Still knitting

The back of my sweater is starting to take shape. I'm coming along pretty quickly with this...it's not really that hard once you master the cables. I just hope it fits properly when I'm finished.

While I knit, I've been listening to audiobooks on my ipod from here. All of the books are fairly old since they are in the public domain, but there are some good old classics out there. Also, the books are read by volunteers, so that's pretty cool. However, I do prefer the books that are read entirely by the same person, and not a different reader for each chapter.

I also read this yesterday. It was an absolute page turner, and I'm heading out this afternoon to pick up the next book in the series.

Knitting for babies

I like making things for babies. Babies are small, so their stuff is small. Babies aren't curvy and look cute in anything, so fit isn't much of an issue. And babies are not ungrateful about your handmade gifts. They're not particularly grateful either, but they can't help that. So it makes sense to me, when learning a new craft, to make things for babies... small things that don't have to fit well. Not to mention the fact that I've been attending more baby showers these days, and handmade baby gifts are more in demand. We've been to a lot of weddings over the past several years, so I guess one follows the other.

I recently got my hands on the Mason Dixon Knitting book, and there are several good baby projects in there. (Check out the Mason Dixon Flickr group here.) You may not be able to tell, but this is a bib. It's my first finished knitting project. I'm not sure how I feel about how the variegated pink yarn knitted up, but I suppose it will work for an object that my niece is going to drool and spit up on. Now I just need to find a cute button for it.


Here is another project in progress from the book. It's the baby kimono sweater, a wrap sweater knit in one piece. I plan to make one for my almost-one-year-old niece, but I'm making the newborn size from the book first. I'm using dishcloth cotton yarn from the discount store for this one, but I'm on the hunt for some different yarn to use in the kimono for my niece. I'm looking for a soft, pale pink, but most of the cotton yarns I've seen so far are screaming Barbie pink instead. Luckily, as we now, hunting for the perfect yarn/fabric is half the fun.

hello, blog

Wow, I can't believe it's been 3 months since I've posted. In case you were wondering, I am alive and well in my new location. I went a few weeks without internet access, and I'm slowly getting things organized around here. I did get some quilting/crafting done during the chaos of moving, so I have lots to show you once I get around to unpacking things and taking their picture.

I have to admit, I may be taking a quilting hiatus for awhile....I've started knitting. Actually, I sort of taught myself to knit a few months ago, but I've been doing a lot more knitting lately. Thanks to my new LYS (local yarn shop), I have a ton of gorgeous new yarns at my disposal, and I'm taking full advantage. Like fabric, they are hard to resist. The sweater I'm working on is the central park hoodie, and the yarn is cascade 220 tweed in icy blue (can't find a link to that particular color... must be really new), if you're curious. If there are any other crocheters/knitters out there, are on ravelry yet? You may already know about it, but I always feel like I'm the last person to find out about these things. Just in case I'm not, there you go.

I do intend to post quite a bit more often now that I'm settled...thanks for sticking with me!

On my coffee table...

From the bottom, up:
1) The Summer 2008 issue of Interweave Knits, because I can knit now! I'm so excited! Pics to come...
2) June 2008 BHG. Good recipes (I think I'll actually try a couple), lots of decorating inspiration, and a large article on gardening (surprise, surprise) which I probably should put to good use but probably won't.
3) Encyclopedia of Crochet, checked out from my local library. A pretty good selection of stitches, granny squares, etc., but the projects were a little uninspiring. Probably b/c the book was published in 2002.
4) The Crochet Stitch Bible, recent purchase from Amazon. I don't know if I would necessary call it the crochet bible, but it does contain a lot of stitches, granny squares, edgings, and even some tunisian crochet. This is not a project book. It's a stitch book. It's not all-inclusive, but I'm not sure any book could capture every possible crochet stitch. Definitely a handy reference.
5) Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, checked out from the library. This is one I may have to buy. It's a decent stitch reference guide, and there are several projects I would like to make from this book. As a matter of fact...
6) ...I've already started one. I'll wait until it's done to show you which one I picked.