Finished Objects Day

Today felt like a day to get things done.

This morning I finished the thumb of the second Pink & Fuzzy Mitten and tonight I'll weave in the tails so the pair will be done done.  I still might send them for a little swim and a tumble in the dryer to see if I can't soften the dark magenta cuffs and thumbs a bit.  The hand parts don't need much softening, they've got that crazy eyelash yarn that makes them soft inside and out.  I'm not much of a pink person but, I have to say, these mittens make me smile.  They're just so silly looking.

I put out a call on the BLKG blog for mittens a couple weeks ago.  We haven't had a meeting yet but last night at Friday Night Knitting LB delivered these four pairs of perfectly awesome mittens she whipped up over the last week.  She's a mitten savant.  I can't wait to deliver them to the grade school on Monday, they'll be excited to get them.

I've been paging through a sewing for kids book I got on closeout from Interweave last year (it's where the teepee-to-be pattern is) and my attention got caught by the bib.  It doesn't have ties or snaps or Velcro, it has a crossover neckline like baby undershirts have had since time immemorial (or at least as long as I can remember) so I decided to whip one up.  I used some of the diaper cover fabric I had on hand and binding from Mom.  I even used a fancy little stitch to put on the neck edging but Durwood pointed out that the neck opening might be too small for SomeBaby.  Gosh, I hope not but I reread the pattern and it DID call for making it with knit fabric and this isn't knit so next time that sweet, not-so-little head is in the vicinity I'll try it on her.  I may end up making another one or two out of knit but I don't really care, I had so much fun making this one and it'll fit some baby even if it isn't our baby.  DD's idea of using half-price Xmas wrap for pattern paper worked like a charm.  I just used

tracing paper between the pattern outline and the white back of the paper to transfer the shape and then a Sharpie to transfer the markings, etc.

I washed and blocked my practice stitch swatches this morning and hope to enlist Durwood's hands to get the yarn I want to make the actual designs out of rolled into balls.  I have a swift that he made me but it's more fun for the two of us to sit at the kitchen table, him doing the complicated swooping so the yarn comes off nicely and me cranking the ball winder.

I want to crochet a duck too, and maybe a bathtub fish or two.  I should get off this thing and get moving.  See why I think I need to retire?  I have all this stuff I want to make, I even have the stuff to make it, it's the time I don't have.  I'm off.  Sayonara!
--Barbara