Kid #1 gave her an alpaca sweater last year, and she had a tepid response. Heck, I would've loved an alpaca sweater! Anyway, he says that I've "ruined" it because I made him into a yarn snob. Which makes me laugh. So, since I know eventually it'll come to him to ask me, I did a stash-kind-of scarf.
I'm not necessarily a believer in the "sweater curse." If you don't know what that is, I'll tell you. NEVER knit anything for anyone you're dating. Never. Because one of two things will happen. You'll either break up when you're about 2/3 of the way into the project or you'll break up immediately after giving the gift. I didn't knit anything for Hubby - mainly because I wasn't knitting when we were dating! So I never saw the curse in action, but I've read about it enough times.
To avoid any supply meltdowns, I considered seriously what I was willing to invest in this scarf. I knew it wouldn't be alpaca! I dallied with the idea of Lion's Cashmere - it's not horribly expensive, and it has good stitch definition. Then I thought of the time I wanted to invest in actually doing a complicated pattern, or even an easy basketweave. I thought "not much" simply because I don't have a lot of time. And also, you can't exactly toss cashmere into the washer. That consideration always sits near the front of my brain when I think of knitting for others.
I have a friend who's a marvelous knitter. She has a daughter-in-law who is either stupid or has issues. She made her first grandchild (ok, maybe it was over-enthusiasm for the first grandchild) a lovely layette out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It's what you'd think it was, even if you're a novice knitter. Cashmere + merino - two of the softest things you can put next to your skin.
The daughter-in-law washed the layette. And dried it in the dryer. Yep, now it's doll clothes.
So The Sweater Curse can also be retooled into The Unappreciative Recipient Curse. That's the person who says, "Oh, you made this." In that tone which implies that you were too lazy to go buy something. You know the type. They don't get knitted or crocheted - or ANY hand made items from me. Not even cookies. Fie on them. A pox on their houses. May their store-bought gifts all break upon opening. May their batteries be dead. Serves 'em right!
Soooooooooooo - I tend to think of who it is I'm knitting for and their capacity to care for what I'm handing them. I know the Yarn Harlot says that once you've given a gift, it's out of your hands. But I like to think I'm educating people about the yarn and the significance. If you don't want to wear my hand-knit super-wash wool hat, that's fine. Go wear your Gap or Old Navy hat. But at least with super-wash wool, you can't really destroy it by washing it! For my sister's pregnant daughter-in-law, there's fine pima cotton. She's sensible and she loves yarn. But she'll be adjusting to a first baby. I don't want her to have to worry about the blanket when Baby pees or yarks on it. For my mother: something gorgeous because I know what she likes AND that she'll take appropriate care of it. She doesn't knit but she appreciates it.
 |
| Simple Knit Scarf |
Here's what I ended up with for the G/F: Homespun. Colorway Painted Desert. Here's the end product, knitted on size 15 needles. I don't know what Lion calls this, but as I was rooting around the Michael's for the yarn, this was a pattern on the back of some hideous Homespun color (yeah, it was green/yellow/tan and I just couldn't imagine it...) and so I copied the pattern onto a scrap of paper.
I call it the G/F Scarf. You take one skein of Homespun, cast on 11 (I did 12) and then knit on size 15 needles. Straight knit. Nothing fancy. But what you do have to do is pull it from both ends of the skein. Which, even in their skeins, is a major pain in the sit-bones because the yarn is not twisted tightly, it's wound on a skinny acrylic thread and it's more boucle in nature and prone to snagging like crazy. So I took both ends of the yarn and wound it into a ball. Check out http://www.lionbrandyarn.com/ to search for simple scarf patterns - and I think you can go directly to the Homespun and look at it.
I liked the Painted Desert because it was bright; it has flame red/orange, deep blue, a touch of green and some pale versions of those colors. This shot doesn't do it justice unless you click on it to enlarge it. The double-stranding of the yarn adds enough heft for it to be nice and warm, even though it's acrylic. And the G/F is a small person - this scarf is plenty long for her. If you wanted to, I guess you could do two skeins and still double them for a super-long scarf.
And Homespun is easy to care for. And it cost me $4.79. So if she loses it or wrecks it - or if they break up - I won't have spent a fortune. It was done in essentially a weekend.
I was disappointed in Michael's. Their yarn selection is getting really weird. Lots of private-label yarns, and hard to find the old standby selections. I'd have done a crocheted chenille if I could've found it. I did one of those for Kid #2 when he had lost yet another scarf and the kid wore it till it was ragged - I literally had to snatch it from him and toss it. He's now got a lovely wool-blend in black and garnet red.
Kid #1 had a crocheted acrylic that was the cammo-pattern. He lost it. So he got a chenille quickie in black and tan. He hasn't lost that one yet. And if he does, I have plenty of acrylic stash for him.
By the way, they begged for their wool hats early. I swear Kid #2 is living in his! They both love them and since November has turned really toward "cold" it's good for them to be wearing the hats.
Knitting for someone doesn't have to call down "The Curse." Just be judicious in what you're knitting and in the type of yarn you use. I can guarantee that the more expensive the yarn, the worse "The Curse" will be.
