L's birthday crown

I finished L's birthday crown last weekend and managed to snap a quick picture. She hates wearing hats, so getting any photo was definitely a challenge!
The crown came out a little bit too short after felting, so I stretched it while it was drying. My original plan was to use velcro to fasten the ends together. I wound up using two pieces of 1/2" elastic instead, although I sewed them on so that the crown is now a bit too big for her! It fits E quite nicely, though, so maybe he can use it for his birthday, too. (Although he says he wants a blue one.)

FO (almost!)

I finished knitting L's birthday crown last night; I am felting it as I type this morning. The pattern is the Felted Halloween Crown from Lion Brand. It was super easy, since it was completely in garter stitch and only required a single increase or decrease per row. I made the smallest size, which I'm hoping will fit L for her first birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm being a bit risky in the felting; I just threw it in with a pair of jeans, and set the washer for a quick, hot wash. I have a front loader, so pulling it out to check in the felting progress isn't an option.

Birthday gift from Avlynn

My best friend Eva (aka Avlynn) made me a circular needle organizer for my birthday! How cool is that! She and her husband and two kids came over for a little party today. I added some of my needles to the organizer after they left. I still have quite a few more needles; these were just the ones that weren't already in a decent package. I'll probably add them in as I use them, or when I get the organizing itch.

Thanks Avlynn!!!

Emergency!

No, not really. But the 72 Hours website is definitely worth taking a look at!

a sweater for L

I finished a sweater for L late last week, just in time for a chilly weekend in Napa. This is the first sweater I've knit for her. I love the yarn, which is a soft superwash merino wool from Tess' Designer Yarns. The pattern that I bought along with the yarn, though, was terrible, and I wound up ripping it out and starting again with a different pattern. The pattern is called Daisy Cardigan, by Marie Grace. It is knit from the top down all in one piece, which meant that when I was finished knitting, I didn't have to sew any seams. Instead of buttons it has a single tie at the top (which meant I didn't have to look for matching buttons, either!) I modified the pattern slightly by knitting a garter stitch border at the bottom and doing a regular cast off, instead of the picot edge (I did the picot cast off for the sleeves. If I knit it again I might do the garter stitch for the sleeves, too, to keep them from rolling.)

The sweater is a bit big for L, but not so big that she can't wear it now. I am hoping it will still fit her in the fall, when I plan to knit a matching hat with the remaining yarn.

sick

Bleah. I've been sick for 3 weeks now, and I'm tired of it. I did get a few days of relative healthiness over Easter, which was nice because we visited family. But a few days later I was sick again. And now DH is sick, too. At least the kids seem pretty healthy; I sent them both off to daycare for most of the week so I could get some rest.

This means, unfortunately, I've done very little knitting for the past 3 weeks. I ripped out L's cardigan after deciding the pattern had too many errors. If I had more experience with cardigans I probably could have figured it out myself, but since this is my first one, I thought better to rip and start again with a new pattern. Which I did! I'm knitting the Daisy Cardigan from Marie Grace, and so far I like it a lot. It is knit in the round (well, back and forth in one piece) from the top down, so it's a pattern type I'm familiar with. I've got the sleeves finished, so I just have another 4-6" to go on the body, knit the ties (instead of buttons), and I'm finished! I'm hoping it will still be cool enough for L to wear this spring, and big enough for her to wear in the fall.

Stitches!

I'm going! Today! Wheeeee!

I have a short wish list, which includes buttons for L's cardigan, yarn for the IK Celtic Tote, sock blockers, and a very belated birthday gift for my sister. The gift is the only thing I really need to get, since her birthday was a month ago and I intentionally left it to now to get her something.

I also have a short packing list, which includes Ravelry button, sweater sleeve (to match buttons), and Tylenol.

Time to go shower and eat a hearty breakfast!