These are the cat days of summer...

I have always associated the phrase "the dog days of summer" with long hot days where the air is thick, and all you want to do is find a cool place in the shade to stretch out for a nap. So far, we haven't had any of those type of days (or if we did, I was stuck in a windowless overly airconditioned building for more hours than is healthy). If anything, the weather is generally pretty conducive to napping with mini heat sources cats. Actually, I have been quite happy with the summer weather we are having this year: warm enough in the daytime so that you can wear summer clothes, but not so hot and sticky that you could stand to take several showers per day; cool at night so you can sleep, with enough rain that our outdoor plants will survive without frequent watering. As has been the case so often of late, work is stealing much time from the rest of my life. Not enough time for sleeping, let alone all of the fun stuff, like knitting. This was what I accomplished this weekend: Magic slippers to match the BSC. Knit out of leftover Kureyon sock because I couldn't find the rest of the Regia yarn that was leftover. It's a nice little pattern which is easily memorized: I will probably knit another pair that is a bit larger, since I still have more leftover Kureyon sock. They will be packed up soon and delivered to the intended recipient some time in the next few weeks. Hopefully. By the way, as I entered this project into Ravelry, I discovered that there is now the option to enter data to allow one to calculate the actual product cost!!! Quelle horreur! Interestingly, the default currency looks to be Icelandic krona - maybe the total won't seem so bad in a currency one is totally unfamiliar with.

BSC

I added several rows to the bottom of the Baby Surprise Jacket, making it more like a Baby Surprise Coat. For the last few rows, I added the green Regia yarn back in. Instead of buttons, I am going to make some I-cord ties out of the Regia. Now I have to decide what to do with the remaining 1/2 skein of Kureyon sock.

BSJ take 2

Last week I frogged my first BSJ attempt and cast on for the second version. This time I am using 4mm needles. Progress up until yesterday was pretty minimal because of being on call - on a good day I would get 4 rows knit. But now I am speeding right along. The first few rows are knit out of some leftover Regia sock yarn; it works well with the colour of the Kureyon Sock, and will be much more suitable for sewing up. I intend to finish the jacket this week. I might also knit up some booties or legwarmers, depending on how much yarn is left. The recipient (our third niece) was born on July 1, and is a girl. Sadly, her parents (The Gambler's brother and his wife) have decided to go with "theme" names - so both she and her older sister are named after semiprecious stones. I also brought the Knoroyven along to finish off; hopefully they will both be done by Friday so that I can get on with knitting for me!

Fit issues

I have finished knitting the body of the Knoroyven, but am having trouble with the neckline: I have no idea what size the average 2 year old skull is, but I think it's significantly larger than the neck opening was once I cast off. I have ripped back and re-cast off this neckline about 4 times. I tried a larger needle (too small), a picot bind off (too floppy), a "stretchy cast off"(too small), and the "stretchy cast off" with a larger needle (still too small). Somerset couldn't bear to watch it anymore. I plan to try an i-cord bind off next. I also demonstrated that gauge can affect baby garments: This is a BSJ knit at a gauge of 7 stitches per inch - newborn size is supposed to be knit at 6 stitches per inch. (In my defence, this was a travel knitting project - I guessed at the needle size that would work, and did not bring a ruler along. So it wasn't until I got home that I could measure my gauge.) Again, I am quite sketchy on how large the average baby is, but I am thinking that the jacket should be bigger than a skein of yarn (not that it should use a skein of yarn, but the dimensions should be greater). I guess this size would work OK for a preemie, but given that the baby is due some time in June, that doesn't help me.

Hooray for Norway!

Guro was my Secret Pal during the last knittyboard exchange. There was some fantabulous mixup and the last package she sent me went on a little holiday before arriving back at her door. After something like 8 weeks. So she re-sent it to my new address, and it arrived last week. I'm planning to get a dressing table, and this placemat will sit on top of it. She correctly deduced that I don't have a subscription to IK. This was the latest issue when she first sent the package! Lovely pink pearl stitch markers and 2 brocade zippered bags for notion storage. Some herbal tea which contains an ingredient that translates to "Cat's paw" It smells scrumptous! And of course, there was yarn. I wanted a white background to shoot against, so I used something at hand: This is a long colour repeat marled yarn which is black/grey/teal, and similar to the Autunno I bought in Las Vegas. I might use it for the cuffs and collar of the Chelsea Sweater, or I might use it to knit the Rainbow Scarf from Last Minute Knitted gifts with any yarn remaining from the sweater (it calls for 2 different colourways of Silk Garden) A nice teal silk/wool tweed - which inspired Greedo to relocate to the front window. Mandarin yarn, which might end up being used for a baby knit. And a shawl's worth of Mulberry Silk. Now in the running for being knit into Tuscany (it has an advantage over the cone yarn because I know what the yardage of this is!) mmmmm....mulberry..... Many thanks Guro! Takk skal du ha !!!! And now... It's Saartje Bootie Time! I joined a knitting race on Ravelry - everyone was supposed to cast on at the same time Sunday (around 11 AM in my time zone), and see who could finish a knitting a pair first. I knew I would still be at the hospital then, but thought "Well, maybe I can get away by 2 or 3, and work on them all evening"... ...and the on call gods laughed. Ha ha ha ha!! I finally cast on for them on Monday evening. This is an orphan skein of Regia 4 ply. I'm also going to knit a Norwegian Baby Cap to go with it. We have friends who are expecting a baby boy in October. And I managed to pick up some buttons (as well as some other great things) at Value Village today!

FO sighting

Yesterday I went through several bins, and managed to find the purple capri sweats I was looking for, as well as The Gambler's red Bass shirt (in a bin that had made it into the rec room downstairs), butI was unable to find my darning needles. So I walked to (the websiteless) Passionknit, which is my new LYS. Emphasis on the L, because it took all of about 5 minutes to get there - according to Google Maps, it's 300 metres from my house. They had just gotten a shipment of new fall stock, including several new Rowan Yarns - like Kidsilk Aura and Cocoon - this shop might be my downfall! I managed to bypass the new yarns and get my needles, and last night I seamed up the 5 Ring Circus Cardigan: Stats: Pattern: Bamboozle Baby Striped Jacket Yarn: Crystal Palace Bamboozle - .9 skein carib blue, 2.1 skein circus Needles: US8 Options Cast on: July 25 Cast off: August 7 Completed: August 8 I still have leftovers, so I will probably knit up a matching cap. Possibly booties as well. I am very new to baby knitting, so I don't have a good feel for yarn requirements yet.

Where is everything????

I finished knitting The 5 Ring Circus Jacket, ...but I can't sew it up because I can't find my darning needles...I can't find the Bauble that needs to be knit up to send along with the Sockapalooza Socks...and there's no sign of that book that I was going to include with my next knittyboard secret pal mailing... Nope, they're not in here...