Stash Buster

My cat, Buttercup, and I have an ongoing war over the rights to my yarn.  I know she's a cat, and she's just doing her cat thing, and that's fine.  I've willingly turned over plenty of yarn to her possession.  But she's a greedy little bugger and always always wants the yarn I've neatly reballed and placed in the yarn cabinet.

She has a deep adoration, or deep hatred, of my Bernat Alpaca Naturals.  She is constantly dragging all of it out of the cabinet.  Doesn't matter how high up I place it, she finds it every time.

I decided I'd either have to throw it all away, or knit it all up.

This is the Growing Leaves Cowl.  I'm not usually a fan of cowls, sometimes having something rubbing against my chin makes me a little twitchy.

To avoid this, I only did the repeat two times.  It has a nice drape, and the yarn is soft and comfortable.

The pattern worked up quickly with no issues at all.  It was started, blocked, and worn in a matter of two days or so.  

I have tons of this in other colors to use before Princess Buttercup claims another skein.  If only I needed 369 cowls. 

Population Growth

Several months ago, right around the time I made the two blankets for her newest grandson, my boss asked me to make another pink blanket for another soon to be born tiny human.  

I had free reign to choose any pattern and yarn I wanted, so I went a little different.  The Circle Baby Blanket is a lot of fun and flew off the needles.

I used Pound of Love for this one.  I generally don't like working with that yarn but it actually fit this project well.  The shade of pink was just right and I only used about half of each color.

I especially liked the way the back of blanket is completely different, but still doesn't look like an eye-sore as some wrong sides can.

Once I attached the tag with the little white ribbon, it all came together better than I would have thought.

At this rate, all the tiny humans in the Tri-State area will be bundled in a Woolly Llama blanket in no time.

I'm okay with that.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

For those of you that read this blog, you know about the yearly battle that is Jack's Christmas Sweater.  There was the year he wanted a vest, no a sweater, no a vest.  There was the year he wanted a Christmas Sweater that wasn't Christmasy.  There was the year he didn't get a Christmas Sweater because there was a blanket that tried to steal my sanity.  

This year I started particularly late and didn't think it would get done.  He knew the sweater needed to be red, but not too red.  He knew it needed a snowflake, or maybe two, but not girly snowflakes.  And he knew it was definitely a sweater, not a vest.

It took some time, and some very generous liberties with a pattern, but we got it done.

Every year I try to remember that it doesn't need to be perfect because it will only fit him for this one season.  Then I long for the time when I can knit him something he won't grow out of so quickly.

Then I quickly remember that when that time does get here, I'll long for this time.  The now time.  The time when he's still my little boy and he still needs me and he still thinks wearing sweaters his mother knit for him is "cool."

So I'll knit him a sweater every year, and socks every birthday, and I'll remember to enjoy it while it lasts.  He's double-digits now.  I don't have much time left.