Let's go in reverse order.
A friend of mine is due in December, and better yet she's having a girl and planning to cloth diaper. So, I dyed some yarn and made her a diaper cover. I couldn't decide whether to add a skirt or not until just a couple days ago. I happened to browse some of the baby patterns and it seemed like every other picture was a cute little skirty soaker! One in particular was especially cute and pleated. I had already given the soaker pleated ruffly cuffs, so I added a skirt with a similar style. It definitely improved the look. (I had made it a bit long too, and finally had the sense to fold down the waistband). I used up all my yarn.
Front:
Front under skirty:
Back:
Before the skirt:
Close look at the leg ruffles:
I always have projects to work on. But sometimes, I start feeling bogged down if I don't have one close to being done, and then I don't really want to work on them at all. Instead, I want to cast on something new! And fast! Or maybe just make swatches with different yarn. I happened across some really cute catnip toy patterns on one such day, and cranked out three before I was done. There is something extra satisfying about using up that last little bit of leftover yarn.
We had the NC State Fair here in Raleigh recently. I submitted a small Swallowtail Shawl that I had made with jaggerspun, and some colorgrown cotton/tussah silk blend yarn with seashells spun in. I don't have a picture of the yarn though. It didn't really photograph that well - I think it will look a lot better knitted, if I can ever figure out what to make with it. So here is the swallowtail shawl (knitted on size 2 needles).
I like to wear it as a headscarf:
I started working on a beautiful sock "Scheherazade's Slippers." I ignored the recommendations for size/gauge because I like my socks a certain gauge/tension, and I also like them tight-fitted. Well, I finished the main part of the pattern and I couldn't get the heel over my foot. Grrrrr. It is currently sitting, ripped back to the heel, waiting for me to decide if I really think I can remember or write down all my heel alterations and get them right for the next sock. Assuming I come up with a heel alteration that would work within the pattern. I might just frog the whole thing and use this yarn for a more basic sock, and re-visit the slippers when I have a thicker yarn.
I also made a winter hat for my boy, with some yarn I dyed. It never pooled in any of my swatches, or even my first go at a hat (it was a bit too loose and open, so I went down a needle size or two). But in the right number of stitches and a better gauge, it made this spiral effect. I'm not really sure whether I like it better as random spreckles or ordered spirals. ;^)
I started a pair of Kanoko Pants with the intention of giving them away as a baby present... but they took me too long to make and I like them a lot, so they're going in the "hope chest" for the next one. Hehe.
Of course, I tell myself that I'm done with stripes every time I do a project that has them. These pants took me two months to finish working up the motivation and weaving in all the ends. Bleh.
I knitted a prosthetic breast. I need to knit a matching one, and maybe some more, and donate them.
(I kind of want to make a couple for me, for stuffies. Hehehe).
I made a double-knit dishcloth to keep the bright colors of this very happy yarn in order. (I know, you wouldn't think I would ever buy such bright stuff. What can I say, I must have needed cheering up when I was in the store). I was liking how the colors lined up together every other row and was trying to figure out how to do a slip stitch pattern to really make it do what I wanted. I kind of figured it out in my head, but then realized "Hey, that would make it double knit. Not really what I wanted... wait, that would be neat!" So there ya go. The top and bottom edges are ribbing, and the edge 3 stitches are garter stitch. The middle is double knit.
It's kind of hard to show the double knit aspect in a picture, but I tried:
I made a ruffly shawl from the book "Greetings from Knit Cafe." I used some of the black mohair blend left over from the Transparent Cardigan. It looks nice as a headwrap, and makes me look like a gypsy. Well, maybe a gypsy in mourning, heh.
Whew, I'm tired! Now I know why I've been putting off the blogging, hehe. That was a lot of stuff! And I still feel like I must be forgetting something. Oh well. :^)
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