Postage Increase

Due to postage going up again after this weekend, I motivated myself to get a few knit projects finished, washed, and mailed this week!

The scarf was a lot of fun since I've been in a scarf mood lately.  The co-worker in charge of the office's sponsored family for Christmas loved the scarves I made for the family and asked if I could make one for her daughter in dark purple.  It's my first "commissioned" piece, and her daughter has already asked for an infinity scarf in hot pink!  Maybe now is a good time to revisit the idea of starting my own Etsy shop since the temp job ended January 16th...

A friend and a cousin both had baby boys two weeks ago, and on the second knit set, I tried a new bib strap based on this bib I found on Pinterest.  I think I may like knitting the single-strap bib even more than the original pattern I've been knitting for 5+ years that came out of Mason-Dixon Knitting.

Yarn Bee: Haute Fur in "Vineyard" knit together with
Red Heart: Multicolor in "Plum Pudding"

Lily: Sugar 'n Cream in "Hippi Ombre"
for baby Cooper with a double-strap bib

Lily: Sugar 'n Cream in "Tie Dye Stripes"
for baby Simon with a single-strap bib

Tea Station

It's so nice to have my computer back!  The power supply died earlier in the week, and I've had five days to experience how a smartphone is not a good substitute for a good old-fashioned desktop.  Thank you to my BIL for helping Dave get it back up and running!  While the computer has been out of commission, I received a belated Christmas present from my best friend in California.  Pretty awesome for her first counted cross stitch project, don't you think?  I know exactly where I'm going to hang it, but the problem is, we don't have that space in our current living accommodations.

I found this image of a coffee station on Pinterest a while ago and decided we would make space for a tea station in our next house.  Instead of a Keurig, we'll have our electric kettle, and all of those baskets will be filled with tea.  Heather's cross stitch definitely fits in with this plan--picture it on the top shelf with several of our fancy bed & breakfast mugs!

Original Source: For the Love of Coffee

New Year, Old Projects

I finished weaving in ends on my stack of "to finish" knits at IHOP last Thursday.  I had one last bib, two burpcloths, and a dishrag made of these same pink and pastel remnants (not pictured because I then gave it to one of my fellow stitchers to take home and use).  Now I need to sew buttons onto all of the bibs, but that's something to procrastinate another day.  I actually worked on some cross stitch when I was done with the knits.  The bunny project I started four or five months ago would have been done already if I didn't put it down for several months between stitching sessions... but such is my habit.  Maybe he'll be done in time for Easter since it falls so late this year!

End of the Season

So I didn't blog for the last two weeks of the Bears 2013 season.  I'll blame it on two painful losses that ended their season without a ticket to the playoffs.

Between the holidays and two weeks not spent at Bobby's knitting during the Bears game, I didn't knit much.  However, I did weave in the ends of a nice stack of projects knit during football season.  As soon as the bibs are finished with buttons sewn on, and both bib and burpcloth are washed, I'll post final pictures.  In the meantime, here's the stack of completions from last Saturday's stitch group meeting!

Week 15: Scarves Galore

I've been posting for a couple weeks about knitting for the family adopted by my office.  I started slowly (aka procrastinated), which means I was knitting my fingers off this past weekend trying to finish the last two scarves.  I had a few scarves in reserve for girls, but trying to figure out how to make a scarf for a boy stumped me a bit.  I have two sisters, seven female cousins, and four nieces--not a boy in the bunch!

I worked on the black and rust ribbed scarf during the Bears game, which I started and finished on Sunday.  All three boys' scarves were in the laundry that night so I could take them to work on Monday morning.  Oh, and the Bears did win this week, which put them at the top of their division!

I always meant to make a scarf to match the striped hat,
so it was given with this batch of boy scarves.

The pink/purple scarf (left) was the only new project for the girls.
The other two were past projects from when I just felt like knitting a scarf!

A family of six scarves lined up in my cubicle
for an aunt and her five nieces and nephews.

Week 14: Da Coach

Da Bears pulled out an impressive win this week for Monday Night Football, which was appropriate considering they retired Mike "Da Coach" Ditka's number during halftime.  Oh, and I got a bit of knitting done on the scarves for the sponsor family at work this past week, too!

I'm a little ashamed my "to finish" pile has gotten this bad,
but the scarves on top got finished and washed this week!

Starting a scarf for a 4-year-old boy

Skeeter tolerates modeling the finished scarf

You started another one?  Leave me alone till it's done...

Almost done with the brother's scarf!

Week 13: Return of the Scarves

I've been in a mood to knit scarves lately, so at least one Christmas present will be this beautiful ribbed scarf of a soft fluffy yarn in purple, green, and turquoise, which was knit together with a second strand of turquoise chenille yarn to add thickness and warmth to the eyelash yarn.  It's finished, except for weaving in the ends.

Bernat Eye Lash yarn in "Glam" and
Herrschners Chenille yarn in turquoise

The office announced last week that we're adopting a family for Christmas, so I promptly volunteered to knit everyone scarves.  The girls are easiest to knit for--this scarf is a ladder ribbon yarn in burnt orange, pink, and purple, with a second strand of variegated purple eyelash yarn for contrast.  It's still a work in progress.

Folklore by Darice yarn in "Tan/Purple" and
Sensations Chello yarn in "Magic Purple"

I was working on the purple scarf at the Bears game, but because one of the opponent's colors is purple, it was suggested that I work on something else.  I started the Pink Camouflage burp cloth after halftime, knit about 50 angsty rows, but the Bears still managed to lose in overtime.  I may boycott knitting for the next game out of spite!