FO, new WIP

Here's my promised FO--a Fair Isle hat for friend A. The finish time of a month includes at least ten days where it was actually done but awaiting tails woven in, so it's a very fast knit, even for me!

And a new WIP:


These days when I finish one project, I'm starting another that has been waiting in the wings for awhile. I bought the Artyarns Supermerino and Regal Silk yarns for this one last year on a business trip and had the yarn shop people wind it for me because I thought I'd work on it while I was on the trip. I cast on (or chained up, since it's crochet) right away but the pattern never clicked. I've never understood the architecture of crochet stitches in the same way that I get knitting, so after several failed tries, I set it aside. But I decided when organizing my stash a few weeks ago I'd better start working on those projects that have been wound before diving into others. Since I don't have a lot of stitching time these days, I'm going to knock off those that can be done quickly first, and keep them running alongside the seemingly eternal alpaca muffler. I figured this one would work up fast (only having twelve rows and all), and I'm already on the last row. However, the last row is worked in the fiddly Regal Silk and is a fringe made of 16-chain/single crochet tentacles, so it might take as long to do that one bit as the whole other 11 rows. I don't like the colorway as much as the shop sample, which I think was done in blue, but it's nice to be working with such fine fiber.


A closeup of the first three rows, with the offending Regal Silk at top.

a happy (first) mother's day!

Yesterday was a dream come true. I know that my dream really came true the day Sprout was born, but yesterday it all hit me in a new way: I'm a mom! After waiting so long, to finally have this little sweetheart with us, is indescribably wonderful.

Coincidentally, my best childhood friend H flew in for the weekend, and was good for lots of auntie games and kisses:

Sprout borrows his middle name from four people: my dad and brother and two of B's best friends. Here's one of them, fresh from running a Mother's Day half-marathon, right before the brunch mimosa and Percodan kicked in:
B brought me white roses and "helped" Sprout buy me a beautiful gift from our local jeweler. After years of Christmas/birthday/ anniversary gifts, the owner knows B and has been waiting for baby's arrival. Apparently he no sooner started looking in the case when she liberated Sprout from the carrier and started loving on him. I know people love babies in general, but this kid is a traffic stopper! (He sure didn't get it from me--I just downloaded two pictures of me that look like I'm a 70-year-old meth user cross-addicted to HoHos).

And here's an extra fun yarn porn shot for good measure (because, as I've said before, if you can't be knitting, you can always stash).

Isn't Socks that Rock amazing? I love that Blue Moon Fiber Arts is fearless with color. I bought them online so was a little disappointed that Lucy didn't have more blue in it, like in the online picture. Can't wait to knit these up. I did some stash organizing yesterday (three large Ziploc bags is my whole stash, so it didn't take long), and I'm committed to finishing the last item I have OTS (my brother's alpaca muffler) and then knitting up those projects that I've actually already wound into balls, so they don't stay stretched out any longer than they already have been.