This baby is mobile!

One of the reasons I haven’t been posting much lately is that I have’t been doing much for fiber stuff as late.

Between the regular day to day stuff around here and the fact that I have this little guy crawling around the floors . . . which means having to keep the floors very, very clean (if there is just one little thing on the floor he will find it) and I’ve had to “declutter” any and everything that lives under about 3 ft in the house! If there is anything in the room you don’t want him to have its the first thing he goes for! And he is very quick at figuring out how to get around what we put in place to keep him out. Keeping me very much on my toes now!

Here is a picture from a few weeks ago:

I have been doing a little bit of knitting . . . a very little bit. I’m working on a sweater for our nephew in England. I had hoped to have it done early this winter . . . yeah, right! I’ve done the back and the sleeves and I’m working on the front pieces. Its a cardigan. I’m doing both sides of the front at the same time on a long circular needle, since they are identical until the armhole shaping starts its been easy so far and probably the only way the have a shot at matching since I only get to do a row or two at a time most of the time before I get distracted. And since I often have to jump up mid-row with no chance of making notes as to where I left off . . . yeah, two at a time is there best shot at matching ;)

I’ve also come up with about 6 other projects I’d like to do . . . besides finish everything in the WIPs pile (!)

1. I’ve got a remnant of a pretty white linen fabric with a leaf pattern on it that will make a nice, simple panel of a curtain for my kitchen window. I plan to knit a small strip of lace to attach to the bottom of it to make it look fancy ;) So far I’ve gotten as far as stay-stitching the edge of the fabric and washing the fabric so it won’t shrink after the fact. Next I need to iron it and then cut to the right width (after I figure out what that is) . . . then I can hem the edges and then knit the lace and attach it . . . perhaps I’ll have a new curtain by summer, perhaps.

2. After reading Clara’s article in Knitters Review about scarves a while back, I want to knit up a collection of scarves. There are a couple of fiber trends patterns that can be done either as a shawl or as a scarf that I’m dyeing to try . . . along with a few others that I’ve got the yarn all lined up for but just haven’t gotten to yet.

3. More baby socks. I’d like to make him some more socks that actually fit. He’s up to the 5-6 1/2 size socks but they don’t really fit his legs very well. You have to keep them down around his ankles and even then they are a bit snug. Only trouble is I need to figure out how to put some kind of texture in the soles of them so he can walk around on them without slipping. Any suggestions? Is there something I can carry with the yarn that will add some stick?

4. Hat and scarf set from the handspun I did for the first of the handspun yarn swaps on KR last fall. Its a pretty pink and brown with some bits of white silk thrown in. I really love the yarn and plan to make myself a hat and a scarf for next winter. . . . I’ve got about 10 oz of yarn to work with . . .

And there are more but I just can’t think of them right now.

Don’t let me get started about the spinning projects!

Right now, I’m planning to alternate between one from the WIPs pile and starting a new one . . . that way perhaps I can at least cut down on the number of things in the basket. For instance, I’ve got a hot water bottle cozy that needs a few more inches on the neck of it and to have the corners sewn up and then I can actually use it. . . . Its a luxury project done in Classic Elite Lush, the grasshopper color that they had discontiued a few years ago that I got through Elann. Not the prettiest color, but a nice soft yarn to be used on a comfort object like a hot water bottle ;) Hmm, perhaps that will be the next thing I try to finish . . .

Okay, my little helper isn’t going to let me type anymore on my own so I’ll sign off for now . . . more when I can.