Cute Couple, eh?

Check out my new Jaywalkers...I love em. Very matchy-matchy, no?


I scavenged the stripe rounds to get the dark purple for the heel and the toes and I'm so glad I did...


Brad got new socks too...manly socks.


Don't they make a cute couple?


So the girls were over on the weekend for some Cosmos, snacks and knitting. I do this once a year when Brad is away on his annual golf trip. It was fun! This year I made each of the girls a little gift bag with a warshcloth (knit by me of course), some chocolate, a martini glass, some fun stir sticks and my Cosmo and Blue Lagoon "recipe". I took some pics of the warshcloths but they hadn't been blocked so this ended up being my favorite shot of them. All those bright colors mixed together makes me feel happy.


And just a few action shots of a couple of the attendees...

Michelle working away at knee socks. I think she said she was going to make knee socks with this yarn because she didn't like the colorway and wanted to get rid of it all. Strange that. But it was after a few cosmos so I may have the facts a little "off". ;-) (Check out the new posh yarn she just received - it looks so nice!)


Inica was crocheting on this particular day. She is making an angel afghan...very pretty. Look at that intense concentration...


A few of the other girls were there Pam was restarting an Hourglass sweater. She got knit up to the bust and realized it was too big so ripped the whole thing back. This is her first sweater so painful but she is a trooper. And Linda (who just taught herself to knit last week) was also over. Her first project is a baby blanket - nothing like starting big!! Go Linda! Anyhow, it was much fun - I can't wait til next year!

Project Specs:
Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina
Yarn: DGS Confetti Superwash in color 007.0007 or something like that - it was all 0s and 7s with at least one decimal.
Needles: The recommended 2.25mm DPNs.
Comments: I love these socks - they are a great fit and they were a fun knit. The striping really worked with the Jaywalker stitch pattern - this is probably a sock that I will knit again.

Pattern: Heavy Socks from Briggs & Little
Yarn: Briggs and Little Heritage 100% wool in dark gray
Needles: The recommended 3.25mm DPNs.
Comments: A good solid 3X1 ribbed sock pattern with lots of stretch and a deep heel. I've used this several times with good results.

The Proof

Finally, my nemesis is completed. The baby blankie was finished up on Wed. night a couple of days behind schedule but it appears that all the cabling and counting was worth it in the end. I'm really pleased with the finished blankie but I will choose a much simpler stitch pattern next time.

The straight blankie...


The chilled out lounging blankie...


And because you can't get more than a picture or two in this house without a cat trying to steal the show, I give you blankie with a side of cat @ss...


The really good news is that we're seeing little Ashlyn tomorrow so there is a good chance I'll be able to get the much sought after blankie with a side of baby shot. Fingers crossed.

Project Specs:
Pattern: #7 Lavender Lace from Baby Blankets - Red Heart Booklet 0116
Yarn: Red Heart TLC Baby - this is a sport weight 3 ply 100% acrylic. I know you're thinking "gross!" and it truly was awful to knit with but it's completely machine washable and is ULTRA soft after washing.
Needles: 4mm circ - I also used a cable needle throughout as I found the yarn too splitty for cabling without a needle
Comments: In all honesty now that this project is completed, I couldn't be happier with it. However, knitting cables with this acrylic is something that I plan never to do again. I don't particularly enjoy working with acrylic on a good day but this seriously took the cake. I think the pattern is attractive when knit up but the only way I would ever put this amount of effort into knitting another one was if I were using a high quality fibre.

My Mission...

Okay,here's the truth. The truth is that I have been sorely negligent in delivering the soft purple cabley blankie to Brad's adorable little neice. I have done just about anything to avoid working on the blankie the last couple of weeks even though I know it should have been gifted 2 months ago. I've been complaining about how long it's taking to finish when the truth of the matter is that I have not picked it up to knit more than a row or two in at least a couple of weeks. I've seamed up a sweater, knit socks but no blankie. I could make all kinds of excuses about how the yarn is not my favorite, the pattern is too complicated for TV watching, work has been busy but I won't. It ends today.

My mission for the weekend is to complete the purple cabley baby blankie. No excuses.

What is involved in this task you might ask? Well, I've done the figuring...



The blanket is 24 repeats of a 12-row pattern across 250 stitches. Each repeat is about 1.75 inches long. I have 9 repeats left to complete the blankie plus a 1 inch garter stitch border. If my maths are correct (and there's a real good chance they aren't), that means a little over 16 inches of knitting to go. In the photo above, 2 of those v-shaped cables in the middle are 1 pattern repeat. I guess I better get knitting...wish me luck! This thing will either be finished or in the garbage by Monday morning.