These socks are made for.....

Walking......soon.....VERY soon. BG has worn primarily footed "Sleep and Plays" since he was born. So, not much need for socks. But with warm weather, and "bigger boy" clothes.....grandma wanted to knit a pair of socks. It was more an exercise in fitting than anything else. Getting a pair to stay on without the assistance of shoes was a challenge, but I think I finally made it!! (After several single socks hit the garbage can). These are 48 stitches knit on 2.25mm needles. The leg is 3" before I made a basic heel-flap heel over 24 stitches. The foot length is 3.5 inches before toe decrease. They fit perfectly and seem to stay on quite nicely......TODAY! :)
And these are finally finished, and fit ME perfectly. They are knit from Noro Silk Garden sock yarn, color #S269, knit with 2.25mm dpns. The color is totally "me". I used Kay's "Winterscape Socks" pattern. She has a great collection of sock patterns on her blog. Thanks Kay.....love them!
And just in case you need another look at those walking socks...... (sorry.... I just couldn't resist.) The bottoms will be dotted with puff paint this afternoon - to help with the wobbly syndrome we have going on right now.

BG sized "Thorpe"

"Thorpe" (Ravelry link) is such a practical hat...warm, over the ears and covers the back of the neck..... I had to make one for BG! The pattern is in several adult sizes, and surprisingly enough, I actually managed to modify it to fit him quite nicely.

This is knit out of a worsted weight yarn, Cascade 220 Superwash instead of a bulky weight. I knit it on size 6 needles. I used the pattern as written, increasing to 88 stitches, and knit the straight hat portion 4.5" from the center point before binding off 34 stitches for the part that goes around his forehead. Anyone who has knit the pattern will understand the above. Sorry....if it is boring to others. I will probably write up more detailed modifications on my Ravelry page, if anyone is interested. Or....you can always ask me questions either thru a comment here/or by email. SUPER nice baby hat!

photo disclaimer... no smiles, as warm hats are serious business... he is doing a "serious mood" model pose. vbg (Besides that, all the smiles were straight on, and I wanted an "over the ear" shot). This is left-over yarn from his daddy's last year's Christmas hat....very "manly", don't you think???

Ark blueprints anyone.....??

MotherNature is unleashing her furry on the Midwest this time. We are treading water here in Des Moines as fast as we can. Personally, I am on high ground, so doing ok, but much of our state, Des Moines included, is struggling with major floods. We are hopeful that improvements made 15 years ago will be sufficient to protect our water treatment plant. In the "flood of 93" we lost our water supply for over a week. When considering what others have lost, it seems a small inconvenience, but we are still hoping for the best. Major sadness surrounds the loss of the 4 young men killed by the tornado last night in Western Iowa. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those young folks. I guess ours is not to question why....but....???

Feeling sort of down the last couple of days, Sofee and I were exploring the back yard during a brief break in rainfall this morning. It helped brighten my day a little when within this clematis vine....we discovered this cardinal nest. Mom (or dad?) flew out as we were looking at the blossoms. They have a nice home hidden away amongst the blooms. Perhaps I should erect an umbrella....
What can be more cherry than a little red sweater? This will be for Baby Garret (who has only 29 more days till his "official" arrival date). DD thinks he will come early. Grandma doesn't want to rush anything.... I am anxious for his arrival, but all in due time.

The pattern is a freebie from Berroco, "Baby Poonam". The yarn is Comfort DK. It's an acrylic/nylon blend. Very soft, but very splitty - so difficult to work with. I think it's a pretty sweater. The sleeves will be textured like the back, with the cabling down the front of the sweater.
I am knitting another pair of plainjane ribbed socks as a teaching aid for my sock class. These are out of a Cherry Tree Hill skein from my stash. I don' know the colorway - but I really like it very much. No Pony Pearls however - using the needles available at the shop. I am sure you all know how I really feel about that!!
And, another book on Lace came home with me on Tuesday. This is going to prove to be a great resource I think. I really will have no excuse if I can't conquer the lace demon.

Meet Sheldon....

Sofee was quite impressed by this new guest!

After a quick stroll thru my hybernating hosta bed,

He has gone to live at BG's house, waiting for his arrival.

Sheldon's stats are: Made from a pattern on Knitty.com called "Sheldon". He is made per the directions, from KnitPicks shine sport - colors suggested in pattern. The only modifications are to his eyes (Felt circles super-glued and sewn on instead of "safety" eyes - which in my opinion were not safe enough) and I had a problem following the pattern for attaching his shell. So I crocheted it on, and then added the I-cord afterwards.

And, this little pair of moccasins were knit from Berroco Suede, following the pattern that can be found in the "Boho Baby Knits". A quick knit, and I think they are cute. Hope they fit....

Knit with lots of love....

This past week, I put St. Brigid aside and concentrated on finishing up my daughter's nursing shawl. It came off the blocking mat today, and I am quite happy with it, actually. As an adoptive mom, I never breastfed my babies. I always felt that I missed out on that special bonding experience. I guess that is why I was so happy to be able to make this shawl for my daughter and (expected) grandson. It was knit with all sorts of loving thoughts... I hope they will both enjoy it!The pattern is "Bloomsburg Nursing Shawl" from the book "Boho Baby Knits" by Kat Coyle.
It was knit out of Rowan WoolCotton - 9 skeins. On size US6 needles. Finished size is 25" by 48". It was not stretched during blocking....only shaped. It is a very soft, fluid fabric. I made no changes to the pattern at all. It was a fun knit, although, I am glad it is complete...enabling me to move on to other projects and (eventually) back to St. Brigid.

