HC SVNT DRACONES

Here Be Dragons

I know all about girls. My first child was a daughter, I have a sister, girl cousins--but no male relatives my age, and no real male friends until I was an adult. In other words, no experience with *boys*. So, around 4 years ago, when I found out I was going to have a boy, I was scared and excited, but mostly, I knew I was venturing into the unknown.

When the mapmakers reached the edge of the known world, they wrote, "Beyond here be dragons..." What lay ahead was scary and fraught with peril. And I have to be honest, raising this boy has challenged me more than, well, just about anything. I'm a verbal person--he is not. I'm not a patient person, and he requires patience above all else. There have also been many adorable, sweet moments--but I think the most incredible thing is the glimpses I am getting of a life with a son. That I get to witness the process of a boy growing into a man. And he's a reminder to me that we are all of us, works in progress.

And for me, the experience is nothing short of transformational.

So, I am pondering all of this as I knit Ryuu-Ko, by Daniela Nii from the most recent issue of Petit Purls.

Here's what I've got so far--knit in Cascade 220:

3..2...1... CLEAR!

Whew, that was close.  For all of you who thought the blog was dead, I'm here to tell you that it has been successfully revived.   The good news is that I have  a lot of finished FOs to show, though I had better pace myself.   There has been sock knitting, sweater knitting, baby knitting, and lots of fun fun yarn buying.

Easing into things--here's a quickie--Spring Forward socks in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock.  

Love this yarn--she has gorgeous colors and it has such a nice sproingy twist.  This is a great pattern for when you've lost your knitting mojo.  It's easy, it's fun, it's fast and the results are adorable. 

Across the finish line

And just in time too. The Diamonds in Relief sweater is finished and delivered--school auction is in two days.

Diamond in Relief (size 31")

Interweave Knits Holiday 2008

O-Wool Classic: 3 skeins in Willow

For the first time, I actually had "fun" finishing/seaming up the sweater. I don't know why, but for some reason, the rhythm of mattress stitch just clicked.

Decisions, decisions

I'm going to knit a sweater for my daughter's school auction. The idea is, I'll knit a sample, people will bid and they can either take the sample or commission a new one in a different size/color. So, it's got to be basic, but not too basic, gender-neutral and run in sizes from K-8 graders.

I finally decided on this pattern, "Diamonds in Relief" from this past year's Interweave Knits.

Now, the question is, what yarn and which color? Gauge is 4st/inch so the possibilities are endless...

I've narrowed it down to:

Cascade Eco+ in blue, red, orange or green

Beaverslide McTaggart Tweed in Big Sky Blue

O-Wool Classic in Slate, Willow or Evergreen

Event is fast approaching...

Brighter

The days are getting longer and even the gray days seem less gray. I'm a big fan of February. After all the holiday craziness, people seem to have found their footing again. Things seem "regular." Sometimes there's snow, but here on the east coast, we know that spring is right around the corner. Oh, and it's my birthday month so there are flowers, and treats, and good wishes.

The best part though, is that it's still great knitting weather. You can still whip up a pair of mittens and know that you can wear them right away. But if you are going to knit mittens in February, they should be pretty and hopeful. Kind of like these:

Pattern: All the Water by Kristin Kapur
Yarn: 1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino in "Sky"
Needles: US size 7 (knit on 2 circulars)

Never one to pass up a good bandwagon, I jumped all over Kirsten Kapur's "All the Water" Mittens as soon as she published the pattern. It's a fun fast pattern and the Blue Sky Alpacas suri merino knits up like spun cloud. My distracted knitting didn't do justice to the pattern--there's a stray cable on one mitt, a too-short thumb on the other--but I love them nonetheless.

Cozy

My dear neighbor and I did a sweater knit-along for the kids.  Here's mine--nothing too fancy, just a warm gray sweater that the kiddo loves.  I love this pattern.  It's mindless and easy but is nicely proportioned for kids.  I've made a wee one out of cotton, but love the way it looks and feels in the Nature Spun.  It softened up so much after a nice warm bath and it was easy to block away the fact that one sleeve was a 1/2" longer than the other. 

Pattern:  Child's Placket Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: 2 skeins of Nature Spun worsted in Charcoal

Needles: size US7

KAL: 12 in 12

So I stared a little KAL over on Ravelry--we're calling it "12 in 12"-- 12 kid sweaters in 12 months.  Totally doable right?  And imagine, my kids will be so well-clothed by this time next year.  My friends with new babies will be so grateful and think I am a knitting genius... etc...  

A rule for this KAL that applies only to me is that I must knit as many items for my daughter as I do for my son.  The 6yo has very strong opinions about pattern, color, and texture.  The 2yo just wants some more goldfish crackers.   Guess who usually gets more sweaters?

Want to join?  Check it out here.