New Bunny

Our friends Alex and Harry had a little boy a few weeks ago and this is what I gave little Benjamin:

Ben's a bit too small to appreciate him right now, but hopefully he'll grow to love him, like I do.

I made him up as I went along, using a variety of techniques, and am pleased with the final result.

You may recognise the yarn. It's Koigu KPPPM and a lot nicer in real life than photos can show (much lighter, with that magical watercolour effect I find with Koigu, plus a great sheen). It has speckles of light burgundy, dark blue, yellow and pale pink on a creamy background, though it's hard to pick them up in photos unless you're looking really closely.

Originally I made a hat for Ben to match, but wasn't happy with the way it turned out, so I made Buzbee, one of Woolly Wormhead's Creations from Wee Woolly Toppers, a copy of which I have. It's a great book, with extremely-easy-to-follow patterns and some really innovative creations. Unfortunately I completely forgot to take photos before I gave the hat away with matching booties, but the booties are exactly the same as those I made for Joshua (my own pattern), if that rings a bell (again made with Malabrigo Worsted in Stone Blue). Like with Joshua, for some reason I was certain Ben was going to be a boy, so I didn't even make anything that a girl could wear as a back-up. Lucky for me my sixth sense was correct as I can envision me having had to burn the midnight oil otherwise!

In the meantime you'll have to content yourself with more images of Bunny until I have a photo of Ben in his hat (I made the 3-6 months size so he'd have something to grow into, so photos won't be coming for a while!):

It started with an arm...

Actually that's not true. It started with a leg on a provisional cast on. There also isn't a single seam! Everything is worked in the round and stitches are picked up, so there are no awkward joins either. That's why I made this one up, so I could tailor it to my wishes. While I am more confident in mattress stitch now, having mastered it with the cardigan, I still prefer knitting everything in the round where possible.

I've been very good this week, and when not staying late at work in the evenings, have concentrated solely on the cardigan, and have not even looked at the shawl, though it's been hard; I'm really looking forward to getting back to the Aeolian. So far the back and both fronts of the cardigan are finished, and I'm giving myself tomorrow to finish the tops of the arms, so I can seam on Sunday. Then I'll move on to the pockets.

We had a great knit night at Hammersmith SNB this Tuesday. All the regulars were there. I love hanging out knitting and chatting with them all.

New Year, New Projects

Having been stuck at home due to a chest infection (the doctor signed me off work for 4 days), I've been able to get on with a lot of things. Here are the Noro Long Gloves from the Noro Designer Mini Knits Book:

They have a very pretty picot edge which isn't very clear from these photos. I'd use that motif for edging things in future, perhaps a blanket...

They look good fully stretched out or ruched at the wrist. A quick and easy knit, the only correction I made was to knit them completely in the round. I couldn't believe the pattern was written flat; imagine all that sewing up around each finger!

Next was a very sweet little bunny who doesn't have a recipient yet, but I'll save it for a friend. It's one of the Lovable Toys by Marion Edmonds from Last Minute Hand-Knitted Gifts. I'll make an elephant sometime as I have the yarn ready.

Last up is the hat I made my for my brother for Christmas using chunky wool. I hadn't been able to show a photo before as he immediately took it away with him when he went skiing. I'm just glad he liked it; I worry about overloading family members with my hobby!

I'm not quit sure what to start next, but I'm flirting with Curlicue as I'd like to try a lace project with a bit of substance (i.e., not using airy lace-weight wool). This uses cotton in sportweight which is appealing.

Another possibility is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl in bulky but I'd better finish the one I started in Noro Kureyon Sock first! It looks lovely but takes so long on the longer rows. I've finished one hank which the pattern calls for, but to make it substantial enough it really needs to be a lot bigger, so depending on my patience, I have another two hanks to use. Somehow I have a feeling this one's going to hibernate for a while!