The first Tartan Jacket!

Just a quick post to celebrate the fact that the first Tartan Jacket of the knitalong is completed. Marika is done with hers, and in my opinion, it looks great! I have now been inspired to start working on mine again, forgetting that I said that I was going to finish Candy before getting back to the jacket.

Sweater neglect

I suddenly realized that I am, in fact, guilty of sweater neglect. I have been working on Candy for a while now, and I have not given the project its fair share of blog-time. This could not entirely be avoided, as for a while the sweater was not very photographable (is that a word?), since both sleeves and the front and back were all scrunched together on a circular needle while I was working on the yoke in the round. But I have reached a point where the sweater is temporarily off the needles before I pick up stitches to start the bottom ribbing. So here is Candy, in all her bottom-portion-unfinished, sleeve-seams-unsewn, loose-ends-hanging-out glory:



I had to go with the self-portrait in the mirror, since my husband/ photographer was not home. Now that I have actually tried it on, I am really excited about finishing this project. It fits me really well, and I like the colors even better on me than I did while working on it. I think this project is going to take precedence over the Tartan Jacket for a while, so hopefully there will be pictures of the finished product soon.

Oh baby!

Apparently, I have officially moved on to the next phase of my life as a knitter - knitting for babies. It seems like everyone I know is having a baby. Well, not everyone, but my cousin and his wife should be having theirs any day now, my older sister is due in June, and I just recently found out that two of my close friends (one from high school and one from college) are both going to have babies in August! I am actually pretty excited about the opportunity to knit for little ones. Baby items are so cute, and the projects go by so quickly. I have started working on the first of many baby projects, a pair of socks for my cousin's baby. (I figured I'd start with something quick, since the baby is due this month). Here is my progress so far:



This is also my first ever attempt at knitting two socks at the same time on two circular needles. Since I am pretty comfortable with double pointed needles, it never really seemed necessary to try this before, but the thought of working both socks at once really appealed to me. It took me a little bit to get the hang of it, but I have to say that overall, I am pleased with the technique. Up to this point, I have been very stuck in my ways when it comes to knitting socks (top-down, with dpns), but I will definitely try this again. One of these days, I will be adventurous enough to try toe-up socks, too.

Aaargh!

Since it was 10 degrees outside this morning, before heading to work, I put on my usual bundling-up apparel, including the Broad Street Mittens that I made last winter. When I got outside, I noticed that my right thumb felt a little chilly. When I investigated the situation, I discovered this:



Yes, horrendous photo quality aside, it is a HOLE in my mitten! I am still trying to figure out if it is due to gradual wear and tear, or if I unknowingly snagged it on something. As far as I know, the mitten was intact when I wore it when I went to the gym at 9:00 last night. Hmmm... Well, I suppose the important thing is not how it happened, but the fact that now I have to fix it. Those mittens are just about my favorite things I ever knit, too. Sigh...