So much to write about!  I know it has been ages since my last post, and actually I've been quite busy.  Oldest projects come first I guess.
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Here is a photo of a sweater I made for my mom.  A very sweet friend chose to de-stash and gave me the proceeds.  This fuchsia mohair was just screaming my mom's name, so I dug around a little and found this pattern.  I have to say I was surprised how hard it was to find a reasonable mohair pattern.  I mean, I know all the arguments against it, it can be scratchy, and too warm, and sheds, but come on.  This was the only modern pattern I could find for worsted weight mohair.  All other patterns are either from the 80s or the 60s, and in either case most closely resemble ottoman covers.  Like I said, I get why mohair isn’t popular any more, but I also don’t get it.  This was truly a weekend long project, knit on size 11 needles.  It went so quickly, and after blocking, it has a very nice drape.  It has been reported to me that it was a success on its maiden outing. 
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Next are some more little mice.  These little mice, commissioned by my mom for a gift, are the country mouse and the city mouse.  I used the same pattern I've been using from Fuzzy Mitten and then used guess work to create some little clothes for them.  The country mouse wears a little hooded cape.  I did try to make an apron for her first, but these little mouse bodies are not really set up for clothes that cover the waist down.  The city mouse wears a little fancy hat. 
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I'm going to crow about the flower on her hat for a second.  It was done with sewing thread and a 0.75mm crochet hook.  I'm quite proud of it.  The city mouse also wears a string of glass beads.  These little mice represent my favorite type of project, riffing on an established pattern by making changes in yarn and embellishment. 
Next on the agenda for sharing are some repair jobs I did.  Both projects were completed for the same friend about five years ago when I was still pretty inexperienced.  I recently took them back to fix them after being unable to withstand the guilt of turning out lousy product any longer.  As I tell everyone, my projects are guaranteed.  If they fall apart, send them back.  I’ll fix them or make something else. 
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First, pictured above are the ill effects of whip stitching a granny square blanket together that was made from soft acrylic yarn.  The effects are quite ill.  The poor thing was washed once or twice and went all to pieces. 
Now here is my repair job.  I took the whole blanket apart and single crocheted the squares together using a yellow that was pretty close to the original yellow.  I think it looks better than before and I kind of want my own now. 
The second "repair" was blocking this poor scarf.  This is really my first successful knitted garment.  I chose the pattern and the boarder pattern from a book of 500 (or some such number) knitting patterns.  I didn't know doodly-squat about blocking when I made this poor scarf though, and as a result, for the last few years it has existed as a kind of thick neck sock, all rolled up upon itself. 
The blocking was really pleasant because I got to see the lace pattern open up.  Due to the fact that the pattern is knit all the way to the edges though, I'm afraid it will always roll up a little, but it is much improved.  The yarn is a cotton silk blend and was lovely to handle again. 
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Here is a quilt update photo.   I’ve gotten a little farther than this, but not by much.
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And finally, here is one of my kitties reminding me that if it is crocheted, no matter how small it is, it will be sat upon and kneaded by one cat or another.  How could I have forgotten that? 
 
 

Let’s get things rolling with a bang.  I’ve made another Hansi critter.  This time it is a very fine Angler Fish.  I am lucky enough to have a connection to one of the monster stashes of all time and so, this imposing fellow’s recipient provided me with some lovely ancient tweed teal stash yarn.  You can see images of this fearsome mini here.  Because I work on gifts most of the time, and with Christmas a scant 5 months away it will be almost all gifts, I’m going to start posting pictures to un-given gifts through links, so that non-recipients can check ‘em out, and recipients are, at least, responsible for spoiling their own surprises if they must look.  Also a little aside, Hansi has come out with a book.  It seems like the book has all the patterns that she sells on Etsy and some veggies.  All the same, I think it is very much worth possessing , personally, so that I can knit critters and watch movies on my computer at the same time.  (I’ve got Pdf directions and no printer.  C'est la guerre.)

