knit what? purl who?

Some stitch markers with no dang dangle. I'll admit to having lost most of my little plastic ones in couch cushions and dog bellies.

The red sweater for my mother is at the seamstress (otherwise known as my friend Tina with the working sewing machine who is capable of sewing in a straight line.) being prepared for the big steek. I used a crochet steek for my wool sweaters, but since this one is cotton/silk, I figured I'd better machine steek it.

It's been really hot this week (like 106 degrees) and it's wildfire city around here, not the right setting for a picture of the brown sweater. Someday, people (Secretly, I'm hoping to be a size 4 before I take the picture. It could happen).

I've started over with the purple yarn that was to be for the jacket worked in rounds. I think I may have to rip it out again. It fits, but isn't the fit I really wanted, and to be honest, I'm feeling a little schizophrenic about what I want it to look like in the first place. There is a pattern in the Rebecca magazine that might be the thing, but I CAN"T FIND THE MAGAZINE! My significant other works nights (and , duh, sleeps all day) so I can't go on a giant cursing, screaming, rip the house apart rampage like I really want. And I still have to find the right thing for my lovely Malabrigo. The Mystery Stole is working out all right, I'm finished with the first clue. If my printer had ink in it I would have printed out the second clue and statered working on it and would have just bought some more plastic stitch markers. Instead, I am making a hundred little stitch markers (which are totally cuter than the plastic kind) and brooding over the purple sweater and the missing Rebecca magazine. And the dogs are pouting because they want to go for a W-A-L-K. What a weekend.

To prove that I actually do accomplish things...

Pattern: jumbo elephant from Knitted Toys
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, I forget the color, but it's bright yellow.
Needles: US 2 straights
Modifications: Used smaller needles (pattern called for US 3), put a couple of jingle balls inside. I used fabric instead of felt for the ears, I put a piece of card inside them, and a little bit of fluff so they would be soft, but keep their shape withiout getting too puffy. I didn't use buttons for eyes like the pattern says (for a baby?, get real.) I just used regular yarn, doubled it, made a colonial knot and stitched that down. Hopefully the baby can't eat it.

I love this book. I think the pattens are adorable. Cotton fleece is yuck, in my opinion, to work with, but it makes a good knitted toy, and should clean up well.

Here's a side shot.

Here it is hanging out with a knitted babe.

That knitted babe was the project that got me re-obesessed with knitting. About two years ago, a co-worker showed up at work with that book, and a few of us decided to make one, just for fun. As you can see, it's bright pink, and has no clothes, except for some strategically placed iron-on flowers. It's also propped up against a can of baked beans in this picture. Oh, well. Here's where it usually lives.

Riding bareback on the duck decoy. Sheesh.