Been knitting away and finished two shawls this month. One is the Multnomah which is a a free pattern. I used Brook Farm Duet which is a DK weight and Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. The needles were size 7 (4.5 mm) for the garter stitch and went up to size 8 (5 mm) for the feather & fan. The first stitch of each row was slipped with yarn in front. It ended up being VERY large with barely any sideways blocking, it was almost 8 feet wide and ended up being about 34 inches deep.

My other shawl/scarf is made with Texscapes Fiber 100% Tussah Silk using Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia Triinu pattern on #4 (3.5mm) needles. I used beads instead of nupps for two reasons - one is nupps don't work well on non-animal fibers and secondly, this yarn is considered lace weight but has slubs and some parts are almost cobweb weight thin. This blocked to 70" long and 12" wide with only 27 repeats.

Other things include a test knit for Holiday Mystery Gifts:

A dress for one of our great-nieces using Bernat Souffle yarn (discontinued) and cotton fabric. The designer is donating all pattern proceeds to the family of the baby she designed the dress for, who has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. It is called Yemma's Dress. The yellow one uses Sugar Rush Jacquard and was made for size 6T. The blue & pink one is for a 2yo.

Keeping Busy

Some of the things that have been keeping me busy:

Lilac Leaf Shawl from Nancy Bush's The Knitted Lace of Estonia.

Our new puppy, Bruno

Simplicity Pattern #1925

Baby Helmet from Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders

GW's Bonnet from Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders

Some 2011 Christmas Gifts

Lotus Bags used as project bags. Just perfect for a pair of socks. The Christmas one has a pocket sewn onto the lining.

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I made these for John & Linda:

   

The coasters are from Holiday Mystery Gifts. A “Pretty Maid” made with Coral Reef kitchen cotton cone from Wal*Mart. The Star Stitch Hand Towel is also in the same yarn.

And I made some angel ornaments for Miss L & Mr. B:

 

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    Cloth Boxes for Seth & a plastic lined trash bag for Jamey’s car.

Christmas 2011

Miss L the younger in her new sweater

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Her new robe& pillow, with Mom & Dad:

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Pasties

Hubby takes his lunch to work and is always trying to think of something new. I am making him some Pasties using some Honey Wheat Roll dough made in the bread maker and the following filling:

• 1 pound ground venison
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 grated carrot
• 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
• to taste: salt, pepper, onion powder, cayenne, worchestershire sauce

Brown venison, add onion. When meat is brown & onions are soft, add the carrot, cabbage and seasonings. Let simmer/steam, stirring occasionally, until dough is done.

Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Press out to about 4 inch round or rectangle. Fill with about 1/4 cup meat mixture. Fold over, sealing edges with fork & pricking some holes on top. Place on a cookie sheet, cover with clean towel & let rise about 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Brush egg wash (egg & water beaten together) and bake for about 15 mins until pies are brown.

So little time (or lack of concentration?)

So much has been happening and I've been so busy. Sometimes it feels like I start on one thing, get halfway done then get distracted. Eventually though, things get done. Here are a few projects in the works or are finished.

One Byte Sock is finished.

A new robe for Miss L the Younger

Close up of robe. The trim is from the ribbon section of Hobby Lobby.

Knitting Needle Case for Miss L the Elder

Inside view

Bolster Pillow with leftover fabric & trim

A few bibs for charity.

More charity bibs (although only 1 is shown.

Some Christmas Gifts

I finished up a couple of Christmas gifts for the kids today. Being in a bunk bed, Mr. M needs something to hold books and things, so I made him this:

I finished a little jumper for the elder Miss L and today I made a little bag to go with it. I like it so much I might make a few more for gifts and such. It will hold a skein of sock yarn nicely I think.