We welcomed our sweet grandson, Johnathan, into the family on Friday weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20-1/2" long! He is just adorable with blondish hair and a sweet, angelic face too. Needless to say my darling daughter is glad he's here at last although the birth went smoothly for her and for that I'm so grateful. We have 2 beautiful granddaughters and this is our first grandson. I watched the girls while my daughter was in the hospital and what a treat it was......my little 3 year old GD was so adorable and we snuggled and talked each morning when she woke up. She calls me Mimi which she started all by herself....I think it's so cute. My little 1 year old (on Valentines day) GD is getting around at lightening speed so it took some energy keeping up with her. She has one dimple and the cutest little smile and it's amazing how smart they both are at such young ages. Do you notice a 'grandmom bragging session' going on here or what, LOL?
I finished my Fortissima Colori socks using the Baby Cable Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. One lesson learned for me though was that on the left sock I stuck with the number of stitches in the leg section but on the right hand sock I decreased a full 8 stitches when I got to the foot which was a full inch narrower. The fit is much better with the latter sock so in the future depending on which yarn and needle size I'm using, I'll have to remember to decrease in the foot area for a snugger fit. I don't know why it took me this long to realize this but better late than never, I guess.
I'm working furiously now on this ripple blanket (albeit, crocheted), for you know who. I should have had it finished in time for his arrival, but it should only take me another week or so to complete. The final size will be somewhere around 30x40" so it'll be good for a carriage blanket as well. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino with a size J crochet hook because I'm doubling the yarn as I crochet it rather than using a single strand since I just liked the density of the yarn doubled much better than single.
I know it's been too long since I've posted but I don't seem to keep up with my posting as often as some of you but I'm going to try and do better. The thing is, I don't always have significant knitterly progress to show you, but then again, I guess I could post and just chat without pictures. So, until next time, be well, warm, happy, and knit on.
I know, I know, I'm certainly one of the few who like the cold weather but just think....snuggling up in front of a blazing fire, sipping a cup of steaming hot gingerbread tea, and knitting to my heart's content...what's not to love? Now that the holidays are over, it's time to dive back into my knitting and crocheting! I've already begun a baby ripple blanket which can be seen on my crochet site listed in the sidebar here. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino 4 ply in multi colors of blue, ecru, darker blue, and another color which is hard to describe, kind of like a golden color.
I've been getting down to business with my Baby Cable Ribbed socks, completing one and already cast on and done the ribbing on the second one. I've used Fortissima Colori yarn and size 2 dpns for these socks, ergo, one at a time. I got a bit impatient with the progress on this sock and started the heel at only 6" of length on the leg which I know I will wish I hadn't.....it already looks like my foot is huge compared to the leg portion and I hate it when my knitting isn't balanced, but alas! What's done is done, I suppose, and I'm not about to rip it all out. The pattern is from the Sensational Knitted Socks book by Charlene Schurch which is the first time I'm using a pattern from this book which I've had in my collection for over a year. I was just a bit put off by the directions in some places in the book and also the 4 to 5 pages of errata, but I figured that this particular pattern not only appealed to me, but is one of the few that doesn't have any corrections, at least not the last time I checked!
Above are my second pair of socks which I had going on the needles before Christmas and which have languished far too long unloved and not being worked on. I'm ready to do the heel after about 3 more rounds to make my sock leg about 7" long which is a good length for me. I'm using 2--24" circulars (Addi's) and I put a dab of red nail polish on the points of one of them so I can keep track of which needle I'm supposed to be knitting with. The beauty of all this fussing with circs is that when I'm finished, voila, I have a pair of socks to put on my feet right then and there which makes it worth all the fiddling. I really don't think it goes any quicker (at least it doesn't for me) but again, it's great to get finished and have TWO socks waiting to be worn rather than only one.
I don't know if any of you have noticed my exercise ticker at the bottom of my blog but look what my darling son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas! Yep, it's an MP3 player that is mini small and holds more than 500 songs....which is amazing to me. Now I can walk a lot quicker listening to my favs as I tally up the mileage. I really love this thing and is clips right onto the neckband of my pullover for ease of skipping to another song or re-playing one. Can you tell that I'm excited, oh yeah, because it gives me a much needed boost to my exercising in general. Thank you my sweethearts.
I finished my Fortissima Colori socks using the Baby Cable Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. One lesson learned for me though was that on the left sock I stuck with the number of stitches in the leg section but on the right hand sock I decreased a full 8 stitches when I got to the foot which was a full inch narrower. The fit is much better with the latter sock so in the future depending on which yarn and needle size I'm using, I'll have to remember to decrease in the foot area for a snugger fit. I don't know why it took me this long to realize this but better late than never, I guess.
I'm working furiously now on this ripple blanket (albeit, crocheted), for you know who. I should have had it finished in time for his arrival, but it should only take me another week or so to complete. The final size will be somewhere around 30x40" so it'll be good for a carriage blanket as well. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino with a size J crochet hook because I'm doubling the yarn as I crochet it rather than using a single strand since I just liked the density of the yarn doubled much better than single.
