Love The Babies--HATE the blanket

I've been fighting the first of two blankets I've been making for a set of twins for some time. I absolutely HATE the novelty yarn I'm using. Oh, it LOOKS cute, but it sticks to every little rough spot on the hands. The stupid little pom pom balls have to be poked back through the knitting to make the right side look . . . right. I just hate it.

I KNOW you can knit love into an item, what if you can also knit loathing? Would the babies be doomed? Would the knitter be doomed? I just cannot bear the responsibility of continuing to knit something I hate for babies. The damned thing cannot be frogged because again, those stupid little balls are stuck in the stitches. So . . .




Bye Bye Blankie




WheW!!!! That was liberating!!!!!!

The babies still need a knitted gift, so I whipped these out.


These baby UGG booties are made of Berroco Suede yarn (nylon). They are trimmed in an alpaca/silk blend. (Never too early to get that habit started). The pattern is available free
on DIYnetwork.com .

I've seen quite a few comments that the pattern makes REALLY big booties, more suitable to toddler size. I altered the pattern to size them down to baby size. Here is what I did:

Use size 1 and 2 needles (pattern calls for sizes 4 & 5, or 5 & 6, depending on size).
Cast on 12 stitches (pattern calls for casting on 26 stitches).

For rows 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, change the K11 to K4.

Shape Instep:
Row 1 k 22, SKP, turn (pattern calls for K 29)
Row 2 change k 7 to k 6
Row 3 change p 7 to p 6

Rows 4-13 omit rows 12 & 13, this means you will repeat rows 2 and 3; 4 times (pattern says repeat 5 times)

Row 15 change k 7 to K 6
Row 16 change p21 to p 14 (the row is 23 stitches, pattern says 35 stitches)

Do the remainder of the pattern the same.

And, finally . . . here is the SWATCH OF DEATH
Check out the Yahoo Group Hat Attack
And come play too!!!

Hat Attack is patterned after the Sock Wars you may have heard about. It is a friendly assassination game, here's how it works:
1- you sign up on the Yahoo Group
2- You are assigned a "target" and give his/her address
3- You "kill" your target by knitting him/her a hat following the prescribed pattern (which will be released on 2/8) and mailing the hat.
4- If you receive a hat, you're dead.
5- If you get dead, you must put your hat-in-progress on waste yarn and mail it to your assassin who will complete the hat and mail it to your target . . . and on and on.

Anyway, we've been the info that the hat will have cables, is suitable for Lambs Pride Worsted and have been given the gauge. With my Swatch of Death, I'm ready to play.

Priorities

"Well," she said most indignantly of her friend who went into labor with twins the very same week she bought a spinning wheel, "I think the bitch did that on purpose."

Truly, only a particularly insensitive non-knitter would even consider doing such a thing. The knitter's ire is well understood. The sad fact is the mother's actions have left the lovely, generous and usually tolerant knitter frantically knitting acrylic blankets on plastic needles whilst staring at the pound of wool roving sitting next to the new idle wheel. Life is unfair indeed.

On the other hand---Ohhhhh BABIES!!!!! Two of them--girls!! The knitting possibilities are practically endless. So the knitter will pray the babies are healthy and not allergic to wool. And eventually the mother may be forgiven for her incredibly poor timing.

It's Nothin' but party, Party, PARTY

I'm tired! Christmas was loud and messy, but fun. New Years Eve was loud, fun and fortunately NOT at my house ergo someone else's mess.

And, on Sunday January 6, I hosted my parents' 50th Anniversary party for over 50 people.

Again, loud and messy, but fun. (no, I do NOT have a 50 person house). My kids and husband helped a bunch and my friend Beth followed behind the old people picking up and cleaning all day so almost all of the 400 meatballs I made were eaten so, except for dog poop which is a whole 'nother deal, the mess was really minimal, considering.

Knitting? yes. I've been helping my daughter knit her first mittens. She chose a pattern that ends up looking like an alligator puppet, so the construction is . . . different. And, she's moved over to the continental way of knitting so that has all been a fun challenge.

Here are some pics of some of the felted clogs of Christmas giving. 3 pair were given as felt-it-yourself projects. NOTE: Ya gotta remember to throw some towels in the wash when you felt because even with boiling water added, and over an hour in the washer, they will not felt.

I completed 7 pairs and have 5 more pairs on the to do list. (Mom, MIL, Meredith, Alex and mine).

Alex's scarf is a fairly well behaved WIP at this point. It's made from stiches I adapted from the Knitty.com RPM sock pattern.

I'm fixin' to cast on socks of this lovely RED Tempted sock yarn.

I'm 3 days away from my trip to the Yarn Barn to fondle, pet and see me some wheels. And, knit night was fun as always. Sue brought BIG cones of wool she formerly used for weaving, her ball winder and her scale so we could all wind measure and take home mass quantities of good stuff. Some of us brought yarn to trade or give away, there were cookies, and Marianne brought me a bar of really cool natrual soap I hope to try if I ever start bathing again--HA! I'll use it tonight.