Knitting Away While There's Time

Here are some of the things I've finished or begun--a scarf in Noro Kochoran (#17) done from the "boyfriend scarf" pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts (theirs was in cashmere but whatever). The Kochoran is a bit too fuzzy for my tastes (50% wool, 30% angora, 20% silk), but once it's blocked, I think it will be a great scarf, probably better suited to a woman/teenager than someone with XY chromosomes. You'll note that, as with most Noro yarns, it has several tones, and one thing I really couldn't capture was that there is an almost tomato-red part, and it still works with the pink/purple tones because the grays separate things nicely. If there is one thing that would keep me from knitting with Kochoran again it is the white blobs that seem to be intentional, part of the Noro "rough, natural" look. To me it seems messy, and I actually tried to remove them but found that was not wise--for a few stitches it's all angora fluff and I would have actually separated the yarn strand.

On to another FO: a baby hat, simple as could be, done in that same ggh Goa that I used for the kimono. I am not happy with the decreases, probably because I did them unevenly, but I think I have a solution: I am going to embroider flowers in a contrasting Goa that I got from destash (the yarn came from veganpurls--check out her blog!). [Completely off topic: I think destashforcash is now the domain of all of us ravelry wannabes who haven't gotten down in the queue and invited yet--at least we still have this option for sharing the fiber wealth!]

OK, and here are two beauties, first the beginning of a bootie (Bev's Stay-On Booties, my favorite pattern because it doesn't require DPNs but still gives a great product), and then feline beauty in the form of one of my cats, Cleo, who was extremely curious about what I was doing in her sunpatch. Too bad I can't put in a short clip of her "talking" to me. She is chatty.8^)

Tune in again tomorrow when I have a small tale to tell, with pictures. It's the best way to explain how knitting can/might well be/surely IS --in one's blood.

[In unrelated news, my eldest, who is working hard to save the world (or at least Latin America) is living in a rural village in Mexico this summer. I deserve bonus points for not booking a ticket and flying down there Tuesday because my baby got tonsillitis. :^( She said her tonsils were so swollen that she sounded like a frog when she talked. Fortunately, the people who run her hostel called their family doctor to attend her, and he came to the hostel with . . . get this . . . a black leather bag. Wow, I'm moving to Mexico!) And also, fortunately, she emailed us today that the tonsils are much less swollen, now that she is on the antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. I know I have to let her live her life, but what if she were in danger of dying? Ah well, I will stay sane (and stay here) and note that she took all her Dr. Mom's advice (and you guessed correctly, there was a bunch of it!). I think my best advice was to get lots of fluids, and NOT mojitos or Negro Modelas, two of her new favorite drinks.]