Little Things

The first little thing...Le Bug au naturelle. He is always hauling a blanket (he calls them "Bees") around with him like Linus from the Peanuts. And the "Bee" must be held by the smallest little corner with the left fingers so that we can suck our left thumb at the same time. I have no idea what could possibly make this Bug so insecure, but apparently, he has some sort of security issues. You should see his poor little thumb! He has a thick, red, peeling callous on it that is something else. Apparently, his Uncle Gary (on his Dad's side--we blame any of these types of imperfections on THAT side of the family--hehehe) did the same exact thing and had the same exact callous. Very interesting, genetics, aren't they?
That little thing inspired this little thing. My first attempt at mittenry (is that even a word? It is now, the woman with the Masters in English says it, so be it!). It is a two needle mitten, aren't you shocked that I didn't use dpns after all my complaining about them? It is so small and so sweet, and I can't wait to get the other one done so his little fingers will be warm...especially the poor abused thumber. They knit up quickly on US 5 Brittany Needles with worsted weight, handspun. (My Rhinebeck purchase, actually). I made a little hat to match last weekend, but I will be damned if I can find it anywhere. He won't leave it on his head. I think I will have to pick up some stitches and add ear flaps and ties. Speaking off ear flaps and ties...
One last little thing, this cute little baby bonnet. I adapted it to add the ear flaps and ties from this pattern on Larissa's blog. (Scroll down to the cute little green hat!)It is the cutest littlest thing around. I will give it to whichever one of my sisters/friends/coworkers/acquaintances shoots out a little pink one next. What incentive! Any takers?

Crazy Hat

Well, here it is...my husband's crazy ski hat.


It is 46" long from cast on edge to the tip of the tassel. It was knit on 16" Addis US 10.5 and bamboo dpns in the same size. It is knit out of Patons Classic Wool in two shades of gray and one of red. It knit up fairly quickly, except the dpn part. I need more practice with dpns...I am so clumsy and slow and they just all flop around and fall out of the stitches. It is a complete and total mess. Not pretty to watch at all!

I would show you what is now on my needles, except I just realized as I went to snap a photo of it, that it is all sorts of jacked up. Apparently, despite my best intentions...I must have twisted somewhere along the 224 stitches when I joined them...so now I have a very interesting spirally thingy...not at all what I want or need. So, it will be being frogged and re-cast on this afternoon. This is what happens while you are trying to knit and watch a movie at the same time!

Note to self...I am not that good yet!

Goodies

My first order from Knit Picks came the other day...among the goodies: 40" Addis for sock-making The Magic Loop way (I detest dpns--more to come later), the booklet that explains the Magic Loop method, and the new Knit Lit the Third book which I began last night before bed and which, as always, is wonderful.

I also got this--Knit Picks Wool of the Andes worsted weight yarn in Chocolate. For my first attempt at some basic socks.


I also got this, their new Palette yarn, a fingering weight 100% Peruvian wool. This is the Blush colorway, also for socks, but fancy lacey ones, once I get the knack.


My goal this long weekend (lucky us, we have today off for Veteran's Day, although my DH who is a veteran actually had to go to college today...go figure) is to finish this:

This is the crazy long hat I am knitting for my DH at his request. The pattern is very simple, just simple decreases at varied intervals. I am doing my own unique variation on stripes, something more interesting than just bands of the same width stripes as the pattern shows.

It is quite long already, and it is only about halfway done. I am just about at the point where I need to switch to dpns. Actually, last night I moved it onto dpns and tried a round and screwed it up so much so that I had to rip it back and start over. I ended up trying to squeeze a few more rounds out of the 16" Addis I started with (which is where it stands now). Today I will go check out a website for a refresher course on using dpns to try to figure out what went so horribly wrong ( I think I was knitting inside out). Or...if I get brave, maybe I'll try out the whole Magic Loop idea on it. We'll have to see.

And, on a completely non-knitting note...(warning--gratuitous toddler potty shot...)

It was a big day here at Chez Purl, the Bug went poopy and pee-pee on the potty!!

Finished Objects...

This was a productive week. I finished this cute and super easy hat for BB#2:

It is adapted from a hat in the book Hip to Knit by Judith L. Swartz. It was the very first knitting book I bought when I first learned how to knit last year, and this is the very first thing I have made from it. It took a lot of fudging to get it made, because I substituted a worsted weight yarn for a chunky one, so I did a lot of casting on and frogging to get it just the right size. This is knit in Lion Brand Wool-Ease. I love the cranberry red color. So does he:

I also finished another stash-busting, holiday scarf...this one is made in Moda Dea Ricochet yarn in the Jazz colorway, a pretty combination of blue, teal, and purples. And it is another fast knit, drop-stitch scarf. I haven't decided who will get this one...perhaps one of my favorite students?

I am waiting, not so patiently, for my first order from Knit Picks. I ordered Addi Turbos for learning the Magic Loop for socks, the Magic Loop booklet, two different colors of sock yarn and the Knit Lit the Third book which I had not bought for myself yet. It should be here soon. Damn the free shipping...it takes too long.

To tide me over, I got a package in the mail today from the Netherlands...you have to love Ebay...with two pair of Addi Turbos in there, and some Dutch chocolate too--Yummy!! It was cheaper to buy them on Ebay and have them shipped here than to go to my LYS and pick them up. Crazy...but true!