What's better than mittens?

Tiny mittens!



Miss Nala doesn't think they're so cute, but I do.



And I made a hat! It's based on the Side Slip Cloche from the book Boutique Knits. I don't have the money for the book so I just deconstructed it.



I used Sirdar's Sublime aran-weight yarn. It's pretty delicious. I just need a brooch to close up the side. That white thing in the picture is a twist-tie. Because I'm super classy. But! This'll be for my mom for xmas. I hope she'll wear it. I need to do a lining, though, and am not sure yet how to go about doing that. Bah. But yay! I cast on for another one almost immediately.

Shiny

I'm not in a mood for knit-based rambling, but I haven't updated in an age, so here! Have some pictures, with assorted commentary, maybe! I haven't decided yet.



Sport-ish weight singles spun from the superwash merino that Grace sent me. I hereby dub that yarn, "IBFF."¹

The back of the vest I've been working on:



I've ripped it out more times than I'd care to think about, it's got a ton of things I'd change if I cared to rip it out again (no), but it's trucking along decently.

OMG Cable Close up!!1!



And even though I really should be spending money on unnecessary things, I bought some sock yarn while I was in Wisconsin last week (did I tell you I was in Wisconsin? I was in Wisconsin. Family reunion.) to make socks for my mom.



Now I just need to pick a pattern. Bayerische sock? But would it be comfy enough? I want comfy AND sophisticated. I really like the Rivendell sock, but am not feeling the whole "paying for a pattern" thing right now. So I dunno. Thoughts?

Also, I spent many, many hours both in a car and on a plane with my remaining Schaefer Anne, and it would NOT stop pooling. It's in time out. Possibly for a long, long time.

That's most of my news. How's with all y'all?

Apparently I ramble even when not in the mood. Intriguing!



¹ Internet BFF

Lazy, lazy, lazy

The main reason I write is to procrastinate from doing things that I don't feel like doing (e.g. school or work). Since I haven't had much of that, I haven't had the urge to write. But I have been doing things! Cool things! So it's picture time! And announcement time. I'll save that for last, because tension is good, or whatever.

First up!



Have you seen Hansigurumi's patterns? Go ahead and look, and buy them all. I'll wait here. The whole time I knit I was mumbling "Well christ that's clever." Except when I knit the head, during which I was screeching "How the (very bad word) did she figure THAT out?"

Seriously. I think she dabbled in quantum physics to figure that head out.

I bought the set of four cephalopods. I've started work on the squid. Hella awesome.

Next, I got to meet my friends' wee bairn while I was down in NC, and naturally I decided to knit her a hat, because... because. This is Aviva:



The pattern is Larissa's Feather and fan bonnet. I decided to knit it after seeing this picture (brace yourselves, clicking on that picture might result in death by cuteness). I used DK yarn (Lana Grossa Merino 2000) on size 4 needles. It came out a little small, so next time I make it (and I will again), I'll either use heavier yarn or add more repeats.



I also omitted the eyelet row and instead (hand!) sewed the ribbon on. This took ages. Not recommended. Also, my blocking job kinda sucked. I think I need a styrofoam ball for baby-hat-blocking purposes.

On a whim I took some of the roving I'd bought from TerraBellaSpun's Etsy store, and began spindling up some thick-and-thin singles, which I plied with some green sparkly sulky thread. Since the roving has sparkles, it's a WAY sparkly bunch of yarn.



I think I like it? But I don't know what to do with it. At all.

Speaking of spinning, remember that purple handspun? It became these:



GLOVES. Neat! I didn't use a pattern. I should've used smaller needles for the ribbing, but didn't have any appropriately-sized dpns. So I didn't.

So my friend Paige (who, it should be said, rocks pretty hard) is getting all married in early October, and invited me to be one of her Maids of Honor. The other MoH is making her dress, so I offered to make a lace shawl.

Because I'm an idiot.

I've done one lace thing before -- the Branching Out scarf -- and it had a bunch of mistakes (including being made of super crap yarn). I've done 7.5 (12-row) repeats. Of 34. Then there's the inner border. And the outer border.

I am so screwed.



But I'm using Malabrigo lace, which is hella soft. That part is good.

Now! Announcement time! I want you to meet someone:



This is Short Stuff, my impending nephew. Which explains all the baby stuff, and the octopus. I didn't mention him earlier Just In Case, but we've got 2 months to go and LOOK at that FACE. Somebody's got the chubby cheeks!

Awwww.