Six of the women in my knitting group agreed to take part in a secret birthday gift swap. At the first meeting of the year we put our names in a basket and secretly chose our recipients. Today is the first birthday, and this beautiful Booga Bag is the gift. Two more photos can be seen here. The next recipient's b-day isn't until June, so it will be a while before we see the next creation.

And here is the front cable cardigan. The ends are not sewn in, and the side seams need to be steamed, and maybe even resewn, but it is basically finished. I actually was able to use the same yarn for the seaming, but all I have left are scraps now, so I'll try not to get it stuck on a grocery cart so I have a gaping hole to mend and no matching yarn to use. All in all, a simple, satisfactory project, finished in less than 2 weeks, and a very wearable product. I took 2 1/2 inches off the length in the pattern and used 3 needle bind off on the shoulder seams. I would like to try this pattern again, but make it more seamless.

Several weeks ago I came upon these lovelies in the clearance bins at AC Moore. $2.97 a pop for 70% merino wool, 20% alpaca,10% silk. There were only 10 balls left, so I grabbed them all and hoped to find a suitable project.

Ater doing a gauge swatch, I decided to make the simple Front Cable Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2004. I just finished knitting all the pieces, and am anxious to see how it all comes together. It is a miracle that I was able to finish the knitting with just 10 balls, but there was some finagling towards the end, and I may need to use a different yarn for some of the sewing. Hopefully I'll have a picture soon.

I am also still working on the FBS that I started months ago, and am now on the 10th pattern repeat. I have only been knitting 2-4 rows in a sitting, and each row keeps getting wider and wider. I am excited to see the finished product, but finishing it isn't a first priority, since I no longer have a recipient in mind, and I'm not exactly in dire need of a lacy shawl.

In other news, I bought some beautiful orange Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran at a great price from Little Knits with A Cardigan for Arwen in mind for either me or my sister (depending on the fate of the Front Cable Cardigan).

Felted bags galore based on Kureyon-Chan from Magknits. Each one took just a couple of hours to knit, and all were well received by the recipients.

What now? My sons both liked carrying legos and other small toys in the felted bags, so I may need to make them their own more masculine versions. I would also like to destash a bit, so I need to go through the mess in the craft closet and come up with good projects to go along with the yarn.

I finally finished Clapotis and here it is.

I am not sure if I am going to block it or not. The Silky Wool was nice to work with and I love the color. I may need to keep this one for myself.

So it seems I am not so good at keeping up with this blogging thing. But I'll keep trying.

We took a little trip last week to the Lexington VA area and went to the Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge.

Here's Bran laughing hysterically as an emu puts its head into the car and plunges its beak over and over into the bucket of animal food that he is holding.

Among the various animals, there were numerous eager llamas, all types of deer, zebras, camels, emus and similar flightless birds, pot-bellied pigs, wildebeasts and even giganormous watusis. We were told not to feed the zebras because they bite, but this did not stop one in particular from chasing our car along with the other packs of animals, and chewing on our side-view-mirror when we denied him food. We also hand fed a giraffe with such a sweet face that I now understand why Toys-R-Us uses one as their mascot. Lots of fun for those who don't mind getting very close to very large animals. But I only recommend the drive-thru for those who are not anal retentive about the cleanliness of their cars - I think ours still smells like camel a week later. And they do have a wagon ride if you would prefer not to take your car through the jungle.

I haven't been knitting very much this past week, but I have been reading. On Beauty and Life of Pi - two very different books both worth reading.

I have two knitted items to show that are from a few weeks ago.

I gifted this potholder/trivet to a friend for her birthday along with this awesome cookbook. The pattern is from Felted Knits and I used Patons Classic Merino.

The pattern for this jacket, also a gift, is from Minnowknits. I used Patons Shetland Tweed. Hopefully it will fit the newborn recipient well in about 2 years.

Other than that, I have been working a row here and there on Clapotis and also on the FBS, but neither is compelling me to sit down and finish for once and for all. I would like to make something special for my sister since she is turning 30 in January. This cardigan from Vogue Holiday 2006 is a real possibility.

This is another gift diaper bag using the pattern from Knitting For Baby. Like last time, everyone in my knitting group (except the recipient) knit a piece or two. We used Lamb's Pride Bulky and size 13 needles, so it knit up fast. Unlike the last time, the front pocket design was planned from the beginning, not an afterthought. The flowers and vine were loosely based on the Nicky Epstein Felted Floral Capelet pattern from IK, and all the pieces were sewn to the bag prior to felting. Although it was tricky to tack and sew the i-cord vine in the desired spots, I definitely preferred the sewing process pre-felting rather than post, since it is much easier to get a needle through unfelted knitting.

