done and done

As much as I wanted to participate in Socktoberfest, I decided that during the month of October I'm going to get my WIPs off the needles once and for all. My projects were really starting to stack up and I find that annoying and overwhelming. So while all of you were happily casting on all of your lovely TTL Mystery Socks... I pouted and finished my projects like I set out to do. Heh.

First up, I finished off a baby sweater for my friend Alison. She's due very soon to have a baby girl. It was very fun to knit this because I don't knit girly things very often. I found the pattern in my friend Amy's projects on Ravelry. Here is the link to the pattern details.

I used size 4 needles and Dale of Norway Falk -- a soft, washable 100% wool to keep bebe warm through the winter. I had to find some ladybug buttons to use because ladybugs are the theme for the nursery. I love the end result and so does Mama, and that's what counts.

Up next is the afghan that I knit for my husband. [Rav Link] It will be his big Christmas gift this year if I can hold off on giving it to him that long. A couple months ago, Earthchick was having a raffle and I won a prize... six squooshy skeins of Brown Sheep Burlyspun. WoW! I was so thrilled! I've always wanted to knit with this and never in a million years would have bought this quantity for anything. It was a pure delight to knit with for this afghan that I think of as a big woolly cloud of squooshy mamalove.

I didn't use the yarn to knit a sweater which is sort of what the prize package was intended for, but I did knit something that will hug my family and keep them warm for years to come. Something I think Ms. Earthchick herself would approve of. Thank you again.

I used every inch of the six skeins of yarn on size 17 needles. I made up my own pattern with sort of a garter/waffle rib and xoxo cables. I put xoxo on everything involving my family... scrapbooking pages, notes, everything... so it was especially fitting.

I'll be back tomorrow with more finished knits! Right now I am itching to go cast on a hat....