Moderne Baby Blanket

Yes, it's got a few issues. I picked up stitches on the wrong side early on, and now I'm thinking I'll have to duplicate-stitch it in the right colors to hide it--wonder if that will work? And I'll have to frog the green edge because it was supposed to be brown. No worries.

And I started a lovely scarf in Meriboo, so soft and pleasing. It's a nice stitch pattern, similar to mistaken rib. I cast on a multiple of four + 1 and then K3 P1 to the last stitch and K1. (Repeat every row.) I learned this pattern from my knitting friend and colleague, Enid.

It's called the Percy Scarf since it is going to be this gray and a green that together match Mr. Bad Kitty's fur and eyes.That's what I knitted on while camping with DH. Does this fire make me look too diabolical?

Mwah-hah-hah! . . . uh, er, no, I guess not.

We had a great camping trip except for two things: no marshmallows for roasting and a too-soft bed that left my back aching all day yesterday. Guess DH's future camping trips with the wife will have to include a sheet of plywood under the mattress! For fun we watched Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty in Lost in America, a great movie about camping. ;^) We also watched Sideways one more time to find out why we should love pinots and hate merlots (but I'm not convinced).

Here are a few of the wonders we encountered on our hikes--
redwoods all around; in various stages of growth and decay;
this is burl wood that was shredding on the ground from all the winter rains. DH noted that it looked like yarn. That's my kind of association!

Here is a path inviting you to walk down it--

and here is something on the path to avoid stepping on--a banana slug! Eeeeew.
And here's the winery we stopped at, after all our camping travels were through--Savannah- Chanelle in Saratoga, CA.

Here's me and my camping buddy at the falls:
and here is his new camper and truck to haul it with:
Happy knitting this week, all!

Things I've Been Working On Over My Spring Break

Well, I started, frogged, and restarted the Moderne Baby Blanket (a la Mason-Dixon Knitting), and I'm liking it better this time. I'm using Bazic superwash wool, which is changing the gauge a bit, but so far I don't think it will pose a problem. Pics when I get a little further on it. I frogged the Thermis I made a few weeks ago--didn't love it and wanted the Bazic for the blanket. I'm using citrine (an olive green), ancient mariner (Prussian blue), brown, and natural for the blanket's sections, and I think I will edge it in brown (I tested out several versions using the chart, and one scheme has it edged in natural--that just seems dumb, even if it is washable!)

I went thrifting last week with DD#3 at Savers (see her review here), to look for fabric to use as backing or perhaps or quilting. There I found a bassinet mattress cover in quilted yellow velour, probably never used, as well as a crib sheet and some baby blankets and printed diapers (total cost for six items, 5 dollars). Never saw diapers with a pattern before--they turned out to be perfect, matched to the quilted bassinet cover for super thick burp rags. I know that is not the best name for them, but it's what we've always called them in our family. BFF Monica's little squirt, Nicolas, is the spit-uppiest little baby ever, and he is regularly rejecting more than half of his meals--all over whoever is holding him. Now we all have the extra clean diaper or whatever to protect ourselves with, but this last time, let's just say that once he got my shirt, then he got my pants, and for good measure the third time he got my shirt again. I think these double thick soakers might do the trick. One is edged with blanket binding and the other is just sewn together. I'm hoping to find out how well they work for her so I can make a few more if she needs them. She's doing a lot of laundry at their house!

I've been knitting on this 2x2 ribbed camel hat for some time, originally as a neck warmer and the farther I go the more likely to be a hat instead. This is that one precious skein I bought from Nomad Yarns through freshislefibers, and which is 100% camel, spun by hand in Mongolia as a cottage industry. It's nice thick-n-thin, and there are authentic bits of straw in it, and it is knitting up to be a great, warm hat for someone or other. Like my dice stitch markers? Got them (and a few other sets--no one can stop at just one!) from YarnLust, who makes really cool ones, and who can put various sized loops (small, medium, large) on them for whatever sort of knitting you are doing.

Off camping tomorrow with DH in the new mini-camper (it's all set up for one--him--but on the maiden voyage, I get to go along!) for a few days in the Santa Cruz Mountains. OK, they're hills, but compared to some places, they are mountainous I guess. The camper trumpets itself on the side and back with the label "Zoom," which is hilarious considering the speeds he says he got to on the grades between Santa Rosa and here, which are not serious mountain grades. We'll be yabba-dabba-do-ing to keep it going! If you get that cultural reference, you are not a youngster. ;^)

And yes, I'm taking my knitting along. Duh!

I Kicked Butt

So that Quidditch sweater was giving me a huge inferiority complex, but I just let things settle down and tried again today-- finished it. Asked DD#3 to model it for me (since I have to mail it to DD#2, whose sweater it is) just before soaking it in wool wash. Now it's sunning in the breezy back yard. When it is dry, I will package it up and finally send DD#2 her big birthday present.

I am not saying it's the caliber sweater I want to make someday, but it is a good first sweater, and the long hair will make a number of errors undetectable (don't put your hair up in a pony tail, Molls!). The feelings of finally being done and being able to have some pride in it are well worth the extra time and ripped out work. For the record, DH listened to my frustrated and hopeless comments last weekend and said later, "You know it will be a nice sweater and Molly will like it no matter what." And he was right. It's not the determiner of my knitting career or anything so dire. 8^)

And here are a few more photos of the finished inverse Vyridia that I did in a few days last week (finished last night). I am always so proud of my decreases.Here it is, warm and snuggly.

I am getting an itch to learn quilting, so that I can use vintage quilted pieces as appliques on a blanket or for the backing of a knitted blanket. Here is some of the work that inspires me: Whimsiedots and iSew are both on etsy.

Happy spring to all you northern hemispherites, and enjoy your lovely fall as it gets underway, fellow knitters in Australia.