Happy New Year!

I've been knitting so much lately. Christmas gifts galore. I mean, really, I'm a knitting machine! Ok, so all the gifts were late. And there are a couple items I wanted to get done that I didn't...In reality, I think I tried to do a bit too much considering I have a 7 month old baby. Somehow I thought I could do more knitting than last year (pre-baby). Silly. But the items I did finish turned out really well - a grey tweed scarf for my father-in-law, Roller Girl Legwarmers for my sis (she's been wanting those for a couple years now) and mittens for 3 of Aria's best friends. Oh, and I finally finished the Chevron scarf. It was on the needles for over a year, an eventful year no doubt, but still...that's just sad.

Of course, I forgot to take pics of any but the scarf and the mittens. And I haven't uploaded those to my computer yet...

The mittens are exciting for me b/c it's the first pattern that I created myself. A simple one, to be sure, but a girl's gotta start somewhere. I've altered patterns here and there - the Father-in-Law Scarf (a 5x5 dark grey rib with 3 black stripes on each end; total length of about 75ish inches) was an altered version of one I made my husband a couple years ago but these I came up with all on my own. I did do some research, looking for a pattern I liked, but I could never find exactly what I wanted. And so the Eastern Market Mittens were conceived. I'll post the pattern soon.

A Slow Return to Normalcy

It's been so long since I've done any serious knitting. Instead, I've been busy with a brand new baby girl, whom I adore. Now that she's 3 1/2 months old, I'm finally getting back to knitting - oh, so slowly. (Read about our family's adventures in babydom at thenelsontale.blogspot.com).

What have I done, you ask? Well, I just completed the last inch of i-cord on the umbilical cord hat (Stitch 'n Bitch) that I knit almost in it's entirety before Aria (my little one) was born. Doesn't sound like much, but believe me, I was ecstatic to do this much knitting after so long away.

Now I'm working on the Chevron scarf that I started at the dawn of time. I need to finish it in order to start a pullover I want to make for Aria. The beautiful hemp yarn is all rolled up and waiting ever so patiently for me to begin, but alas, the needles are stuck in the Chevron. I'm getting a few rows in a day; at this rate I'll be able to start the pullover just in time for Aria to outgrow it.

There are a few items I've completed since the last posting. Granted, these were Christmas gifts, so it's still been awhile. Both are from Weekend Knitting. Not shown are the completed French Market Bag (Knitty.com) and a pair of Tweed Slippers from Sarah Dallas Knitting both of which were gifted to my dear sis.

Super Mittens for Grandpa

Uptown Scarf for Grandma

Finished Objects

To get this blog kicked off a bit, I'm posting a few pix of finished objects (FOs). Because, really, what is a blog without pix?

Crystal Palace Chenille Yarn

Here are a few washcloths from Weekend Knitting. The purple one went to my dear, sweet grandma for Mother's Day. A few weeks later I visited them (grandparents, not washcloths) only to find that the washcloth had become so popular in the house that both of my grandparents were fighting over it, a literal tug of war. Ok, not literal, but I must remember to make grandpa one in a manly color before the offending cloth is torn apart.

Blue Sky Alpacas Blue Sky Cotton in Flamingo (627)

Also made this adorable Children's Cotton Hat from LMKGs. My mom was supposed to give it to a friend as a gift, but by the time she got around to it, the child was too big. The poor thing (hat, not child) is now collecting dust somewhere in a box in her closet. So sad - not the kind of life you want your knitted objects (KOs) to have.

Podcasts Discovered

I am no longer an iPod virgin. With this week's gift from my adored husband, I have discovered a whole new world - that of Podcasts. Though a bit of a late bloomer, I am quickly learning the ropes and already becoming addicted to a few of the best knitting podcasts.

Lime&Violet - You two are hilarious. Literally laughing at loud. at work. in an office of 4 people. I may have to save your shows til after hours.

Cast-On is another fave. I've listed to this one a few times via the web, but oh, to have 24-hr access at my fingertips.

If anyone has recommendations, please do send them on, as I'm eager to find others.

Other news: This weekend's sale at Knit Happens has facilitated my first experience with Koigu KPPM. Stay tuned...I'll be knitting up LMKG's Chevron Scarf.

Love Birds

This is my husband and me at Skyline Drive (fall 2006).
Our big heads are in the way of a beautiful view, but aren't we cute?