Babette complete, and delivered!

Babette complete, and delivered in Paris to The Baby! It was great to crochet, but those endless ends, and endless seams- less so..... I love the color mix. The Baby seems to like it. My sister-in-law says she likes it. You are all so kind to give such great feedback and I am humbled by the comparisons to Klimt. I have a way to go here... I would never have gotten into it without the help of Barbara, and the famous knit-play-date in May 07... And now, I can relax and go back to my knitting...

Babettes Blanket from Interweave Crochet, Spring 2006

Hook- 3.0 mm

Yarn- mostly Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM)
Started May 07, Finished May 08.

Some suggestions:

1. Don’t “cut corners!" make sure your squares are square!
2. Leave long tails when you finish a square for joining. that way you can weave in ends and join.
3. Don’t join when sleepy….
4. When joining a large section, start at the center, and work in 2 directions. its more even.
5. Use a blocking board! I could never have done it without one.
6. At Martha's suggesion, I pinned the sections to an old sheet and thus was able to take it off the floor, “for the duration……” Genius!!
   
7. Colors are fun!
   

Not tonight Babette!

10 sections are done, but the border will have to wait till tomorrow. Its real close.... But one of the things I have learned, is not to craft when sleepy. Thanks for your cheers. The quilt of many colors. Liz says Kaffe Fasset/Brandon Mably have a theory that if you aren't sure if your colors work, add 10 more. I sure did.....

and now- there are 9!

I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

I am obsessed with putting the Babette puzzle together. No sleep, no food, no laundry, just the "Puzzle." There is A LOT of sewing here. That is the nature of the project, and now that it is almost done, and I have to finish it by May 22 to take it to my brother's baby for Memorial Day weekend, I am obsessed with finishing it. I think I can do it. I am also thinking about a thin soft cotton lining. If I find the right fabric.
Here is some of the process. Layout of the almost 150 pieces. At Martha's (blogless) suggestion, I pinned the sections to an old sheet and thus was able to take it off the floor, "for the duration......" Genius!! I also have to block severely, since I am not a very neat crocheter. As I get to next section (#7 coming up) I make sure it will match. I block the sections before joining. it is fun when it works perfectly, for all other situations- there's improvising.....
There are many many colors here. I just hope my sister in law will like it.....

Feeling just dandy!

Gentleman's Fancy Sock by Nancy Bush
Needles: Addi US 1 / 2.5 mm
Yarn: Zitron Trekking (XXL)
Colorway: 146
Almost all of 1 skeins = my skein was only 94g out of the promised 100g, not sure why.
I knit them longer (love) and no pattern at the foot.
I don't like how it bulks up the sock in the shoe.
Bottom line: Happy Feet!!!

Spring has sprung

Done!

Done! I can wear them tonight for the Bobmas night...........
I really enjoyed working with this yarn! I can't wait to CO for something else soon. (suggestions?)

The pattern is fun too! Burning Rings of Fire by Kirsten Kapur. I did not continue the rib on the foot part for two reasons. I wanted to see how the yarn knits in stockinette (love it) and I usually prefer a plain sock in my shoe.

Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm
Yarn: Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop
Colorway: love me tender
2 skeins , but there is some left over.
(They are on the blockers, but not blocked yet.)

Burning Rings of Fire

To celebrate the purchase of more Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop yarn-
I have been knitting these.
Burning Rings of Fire, by by Kirsten Kapur.
2 on 2 circs- Addi US1
Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop, 2 skeins of - Love me tender.

Nice knit, for the mindless TV hours. The colors keep you mesmerized, and its a lovely hand spun yarn, but I am noticing that one skein is spun thinner. The skeins were different. I got 2 skeins, one was 60g and one was 78g. I have no way to measure yardage, which might be the same. So far they are both keeping up beautifully. Can't wait to finish them and wear them. This is very special yarn. I hope they'll be ready for next week's Bobmas Eve party (April 10th). There will be celebratory gatherings in many cities. The New York City Ravelry Meetup will be at The Seamen’s Church Instiute, Thursday, April 10 from 6-9pm.
They are also collecting hats for charity. Another quick knit:
Knit for charity for Bobmas Eve Meetup in NYC 2008
Marsan Watchcap
US 8 / 5.0 mm
Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
most of 1 skeins
Colorway: cafe au lait

Go here to register.
Hope to see you there!

Harlot in the House!

She was hilarious! There weren't enough chairs.

It was good to be amongst my people.

Spring

Spring is in the (chilly) air. I had a spring awakening; I am no spring chicken! With it come spring cleaning (and much needed reorganizing and regrouping) and a spring break from stuff. I'll be back soon. Happy crafting. What's your spring story?

Its crochet time

I'm a knitter who crochets. But this week I have gone all out crochet. Between the coral reef project and my Babette Blanket. My brother and his wife had a baby girl last week, and the Babette Blanket I have been working on is for this little baby. So I have to get going..... Last night I did a count down and found I am at the stage I have to make the little squares. 20 of the 2 rounds and 26 of the 4 rounds. Those are the more fiddly ones. I have all the 12,10,8, and 6 rounds. And once I have all of them, I need to join. I also will block them before I join, learning from Soo, (Things Soo Likes) who washed hers after joining. It was a tough experience. She made a larger size blanket, but still... Ok, if you'll excuse me, I got to get those squares going!

Under the weather, but fighting it.....

Still under the weather, and its a very damp and rainy day in NYC. Actually, it was rather pleasant to sit for an hour and just knit a few rows on my Trekking socks. But not much more happened here knit wise. I did finish my malabrigo gloves. So now I have a set. Hat, neck warmer and gloves. All very soft and warm! Lovely yarn malabrigo.

Today I went to my LYS, Knitty City, to participate in the Coral Reef Project. a crochet event no less, but hey, ok. Anything to lift the dampened spirits. Each one of us made a coral piece. Some are very cool. I made the little green one, (I only had one hour) but I learned how to make the big one, and I just might embark on this. It is an almost mindless project that is well suited for TV watching. Fun and creative. The exhibit, which will appear in the NYU university’s Broadway Windows at East 10th Street and at the World Financial Center will be in NYC from April 5 through May 18.

Thanks!

I have been honored with the "You Make MY Day Award" by several wonderful cyber friends. The truth is, there is no way I can pick just a few bloggers/knitters who make my day.

The whole knitting blogs community gets this:

In other news, there have been some wonderful knitting things going on. Read about them here. But more recently, I have been under the weather a bit. Its been busy and chaotic at work, with several other life stresses. No need to elaborate, but lets just say all I can master at this point is some mindless knitting with a trusted yarn and pattern.

Winter gray go away

How to battle the winter grays?

Don't get me wrong, I love some gray, but after a while, it sure gets to you. Here is the perfect antidote: Reversible hat knit with Noro Sock yarn.

Less than half a skein of Noro sock yarn. color S149
1.5 skeins of Elann's Peruvian Baby Silk 80% Baby Alpaca/ 20% Silk
US 1 for the Noro
US3 for the Baby Silk
Knit with a crochet provisional CO.

Thanks!

Thanks everybody for your wonderful warm words!!!
It makes me feel as warm and cosy as the quilt!
I love blogland for "seaming" us all together!