Still knitting

I finished a blanket for a friend's grandson. She had made a little sketch of what she wanted in the center panel of the blanket months ago. I got that part done, but had to wait until the baby was born to finish the borders. They contain the baby's name in shadow/illusion knitting, and the parents didn't want to know the baby's sex until it was born. It's a boy.

I've also done several hats.

Actually, I did two of the purple ones. I think I'll make more of the ones with the flap to keep the neck warm. All except the purple one are in yarn heavier than I usually use. For some reason (mostly good sales) I've bought quite a few skeins of bulky yarn recently. I guess I'll use it all hats for charity.

And there have been some shawls, too.

I had to start replenishing my supply of them, after taking the five I had on hand to church to be used as prayer shawls. My great-grandchildren will expect me to have some for them to give to teachers in May, and the church may need more. My sister has asked for the blue one. I made it with yarn left over from two infinity scarves I made for my daughter and one of my granddaughters for Christmas, and from the shawl in the top picture. (The actual color of the yarn is somewhere between the top shawl and the outer border of the middle one.) When I took the shawl in the bottom photo to the Lake Area Fiber Artists meeting on Monday, I got one of the others to model it for me. I showed it to other friends yesterday; one of them said it reminded her of a peacock.

And there is one scarf finished so far.

And two baby/toddler sweaters.

Well, I guess I haven't photographed the second one since I finished it. It is a Baby Surprise Jacket, designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. It is done in one piece and looks rather strange until it is folded correctly and two shoulder/sleeve seams are sewn. That bright yarn is some that jumped off the shelf into my basket a month or so ago.

What I knit in 2015

40 hats of various sizes
13 headbands (these were done so early in the year that I had forgotten about them until I checked my log)
18 scarves and cowls (14 of these were for family members for Christmas)
9 pairs of mittens (most of these matched hats, and all were donated)
9 shawls (these were all for the church for prayer shawls or for great-grandkids to give to teachers)
7 sweaters of various sizes (one was even for me)
2 large baby blankets (for my new great-granddaughter and for a friend's grandson)
1 Christmas stocking (for my new great-granddaughter)
6 can cozies/soda sweaters
2 pairs of slippers (for my two youngest great-granddaughters, ages 3 and new-born)

Happy New Year! 2016

It can't really be two months since I posted here, can it?

I knit scarves for family members to wrap their Hallmark ornaments in. 14 scarves or cowls and one Chriatmas stocking (I thought the 6-month-old was too young for a scarf), and I forgot to take pictures of any of them.

My friend's grandson was born in the middle of November, so I've also been trying to finish the blanket she requested for him. I did the center of it (except for the sun's rays, which I still need to do), but couldn't do his name around the outside in illusion knitting, because her daughter didn't want to know the baby's sex until it was born. Here is a picture I took of it a couple of days ago; I have since finished that border with his last name.

Now I need to do some rays in embroidered chain stitch.

A few weeks ago, the parish nurse at church told me she had recently given out nine prayer shawls, leaving four or five still in the closet. So I took in the five finished ones that I had here. I have since finished one of the three (?) I had in progress, and have started two more. I'm really glad to get back to them. While I've been working on the scarves and baby blanket, I've been itching to work with some of the yarn I've bought in the last three months or so. I didn't need more yarn, of course, but sometimes it's hard to resist. I may already have SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.

During the first week of December, I again wove rugs at the Walk Through Bethlehem in Mayfield. My daughter ran the rug stall, where I was weaving. She had some of the kids from the congregation helping her on Thursday and Friday nights, and her granddaughters on Saturday and Sunday nights (one each night). I love this picture she took of Rose.

I think both of the girls enjoyed helping Grammy, and I know Grammy enjoyed it and was very impressed with the "village."

In December there were also the band and chorus concert at Lexi and Devins' school and a Christmas program at Rose's.