Bad Blogger

Um, yeah, its been a few days since I posted and I owed you some photos.

First, the nearly finished Baby Surprise Jacket:



When I seamed up the first sleeve, I went too far over and the neck opening was too small so I had to pull out the seam. This time I'm going to use safety pins to help me figure out the right spacing. I need to find buttons--what side should the buttons be on for a girl? I never know these rules... Since this isn't for anyone in particular now, I have time to find something perfect.

The yarn haul from MDS&W was modest. There was some Socks that Rock (mediumweight) in Lodestone and Ravenscroft:



Its hard to see but there is some green in that black:



I think that together they are destined to be a beautiful shawl. Its hard to tell from the pictures but the green hue in the black is picked up in the Lodestone (those parts that look kind of dirty are really a green color).



There was also some Worsted Weight (Russian American) yarn from Peace Fleece in Siberian Midnight:



Look at all that tweed-y goodness:


The base is navy blue plied with a dark brown and then its got white, gray, and tan flecks. I'm thinking it might be the perfect Cobblestone yarn.

The Peace Fleece customer service was fabulous, just so you know. They only had 6 skeins left at the festival and I wanted 7 just to be sure I didn't run out of yarn. I paid for 7 at the festival and they shipped me (free of charge) the last skein. I can't wait to cast on.

Next time, how I succumbed to the call of crochet.

Crochet is calling

I'm almost finished with my Baby Surprise Jacket. Only one more ridge, the bindoff and I'm ready to put it all together. I love the colors and think it will make a great gift. Unfortunately, its intended recipient is already too big for it. (I guess I should have actually started this while the baby was still in the womb.) I didn't bother to swatch since I knew I wanted to make the pattern and I knew I wanted to use this yarn so I don't really care. Of course, it means I need to come up with another gift for the baby girl.

So I went to Maryland Sheep & Wool and did the abbreviated tour (I was only there on Sunday). I actually got to meet Casey and Jess of Ravelry fame. I showed some restraint and only came home with two skeins of Blue Moon Fiber's Socks that Rock and some beautiful tweedy wool from Peace Fleece--enough to make a Cobblestone sweater for hubby. (Well, in theory since we all know how often I actually finish a sweater for him.)

But what is most interesting about the whirlwind trip to the MD/DC area? I came back with a serious hankering to do some crochet. Honestly, I think its the STR--it is screaming to become a crocheted something. (Or maybe it was all the exposure to other crocheters like Carrie, Pam and newbie crocheter Christi.) Perhaps a Blue Curacao?

I'll finish up the BSJ tonight and then take pics of the FO and new yarn tomorrow.

Pretty in Pink and Purple

I finally started my first Elizabeth Zimmerman project, a Baby Surprise Jacket.



It doesn't look like much right now, but I'm enjoying the simple garter stitch. Unfortunately, I got cocky and messed something up when I was knitting and watching TV. I ripped and reknit so that the stitch count is back to what it should be. I thought briefly about fudging the counts and then adding another ridge to get everything back on count but I knew if it didn't look right later, I would just be annoyed. Better to rip and restart to get it right than hate it later. With the help of Kenny's spreadsheet, I should be able to stay on track.

I enjoy EZ's straightforward description of the pattern because you can hear her voice as you read the words. However, it very much feels like a description since its not like other commercial patterns where everything is spelled out for you. When she describes a new direction, it takes a while to internalize what I'm supposed to be doing but as soon as I get it, it seems so obvious.

Technically, this is for my friend's baby but I don't actually know if it will fit the baby. However, I've really wanted to try this pattern and there seems to be lots of support/tips on the internet so even if it doesn't fit her, I'll enjoy the process and just have a baby gift on hand.