A Bit of a Knitting Update

I finally finished the baby blanket (for the newest grandnephew). I've been working on it for ages - mainly because other projects kept taking priority. I started it last July, and finally gave it top billing in January. Somewhere in January, I made a horrible discovery: an ink pen in my knitting bag had leaked, and there was a dark ink stain on the blanket. I spent some time trying to deal with the stain - soaking, blotting, using Shout, washing that part of the blanket in the sink. I finally just decided to ignore the stain for the time being, and finished the knitting.

This weekend, I used Shout again, let it sit for awhile, and washed it in the machine. I repeated this several times, and it seemed to reduce the stain. Then, I used the same yarn and duplicate stitched several of the stained stitches, which also helped make the stain less obvious.

The above picture was taken after all these stain-ameliorating efforts. I know where the stain is, but hopefully it is less obvious to others.

Here's a 'before' photo. All things considered, I think the blanket ended up looking okay. And, if nothing else, I'm comparing it to the first dent of a new car; now baby J can feel free to spit up on the blanket, without any qualms!

This pattern is the Cradle Me blanket, by Anne Hanson.

With that project wrapped up, I've begun work on the Nutmeg Bear, by Amanda Berry. I think this is a delightful little guy.

This is the photo from Amanda's pattern.

This is pretty much what my bear looks like right now. The yarn is Hillside Linen, by Plymouth Earth, a blend of alpaca and linen. I like the 'scruffy' look of the yarn. I started knitting the bear while watching the Super Bowl; I hope that isn't bad karma! (He has one paw so far.)

Save the Children and the Warm Up America! Foundation are collecting caps for newborn babies. I finished this cap in an evening (they are very simple to knit), and last Saturday helped several other women learn to knit them. The project is part of an effort to improve infant care in Africa, Asia, and South America. In addition to collecting caps, they also advocate and fundraise to provide newborn care in these developing countries. For more info, see www.goodgoes.org.

Bonnie & I had a delightful walk today - it was a sunny 33 degrees, and except for the sidewalk's hiding ice under a thin coat of snow, we enjoyed ourselves.

Bonnie doing what Bonnie does best: checking out smells.

Looking north, as we cross through the park.