I haven't been knitting a ton, because I am suddenly obsessed with cleaning out my kitchen cabinets, so that has taken up much of the boy's nap time. Plus, this weekend I have a concert of Czech music which I have performed before, but need to review.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish either the FBS or Clapotis in time for cooler weather.

This is a coat for Bran, pattern from Zoe Mellor's Double Knitting with a collar instead of a hood. It just fits him, so hopefully he can wear it this fall and it will be Abe's next year. I originally bought the yarn to make another Hoodwinked for Bran to match Abe's, but I always find it difficult to repeat a project so soon after finishing the first.

And here he is, wearing it over his pj's.

I also started a Clapotis about a week ago in EL Silky Wool which I got during WEBS Anniversary sale.

Here is a pic of the finished Swallowtail shawl. Find more pics here. I worked on it every chance I had since I needed to get it done in time for the birthday party on the 19th. My left hand was a little sore by the end, especially after grasping the needle for the p5tog, but the recipient definitely appreciated the work put into it, and that made the big rush worthwhile.



Before doing this project, I saw other people's before and after photos of blocking lace, but was still amazed at how much larger blocking made the shawl and also the ability it gave to shape and clarify the design. Very addictive. I have also become a fan of the Shadow, which is a good thing, since I have 3 more skeins in Vineyard and 3 in Sunset. At least the lace bug is still stinging me, so it is only a matter of deciding on a pattern, and then finding the time, of course.

And here is the birthday girl wearing her shawlette. Doesn't she look great at 90!

I completed the 7th repeat of the FBS, but received the Fall Interweave Knits in the mail and decided to make the Swallowtail Shawl instead. I am using KnitPicks Shadow in Vineyard, and I like the yarn a lot so far. Good light has been essential when working with this dark, laceweight yarn, and lifelines have been very helpful as well. I don't mind working the k1,yo part of the nupps in the pattern, though purling 5 together is definitely not my favorite. Maybe this would be easier with a thicker yarn. I have been sticking a tapestry needle through the stitches and pulling down slightly in order to make room for my knitting needle to fit through the loops. I just found out about the psso method, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow. I am supposed to have this thing blocked and ready to go by Friday, since the party is Saturday, but I still have 6 rows of one chart with nupps and 16 rows of edging left. Hopefully the boys will nap very well tomorrow!

Here's what my FBS looks like so far. I have done 4 pattern repeats. I am enjoying it a lot, but am still unsure about the yarn. It is hard to tell with all those bumps what the piece will look like once it is all blocked and stretched out. But I am going to keep chugging along, since the big b-day bash is next month, and I don't want to risk having nothing to give to her.

On Thursday I started a Flower Basket Shawl for my grandmother-in-law using some red Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK and size 8 addis. The yarn is wonderful to work with, but I am not sure I like the thickness of it for the shawl. I also ordered some Shadow from KnitPicks, in two colors, Vineyard and Sunset. Depending on when I receive the yarn, I may end up using one color for the FBS, and the other for Mystery Stole 2. I am already so behind on the stole, but I couldn't resist joining when I saw Melanie's other lovely patterns. And it is such a fun idea! I have read great reviews of Shadow, so I can't wait to see how it knits up.

At long last, here is the hat for baby Nate. The yarn is Lamb's Pride Worsted in Khaki and White Frost. I worked it in the round on a size 8 bamboo circular, and then switched to dpn's at the top. I don't have a model for it since it is sized for an 18-month-old, but hopefully Nate and his mom will like it.

Next up is the Flower Basket Shawl for Gary's grandmother. She also happens to be my knitting teacher, so I know she'll appreciate a knitted gift. This may be a good opportunity to finally give KnitPicks a try.

I finally started another hat for my friend's new baby boy. The pattern, which I have used a number of times, is from Jil Eaton's Minnies. It comes to a point at the top and then little pom poms are added all over the hat. My stripe design is different from the one in the pattern, and I am also planning to add the boy's name on the white part of the hat using duplicate stitch. The yarn is Lamb's Pride Worsted.

We had a few days of heavy rain this week, and the flowers are showing their appreciation. Three rose bushes used to line the walkway up to our house. They were stunning in the early spring and the fall, but most of the summer they were covered with piles of Japanese Beetles. We tried different methods to get rid of them - bug bags, planting chives, chemicals, even handpicking them in the morning and dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. But they kept coming back. We probably wouldn't have minded them as much if the roses were in a less conspicuous spot. So we gave away two of the bushes and moved the third into an island bed where the beautiful blooms would be noticed when they presented themselves, but the beetles would not be. We planted various perennials in place of the roses, and so far the beetles seem to be ignoring them. The bees, on the other hand, are ever-present, but they are welcome guests.

