Have No Fear...the Needles are Clicking Away Too...

Hello All-

So, with all of my garden posts, you probably think that I have retired my knitting needles for the season...nope!!  They have busier than ever!!  The only problem is that I have been knitting a lot of gifts, so I can't post photos of the finished items.  If you are on Ravelry, feel free to friend me (heffalump23), and you can see all of the fibery goodies I have been creating.

I can show you a few things I have made lately.  The first is my Lavender Lady.  Our good friends had a baby last night (woohoo!!!!) and though we gave them bin after bin of hand-me-downs, I wanted to make something as well.  Call it knitters guilt, I don't know...I just didn't feel right not knitting them something.

So, I dug out my trusty 5-hour baby sweater pattern, and started knitting.  Even though they had a girl, I like the look of the "boy" version better, so I went with that.  I am quite happy with the result, and you can't beat the fact that it takes no time at all to make!!  I even had some buttons that matched perfectly!!  I can't wait to see it on Baby Leah!!!

I haven't posted a lot about my charity knitting, mainly because I haven't worked on a WCOBBS blanket in ages!!!  I did jump on the Super Hero blanket, and I just finished up my 6-inch stripe.  I did the black, gold and purple stripe, and it is meant to represent The Wonder Twins.  I love how bright this blanket is coming out!!  A friend saw it and said it reminded her of a box of Legos...I agree!!

My friend Cara is getting the blanket next and she is going to add a stripe to represent the Green Lantern...I can't wait to see how it looks when she is done!

I did finish another baby sweater, but since the recipients might read this blog, I don't dare post a photo...I can say that it is one of my favorite baby items to date.  Here is a sneak peak of the yarn I used...

It is a beautiful variegated Berroco Ultra Alpaca Tonal.  I love the softness of it, and I named the sweater Shades of Blue, as it has various shades of blue and grey in it.  I LOVE it!!!  I am so happy that it only took one skein so I have another one left to make something else with.

Last weekend I got together with some of my knitting buddies and we went to check out a new knitting shop here in Calgary.  It is called The Loop, and is located in Kensington.  I went, knowing that I needed some US size 9 dpns to finish Shades of Blue, and that was it.  I walked out with my needles, as well as this beautiful Punta yarn...I am going to make a sleeveless vest for Hannah with it...I think.  It was too pretty to pass up, so I'm sure I'll find the perfect pattern for it. 

I also bought some Cascade Eco wool for myself.  I bought it thinking that I would make a shrug for myself, but after seeing the huge yardage on it, I might aim higher and make a sweater.  I have to drive near the shop this week, so maybe I'll stop in and grab another skein before they sell out of the dye lot.  It is a beautiful chocolate brown, and I cannot wait to make something with it!!

Finally, my friend Michelle and I decided that out cotton dishcloths are in need of replacement.  So, I dug out some white cotton I've had for a while now and started making cloths for us.  I made one yesterday and I plan to cast on another one today at Hannah's music class.  They won't take me too long to make.  I'm aiming for 4-5 for each of us...so at this rate, I'll have them done next week!!

So, have no fear, the needles are still on fire!!!  I mean, despite the REM song, Gardening at Night, my knees need a break sometime, and knitting gives me some relief!!

Cheers!

Sharon