Christmas Presents

After a 6 month break from knitting due to a repetitive strain injury I am finally back on the sticks :) I finished 3 projects in time for Christmas prezzies and of course JennyK was the lucky recipient of one of them. Here she is modeling her beautiful lace leaf scarf and my generic mitts in Baby Alpaca Grande. The scarf is knit up in a much grander version on the cover of the Winter 2008/2009 issue of Vogue Knitting. I am in love with the pattern and I am knitting another finer version right now in 100% silk for Nancita. I'll post a picture when it's done and blocked.

A Masterpiece

If you saw the picture of my delightful 8 year old niece, Emiley, below then you know this dress and hat I knitted for her are from several years ago.  I think she is 2 maybe 3 in this picture. My knitting teacher, Birgitta, helped me a lot with this early project.  I was amazed and delighted with myself when I finished it!  I am still so grateful to my sister, Donna, for getting this picture taken of Em in the dress & hat.  Treasures all:  Emiley, Donna, the dress & the hat.

Both the dress and hat are Fiber Trends patterns. It's been so long since I knit it that the only thing I can remember about the lavender yarn is that it was a wool/cotton blend. 

Marita's Coat

Marita's coat is all about the sleeves...  when she saw the sleeves she just had to have it!  So she bought the yarn, Lion Brand super-chunky "Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in the wheat color,  and I knitted it for her as a birthday gift even though I hate knitting with acrylic.  I will admit that the price for the yarn was great but I did NOT enjoy knitting with it. 

The pattern is called Long Coat designed by Pierrot and it is a Vogue pattern.  I tried to find which issue it came from but I never did figure it out. She copied it from a friend's old magazine and gave it to me with the yarn.  I like the pattern and it was easy to knit.  I may make it again for myself in a larger size in alpaca and add some big patch pockets.  The alpaca would be heaven to knit with and I think that along with the larger size would give the garment better drape.  

Marita loves her coat and that makes me very happy :)

For Justus

I must be attracting babies so I can knit for them.  Another patient of mine recently had a baby boy, Justus, and this cutiepie set is for him.  The Baby Kimono is from Mason Dixon Knitting and I made it with Bernat cottontots in color #91129, Wonder Dreams.  The bootie sox are my made up as I go pattern.  I will write it up and post it soon.  I will be knitting for Em's baby soon...  a Baby Bolero for her build-a-bear :)  

I Love Knitting for Babies

I love knitting for babies.  Everything turns out so cute that you just want to cuddle it and because the pieces are so small they knit up quickly.  I adore this set I made for a beautiful new girl named Shaina.  The corally pink will look beautiful on her.  I used Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton in color #609, shrimp for this set and I like it better than any cotton I've ever knit with.  I will definitely buy it again.  It is soft and had a tiny bit of bounce.  Most cotton wears my hands out but I enjoyed every minute of knitting these tiny pieces.  The Baby Bolero is from Oneskein by Leigh Radford. I've enjoyed poring over this book many times...  when I'm up at the cabin I often read knitting patterns in bed before going to sleep.  This book has been on my nightstand for the past several months.  The hat is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson another bedside book with great patterns.  Both of these books have ended up being faves.  I made up the little sock booties as I went and was very happy with the way they turned out.  Aren't they the cutest?

EmKnitz Too!

This is Emiley and Shane, my niece and nephew who live in Arizona.  Paul & I just got back from a visit.  While we were there I taught Em how to knit and she was an amazing student! She was attentive, quick to understand, focused, diligent...  I have to say brilliant :)  While we were there she learned to knit and finished her first two projects:  1: a small pink square that became the "cleaning cloth" for her Nintendo hand held & 2:  this lovely pink scarf.  This picture was taken at a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix last Sunday.  It was 90 degrees out but Em just had to wear her new scarf.  

Shane took on the needles too after sharing his personal knitting device with me.  He has a circular thing with pegs on it that he wraps yarn around and then lifts loops over yarn  with a little tool thingy.  He makes hats and scarves with it and says that some kids like sports but he is happy with no injuries and something cool that will last ;)  He tried his hand with Em's needles and he almost has it.  I have faith that he will be a brilliant knitter too if he wants to be :)  How cool.   

I Finally Finished!!!

I am not really a quilter but over the years I have made several log cabin quilts. They have all been machined and hand-tied and while I have enjoyed making them, quilting never really seduced me the way that knitting has. Anyhow, I have been working on this quilt for my sister, Donna, for the past year and a half. I am going to visit her tomorrow and thanks to that deadline I finally finished it last Sunday!  I spent all day Saturday and Sunday in the barn watching hail, snow and blue sky through the big hayloft windows and working on the quilt. I am happy with it and I really truly hope that Donna & John love it.  It is their housewarming gift for their "new" home in Arizona.  They have been in it for well over two years...  these things take time ;)  

P.S.  If you look under my work table you will spy a beautiful hand-painted floor cloth.  It is the project my sister, Julie, and I did while she and Mikey were visiting last October.  I LOVE it! Julie designed it and I was her assistant.  By helping her I got to learn how to do it (not to mention have all the pleasure of playing with her).  I think I'll do another when the weather warms up a little and the barn warms up with it.  I had to wear 3 layers and mitts this past weekend while working on Donna's quilt; it was cold out there :)