I promised pictures, didn't I?

Feel free to admire my totally lame contribution to the charity group. Or not, as you please. As you might guess I am not pleased with my productivity of late.

Here's the baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting, done in Cottontots, with a button replacing the ribbon ties. You can see that it's a little wibbly and still could use another button or some snaps or something.



And this is a crocheted blanket called Lyn's Round Ripple Afghan, from a pattern found here, done in leftovers. I like this one and will probably make more.



Last night I cast on the Irish Hiking Scarf in some Paton's Decor I had lying around.

Please don't ask about the stinkin' baby hoodie. Just don't.

TOAD alert

File the baby bunting thingie under Trashed. It was not fun. I was not happy. And I did not want to knit bad karma into a baby gift. So out it goes, just like that, with nary a tear nor a backward glance. Now I need to come up with plan B for the coach's baby -- actually we're probably up to plan W by now -- before the next gymnastics meet. I'm sticking by my theory that knitting for coaches produces positive vibes for the daughter. It was good for second place and a qualifying score at the last competition, though I will grudgingly admit that the daughter's hard work might have played almost as big a role as my hard knitting. Almost. The Positive Energy Sock I started on the drive up probably had a huge effect as well. Allow me my superstitious delusions, all right?

Greetings from stormy Mississauga

I can hear freezing rain slamming against the window. The roads are a mess so we had to walk the kiddies to school. The school ski trip was cancelled because there are no buses, and the husband is cancelling his business appointments for the day. This is perfect knitting weather. So why am I sitting at the computer?

I am pleased to announce that I have made some modest progress on Project Knitting for Other People. I finished a crochet baby blanket over the holidays, and last week I finally sewed up the Mason-Dixon baby kimono. I didn't like the ribbons on the original version so I sewed on a button to align with the yarn-overs along the edge. It looks like it will be functional, though I'm considering adding a snap or two to add some stability. I will post pictures eventually.

I am bored out of my skull with the Bernat hoodie. I have done the back and most of the second front. Two sleeves and one hood to go. And because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm considering doing one or two more in different colours. I think it would look cute with sleeves and maybe the hood in a different colour from the body. I've also been plugging away at the filet crochet centerpiece/mat thingie for next Christmas.

We're off to Ottawa next weekend for a gymnastics meet, which of course necessitates some travel knitting. I've cast on the bunting bag from MagKnits for a pregnant coach who, conveniently, will not be travelling to this meet so I won't have to decide whether to hide it from her. Is it good karma to be knitting for a coach while the daughter is competing? Am hoping so.

Priorities.

The autumnal socks are done and out of my hair, though I cannot say with any certainty that my hair isn't in the socks. Between me, the dogs and the very long-haired daughters there's always some hair knit in there somewhere. Anyway, with any luck you've heard the last of them. They're a little too big so they'll be getting the dryer treatment next laundry day.

From the deja vu files: Once again I have shown up at a charity group meeting empty-handed and felt like a miserable slug watching everyone else donate huge bags of beautiful things. So, inspired by shame and guilt, I have vowed -- again -- to devote much more of my knitting time to charity and gift knitting. Current WIPs: baby hoodie using a free pattern from Bernat and their Baby Coordinates yarn, and a filet crochet centrepiece thingie for my aunt and uncle's Christmas gift. My next charity project will be another baby blanket, and when the crochet thingie is done I'll be doing another one for another aunt and uncle. I also have to make a gift for DD's pregnant coach. I'm thinking of the baby bunting from MagKnits.

Sydney's socks have been demoted to mid-priority. I did the short-row heel on Saturday night amid a flurry of very bad language. There are approximately 43 errors in it, and yet it looks astonishingly heel-like. I will judge after finishing the second heel, which will undoubtedly be better, whether this one is good enough. If there's a huge visual difference I'll redo the first one; if not, it is certainly functional as it is.

The to-be-felted bag, the yoke sweater and countless unfinished shawls have been bumped to the bottom of the priority list, where they will stay until the Christmas gifts are finished and I have a garbage bag full of charity donations, or until I change my mind again.