It's a Handknit Holiday Extravaganza...well, sorta.

I don't know if it is the time of year or what but I seem to be stuck in accessory mode. I do plan to get back to work on Salina this weekend though - she's been patiently waiting since fall for her collar, buttons and seaming. So what have I been up to??

This pile of purple curls is my very own ribbon scarf from Handknit Holiday - it is waiting for a good steaming to lay down those edges. I made a red one for my SIL for Xmas and fell in love - had to have one. Plus those loooong rows are perfect for mindless TV knitting.



I've also been working on some things for Brad. I finished his Log Cabin Socks also from Handknit Holiday earlier this week. The photo is really high contrast but I thought it showed the cables nicely so didn't bother to tinker. Of course he's got one of them on practically sideways - ha! I guess that is what I get for catching him on his way out the door and making him change socks so I can snap a picture.





I cast on for yet ANOTHER Handknit Holiday project last night - Flap-top Mittens! These are for Brad and he picked out his own colors. I'm reserving judgement til a little more green is on them.



Oh, and one last thing before I go - Baby E of the DB Poopy/Poppy Bolero came for a visit on the weekend and look what she was wearing!! Awwwwwwwwww...it's a tiny bit big but should fit her well into Spring. Ain't she cute?



Project Specs:
Pattern: Log Cabin Socks from Handknit HOliday
Yarn: Briggs and Little Regal (100% wool) in color beige.
Needles: The recommended 4mm.
Comments: These socks are a great fit for Brad and should be very cozy for wearing around the house - they're a heavy sock so wouldn't be the greatest for wearing inside shoes. Great for a weekend morning though. I'm sure they will get lots and lots of wear...

Four Things...

The lovely Anna from Knit On a Rock has tagged me for a meme. Just in the nick of time too as I'm low on content this week...I suppose I must have the post-Xmas knitting blahs.

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
* Figure Skating Coach
* Tour Guide (Atlantic Wind Test Site) - my regular summer job through University
* Fish Plant Packer - an interesting 2 month filler between University and Tech Course
* Computer Programmer/Project Manager

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over: (there are far more than 4 but I'll take a crack at it...)
* Chocolat
* Bridget Jones Diary (always good for a pick me up and that Colin Firth...mmm)
* The English Patient
* Twister - don't know what it is about this one but I watch it a lot
* Finding Neverland - had to make it five...actually any Johnny Depp movie makes the list.

Four Places You Have Lived:
* North Cape, Prince Edward Island - truly home
* Antigonish, Nova Scotia - the university years
* Moncton, New Brunswick - the tech school year
* Fredericton, New Brunswick - the work years
* Redwood City, California - a 3 month project stint in the early work years - fun!

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
* Arrested Development (WATCH IT!! SO FUNNY!)
* Gilmore Girls
* General Hospital - a true guilty pleasure - what is up with Sonny and Emily anyway?
* Most Haunted - even though it scares me senseless sometimes - I'm so glad I'm not psychic

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation: (some of the big ones are...)
* France/Spain
* New York
* Las Vegas
* Cuba twice (Veradero and Cayo Coco)

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
* These days it's all about the knit blogs - it takes me most of the week to get through my list of must reads.

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
* Pizza (I can't help it...I like gourmet pizza, frozen pizza, homemade pizza...you name it)
* Thai
* Tortilla chips and salsa (yum! especially homemade salsa...)
* really good pasta

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:
* at home on the couch knitting
* out on a stroll with the dog - Otis
* curled up with a good book (reading Sweetness in the Belly right now - very good)
* on an exciting vacation - skiing the slopes or sipping a mojito on the beach

Four Bloggers You Are Tagging:
If you've made it this far and haven't already completed this one - consider yourself tagged...would love to learn more about you all. :-)

Think Pink...

