FOs (Five) and WIPs (Two) and a Beagle (One)

I believe it has been (to use the precise time measurement) "ages" since I blogged about my knitting. I suppose it is better to be knitting, than to be blogging about knitting, but still....

Here are my finished projects of late. This first is a baby blanket, currently waiting for the right baby to appear. The Ravelry project is Hope They Like Blue. This yarn (Three Irish Girls, Kells Sport) was yummy to knit with, and the pattern (Baby Chalice Blanket) very easy and satisfying.

Next up: A Sock for Your Head. I didn't really like the yarn (Plymouth Yarn Sakkie) - it was too insubstantial for my taste - but it worked up into a nice hat. The pattern (Sockhead Hat) was easy-peasy, and good for carrying in the car (because it was totally mindless knitting).

As we headed into summer, I finished Lori's Bridge Walk Flynn (at least she'll have it in time for winter). The yarn, of course was wonderful (Shepherd's Wool Worsted), and the pattern (Flynn) was interesting, with a nice pattern for the brim, reverse stockinette for the body, and a nice cable section. The cable section was a bit confusing, so I charted it, and that helped greatly - so much so, in fact, that I got carried away and knitted additional length, making this a bit slouchy:

In June, I finished another elephant, The Apple of Her Eye. This is the eighth toy I've knit with this pattern (Elijah), and I again used the Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk Hand Paint yarn.

Just a few days ago, I finished a pair of baby hats for afghans for Afghans. They are collecting newborn hats and socks, for the Malalai Women's Maternity hospital in Kabul. According to their website, the hospital delivers, on average, 85 babies a day - so they need lots of hats and socks! I used the Three Irish Girls yarn left over from the baby blanket, and Bev's Baby Ribs Hat pattern, which makes a stretchy hat, long enough to double over the ears. This photo shows one of the hats' being modeled by a 12" softball:

Here are the two projects I'm currently focused on. First is a shawl, using Lala's Simple Shawl pattern. The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Mushishi, which Jim gave me for my birthday several years ago. I saw this pattern knit up as a sample in a store, and decided it would be perfect with this yarn. I came home, and hopped on Ravelry to link the yarn and pattern together - and discovered I had already made that connection. So I decided I'd better get busy and knit it!

I'm making this scarf with the linen stitch, alternating two skeins of Misti Alpaca yarn - one of Pima Cotton & Silk Hand Paint, and one of Tonos Pima Silk. I like the way the colors are working up, but - linen stitch being what it is - it will be a Long Time before this is finished!

Bonnie points out that she is as pretty as any knitting project, and indeed she is:

Asylum Lake Preserve, May 10