I am trying to get inspired to knit another hat for my friend's new baby boy. Knitting can be such a stress reliever, but it is sometimes difficult for me to knit when I have too much other stuff going on at the same time.

I am in the process of getting my publicity materials ready in order to do a mailing to opera companies, and other performing organizations. This is something I haven't done in quite some time, and it is definitely one of my least favorite parts of trying to get work as a singer.

Also on the agenda, I need to decide between the ubiquitous Flower Basket Shawl or Ene's Scarf for a 90th Birthday gift for my grandmother-in-law. I had better get started soon, since her big day is in August!

Here are some pics of my finished Patons Cabled Hoodie. I started it when I was pregnant with Abe as inspiration to get thin again after he was born.

Of course, knowing I wouldn't be able to wear it for a while didn't inspire me to work on it very often, so I ended up doing the most work on it after he was born. I made the hood bigger than in the pattern so that the cables at the bottom of each side would match.

Very economical project using the Patons Classic Merino. Now that I am more comfortable with putting in a zipper, I may try making the Urban Aran into a zippered cardigan as I have seen other people do.

I also finished the bear hat for my friend's son, but it ended up being big enough to fit me. Bran enjoyed modeling it though. I think I'll knit something else for my friend, maybe an earflap hat using some Falk I have leftover from another sweater I gifted to a friend for her baby a few months ago.

I'll be performing songs of Mary Howe and Duke Ellington this Sunday at 3pm at The Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington DC.

My knitting group planned a surprise baby shower for Ashley, and it took place Monday night. Now I can finally show pics of the lovely felted diaper bag that we made for her. The pattern is from Knitting For Baby. We used Classic Elite Renaissance yarn in dark and light purples for the body, base, handles and side pockets, and a coordinating variegated purple for the front pocket. The bag is made in 8 pieces, and there are 7 of us, so the distribution worked out well. When the pieces were all knitted up, we had a sewing/felting party at Tiana's house, replete with homeade NY Cheesecake and strawberry topping made by the hostess. We took turns sewing and the bag went together quickly. We kept an eye on the bag when it was in the washer since none of us had felted with this yarn before, and we didn't want the diaper bag to suddenly be wallet-sized! It felted at a good pace, and ended up being very close to the pattern dimensions. Tiana happened to have a Cuisinart box that was perfect for blocking the bag, so we slipped it on and left it to dry upside down for a few days.

This yarn felts into a very soft, but also very fuzzy fabric, so when it was dry, I shaved it down with an electric razor and that made it look much more kempt. Kim and I went shopping for needlepoint canvas, fabric and buttons, a successful but somewhat stressful experience with two 3-year-olds and two 1-year-olds in tow at Witching hour. She did a beautiful job of sturdying the base by taking needlepoint canvas, doubling it, wrapping it with pretty fabric and tacking it down. I knit and felted flowers for the front pocket using this pattern and then sewed the flowers and buttons to the pocket.

I wrapped the finished bag in a big box, put a note to Ashley on it that said we would pick her up that evening for baby shower festivities, and left it on her doorstep at 6 am (she is my neighbor, so that wasn't as hard as is sounds). We of course had arranged it with Ashley's husband that she would be available that evening, and all worked out according to plan. And here she is, the happy recipient of the bag.

Zipperfest. After months of letting these two hoodies sit around without closure, they have now been zipperfied! My friend, and wonderful knitter and seamstress, Linda, came over today with her two daughters and her sewing machine, and taught me how to put a separating zipper into a sweater. She did the one in the Patons Cabled Hoodie, (I'll post pictures of the finished product soon) and then I did the one in the Hoodwinked with her sitting over my shoulder making sure I was doing it correctly. Now Abe and I both have hoodies ready for the fall, and I am not scared to make another knit with a zipper!

The Cabled Hoodie pattern is from the Patons Street Smart Pattern booklet and was knit with a little more than 6 skeins of Bright Red Classic Merino Wool. The Hoodwinked is from Monkeysuits and was knit in Filatura di Crosa Primo, which I got from the sale rack at The Knitter's Cottage back in the fall of 2005.

Here are some photos of my finished Katja with matching hat, which is based on a pattern from Monkeysuits.
Both the hat and the halter were quick and fun to knit, and I look forward to making more of them for other friends who are expecting girls. I will definitely do both in the round next time though!

I purchased a pair of cotton pants from The Children's Place to complete the gift ensemble. Can't wait to present them to my friend!