Happy 30th, Adrienne!

Well, I know it's going to look like I got a lot accomplished over the weekend, because of all the projects I made progress on, but overall there wasn't a whole lot of knitting going on. However...

gift for baby Rosatelli

Well, apparently the ultrasound says this baby is going to be a boy. Personally, I don't believe it. The last, like, ten babies born to people in this department have all been girls. Even one baby that an ultrasound said was going to be a boy turned out to be a girl. So my theory is that either the ultrasound is wrong, or my co-worker is going to be getting a new job in another department before the baby is born! However, I'm not going to make a dress or anything like that just to be pigheaded about my theory. I've decided on a very nice two-coloured textured sweater Patons pattern. I'll be doing it in forest green and white. My co-worker has strong colouring (Italian) and although I think his wife is fairer, their child stands a good chance of being able to wear forest green very well. I'm going to alter the colour scheme a bit, though - the pattern calls for mostly a single colour throughout, with a bit of a motif in a secondary colour on the yoke. I'm going to change it up to make the forest green more prominent - the bottom of the sweater will be white, then the yoke will change to forest green and the secondary colour on the yoke will be white. It should look pretty stunning. I'm currently about 4 rows away from being done the ribbing at the bottom - niftily enough, the pattern calls for knitting in the round, which will make the project even more fun than I originally anticipated.

Elizabeth I sweater for moi

I finished the tension swatch. The row gauge is perfect. The stitch gauge is out. AUGH! Doncha hate it when that happens? However, it's only out by two stitches every four inches, and since this is a pretty small sweater, and since I am a pretty small person, the loss of one or two inches around the circumference is not going to ruin it for me. In fact, it will probably make it fit better. So I've started. I've got about an inch and a half done so far.

Catherine Parr sweater for MIL

I estimate that I'm just two rows away from being able to start the front neck shaping.

Stornaway sweater for BIL (cream)

Shoulder straps are done! Those were fun - and man, they look cool. I'm very stoked about how this sweater is going to look. I'm now several rows into the 4.5" neck ribbing. My problem is that the circular needle I'm using is barely small enough to work - it's pretty awkward. I'm going to look up that Magic Loop thing I've heard about and see if it can help. Failing that, I'll just have to buy a smaller 2.75mm circular needle.

Stornaway sweater for BIL (blue)

No work was done, other than moving all the working stitches onto different needles to free up various sizes of circulars for the cream Stornawawy sweater, but one of the other things I did this weekend was figure out a good gift ideal for this BIL for Christmas. So now there is no pressure to complete this sweater this year! (Other than the usual pressure of the softness of the alpaca calling my name, of course.)

It's a miracle - I got some good sleep last night! And yet I still got some knitting done...

Elizabeth I sweater for moi

Work proceeds on the tension swatch - I'm close to finishing. However, I've been checking the gauge as I go and it looks like the yarn is a little small. Waaaaahhh! But, given the size of the completed project given in the pattern and the fact that I am very small myself, I can probably still make the yarn work. I shall finish up the swatch and see where I am once it's done.

Catherine Parr sweater for MIL

Still going! Unfortunately I didn't get too much done on this yesterday. But I'm probably about 4cm away from starting the neck shaping on the front.

Stornaway sweater for BIL (cream)

Started the shoulder straps! Very exciting (albeit awkward) stuff. Highly cool. I can hardly wait to get home tonight so I can keep going!

All in all, not one of my more productive days, yesterday. But as long as I get something done, it's not a total waste.

Alright, self, repeat after me: I. Must. Stop. Staying. Up. Late. To. Knit.

Elizabeth I sweater for moi

Finished enough of another project that I was able to free up my 3mm straights last night! I have now begun to do a tension swatch using the cashmere/cotton blend doubled. I'm only a few rows into that, but it looks so far like I'm getting gauge, which is wonderful.

Catherine Parr sweater for MIL

Work continues, as always. I'm now done 17" on the front. Less than 5.5 centimetres to go before I can start shaping!

Stornaway sweater for BIL (cream)

Woo hoo! I finished the back! Now I am all set to start the shoulder straps (yes, the pattern calls for shoulder straps, yay). I do need to fish out some of my other jumper-weight NZ wool so I can start the straps in a contrasting colour, but otherwise I'm all ready to go. Wow. This is really coming along.

Stornaway sweater for BIL (blue)

No progress, but I did have to put all the stitches on a holder to free up my 3mm circular so I could continue work on the cream Stornaway sweater. And that meant getting another feel of the alpaca. I just about melted. Unnnhhh, that stuff is niiiice.

Well, the knitting vacation time is over and I did get a lot accomplished. Not a lot of naps were taken, unfortunately, but boy, did I do lots of knitting! Here's the latest progress report:

Anne Feitelson slipover for Grandpa

I went through all the colours in the pattern and figured out what kinds of colours I should be getting to substitute. But I also want to see how affordable it would be to use the actual Jamieson and Smith yarns that the pattern recommends.

Spanish Knight sweater for Mom

Alas, it turns out that 100% alpaca is too scratchy for my mom. Also, I calculated that I don't have enough yardage in the forest green cashmere/cotton blend in my stash to finish this project (but see below for what I can use that lovely stuff for). Tonight Mom will get a chance to feel Elsebeth Lavold's silky wool.

Elizabeth I sweater for moi

As mentioned, doubling the forest green cashmere/cotton blend for my mom's Spanish Knight sweater will not give me enough yarn (I have to double it to get the right gauge). But it will be enough for this project (which also requires doubling). So, hooray! I've officially got a yarn! Unfortunately, I can't start this project because my 3mm straights are beingused in the cream Stornaway sweater. But as soon as they are free, I'm starting this, bay-bee!

Catherine Parr sweater for MIL

Got a little bit done. I will be focusing a lot on this one for a while, since it has to be completed for Christmas!

Stornaway sweater for BIL (cream)

Got a lot done. Not only did I start and finish the neck shaping on the front, but I'm almost done the back! Just a few more hours of work there and then I can do my first ever shoulder straps. At least, I think the pattern calls for shoulder straps. It better call for shoulder straps!

Stornaway sweater for BIL (blue)

No progress. Amazingly, I resisted. I swear, the alpaca is calling to me. Augh! It is my cherished hope that I will finish the other two Christmas sweaters well in advance of the Big Day so that I can try to get this one in time for Christmas, too.

Book of Kells step pattern bib for DH's cousin's baby

DONE!!! Now I just gotta send it off to them! Happy dance!

NEW - Mittens for DD

Well, it's getting colder as we head into winter (funny, that), and DD had no mittens to keep her sweet little hands warm. So I took an old Patons Beehive scratch mittens pattern, substituted thicker yarn and bigger needles, and knit them up longer to accommodate toddler-sized hands. A quick fix!

The other great thing I did on my knitting vacation was to organize my knitting cabinet. It is all bee-yew-tifully organized now, with projects in individual clear plastic bags. It is a thing of beauty. Happy me.