Mystery Revealed

Now that the birthday has passed (and I was able to get some sleep last night), I can show off one of my mystery projects:

Pattern: Babe from Knitted Babes by Claire Garland
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft 4-ply, a little less than half a 50-gram ball
Needle: 40" 2.5mm Inox circular, magic loop style for the Babe
Mods: Knit the Babe in the round, 'cuz all that seaming seems just silly.

She also, of course, had a couple of items of clothing:

A sundress, based on the pattern for the slip-on dress in the book, but not followed exactly. Yarn is a random sample ball of a mercerized cotton. I modified the pattern in the book by adding more rows to the skirt part of the dress, doing the second decrease row at K1, K2tog all the way around, and making the shoulder straps a little longer.

What happened when I followed the pattern as written?

The thing turned out more tunic-length than dress, and it was very tight. Now, I have to say that I have never checked gauge when making Babes or clothes for them, so the problem is most likely all with me -- though I really do want to know how a dress that is 19 stitches around is supposed to fit a doll that is 36 stitches around, even if the dress was knit on a size larger needle. [BTW: that yarn is also a sample, this one a cotton/rayon.]

For beach wear, there is a bathing suit:
(another cotton sample yarn)

And for après swim or chilly evenings, a hoodie:
(a 2/7 lambswool/alpaca millend from WEBS)

She also had sandals:

but one of the cats decided they'd make a great toy, and one of them is well hidden somewhere in the house. So, the sandals never made it to Maine for the birthday.

I'd like to say she was a hit, but to be perfectly honest, the first gift E opened was the only thing she REALLY wanted (provided by my parents -- the overindulgent grandparents of 1), a Princess Barbie, and that kinda spoiled it for the rest of the gifts. My mother liked her, though.

Before the two new babes made their trips northeast, I took some family portraits:

AND, the Tidal Wave 2 socks are done.

Sorry for the weird look, but the light is very strange in the house this morning.

Pattern: Tidal Wave Socks (pdf link) by Deby Lake
Yarn: SWTC TOFUtsies #727, significantly less than a full ball -- I am once again amazed at the quantity of yarn on these balls, I could make another pair of socks from what's left (34g, according to my kitchen scale). Hmmm, perhaps I will make a pair for E.
Needle: KnitPicks Harmony 32" 2.5mm (Sigh, I am in love with this needle -- I think I need to buy a bunch more.)
Mods: Made the ribbing a little longer and did 6 pattern repeats on the legs.

Once again, I am in love with the yarn and the finished product. Having made a vow to myself (after a TOFUtsies buying binge) that I will not buy any more yarn made from food or feed crops (bamboo, here I come), I will make sure to thoroughly enjoy knitting with and wearing the remainder of my TOFUtsies stash (a quick check on Ravelry will show just how much pleasure I have left).

Oh, and the piano scarf has found a new life as a keyboard cover in Marilyn's teaching studio. Apparently, it's a hit with the kids.

PS. I have decided that one of the cheapest legal forms of entertainment is giving a dog a wad of peanut butter. Try it some time.

I Hate it When This Happens!

Last night, innocently trying to find the end of the ball so I can start a test knit project, and there it is: yarn barf (in two pieces, no less). Good grief.

Oh, well, the test knitting went fairly well after that:

This will mostly likely hit the frog pond later today since I'm not sure I'm liking the combo of the stitch pattern and the yarn, but I've knit enough to do the editing needed for the pattern and sent the edits to the designer (Ravelry link). I do like the pattern, so will probably make it for real out of some better-suited yarn. Perhaps for my niece (who hates having anything on her feet but lives in Maine where footwear is essential for at least a couple months of each year). [Shout out: Happy Birthday E!]

And lest you think I'm lying about the Tidal Waves:

I do love this pattern -- so fast. Most of the leg of #2 was knit yesterday during what may be one of the most ridiculous meetings I've ever attended. It's not worth re-hashing here, but suffice it to say I'm glad I've resigned from that committee.

Oh dear, look how late it is! Must off to shower before my piano lesson today.

Piano Illusion Scarf

This one was a really fun knit. Watching the illusion develop made the mostly-garter-stitch-but-still-have-to-pay-attention knitting significantly less of a chore. I'm sure Marilyn (who I know loves funky socks) will appreciate it.

Pattern: Counterpoint Scarf by Jennifer Crawford (from whom I also borrowed the idea of photographing it ON the keyboard
Yarn: Peaches 'n Creme Cotton in white and black; just about 1.5 balls of black and probably an equal amount of white (we buy that by the cone) for a 4+ octave scarf which blocked out to just about 5'
Needles: #5 Brittany Walnut (I LOVE those needles)
Mods: I don't think I finished it the way the pattern said: I basically just made the end look like the beginning.

And if she doesn't wear it as a scarf, perhaps a table runner:

In other knitting news: the first Tidal Wave sock is just about to the toe. No new photos, sorry. I can say, however, that I am LOVING the Harmony needle. The cable is soft and the tips really do feel like glass. I don't think I realized just how much I was enjoying this needle or how much nicer it was than my former standby sock needle until I had to use said needle yesterday to work on an emergency project.

Emergency project?! Yes, the school where M used to teach is having its annual fundraising auction next month (the one for which Mr. Penguin was felted last year), and she got an email from one of the parent coordinators wishing that they had such an item this year. I figured I don't have time to felt an animal in time to get it there for pre-auction viewing, but I can whip out a Knitted Babe in a couple of days, right?

So, yesterday afternoon, I cast on for a Babe (this one'll only have one outfit). The body's done and stuffed, and I've picked up the stitches for the first arm (among the mods this time around are knitting the body in the round, picking up stitches for the arms and legs, and doing the arms and legs in i-cord). Will post photos when she's a little more decent.

Speaking of that, I should stop writing and get back to the knitting. Wish me luck!

They're DONE!

The grey socks are DONE!

Pattern: Generic top-down sock, 68 stitches with 2x2 rib at the cuff and a slip-stitch heel.
Yarn: Mega Boots Stretch Softcolor #505
Needle: Inox 2.5mm 40" circular, magic loop style

This is the second pair of socks I've attempted with Mega Boots Stretch (the first I've finished), and I'm really not sure I like the yarn. It's very splitty and very fuzzy which can make it difficult to work with. But the socks are done, and as soon as I find someone in a colder clime with size 8 (women's) feet or smaller, they will have a home.

But now it's on to the next sock project:

A new pair of Tidal Wave Socks (pdf link) from the pattern by Deby Lake. It's TOFUtsies #727. And, of course, they're being knit on my new KnitPicks Harmony circular (32" 2.5mm). I am in love with the needle so far.

I love this pattern and this yarn. The pattern is a simple but interesting lace that's perfect for on-the-go knitting. The yarn is soft (and even softer when it's been washed a couple dozen times as my other pair of Tidal Waves have been), not at all itchy, and it holds up beautifully to wear and washing. I know there are those who really don't like it at all, but I am certainly not one of them.

And last, I had to share this little episode in our house last night. Monday morning is trash time in the neighborhood, so Sunday evening M empties all the trash cans and the litter boxes that need it so she can put out the trash barrel before we go to bed. Last night, when she emptied the smaller litter box, she came back in to find this:

That's our little K-Man settling himself in to the litter box. He loves to curl up in small spaces, but the litter box?! Fortunately, we use liners, so the box itself was clean, but still. He appeared ready to take a nap: