Baby Hat #2 Completed

BabyHat2-1.jpg
Originally uploaded by missizii

And like Baby Hat #1, it went very quickly. I learned an important lesson with this hat - one ball Sugar 'n' Cream is enough for about 1.75 baby hats. Fortunately, I had a little bit of white to finish off the crown, as you can see. I think the hat would have looked better with a white brim, rather than a white crown, but my type A does not extend so far as to rip out 3/4 of a hat so that the brim, rather than the crown, is white. However, I will probably get a second ball of all the yarn I was planning on using for baby hats. Then I would get about three baby hats in each colorway. Is that too many baby hats in a color way? Maybe I shall only give one baby hat per colorway, and keep the others for future hatless babies.

So I have finished two baby hats, albeit in the same colorway. How many hats does a baby need? The hat pattern claims that this hat will fit (with the brim turned down) for quite a while. How long do babies wear hats nowadays?

First Baby Hat is completed

BabyHat1.jpg
Originally uploaded by missizii

I really like this pattern from Hither and Yarn. It's called the Grow With Me Baby Hat, and it turned out beautifully. And it is such a quick knit, just a couple of hours. This is Sugar 'n' Cream on size 8 DPNs. (Amazon is selling Sugar 'n' Cream?!? Fantastic!!)

As for the log cabin baby blanket, it is on break until I get some circular needles long enough to hold it. The connectors on some of my Denise cables had weakened so that the needle would pop right off the cable. I sent them in, along with an order for some of the really long cables, and they were replaced for free! They are now in the mail, on their way home to me. When they get here, work on the log cabin baby blanket will resume. I love life-time guarantees. I am rather hard on my knitting needles because I use them so much.

Technicolor Knee Socks

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Originally uploaded by missizii

This is my public-transportation knitting. Actually, any transportation as long as I'm not driving. They are knee socks based on the Hour Glass Sockulator. The pattern calls for toe-up, but I'm doing them top down so I can do a new type of heel. I haven't decided yet, but I think maybe I'll do a banded heel (picture & info is halfway down page).

The finished socks should have ribbing that completely covers my knees, and then plain shaped stockinette all the way down to my tippy-toes. I think they'll look awesome with pretty much any skirt. Sort of like leg-warmers, but not.

BabyHat #1

BabyHat1.jpg
Originally uploaded by missizii

I have been invited to another baby shower for Baby Self! I am excited because I love baby showers, but I'm a little concerned about the gift. The log cabin blanket is for the second baby shower so I can show it at show and tell at Atlanta Knitting Guild. So I need a gift for the first baby shower. Now I know that I don't NEED to get two gifts, one for each shower, but I like to. Especially for first-time parents who really do need some swag.

So this is a hat for the first baby shower. The current plan is to make a bunch of baby hats and mittens for the first shower. I've heard several times that baby booties do not stay on wiggly baby feet, so I think I will avoid baby booties. Baby Self is being born around Thanksgiving, so the new mother & father will need some hats and mittens to keep their little peanut warm. Maybe baby knee socks will stay on better than booties. Or maybe I'll make a pair of booties just for form's sake.

Is it a complete faux pas to give a new mother items that must be hand washed? Because I have some lovely wool (not superwash) for these hats and mittens, but it would have to be handwashed.

Jim's first pair of Anniversary Socks are finished.

finishedSocks1.jpg
Originally uploaded by missizii

The first 80% of this project was a lot of fun. The last 20% sucked. There are 6 repeats of the cable pattern around the ankle. Whereas on the foot, there's just 3 repeats on the top of the sock, and plain stockinette on the sole. So the cuff, even though it is significantly shorter than the foot, seems to take about three times as long. And these are toe-up socks, so the slow part is the last part to finish. So those last 45 rows were the very longest part of this project. According to this blog and Ravelry, everything but the ankle of the second sock took 3 weeks. And the ankle of the second sock (about 45 rows) took 3 weeks.

Jim is very happy to have his socks, I think. He wants something equally as complicated for his second pair of anniversary socks, but I'm trying to talk him down. Maybe the second pair of anniversary socks will coincide with Christmas. I have two baby showers (for the same darling baby) between now and the beginning of November. Add in Christmas presents, and I'm rather unsure of the second pair of anniversary socks.

Log Cabin Baby Blanket

Log Cabin Baby Blanket
Originally uploaded by missizii

More progress on the Log Cabin Baby blanket. Getting lots of knitting done is easy when you're marooned on the couch in a cast. After this strip and its neighbor, the blanket will be 24 inches x 24 inches. My goal is 48 inches square, which is 11 strips on each side. Right now I'm working on my fifth strip. So I have 6 strips per side (or 24 strips) left to knit.

I have a personal goal of having this done for knitting guild in a week and a half, so I can show it off for show-and-tell. The more important goal of having it done in time for the baby shower is much easier to hit, of course. I have over a month until the baby shower. The prospective mother and father are coming over for dinner this week, along with some other friends. I wonder if I should show them the work-in-progress?

A good soul on Ravelry sold me 1.5 skeins of Willow, so I now have all the yarn I need to complete the blanket. I am so happy about this.

Lots of progress on the baby blanket!

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Originally uploaded by missizii

My photography skills are significantly diminished by my immobility. This is the best I could do from my nest on the couch.

In one more log cabin strip, the blanket will be 16 x 16 inches. Which is pretty amazing for a few days worth of knitting.

My goal is for the baby blanket to be a minimum of 24 x 24 inches before I run out of willow yarn. The willow color is the speckly green and white bit. Blue Sky Alpacas has discontinued their green colorways for the undyed organic cotton line. I have two skeins of every color except for willow, of which I have only one skein. And since it's discontinued, I am now feverishly searching for another skein of willow. I found some in a New Zealand shop yesterday, and they were willing to ship it to the US, but the shipping alone was $25. Jim asked me to keep looking.

Oh please, oh please let this get to a decent baby blanket size before I run out of yearn.