Yes, another one has joined!

The Sisterhood has yet another member! Melissa took the day off work so she could stay home and knit today. I think the bug has bitten...with sharp teeth!

Here is the progress on my CPH. I hope to get a photo of Mel's sweater soon. It sounds as though she is making great progress.And, I finished another "something blue". Hope the size/shape of these little socks will be ok for Baby. The pattern is a freebie that I picked up (somewhere?) on the internet. "Infant Socks" by Judy Ellis. They are made out of Liza Souza's Sock! yarn - made on my 2.25mm Pony Pearls. Very soft and cozy. Hope the little guy will like them.I just cast on another worsted weight, larger pair of socks for the current Mittens for Akkol sock challenge. A pretty steep departure from my little blue socks. These are BIG blue (I am in a rut!) socks. I think they will knit up quite quickly.

My yarn for the nursing shawl is in route. I am anxious to see it, and get started. New projects are such fun!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day. I have no complaints...even after all these years..... :)

Finally....

I am going to make the long awaited "Central Park Hoodie". It has been on my radar screen for over a year now, and I have had my yarn for probably six months. What have I been waiting for? An Understudy!!

DD has a life-long friend who came for a knitting lesson this weekend. She is jumping into the knitting world with a big splash. Her very first project will be a CPH! She can do it! She is a crocheter, and seems to have a certain degree of natural ability. She's a quick study in other words. We plan on working at a similar pace, so that I can help her over any rough spots she may experience. So, I have swatched: Perfectly on gauge with the suggested yarn, Donegal Tweed. (The color in the photo is off. It is "Garnet" colorway, - a deep red, almost burgundy. Very nice). Mel is making hers from Paton's Classic Merino - Grey colorway. (She has already learned the fine art of "swatch grumbling" - she has been initiated!) She is on gauge now after a needle switch. Shirley is joining us for a 3-way KAL. Any other takers? Should be fun! I hope to post photos of Mel's progress from time to time. She is blogless, and I think intends to remain so.

DD suggested that I make her this nursing shawl from the book that she gave me for my birthday. ("BoHo Baby Knits" by Kat Coyle) Pretty, huh!? I have the yarn ordered. She is changing the colors to a dark brown, dark pink, and off white. I am anxious to get started! It will be out of Rowan Wool Cotton. A DK wt 50/50 machine washable blend.
And, just a little something blue...and fun. I found this pattern on Ravlery, and the designer was gracious enough to send it to me. I can see tons of these falling off the needles. Now I wish I were a dishcloth knitter - I think their world has tons of design graphs available. I liked this little penguin. I am sure grandbaby will love painting him green with spinach some day....oh what fun we'll have! Till later.... k

There's some craziness afoot.....

Perhaps its the giddiness of the new baby, or perhaps a symptom of cabin fever, whatever it is, I have made one strange hat! Thorpe...on something??? for sure!See...I told you it's getting strange around here - the cereal cannister is wearing a hat! I am thinking of felting or "fulling" the hat part, as it is just a tad big. I'll think about it for awhile.

I probably won't make a special trip for the buttons for this "rosey" sweater. Actually I am not very happy with the outcome. I much prefer the little blue sweater I made first. (Shades of things to come, I am sure!) Thanks to everyone for the kind comments of happiness and congratulations that so many of you have sent. Mommy reads my blog, and is sharing in the enjoyment of reading the comments. Thanks! Granpa and I got to view the DVD of the ultrasound last night. Such a wonder!
And finally, a Sofee post. Sofee always greets DH (aka daddy) when he comes home from work. She runs out to the garage and receives 3 (yes - she counts them) tiny treats. Well, on Wednesday, I did not expect her to run out as normal. The drive had not yet been cleared, and the snow was pretty deep, but she leaped off the step - landing into a tire track and followed it all the way to his truck. Gulp - treats down - and then she walked back to the house. I ran for the camera, laughing all the way.
As you can tell, the trip back to the house was not quite as much fun....but she did eventually make it. This is the same dog that refuses to go out by herself to potty - requiring me to take her out and place her in her "spot" only to immediately snatch her back up and carry her back to the house. I think she is just a tad spoiled.... Sigh....

And yet ANOTHER post today....

I finished grandbaby's sweater. (If he is a boy, that is.)
A girl's version will be forthcoming.

It is the "Classic Cardigan" from the "Baby Essential" book by Debbie Bliss. I received the book as a Christmas gift from a very special friend. What a perfect gift!

I made the 3 - 6 month size. It is knit from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Knit on size 2 and 3 Options needles. I love the feel of this yarn - the cashmere makes for such softness.

Baby will be born in July, so hopefully this will fit him in the fall. I certainly enjoyed making this....complete with all sorts of warm fuzzy grandma thoughts!

Now....better get to the rosey version, just in case He is a She. We'll know for sure soon, but I just couldn't wait!