Ahh it's been a while mi corazon

But I have been knitting the whole while, between work and life anyways.
I've finished yet another clapotis... (done in Knitfrontandback S.A.S.S.Y. sock yarn, with enough leftovers to replace the beret).
This is for Brenda at the university for organizing the Missing Women confrence, it's in the colors of the confrence so it's perfect, that and she's a gorgous woman and a great prof, and really need I gush more? I will.


This charming number is done in Dog Lover's Sock Yarn (i think there's still some available on etsy), and it's for the future neph whom I do believe is being named "Rhodes", which is possibly thee coolest name ever. It's just a traditional Baby Suprize Jacket, they're soo easy to make and it really hilights the subtle color changes in the wool (a merino silk blend which is soft and extreamly plesant to work with). The buttons are going to be yellow lions and dolphins. I may make another BSJ yet as they are so dang easy.
This batt my friends is called "Sunrise", it came in the mail a few weeks ago and I have been gnawing off my arms not to spin it until I'm done what is currently on the bobbin. Sooo yummy. I have a possible pattern idea for it and stained glass but I haven't fully decided yet. It's from Fibermonster on etsy, I tell you this barely wanting to because its so amazingly wonderful I want all her things to myself. (greedy little knitter). I can't tell you what pattern I'm thinking of making but it will be beautious and beatific no matter what I choose, but I will choose handspun. All I'm sayin.
"Stained Glass" as mentioned above, I love the bluey black color mix. I'm not sure how i'm going to spin it, or how I'm going to spin the "sunrise" but either way I will and they will rock muchly.

In other knit related news I got into the Wollmeise sock club (yum) and that super pumped me up, although it also created a giant need for excessive ramen eating in my household. Between that and neil young tickets and school I'm so not able to spend money for the next little while.
Also I got an email back from Amy at Knitty and the pattern I submitted a while ago got lost, or rather overlooked in the whole process, but I now know she has it and it is being concidered for the winter 08 issue so yay that. I'm pumped to be in the running finally and actually to know that I am is a great.... relief? excitement? thrill?

Okay that's enough for today, I promise to try and post more, which will probably happen since I'll do almost anything to not have to focus on school work *evil smirk*

variations on a theme

Since I've been on somewhat of a yarn diet (attempting where at all possible to knit from stash rather than from bought things) I've been finding patterns I love to knit moer than once, and clearly EZ's baby suprize jacket is one of them. So I took some yarn I spun and plied (the green with thread and the brown is my first two ply experiance) and made yet another surpize jacket. The good thing about this is should anyone have a baby in my vicinity I shall be ready.

Then I had some left over butterfly super 10 from makeing a Henry Rollins doll and because well white/creme/offwhite etc and I don't get along even slightly I died it a kind of poppy red and pink (or what was left of it). I do fully intent to knit this up with black accents into more than likely a babyjacket. That and the fact that there's another baby coming into the family I really want to have some nice stuff to choose from to give to her.

Lana is starting her very own clapotis which will be more than cool when it's done. She's just finished blocking Magknits Durrow, which she intends to give to her man Adam for his birthday. It looks great (and helped me de-stash at the same time). Yay!
Anywho I should go clean the house and possibly start knitting something else. Or not start knitting something else and finish the siewash. The only thing is knitting with icelandic wool in the heat seems obscene and I need mentally easy things to tackle until I'm done babysitting Joesphine.

baby jackets everywhere!

Okay so I finished the suprize jacket, it turned out great, and since I now know it's going to be a boy I added some cute blue buttons. I also found a Stephanie Pearl-McPhee baby jacket pattern on Knitty which I made in brown, all the ends are sewn in and everything it just needs buttons, but I try to wait to put buttons on until I know if its a boy or a girl etc.
I'm also throwing in a shot of Peatrie guarding my knitting as she tends to do. Shes like a magnet to wherever a project is, she never sleeps on it though, just hovers.
While I'm babysitting my neice I doubt I'll get much knitting done still i started another suprize jacket (they seem to be an addiction so if you need a babyshower gift etc) I'm useing some wool i hand spun and pairing it with some merino alpaca blend I got when I lived in Saskatoon.

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Suprize Jacket

It seems to be catching like some kind of flu. The obsession to make EZ's baby suprize jacket.... and I had a spare ball of softy baby... and there are always babies... and well how could i resist.
As you might be able to tell I've just finished casting off for the neck and hope to be done in the next few days. I'm currently on the second level of downing myself off of anti depressants so my joints ache my head hurts and my elbows feel almost broken but somehow I manage to keep knitting.
This particular jacket is a gift for lily's friends in NZ who are having their first baby. I'm going to put some swank boyish buttons on it to finish it off when it's ready.