Not Afraid to Frog

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Off the trail, back to yarn.

Yeah, it's hot, and yeah, it took me a little while to really get back into the knitting frenzy, and no (thankgoodness), I'm not as knitting crazed as I was during the last two years of school, but the point is...I'm back! Whee-ha!

So, thought I'd go ahead and introduce my most exciting current projects (read: you're not going to hear about the nearly finished toe-up 3x1 ribbed Koigu sock...beyond that).

What's actually on the needles and sitting next to me most frequently:


For my first neice or nephew to be! The pattern recommends silk, but I neither have the funds nor cruelty to buy expensive, non-machine washable yarn for a baby blanket. Granted, there is some machine washable silk out there, and perhaps one day I'll make a thin scarf with it. But the money part still applies. Anyway, I picked Debbie Bliss' baby cashmerino, and I love it. It's 55% merino, 33% microfiber, and 12% cashmere...and machine washable. Woo! Mom's favorite color is green, which worked out well with the sea green color I selected. I know brights are good for babies, but I wanted a softer color for the blanket. I'll work in plenty of bright colors into various tiny clothing items. :] I'm waiting to decide on the color of ribbon after I finish the knitting. Could be a matching sea green, or perhaps a yellow, light or bright. Of course, if we find out it's for a little girl, I may have to go for a light pink ribbon. Cheesy, sure, but wouldn't it be sweet?

I'm using size 7 needles, so it's feeling pretty quick compared to some grand tiny needle lace blanket I had considered. The middle stitch pattern is a 4 row pattern repeat, and it was easy to memorize (shown in the swatch). The border is seed stitch with a picot edging. Simple, but sweet.

Next project to cast on is a cotton summer top out of this stuff:

I'll probably start just as soon as I get the pattern in the mail!

And two really exciting knitting related unplanned wonders (from least to most awesome):
1. I was hired as a teaching aide to a knitting class for kids, but since I know the boss and they really needed help, I'm getting the teacher's position wage ($20/hr) instead of the -typically high school- aide's wage ($6/hr). It's a two week long course, for an hour and a half every morning, and the kids are a delight. I just had my first class this morning, and though it was a challenge (these kids are *just* learning, and at any minute I've got a cue of five kids vying for my attention), I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to go back tomorrow!

2. My mother, grandmother, aunt and I are going on the Sea Socks Cruise!. It's a five night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas, from L.A. to Vancouver. It's at the end of next April, when Andy and I'll be living in Seattle. So, I'll just fly down to L.A. (mum could drive up from San Diego), sail up the coast (stopping in Victoria for a High Tea excursion including a two hour yarn store stop), perhaps take the scenic train down to Seattle from Vancouver, and be home! There's a knitting gift bag (yes, of course it has yarn), plus a bunch of workshops and sessions on board. Be jealous. Better yet, tell me you're going, too!

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