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For the knitters: a picture of the always cute nephew, AJ, wearing the sweater knit for him by his mommy. This is also a pic for Renee, who calls him "the German baby."
And for my mom - look! I'm using my applique scissors!

Tschuss!

There is knitting in grad school!

Here is a picture of my nephew AJ wearing the sweater I knit for him. How cute is he?! I actually knit this back when he was just a bump in my 2nd sis's belly, but he can finally wear it now!
There has been creeping progress on three knitted items I am working on. Renee's sock #1 has passed the gusset decreases and is marching on towards the toe. I've been comissioned to knit a pair of delivery room socks after this pair is made. My friend Amy is due at the same time as my 2nd sister (yes, the same one I am knitting Momma Snug for). 2nd sis wore a pair of my handknit socks when my nephew was born and according to her they kept her feet nice and warm so I'd like to do the same for my friend. It happens to be a bonus that Amy has size 6 and a half feet - compared to the many other size 10 feet in my world (myself included!) they should be a breeze. I picked up some fun orange and pink sock yarn at Hill Country Weavers after the South Austin knitting meetup this morning at Cafe Caffeine. I meet several new knitters and got to see Kristin & Caro again.

Caro and I discussed Christine's fantabulous podcast, Pointy Sticks. If you haven't heard it yet do give it a listen. It is quite fun!

I've finished the front of Momma Snug and cast on the back. I am seriously considering making up some sort of cute cap sleeve for this sweater so that I can get it to 2nd sis sometime before she has this baby! The semester is only going to get more crazy and Wisconsin is just going to get colder. I think I could finish the front and back with cap sleeves by the end of November and send it to her. Then I could knit the sleeves by the time I go home over the holidays and maybe even sew them in while I'm home! In the meantime she can wear it as a vest over long sleeve shirts.

What do ya'll think?

The third item in progress is a hat for my brother - his Christmas present. I've actually knit a regular sort of stocking cap for him, but this one has a bill. I'm making it up as I go along and so far so good. Hopefully you can see in my sketches (souped up using Mackie's infrared effect in PhotoBooth) that I'm knitting it with a band for a double layer of thickness around the ears. I also got the idea that rather than using plastic canvas to stiffen the bill I simply went to the Goodwill and bought an existing cap. To make it a little more stylish I cut the brim so it isn't so deep. Then I made my gauge swatch and used knitter's chart paper to figure out the pattern for the bill. I will get to the point where I can insert the bill soon and then I'll post a picture. Right now it doesn't look like much.

On a very different note: I have a friend whose husband is in Iraq in command of a unit. Two of his men were killed this week. I don't know these people or their families, but my heart goes out to them.

Tschuss.

Goings on...

Ta da! Welt pockets! These are my vest fronts for tailoring, complete with their handsome welt pockets. Note that I had to line up my pinstripes. Also note the dart under the bottom welts. This drew the pinstripes in ever so much which forced me to steam and skooch and press the welt until they lined up. I love wool!

A close up. So pretty.

And for your knitting enjoyment...a turned heel. I feel right smart this week! Highlights for today: I got to use a bansaw, a rotary sander, and a drill gun. Power tool high!

Tchuss!

Progress on Momma Snug!

I have not yet figured out all the mysteries of Mackie yet, so I beg your forgiveness for this sideways photo of Momma Snug progress. Another student and I took an inpromptu car trip to Houston on Sunday to fabric shop for linings for tailoring class and bonnet fabric (sorry Kelp! - it was a quick turnaround trip so I decided not to bother you but we'll come again I promise). While this pretty much sucked up my Sunday (originally meant for laundry, reading, and knitting) I was the passenger so I got to knit. I made it through the short rows on the front and will close in on the neckline this weekend. I originally projected finishing this by the end of October, but it is probably more realistic to plan for mid-November. Sorry 2nd sis! I'm knitting as fast as I can, I just don't have as much time for it as I used to.
Here is one of the things that is eating up my time. This is the crown on my bonnet, cut out of double buckram and wired. The pins are holding bias tape in place that covers the wire in order to create a smooth edge. I've also got my brim put together and wired so now I'm moving on to covering it in this wonderful stuff called fleecy domite. It softens the shape and makes it nicer when you cover it in fabric.
This is the final paper version of my hat. It was the fourth attempt at the pattern. Creating the pattern for this bonnet was quite a challenge for me but I'm really happy with the results. Once I've got it covered with the domite I'll put a pic up.

The other time sucking class is tailoring, but I'm loving it. It's very precise but you just have to do exactly as instructed. I'll post on that another day.

My little brother turned 27 on Tuesday! Happy birthday Bro!
Tschuss.