knit nut

I was on a knitting hiatus for awhile this winter, but that seems to have ended.  Most of my knitting is for things that can be fit in between my 'real work' of quilting and job and homelife.  It kind of takes a back seat, but sometimes I get fired up about something new, and then out come the needles and yarn again!  Browsing the pictures on Ravelry is problematic, because I am tempted by many things there.  I limit my looking to only things that are available as free patterns, but that still numbers in the 1000's, so it's not a very restrictive limit!  Another reason for my recent uptick in knitting is the Christmas gifts I received from thoughtful friends and family, and it's hard to not knit up a gift project!

So here's a recap of recent knitting events:

A warm and fluffy cowl scarf--

 The yarn is a chunky weight, and knit on big needles, so it happens quickly.  The directions are from Berroco booklet #310.  The yarn is acrylic, wool and baby alpaca with subtle shading.  It is available in additional colorways.

Another fluffy scarf--

and another Berroco yarn that is acrylic and wool blend.  The instructions for this were inside the yarn wrapper, and I actually crocheted it.  Crochet is not my strong suit, but this was super simple.  You see the picture with the yarn ball, the strip of fiber has little loops along the edges and that is where the action happens to make the ruffle.  The closeup above kind of shows how it gets all gathered up along 1 edge.

My knitting has been classed up a bit with the addition of this beautifully handcrafted yarn bowl--

I love my yarn bowl!

It comes from Blue Room Pottery.  At the moment it contains the makings of yet another Baby Surprise Jacket knit in Serenity Garden Yarn by Deborah Norville and Premier Yarns.  Below is another little jacket that can move to the 'done' group after washing and blocking.  

Baby Surprise Jacket
I knit this baby jacket over a year ago, but when I sewed the shoulder seams I ended up with a neck hole for a pencil-necked baby, and we all know that baby necks are not necessarily the thin part of the body!  There has to be a sturdy neck to hold up those disproportionately large heads, right?  So enter the yarn whisperer (Thora Lee) and a little re-work made it turn out just fine.  That pink/purple/grey sweater is a Sensations sock yarn called Soles & More, available at your local fine JoAnn's Sewing and Craft store.  It's a nice, soft, washable wool blend.

And now not so knitty--

proof that dishwashing detergent is tough stuff

Bob's jeans are showing a new form of distress after a struggle with an unruly bottle of gel dishwasher soap.  That is permanently bleached.  And probably breaking down the fibers at this very moment to create a nice ragged hole soon.  Lesson learned--wear protective clothing when loading the dishwasher!

And to wrap this up, I am going to suggest that you visit and read this blog about a MN quilt designer that I know and enjoy.  Her name is Heather Mulder Peterson and her company is Anka's Treasures.  I really like her photography and inspiring ideas, but the post I am directing you to is about a personal life event, and you might want a tissue handy.  She also is a terrific knitter!