Everything Old is New Again!

When I explained to this little peanut that the thing I had in my hand was a sock, she tried it on right away. She is a clothes-horse-in-training, and has learned much.Have you ever seen a more adorable sock model? Oh, yes, the second sock is off the needles and both have been blocked and are patiently waiting for a ride to the county fair.

Now, when these children arrived from Atlanta they were fresh out of a southern heat wave and can be forgiven for not knowing it would ever be chilly again. The fact that their Ohio born and bred mother neglected to pack anything with sleeves when visiting Western New York only gave me an excuse to get out these golden oldies for another romp on a new body when temperatures dipped into the 60's:
Little Peanut is warming up in one of Son2's sweaters that I probably knitted around 1991. I know I made this one in every size the pattern offered because I really liked it and it looked good on my boy back when we lived in Northern New York. It MIGHT have been out of a Hayfield Baby knitting magazine. If I ever get my invitation to Ravelry I will look it up and document the whole family of them!
The Incredible Hulk is showing off a beautiful cardigan that my mother-in-law knitted for Son1 in about 1988 and both sons wore when they were about four years old. My late mother-in-law knitted beautifully and was especially fond of cables and knitting for grandchildren. I'm sure she was very, very pleased to look down from heaven to see this great-grandson keeping the chill away in a sweater she made! It was perfect for him and matched his eyes, too.
This guy isn't a sweater guy. Our family has two kinds of people: Sweater People (SP's) and Non-Sweater People (NSP's). Son2 was an SP when we lived up North but changed to an NSP down here in balmy WNY. This guy didn't really need the sweater, but he followed the program and put it on since everyone else was doing it. Unfortunately for him, I couldn't find the appropriate sweater for a six-year old son (it was a red aran, as I recall, from a Brunswick leaflet, not that remembering THAT could keep a child warm) and so he obliged and put on the one that I made for a ten year old son back in about 1993 (knitting ahead a year).He took it off right after the picture. Can't say that I blame him. He was a good sport about the whole ancestral sweater episode!

Here is the clapotis, made for my mother for Christmas, being modeled by its owner. That was a fun thing to knit and I would like to make one for myself. Currently, I am ready to block the pieces of the Equestrian Blazer and have a nifty pair of Monkey socks in progress, too. No, not those gray and red things, monkey as in "get the monkey off my back!"

Now that school is out I resolve to be a Better Blogger and post regularly. Imagine that!

Happy Birthday Wonderful Husband!

See the cake? For a delicious, rich chocolate cake, you really can't beat the Hershey recipe right on the cocoa can. I bet you have all the ingredients you need right in your cupboard.



The jaywalkers enjoyed the birthday festivities. The blue and purple are mine, of course, and you can see that I frogged out the wooly nylon that looked so diseased. The greens and orange are Sue's. Ideal colors for each of us.

I've been thinking of putting these purty purple socks in the county fair this July. Sue pointed out that I couldn't wear them until after the fair. Point taken, however, at the rate they are growing, that won't be a problem.

Another Shawl
Icarus was not yet ready to go out to dinner last evening, so I wore what I consider to be my learning shawl. It is really The Aran Weight Victorian Lace Shawl which I knitted beginning in May and finishing at the end of June. It is true that lace items on the needles are larger than they appear. I unintentionally made this shawl absolutely huge. In the following picture I actually have the shawl folded in half down the center back so it is doubled. We were sitting on a boat, not strolling around, so I was safe from tripping on it!



I took evasive action when I finally admitted that I would not have enough of the lovely alpaca to finish Icarus. After contacting my original vendor and not getting any I looked at Knitpicks online and ordered another lovely alpaca in a heathery version of the rusty red. Or, I do hope that's what it is when it arrives. It is my intention to use that color for the fourth and final lace chart. I am nearly done with chart 3 and am very pleased with the emerging feathers! The order should arrive by the end of the week. Since I was ordering from them anyway, I decided to get a few more things. I expect to be making the Adamas Shawl in a lovely deep purple called "vineyard." Someday.

The alpaca Icarus shawl thoroughly enjoyed the last Municipal Band Concert of the season. Friends came over after and introduced us to Mojitos, the national drink of Cuba. What with all the disruption down there I hope they have access to these things, as they are a very refreshing summer libation. I am on the 4th repeat of the first chart of Icarus. As I have about 675 yards of alpaca laceweight I think I may do only four repeats of chart one instead of the five.

Friends are friends forever

What is it about handwork that draws us together and keeps us industriously producing? Knitting with friends is a delightful simple pleasure. Here you see the beginnings of the Thorn and Thistle sweater on my needles, next to me a baby blanket gift is growing chain by chain and another baby blanket is flyng off the needles in the next hands. We ARE created in His image to be like Him: CREATIVE!