Where does the time go???

Lopi in Progress

 The last time I posted I told you about the Lopi Sweater of Doom. Just to update, there have been no more disasters. Mostly because there has been very little knitting on in it since my last posting. I've managed to finish the main body without further incident and cast on for the sleeves. Progress came to a temporary halt when I realized I didn't have the correct needles to continue on with the sleeves. Needles have been bought. Progress has resumed!

It's a zoo out there!

I've been so caught up in "baby knitting" for that previously mentioned baby boom that seems to be going on in my circle of friends, that I've had little time to get  really back to the sweater. The weather is warming though and I'm hell bent on wearing it this spring... or next fall... so I hope to get back to it soon!

I finished the flannel pjs/elephant socks I mentioned last time. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Instead of doing embroidery for the tusks and eyes, I chose to sew on felt. Embroidery being a major achiles heel in my crafting ability, and this being a gift for someone else, I really didn't want to make a mess of it!

Duckies!

I've also finished yet another pair of "Quack!" socks. To change things up from my usual with this pattern I used Sirdar Snowflake. Let me just say, that before you jump to use snowflake on anything, consider carefully what details might be important. Wrapping and turning stitches works fine. The knitting in the wraps afterwards as you go? Not so much. Can't see the darn things. And doing bar increases also is enough to send a gal over the edge on this stuff. But the end result is pretty good, so it all depends how much you enjoy the feeling of wanting to poke your own eyes out with your knitting needles versus how much you enjoy cute fuzzy baby socks will determine whether or not you'll want to venture down that particular path I guess.

Both the elephant socks and the ducky feet are from one of my very favourite (and now thanks to LTM who also enjoys looking at it) somewhat tattered books, "Cute Knits for Baby Feet". I've used the book more than any other pattern book I own I think. If you need cute and fast for baby, check it out. There's all sorts of great knitterly gifting opportunities that await, which is just the sort of thing a crafty kind of girl needs when faced with a baby boom!

I also whipped up a soaker to go with the duck feet. As a matter of fact I whipped it up 1 3/4 times. It would turn out that I do not posess magical abilities to have a ball of yarn that I started out knowing full well there was likely no way there'd be enough to actually finish grow in length to accomodate my needs. No the darn thing just kept right on getting smaller, yet I kept knitting. Finally 3/4 of the way in, common sense prevailed and I ripped it all out. A new, sufficient ball of yarn worked much better!! I used the WHW Plain Wrap as the basis and a chart from an old Paton's sweater pattern for the duck.

I've managed to get myself into a couple more projects too. One I can justify because it's a "Pay it Forward 2011" project. I've knit the pattern before and liked the finished result, so I thought it worthy of a repeat. It's a simple peacock stitch  bag pattern that's ridiculously easy to remember as you knit along and goes quite quickly. I just need to find the beaded handles that I know are in my craft supplies stash somewhere and then do some stash diving in my fabric bins for the perfect quilting cotton to line it with. (Of which I'm dead certain I must have as well!).

The second project is the Chiton Pullover from the latest issue of Knitscene. I've only got a mere 2" done on the bottom band so this is obviously going to be a long term relationship. I harbour no such dillusions that I could possibly finish it in time for this summer, but I think there may be hope for next year depending on how faithful I'm feeling towards it after endless miles of stocking stitch!

I finished the final pair of cowboy jammies, but (BF)G will not let me take photographic evidence of it. Or at least post photographic evidence of the cuteness that is the three of them in matching pjs!

Not too much else going on crafty wise for me, just lots of ideas floating around in my head. Mostly quilty type ideas. I'm trying to be good though... I have four quilts (two with the tops completed and two that are in the very beginning stages of sewing) to finish before I can let myself move onto something else in that department!