Lacy Eyelet hat for coworker's daughter

Lacy Eyelet hat for coworker's daughter
Originally uploaded by wendymc

Finished up gifts to bring in for my coworkers today. I am on holiday for a month starting Monday, and one coworker is going on Paternity Leave soon, so it had to be today. (the babies are also 6 and 7 months old, so I'm already overdue!)

The Lace cap and Tassle hat are for a little girl. The lace cap is made out of Patons Katrina and I love how squishy and stretchy the fabric is. I'll definitely be making more, especially since the hat only took about half a skein. I tried to make matching socks but I ran out of time. The tassle hat is one I was making for my neice for christmas last year, but it turned out too small. Perfect for a 6 month old. Bernat Satin (my tried and true baby yarn) for this one.


The other coworker has a little boy so he gets the knit vest I made. It was going to be for Argen, but it barely fit him when I finished it a month ago, so there is no way he'd get any wear out of it by the time fall rolls around. I love how this vest turned out, and my coworker seemed pleased.


Next up, swatching for Trellis for another friend. (and taming and purging my unruly yarn stash....)

Fibre Fest and other knittery....

Lizard yarn
Originally uploaded by wendymc

I had a fun time over on Saltspring Island for the Fibre Festival this weekend. I met up with a bunch of the Bitchy Bees gals and they were great company. We checked out the Saturday Market first, where I was elated to find Nut-Free Vegan Fudge for the kids, and admire some interesting pottery. Once we made our way over to the fibre festival, there was plenty more to see. We saw some drop spindle spinning (she made it look so easy!!), and how linen yarn is made, and an amazing display of some mathematical patterns in knitting. For shopping, most of our time was spent oggling and fondling the yarns at the Indigo Moon booth. I didn't buy anything there, though I was tempted. I bought the yarn pictured above, plus another skein in muted jewel tones. They're 50/50 superwash merino and tencel, enough to each make a pair of socks. (The lizardy yarn is for me!) The day ended off with a visit to an alpaca farm. There we met some shy Alpacas and some pushy Sheep, and fed them all some grain.

Back to knitting, I'm drowning in UFO's and deadlines. I'm trying to finish a yellow cardigan for a coworker, that I'd like to deliver this week. I have a baby gift that I need to decide on and make within 2 weeks, and then there is everything else I was already working on. If only I didn't have a full time job to keep me busy!

I'm very excited because it looks like I will be going to The Saltspring Island Fibre Festival on Saturday! A local knitting group I've hung out with in the past was organizing to meet up and "do the festival together, but most gals were turning it into an overnight camping excursion. I can really only manage a day trip, but happily another knitter is driving over and has room in her car for me. I'm really, REALLY excited. I'm looking forward to an adult day trip away, and of course, knitting and yarn and all that good stuff!

I'm still working away on my Wyvern Socks. They're moving slowly as I don't have much knitting time, but the sock is longer, so there is progress. I just finished one arm on the baby cardigan I'm knitting as well, more progress.

I turned 30 on Monday and was gifted with tea and a pair of skeins of Noro Kureyon yarn from my friend. The search for the perfect project is on. I WAS thinking I would like a multidirectional scarf for myself, but many folks tell me that Noro is a bit scratchy for a hat or scarf. I guess the Fake Isle hat from Magknits is out, too? Maybe a Kureyon Kozy is a better idea? I do need a tea cozy.....Other ideas?

Not only can I not keep up with everything I already have on the needles, my "to knit" list keeps growing. Ravelry is not helping, now I have easy access to plenty of photos of hundreds of fantastic projects, showing how different yarns people chose change the look. I'm trying to be realistic about which projects I add to my queue, only adding those things I think I might actually make, but it's still getting to be a long list.

One project that I really REALLY like the look of is the Puff the Merino Dragon Scarf I'm not sure if I would actually make this, seeing as shipping alone is $13 US to get the kit to me. (at $25 the kit isn't outrageous, but the shipping pushes it up too high for me!) I wonder if the pattern is available alone anywhere.....

I'm putting together a package for my partner in the Summer Stash Swap I joined. It's fun shopping from your stash, and takes some of the "How much do I spend? What if I choose badly for my partner??" stress away. I have some neat yarns I just don't seem to be using, and a couple seem perfect for my partner. I'm trying to think of a couple neat extras to throw in to round out the package as well. This will be my first knitting swap ever :)

I've been working on the Wyvern socks for myself, and a hooded baby cardigan. Both are creeping along, I don't have a ton of knitting time, or focus to work on these projects. I did find a local knitting group that meets on a night I'm free, so I've been enjoying that the last few weeks.

I also just got my invite to Ravelry.com!! I sense that the little bit of knitting time I did have is going to shrink further playing with ravelry, and getting my projects and yarns into the system. It's very VERY cool and well worth the wait. (I'm wendymc over there, by the way)