Tada! Baby booties and bonnet are all finished up. The bonnet was a really fun project - the booties were kind of a pain but the cuteness factor more than makes up for it in the end. Both were knit with soft pink Calmer which was so nice to work with. (Please note I loaded these up from my laptop so the colors may look completely whacked - they looked good from here but who knows...)

First we have the little bonnet - in the book they have ribbon bows on the sides but I liked it well enough as is...



And here we have the back view stretched over a melon so you can get the full effect...tee hee.



Check out the little flower button action on the booties...



And finally in sharp contrast to these dainty little booties, I've got the socks I finished up for Brad's dad for Xmas. These striped ones are knit in worsted but I also gave him a pair knit in Sport weight and solid grey. These were ones I had made for Brad ages ago but I had made them just slightly too big so was going to have to rip the toes back - the heck with that. Now his dad can enjoy them. He seemed VERY happy to be getting handknit socks - apparently he wears wool socks year round - even on the hottest of summer days!! It's a knitter's dream.



Project details below...

Baby Booties & Bonnet
Pattern: Dainty Booties & Lacy Bonnet from Knitting for Two in the smallest sizes.
Yarn: Rowan Calmer (less than 1 ball for both projects) in Blush Pink color
Comments: The bonnet is an excellent project - quick knit with little finishing required. The booties while a cute finished project required a lot of fussy seaming and sewing in of ends for such a small item. In the end, I would make both again.

Sturdy Work Socks
Pattern: Briggs & Little Heavy Socks leaflet
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage (100% wool) in Medium Gray and Bleached White (2 balls Gray/1 ball white) with plenty of left overs.
Comments: This is the second pair of these socks that I've made. They are super sturdy socks meant to be worn when working out in the cold. These bad boys won't wear out anytime soon.

Loose Ends...

My New Year's Resolution for 2006 is to start knitting my Xmas gifts in July. ;-) Just kidding although I really didn't get much done in the way of Xmas knitting this year. Jack got his doggie sweater and loved it as expected. And almost 1 year old Elise enjoyed her poppy bolero. But the pony blanket really cut into the rest of my Xmas knitting.

I managed to finish this ribbon scarf for my soon to be sister-in-law from Handknit Holidays.



And I've also got a Xmas Clapotis blocking for Brad's mom. I had planned to make her a lace scarf but time was getting short so I cheated...we're heading down to visit them this weekend so Xmas Clapotis is still blocking.



I'm still working on some sturdy work socks for Brad's dad - he loves handknit woolen socks but this is the first pair I've made for him. It's a little nerve wracking because Brad's grandmother knit all of his dad's current socks and she passed away several years ago now. Let's hope mine can live up to the standard.

My sock knitting was interrupted on Monday by this little one. Ashlyn Patricia came a month early to Brad's sister.



I had plans for a baby blanket but as soon as I heard it was a little girl, I got out the needles and cast on for these! This is the bonnet and booties from Knitting For Two. I still need to block and seam so expect some finished pics and more project details tomorrow.



The bonnet is knit all in one piece which I thought was great but check out the fussy booties. It is ridiculous how many ends will need to be sewn in...the pattern calls for you to break and rejoin the yarn several times. Very odd but they should be pretty cute. I'm going to pick up some buttons for them today.




Project Specs:

1. Ribbon Scarf
Pattern: Ribbon Scarf from Handknit Holidays
Yarn: Andean Silk from KnitPicks in Hollyberry
Needle Size: 6mm
Comments: I went up a needle size for this pattern because the Andean Silk gauge was slightly different - however, I ended up using closer to 5 balls than the recommended 4 and the scarf came out quite heavy. If I were to make this pattern again, I'd use a 5mm needle.

2. Xmas Clapotis:
Pattern:Clapotis from Fall 2004 Knitty
Yarn: Andean Silk from KnitPicks in Hollyberry
Needle Size: 5mm
Comments: I really enjoy knitting this pattern. I love that you control the size, length, etc. so easily. This one is about the size of an extra wide scarf - perfect for this time of year.