So, I took another picture. This is a different day and it was really cold and windy and I just wanted to hurry up and get the picture taken. That’s why I have a stupid look on my face. But you can see the buttons on the side. When I knitted the sweater, I didn’t think about having to sew on 14 buttons. 14! I hate sewing buttons but I managed to get it done. I also knit Mike a new hat since he claimed his grey one doesn’t match his brown coat. Apparently green is a much more fashionable choice. He wanted a tank on it so that’s what he got. It’s made with a mystery alpaca yarn. I lost the label. If you need to know, I can probably figure it out but you probably don’t care that much. He likes it and now he doesn’t have to be a walking fashion faux pas with his grey hat and brown clothes. I also knit a cardigan for sesame. Well, it started out as a cardigan for my coworkers baby. Her shower is in a few days. I kept thinking of things to add to the cardigan to make it cuter and tonight I realized I needed to keep it. I’m not really that close to this particular coworker and it just seemed too nice to give her. It would have felt awkward to give someone I don’t know very well this little cardigan that clearly took a lot of time and effort to make. So sesame gets it! Since I do need a gift, I’m going to part with the Miss Dashwood I knit for sesame. I have another skein of that yarn so I can knit another for sesame.

I used Bernat cotton tots and followed the pattern for the kimono cardigan in the summer 2005 issue of IK. The Ik cardigan is in garter stitch but I don’t really like knitting garter stitch so I altered it for stockinette. To keep the edges from rolling, I sewed satiny blanket binding to the inside edges. It’ll be soft against little baby’s skin.
Last but not least, little sesame will need socks- cute socks! This pattern was also in the summer 2005 Ik but several similar baby socks are free online at Interweave Knit’s website. These are with Wildfoote sock yarn and I used size 0 needles. Before I knit them, I thought these might become my baby shower gift of choice (I have 3 pregnant coworkers!) but that won’t be the case. I realized I don’t like using size 0 dpns, and I like cabling using size 0 dpns even less. It sure made for some cute little socks, though!

Now that Christmas is over, I’ve been knitting for myself. I finally finished my Over-the-Knee Socks, though not by the Christmas deadline I had set for myself. They are so pretty, if I do say so myself! I have also started a new sweater for myself. It’s a maternity sweater from last summer’s IK. I’m using Knitpicks Wool of the Andes and I’m really liking it. The bump in the front is because it has short rows under the bustline to accommodate a baby belly. Here’s a modeled picture of the front. I can’t believe I’m half done with being pregnant! One good thing about being back from my beach vacation is that I get to go to the doctor tomorrow and see if baby Sesame is a boy or a girl! I’m really excited but a little nervous too. We call the baby Sesame because when I first found out I was pregnant, I read that the baby was as big as a sesame seed and the name stuck. It’s a lot bigger than a sesame seed now but my family is starting to think that maybe the baby should actually be named Sesame!

I need to say a great big THANK YOU to my secret pal! She got me a ball winder!! I have already used and I love, love, love it. I don’t know how I went this long without one!

E is for evergreens and emerging life.

One of the great things about my job is that there is a trail through the woods on the property. I love the evergreens for their height and beauty and I get to look at them all day. When not looking high in the trees, though, the trail hasn’t been very pretty this winter. With the coming of spring, I have been discovering life emerging from the seemingly dead vegetation. It takes some close inspection but things are starting to grow and emerge from the bare branches. I thought I’d share some of my pictures with you because I love this time of year!
(If you’re just here for the knitting-I’ve got that covered! It’s after the nature pictures)

I wish I could tell you what all these plants are but I really don’t know. I’m pretty good at identifying trees but that’s about as far as my plant knowledge goes. I wish my backyard were looking this pretty and full of life. It’s a mess of weeds, bare ground and a lumpy lawn but I need the rain to stop before I can fix it!

This isn’t on the trail through the woods but I thought I’d include the flowering cherry tree because it’s pretty and pink and it’s pink and red month at Project Spectrum.

Speaking of Project Spectrum, I have some knitting to show you! I finally finished my red Cascading Leaves sock. I finished the 1st one right after Christmas but then I got sidetracked by other projects so it’s been sad and alone- until today! I love, love, love this pair of socks because it’s the first pair I’ve ever knit for myself! The yarn is sock garden from knitpicks and it’s so soft and snuggly on my feet. Look how nicely they fit my feet! The only drawback to the sock garden is that it’s 100% merino -that explains the super softness but it also means they won’t be the most long-lasting socks unless I treat them very carefully.
I used this pattern to make my mom some socks but I didn’t really like how square the toe was on her pair, (sorry, Mom!) so I changed it on mine. I’m looking for a new sock project now! Now that I have 1 pair, I think I need some more. I don’t want my 1 pair of handknit socks to be lonely in my drawer. What is your favorite sock yarn? I’ve only used the sock garden and Lorna’s Laces shepherd sock which is lovely but a little pricey.

The pattern I settled on (for those of you that missed it in my previous posts) is Cascading Leaves from the Towsend socks knitalong yahoo group. I changed it by making the ribbed section at the top longer, making the leg of the sock a lot longer that the original pattern, and by extending the pattern down the top of the foot. I think it makes for a much prettier sock. The only thing I’m not 100% happy about is how square the toe is. It rounds out nicely when the sock is being worn, but I prefer the look of a rounder toe so I think I’ll modify that when I finish my own pair. All in all, I find this pattern really fun to knit, which is good because I still have to finish my own pair!

1st in line for finishing, though, is my backyard leaves scarf. It’s almost done so I’ll post an updated picture soon. I didn’t think I would be this excited about a scarf but I simply can’t wait to wear it!

Ta da! Here is my very first pair of knitted socks! I was happy to have finished the 1st one but a complete pair is much more exciting. I wore them for a few minutes last night but then put them away because they’re a Christmas present. I will miss them but (hopefully) they will be loved my my mother in law. It’s exciting to finish projects. Now the only thing I’m knitting is a sweater for myself. Mike’s flame sweater needs blocking and then it’ll be done. I might just have to start something new.

Here’s the info on my socks:

Pattern: Dublin Bay Socks- a free pattern found online. I have a link to it on my sidebar.

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces shepherd sock. The colorway is called watercolor. This was my first time using this yarn and it feels really nice! It’s 4-ply, though, and can be splitty.

Knit for: Diane, my mother-in-law since she often buys me cute socks.

Changes I made: I decreased a few extra stitches so the foot was 4 stitches smaller then the pattern called for. I tried them on when I’d knit the “correct” number and they felt loose around my foot. They feel perfect now so I only hope Diane’s feet are the same as mine!

What I learned: How to knit a sock! It was easier than I imagined and much quicker than I thought knitting on size 1 needles would be. I need to make another pair, this time for me.

I hope you all had a great Halloween yesterday! I handed out candy to trick-or-treaters and it was fun- my first halloween in our new house. Here’s a picture of the pumpkins we carved.

As promised a whie ago, here’s Phoebe minus a lot of fur. She doesn’t really hold still so it was hard to get a non-blurry shot.While I’m showing off my pets, here’s a picture Mike took. It’s a rare occurance because my cats hate each other. Well, it’s really just one that hates the other but we rarely see them both in the same place at the same time. Here they are, though, both sleeping on my bed. The top one is Ramona and the bottom kitty is Gatsby.

I also found this link to a good cast-on for socks. It’s called the twisted german cast-on. Unfortunately I came across it AFTER I started my first sock! My sock is going well, though, so I will probably knit another pair and then I can use that cast-on. There is always something to look forward to!