Roar!

I saw this on Anny Purls' blog (she always has the best ideas! :-) ) and thought it was just too cute to pass up. So I knit one up for Oliver. A lion washcloth for the tubby. What a great idea!

The pattern is Grrr by Alice Bell and can be found on the Summer '07 Knitty. The yarn I used was Lion Brand Cotton Ease on size US 7 needles. I thought the pattern dimensions were a bit too small so I increased it by 8 stitches and 8 rows. I wanted it a little bigger just in case I wanted to test it out myself - ya know, like how I test out his Legos when he is taking a nap. I can build an awesome airplane and a pretty mean dream house.

The real question is: How does it hold up in the water? Well, let's go to our little product tester and find out.

Looks pretty good to me. I think he really likes it! Oh yeah - the back side is pretty cool too. It is nubby for a gentle massage on baby's skin.

What's funny is the quote from the washcloth description on the Knitty site: "Perfect for kids (of any age) who need some encouragement into the tub." Uh huh - like this little monkey needs any encouragement.

Socks!

I just finished my very first pair of socks! Ya Baby! They came out pretty darn good if I do say so myself, seeing that it was my first time. They fit perfectly and they are so cozy. Love them! I used just your basic sock pattern- I didn't want to get too fancy or complicated my first time out of the gate.

Pattern: Classic Socks by Yankee Knitter Designs
Yarn: JaWoll Color by Lang Yarns
Needles: US 2
Mods: I shortened the ribbing at the top and shortened the leg by 2 inches for a more feminine look.

Crazy thing is, whenever someone came to visit and saw that I was knitting socks, they wanted a pair too. It must be my mad sock knitting skillz.

Now, I am totally on the sock bandwagon! I had so much fun with this pair, I ordered up some more (and better) sock yarn so that I can keep on keepin' on. My latest additions to the stash are some pretty handpainted wool from Socks That Rock:


That second one there is for my sister. A personal request.

Thinking Spring

Rain, rain, go away!

Even though it has still been chilly (very chilly) and quite dreary and grey around here, I have been thinking ahead to the warmer, sunnier days of Spring. They have to come sometime, right? I just cast on a cute cropped cardigan in anticipation of the warmer weather.

This wasn't my first choice. I originally cast on a sweater that I had my eye on in Vogue Knitting since last Spring. It was one of those things that because I sat on it for so long, the sweater lost its appeal. But I cast on for it anyway, ignoring my intuition. About a quarter of the way up the back I realized I made a mistake a few rows back and because the entire thing was yarn overs and knit 2 togethers I decided to knit backwards to correct the problem instead of ripping it back. Hassle. Big hassle. Somehow during the process my needle snapped and broke. I would usually get a little bit upset about something like that, but felt that it was the universe telling me that this sweater wasn't meant to be.

Now, I had this beautiful yarn and no sweater to knit. After searching (and searching) I finally found the perfect match. All I need now are those warm sunny days.