With just over a month to spare, I've finished the knitted portion of Silas' Halloween costume. He really could not wait for this to be finished. I completed it last Wednesday night after he'd gone to sleep, then slipped it into my bag so that I could show it to my friends at work the next day. In the morning, Silas got up, found my bag, took it out and said, "I want to wear it!" And so, he wore it that day and also on Saturday and Sunday, when dh and I took him out and about for a couple of photoshoots. We went to the farmers market and then down to the waterfront to see the boats. I also could not resist taking pictures of him wearing a front-end loader while he sat on a front-end loader (he's got permission from the owner to "drive" it whenever he wants).
I mailed this sweater off to its recipient last week and it has hopefully arrived, or will shortly. I won't say it wasn't hard to part with, but it is going to a very good home, and a very pretty little baby. I thought it was time to post a couple pictures. It's only been completed for, um, a month :)
I'm working on a new pattern, which I'll be posting as soon as I can write it up. This might take a bit, given how many details I need to work out, so this picture will serve as a teaser. Can you guess what it is?
Like many toddlers, Silas thinks that big construction vehicles like diggers and bulldozers are the coolest things ever. He is pretty excited for the costume I've got planned for Halloween 09. This sweater, from the fabulous Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids, is perfect for what Silas and I are envisioning! Silas can't wait for this sweater to be completed. He keeps opening the book and asking for the bulldozer page. He’ll then spend a good deal of time staring at the picture. He has asked me several times if he could help me make it because he wanted it to be done right away, and one day he even grabbed the needles while I was working on it and said "I want to help."
I am hesitant to post too many pictures of this fo, since it is a gift for the new baby of a friend who sometimes follows this blog. I want it to be at least somewhat of a surprise. Here at least, is a preview.
This is a gift for my little nephew-to-be. It zips up the back and the hoodie makes a point at the top. The little babe should look very gnome-like in this sweater. Self-striping yarn (Universal Yarn Classic Worsted Tapestry) is very reminiscent of self-striping sock yarn. I'm not a lover of acrylic, but must admit that this was a good choice for this project, and my sister will appreciate the easy-care aspect of it. I linked this to Kathy Roletter Gayner's pattern on Ravelry, but it is based on a very old pattern and the version I did was adapted by someone else. They are very similar though, but I do believe Kathy's version used sport weight and the version I worked from called for worsted.
The crock pot dying was a big success! As pictured in these images, the color is fairly true. I used Gaywool dye in Cedar. The outcome was green, but with a blue-gray shimmer. Perhaps the fact that I'm dying light gray wool rather than white adds this element. I've got some white lambs wool to card and then I'll try dying that in order to see how it compares.
Lovely outcome! But my dye lot was so small as I wasn't sure how much wool my small crock pot could handle. It only spun up about 38 yards double plied. Next time, I will dye more wool and increase my lot.
I'm very impressed with this dye and will use it again (quite a lot came in the container). I noticed no noxious odour but still, it is a chemical dye. In the future, I'd like to experiment with natural dyes as much as possible.
I'm off of work for most of this month and have taken the opportunity to dust off my spinning wheel and get it moving again. 
I've probably mentioned before, but spinning with a toddler around presents challenges that will be obvious to anyone with small kids or anyone who has ever been around small children for more than two minutes, for that matter. They are just so curious. My son sees the wheel and says "I'm going to drive it!" He moves his little chair over to it and the wheel is then at a perfect height for him to pretend to drive a boat or car or truck or lawnmower --whatever suits his fancy. While this is nice for Silas and his wonderfully vibrant imagination, his interaction with my wheel can make my head spin faster than the yarn. In a limited way, I have been able to engage him in helping me in the spinning process. I've gotten him to hold the yarn while I'm plying two strands together and he will stand there letting the yarn flow through his hand saying "I'm spinning yarn!" This works while plying, but it's going to be a while until he's able to handle drafting. So, basically, I spin while he's asleep or out of the house with his dad. This limits things, but whatever. You do what you can.
I never imagined that I'd be stocking up on Peaches N' Cream cotton yarn and queing pattern after pattern of nothing but dishcloths. Apparently, I just can't help myself. They're quick, useful, and mildly addicting. I really do need to move onto something else. At least, that's what I keep saying...right before casting on for another dishcloth. "Just one more," I tell myself. Right.
And below is my most recent fo: the Scrubby Washcloth, designed by my friend Amelia.
See the whitish tufts in the picture below? that's tulle, sliced into strips and knit along with the yarn. It creates an abrasive surface that should be great for scrubbing dishes and counter tops. Since I just cast off a few hours ago, dh and I have yet to break this one in, but I have a feeling we will like it so much, I'll have to knit just one more dishcloth (or maybe two) before the month is over.
My MIL commissioned me to make this hat for my SIL, Amy. I made up the pattern as I went along. Amy took a liking to one of the hats I'd knit for Silas that had three i-cord tails so I added those to this hat as well.
My friend Beth made some lovely dishcloths using garter stitch entrelac. I've never done entrelac, and thought a small dishcloth might be a suitable introduction. The next day, a ball of Peaches n' Cream dishcloth yarn appeared on my desk, courtesy of Beth. I could resist no longer: That weekend, my first handknit dishcloth was born. My darling house husband has asked for a total of 7. I will surely make a couple more from this pattern, but have also been searching on Ravalry for a few more ideas. There is no want for dishcloth patterns, let me tell you. 
So named because this is my first time doing: 1. Toe-up socks.
2. Two at a time.
3. On two circs instead of on dpts.
I used the magic cast on for these and LOVED it. Everything else went pretty smoothly. I did a gusseted heal which was perhaps the trickiest part because the short rows must be done one sock at at time. My count was a wee bit off on one of them, but it's not noticeable in the fo.
My parents are visiting from WI this week and my mom brought the book Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding as a little gift. She especially loved the stuffed rabbit pattern. While she's here, I thought I’d quick knit one up for her to take back to WI to give to my sister, who is expecting a new baby around September 1st. This is an extremely easy pattern, but it is knit flat and then sewn up, which seems kind of unnecessary to me. I chose to knit it in the round instead. That’s a time-saver! There's no increasing or decreasing, and this results in a less-than-elegant bunny. But it is a sweet little toy, none-the-less. I hope my new nephew will like it :)
