Bad Saturday

Saturday was horrible, knitting-wise. I was happily washing a newly finished train blanket, and making progress on my fancy gloves. Both went bust on Saturday.

I have used Lion Brand Cotton for years, and happily. It has been my favorite thing to make baby blankets with because you can use it, abuse it, wash it, dry it...it just comes out softer each time. Drew has one that is six plus years old, and it is still in beautiful shape. (And not because it has been wrapped in tissue in the linen closet.) I've put multiple colors together--never had a problem. This time, though, the red bled. I spent most of Saturday in a funk. I spent a good long time knitting this, and now it is pink. Yuck. I've written to Lion--maybe they will write back with some miracle cure for bleeding colors. Anybody out there know what to do? I can't give it away like this.

If I ignore the pink, I do like the blanket. The side edges ruffled a bit with the washing, but I don't care too much about that. This is to be (if I can fix it) a gift for my old college roommate's (Loretta's) nephew. When her neice was born, we collaborated on a blanket that was very-multi-colored flowers in a checkerboard of very-multi-colors. (Turned out great and DIDN'T BLEED ALL OVER THE PLACE.) I live in Georgia, she lived in Texas--still we did fine working together. For this one, though, things went awry long before the pink issue. I did three strips, she did two strips. She mailed hers to me for finishing, and...hers were 1 1/2 FEET longer than mine. That didn't work. I don't know if she knows yet what is happening with the other two strips, but I decided to make a go of my part of the afghan. Please ignore the game pieces and boys--here's what I have:

It was adapted from a Knit It pattern. They did it as a 3 x 4 square afghan out of homespun or something like that. This one is 5 x 7 squares with the train extended by two, and flipped over on the other end of the blanket. See? No top or bottom! I also edged it in RED. My mistake.

Saturday was also bad because I came to the realization that I have to rip out the glove that I'm making. Maybe no one else would see my mistake (on row THREE), but I will. (The picture actually shows a fold--not the mistake) I even kept knitting for another inch and a half after I saw it, trying to convince myself that I should keep going. I can't do it. (I also did up through the first snowflake pattern on 0s, but the next pattern in 1s. I like the 1s better.) I will redo it without the mistake, and on 1s.

The boys:

Pumpkins, a Bag, Argosy, and a Birthday

I've finished a few more projects. The first to show is a pumpkin costume for an American Girl doll. There are the main pumpkin, green pants, a hat, and a pumpkin bag. I ran out of green, so the neckline of the costume is not really "right" but it'll do, just the same. The pattern is a freebie from Berroco, and the yarn is Vibe. I'll send it off to my Mum for Mother's Day in a couple weeks. I hope she'll send me a proper picture of it being modeled.

My second project to show is a purple linen bag. I'm afraid I didn't like this project at all. It just wasn't fun to knit. It is kind of a farmer's market bag, you know, that stretches to fit whatever you are buying fruit/vegetable/bread-wise. The bag has a weird twist to it which can be pulled out only briefly--then it twists right back up. Oh, well. It is done. I wish that I did like it, because I got the yarn when we went to North Carolina for DH's niece's (Nicole's) wedding. Nicole and her husband Lance are wonderful people, and it was a wonderful weekend. We visted Asheville and the Earthguild (I think), and I spotted the linen that I had always wanted to try. I'll knit with linen again someday, but I think I'll leave this pattern to others to try. I believe this pattern is from Folk Bags, and is called the Farmers Market Bag. It took two skeins of Euroflax.

Last is my version of Knitty's Argosy. I love this scarf! I used two skeins of Noro Silk Garden, and learned fairly quickly how to count to seven! (Over and over and over.) Argosy is being modeled by the boys' trusty rocking elephant. I guess these pictures show that I am not a photographer...

I have also finished the knitting on the train blanket. Once I sew down the last edge, it will be done, done, done!


Last but not least, we celebrated a birthday on Saturday. My eldest is now six. I can't believe it. I got weirdly teary when I delivered the cupcakes to school on Friday. How can he be six??? Drew requested super heroes as his cake/cupcake theme. I delivered two dozen Superman & Spiderman cupcakes to school. I think they went over ok. At home we had a Spiderman cake. The new six year old said "It's ok, but I thought it would be ALL of Spiderman." Gotta feel the love. I used a mold which only showed Spidey's face and arms doing the web-thing. Silly me. He also requested Chuck E. Cheese, so we obliged. We have only been there once before, for a friend's birthday, and he has been wanting to go ever since. After that he went to a friend's birthday party--it was a long day. We all ended the day still smiling, though, so I think it went well. Happy Birthday, baby.

The cake:

The boy, with candles stuck in the eyes as requested. Candles were Matt's (DS #2) job.

The boy with paper-airplane book:

DS #2, Matt:

Drew & Jim (DH):

Good times.

Finally! Pics!

So much for promises. Tonight, though, I believe I've learned how to load pictures to the computer from the camera. Here, then, are pictures of the doll dress. It is from a book by Furze Hewitt called High Fashion Knitting for Dolls. I checked this book out Many Times from the Guild (Atlanta Knitting Guild) library. I did finish the knitting before my mother's birthday, but not the finishing. I couldn't find buttons I liked. Now the dress does have buttons, but they are a scootchie (?) bit too big. This dress is supposed to fit a 16" doll, but I don't know that it will. It is made with 30 gauge cotton on size 0 needles.

Next I have to show pictures of the pumpkin costume...

Tonight I'm knitting on the linen bag. Once I figured out that I had stolen the correct needles from the project (11s) and stored it on 8s a couple years ago, I had to rip back about 6 inches. Now I've reknit that, so this ought to zip right along. Yea!