549 Rows Later

Well, maybe more like 555 rows, if you include the 3 garter stitch rows at each end....

I have been plugging away at this sampler lace scarf since March.  It has been my commuting project.  I was listening to books on tape when I took the train to and from work while I worked it.  It is Unikatissima or Lace Christmas Rose, by Susann Hajjar.  I loved the way the pattern changed every 20 rows or so.  And the transitions from one pattern to the other were so well conceived.  I am really happy with it.  

As you must know by now, I do love to block my knitting and lace knitting is the most satisfying of all.  You can see the transformation above!  Another thing made me happy about this project: see that tiny little ball of yarn?  That is all that is left of one skein of Misti Alpaca Lace that I got on sale at Rosie's for $5.  Yea!

No More Bare Bear

Because it was such a chilly day yesterday, and on the advice of counsel, I decided to make a raglan sweater for the bear. If I was cold, he probably was, too.

Seems happier, right?

Grin and Bear It

I made a bear for the daughter of a friend of mine who's coming into town later this week. I've used up leftover yarn from a sweater I unraveled a few years back, which is just perfect for this sort of thing. If someone (not me) were enterprising enough, you could probably have a small business making microbrew heirloom teddy bears out of old family sweaters that can't be worn anymore. My mother knew a woman who converted old coats -- tweed, furs, what have you -- into stuffed bears. I still have a bear made from a houndstooth wool swing coat that belonged to my grandmother in the 1930s or '40s.

I like knitting small gifts for friends' kids, but they quickly outgrow sweaters and hats and bootlets. So, I've been thinking more and more about stuffed animals. But they are a pain to make. You've got to make all those pieces, then sew them together, then stuff it all.

This knitted bear pattern is ingenious. It is knit in the round and has virtually no seaming. Short rows create the butt, elbows, and face shaping.

Super-cute, right? It's called Vera and you can find it on Ravelry. Worth every penny of the price.

springtime chemo hat

Since it's already so warm, I thought David's mom might like to shift to a springtime hat. This one calls to mind her Irish heritage. I made it with Cascade Calmer, a decent cotton blend (supposedly discontinued, though).

The pattern is Shedir. It's a really nice pattern -- just interesting enough. The only modification I made was using a tubular cast-on, which I am pretty into these days. This is a good project to do without cable needles. Because otherwise it would be a real pain.

For the record, I would like very much to be put out of the chemo hat business.

What took me so long?

Here are the beautiful mitts my daughter Simma made me for Christmas.  I love them!  The yarn is Madeleine Tosh and the pattern is Annabella by Anna Aponte.

Chemo Hats

I've been knitting a lot of chemo hats these days.

Some, like these first three, are for people I don't know -- patients at Simma's hospital.

This is Ysolda's Urchin pattern, made with some yarn I'd had in my stash for years:

This one is the Hurricane hat pattern, made with superwash leftover from the Monkey Blanket.

And this one, my favorite, also made with leftover Monkey Blanket yarn (all gone now!!) is Wurm. It has a bright blue lining which you can't really see here:

Sadly, I've also been knitting chemo hats for someone I do know. David's mom, who's losing her hair now.

This is the Butterfly hat, made with a loosely spun wool from Lang:

And Molly, made with the softest Cascade Eco Duo, 50% undyed merino and 50% undyed alpaca:

Here's hoping there's a moratorium on chemo hats for a while. Although they're enjoyable to knit, I can't say I enjoy having to knit them.

Monkey Blanket Update

It's often hard to know the fate of things you knit and give as gifts. Sometimes you find out that things didn't end so well -- hats lost or sweaters shrunk. Sometimes, come to find out, garments have been worn to death -- frayed scarves, socks with holes. But more often, you send knitted gifts out into the world never knowing if and how they ever get used.

(Likewise, I think we knitters also get very good and learning who appreciates and takes good care of the things we make for them, and we reward them with more things.)

So, remember the labor-intensive Monkey Blanket I made back in the fall? Well, it's nice to know it's getting put to good use, by its super-adorably-cute owner, Olivia. Her parents report that it gets compliments every time they take her out with it.

How cool and cute is this??