Still here, still knitting

My apologies, kind readers, for the lack of knitted bits of late. I have been knitting, just haven't been posting photos. All shall be well.

Look - knitting!

This was Kidlet's cardigan on the 19th, and this is after binding off last night:

I loved using the Malabrigo for this pattern. Not only is it soft to knit, but the color changes are spit-felted as you go - I only had six yarn ends to weave in! (It still needs light blocking and six buttons, but I call that done.)

pattern: The Essential Cardigan, from Top-Down for Toddlers by Cabin Fever

yarn: Malabrigo Worsted Merino

needles: Denise Interchangeables, US#9

size: 2+

I've also begun making felted nest ornaments for holiday giving. They knit up soooo quickly! This photo is pre-felting (nests will go in the washing machine, while the egg roving is to be needle felted).

I have a photo of Kidlet to share from Thanksgiving weekend. Back story: I was knitting at Nana and Papa's house, and as I removed DPN's from my work, I was sticking them through my hair on the top o' my grand head. This puzzled Kidlet as she tried sticking the needles into her head. We then created a special knitting needle hairdo so her fine hair could hold them as well:

She is so durn funny!

It's finals week for my students, so my teaching schedule is a bit intense. Today, for example, I started at 7:30 a.m. and taught 17 voice lessons (a.k.a. Long Day's Journey Into Choir Rehearsal). Meema is tired. G'nite.

We Rogues of Wool

It's an oddly entrancing knitting sea chantey... enjoy!

Things that are green

a) earth-friendly knitting

b) Giuseppe Verdi (ok, a bit of a stretch)

I took my recycling out last night, walking past the obnoxiously large bag of plastic shopping bags I've been accumulating for about two years. (photo note: wine bottle is there as a size reference only) Remembering a blog posting I saw a few weeks ago, I grabbed two fistfuls of bags and a pair of scissors and headed to the living room. After much trimming, folding, cutting, slipknotting, and ball-winding, I have one healthy ball of plastic yarn to be knitted into a reusable French-style market bag. Depending on how time-intensive this little project is, this may be a "green gift" holiday item. At any rate, it's a great way to get a lot of use out of short-lived bags.

Digression from the green theme: today Kidlet wound her first lovely cakes of yarn using the swift and winder. It was Malabrigo, in pinks and yellows, for another little sweater. She was fascinated. I have a helper.

And now it's time for the opera break. Morro, ma prima in grazia is my favorite Verdi aria of all time. I don't think I would have used it for this ballet staging, but Karita Mattila sings it so wonderfully. Enjoy!

Wool pusher

Psst.

Hey, you.

Over here - I got some wool for ya.
The good stuff.

Just give it a try. You'll be back for more...

Tricks, treats, and owies

Halloween came and went, and Kidlet thoroughly enjoyed herself. The fact that people open their doors and give her candy just for asking blew her little mind. I still haven't taken a photo of the finished candy corn bag, but here's a snap of it in action:

The next day we had the pleasure of our first ER trip that involved stitches. She was playing "pwano" and slipped off the bench, catching her lower lip betwixt her teeth and the keyboard rail on the way down. She was amazingly brave and patient during our lengthy visit, and has four tiny sutures below her lip (which are coming out tomorrow already).

Another stash enrichment opportunity: One of the LYS's in Minneapolis is going out of business and, of course, having a sale of the same nature. The sale prices aren't consistent across the board, but apparently that didn't prevent me and my partners in crime (Mom, Going 40 and Eric with a "C") from finding some deals.

Oh, I almost forgot. Not quite stash, but geek tools. This fall I used half-off coupons from JoAnn Fabrics to purchase my own yarn swift and ball winder. Squee! I made nice center-pull balls the old-fashioned way before, but now I have beautiful cakes of neatly coiled wooly goodness. When I have a chance, I'll post photographs of those, too.

Happy knitting!