Success! (Mostly)

Firstly, thank you very much rachel, Tanya and Carrie K for your compliments on DD's new garb. I ended up getting everything but the cap done in time. (I blew that off because I guessed she would spend the day outside wearing her big wide-brimmed straw hat, thus rendering any efforts on the cap pointless since it would be totally obscured.) She wore the whole outfit to the event we went to on the weekend and it was a HUGE hit. It will likely take a long while for my head to de-swell.

(Carrie, please be assured that the Laurel Handshake Test is really just a joke - the only person who ever did it to me was a Laurel in bardic arts whose own costuming skills are questionable, and he did it in fun. [Although I was still embarrassed enough about the seams on that dress - done at 5am that morning - that I snatched my hand back before he could get a good look.] Trust me, for a first foray into the SCA, nobody expects it done right. :) You and your brother will do great and I'm sure he'll have a blast.)

However, I was sorry to hear that Tanya's daughter's foray into the world of Stich-and-Bitches did not go very well. I can't help but wonder if my presence would have helped, but unfortunately I couldn't make it last week. :( I certainly hope she hasn't been put off of knitting.

Self-designed baby hat/mitts

Monday night I started up on mitten #2 and had it mostly knitted by the time I went to bed (at a decent hour, too, I might add). Tuesday night I finished the knitting and started in on the weaving in of the ends and the duplicate stitch (again, not going to bed too late). Wednesday morning in the car I finished the duplicate stitching on one side, and by the time I got off the train at my work, all the duplicate stitching was done, the ends were all woven in, the tops were grafted together and the side seam was all sewn. I now have a pair of mittens. (The Schedule was pleased - I didn't have to finish them until tomorrow.)

I like 'em a lot. I really want to post pictures of them, but once again, because I'm hoping to ultimately publish the pattern in a book, I don't think I should. (Rats.)

Later in the week I started the matching hat. And this is where the stuff started to hit the fan. First, I cast on too many stitches and did all the ribbing before I realised my mistake. Rip. Then, I did too few rows of all-black prior to the start of the first intarsia pattern motif and didn't realise it until I was half done the motif. Rip. Then after I'd fixed the problem and was working on the first intarsia row, I messed up my counting and put almost all the intarsia in the wrong place. Rip.

Needless to say, I am sensing a theme on this $@*#$&!!!-ing hat.

Hopefully I will do better from hereon in.

Black socks for Dad

First sock is done, second sock is in the process of having its heel turned:

Self-patterning socks #2 for DH

I can hardly believe it, but I'm now on the top ribbing of the first sock:


I would love to say that nothing else has gone wrong so far, but since it looks like I'm going to run out of the first skein before I finish the full three inches of the top ribbing, I can't be truthful about that.

Stornaway sweater for DH

This is going so smoothly and I am loving it the more I knit on it. The lovely feel of the lambswool on the cone is nothing compared to how nice the actual knitted-up fabric feels. And the texture and cable patterns are popping gorgeously with this yarn.

Garden Shawl for MIL

My knitting life is such a web of complexity and intrigue that this is the only thing I can knit in front of my entire family when I go to visit my parents. DH's socks, or his Stornaway sweater? Nope, since he's right there. My dad's socks, which normally I can work on in front of my husband? Nope, since he's right there. The matching baby hat/mitts set? Well...possible, but it's a real PITA to have umpteen intarsia ends trailing all over the place that I have to pack and unpack to take anywhere, so I'd rather knit that at my own house. My MIL's Christmas present is pretty much all that's left. So, Sunday night when we went over to my parents' place, it saw some action. I'm really close to moving on to the next chart!