Knitting for a niece (or a nephew?) : W.I.P. Wednesday

I’m very excited about being “Auntie Shellyfish” again (wee!), and thought I would put some of these new knitting needles to use for my future niece or nephew…though I’m sure the baby is a girl.  Don’t ask me why, just a hunch.

I got my first stitches cast on to make this sweet little hat.  I’m limited to using the yarn in my little stash, but wish I could use more vivid colours.  I’ve got more white and lilac baby yarn that I used for this scarf, and it should look sweet.  That yarn is so very soft, it’s a shame I don’t have more of it.

I’m also hoping to make these little booties because they are just so cute!  I love baby feet so much – baby toes are perhaps the cutest thing in the world, they must be protected! The pattern seems pretty easy (read : I can figure it out) so if I have enough yarn left over after the little beanie I’ll give it a go.

I’d have liked to use the blue pictured above for both the hat and the booties, but over the holidays Sam somehow managed to make his way into my workshop and he took out his frustration of being left at home on everything he found.  I was a bit heart-broken because he gnarled up 5 skeins of baby yarn I’d been saving.  More than gnarled up – they were stinky, too – so I had to trash them.  He also ate a few gifts I’d just finished making, which was a very heavy lesson in impermanence and in the absolute fleeting nature of the universe.  Sigh.

Have you had any of your works of love destroyed by a small child or pet?  I’m sure you have!

Do you have any new W.I.P.s in the works? We would love to see what you’re up to! Snap a shot of your  “in progress” masterpiece and add it to the  W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Pool. Whatever your works-in-progress, have a crafty week, and don’t forget to see what the other Wipsters are working on.

W.I.P. Wednesday : More Knitting…

I finished up last week’s scarves, and started up this one which I’m hoping will be part of a scarf and mitten set.  The last scarf I finished had such thin yarn that this stuff feels so bulky, even though I’m only using 6mm needles – funny how everything is relative.  This yarn was a score from the outdoor market where we used to live; they were selling discontinued styles in bundles of six skeins.  Wish I’d have bought up more!  I love it, but it is a little more scratchy than the pink and white.

Hey, experienced knitters/crochet artists out there – how much yarn to you buy when you see some you love but have no real project in mind?  A few skeins?

Do you have any new W.I.P.s in the works? We would love to see what you’re up to! Snap a shot of your  “in progress” masterpiece and add it to the  W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Pool. Whatever your works-in-progress, have a crafty week, and don’t forget to see what the other Wipsters are working on.

W.I.P. Wednesday : Finishing Up Scarves…

A short post to show you what projects I’m trying to finish up…

a bit girly, non?

This one came together really quickly, but I had just a bit more to add to make it long enough.  I have this thing with short scarves, I don’t know what it is, but they drive me crazy.  If it’s not long enough for me to wrap it around my neck at least once with one end over each shoulder, it’s just too short.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this scarf since I started it back in October.  I love the super-soft baby weight acrylic yarn, it’s like a little puffy cloud of sweetness.  I bought a big bag of 6 skeins when it was on clearance last year, and I now wish I’d have bought more it’s so lovely.

Can you see the mistake?

Anyway, the yarn is fantastic, but it’s so thin, and using the 4mm needles does take a long time.  The other frustration was when the needles were pulled out – much harder to slip them back in than when using 8s or 10s!  I’ve put it away twice to do other things, but need to get it done as it was supposed to be a holiday gift for one of my nieces, but is obviously still not ready.  I hope to finish it up by this weekend.

Do you have trouble finishing up your started and almost done projects?  It’s so funny, but the closer I am to completing the craft, the slower going it seems to be.  Must be because the challenge is over…