Next I present the first of what I’m sure will be many appearances of the Domino Blanket.  It is looking lovely and while it may come first in my heart at the moment, it does not rank highly in order of priority, and so I don’t anticipate that it will grow quickly.  At present, however, it is very portable and will probably be making a journey on an airplane with me soon. 
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A non-photographic interlude about the benefits of knitting in public (with other knitters): I recently took this blanket with me to a meeting of Monterey knitters.  An brief aside from the interlude: I had the realization while I was there that it was the first time that I’ve really “knit in public” (they have their meetings in a Boarders Bookstore).  (Also, I say “knit in public” in quotes because I frequently knit/crochet/cross-stitch on planes/trains/automobiles and in airports/train stations/gas stations, but for some reason I feel that impersonal nature of traveling people provides me with an invisibility cloak.)  Back to the interlude: the meeting was quite lovely, and one of the added benefits that I hadn’t really considered aside from being forced to leave the house, was that nice crafty people give great tips.  I know there are communities of knitters everywhere, but only having knit around close friends, I guess I just never have experienced being in a large group of relative strangers who all know about knitting before.  Folks really liked the pattern and the double knitting.  Like mosaic knitting, double knitting looks pretty amazing but isn’t that complicated.  I do my best to prove this to anyone that will listen.  Now I come to my point.  One of the lovely knitting ladies suggested that I learn to knit two handed.  She knew the technique worked well for fair-isle knitting and thought it would speed up my process for the double knitting, which is done by knitting with one color while pearling with the opposite color.  Well, I found this video YouTube video of some disembodied hands, using the two hand technique to make two colored ribbing (around the 1:00 mark), which is just knitting and pearling with the opposite color.  My only concern is that in double knitting you have to keep the non-working color with the working color, bringing it forward and back for pearls and knits, so that might complicated matters.  But I’m willing to try anything once, and since every row on the blanket is 350 stitches long, any accelerant is appreciated.
Also, the little monster is finished.  I don’t think his future owner ever looks here, so I’ll chance it and post the picture unprotected.  I’m not sure he would have worked up in the 3 hours forecasted by the directions, but he still would have been pretty quick if I had been able to just stick to it.
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Due to reasons beyond my control I have the whole apartment to myself until December.  Certainly not in celebration, but perhaps out of spite, I’ve decided to drag all my craft things out of the closet where I can’t see them or get to them anyway, and arrange them in the living room.  I have a sense it will be a little like heaven, especially once I scrape together the cash for a sewing machine, I’ll let you know.  I’ve been recently trying to get a handle on my billion year task of making a grandmother’s flower garden quilt, the chronicling of which was one of the motivating factors for staring this blog.  I won’t be able to use the sewing machine for that project, but I think having everything in the living room might help it get started.
 
 

The beaded scarf is finished, looks lovely, and was received with much joy and surprise by my mother-in-law.  I highly recommend this sucker as an introduction to bead knitting.  Again, I'll just say, I got it from Heartstrings Fiber Arts.  They have lots of other lovely patterns which I will some day investigate once I run out of things to do..  ha ha.

In other project news, I will include a photo of a baby blanket I made for my cousin and his wife who are expecting their first child in about two months.  I made this blanket during my period of unemployed-craftacular-movie-watching-time.  As anyone who has been through a period like this knows, it isn't all it is cracked up to be, but you sure get a lot of crafting done. 

This blanket is filet crocheted in panels.  Originally it was supposed to have ribbon woven in between these panels, however, what I learned is that ribbon is not stretchy, and yarn things are.  This annoying paradox (of course not guessed at until much careful weaving had been accomplished) resulted in a blanket that would either un-weave its ribbons every time you wrapped it around a baby, or a blanket that would try to cinch the baby with its steel-girder like ribbons.  So the ribbons removed, the blanket was sent on its way, off to become a useful member of blanket society. 

And finally, a little sneak peak of a hat I'm working on for a Boston friend.  It is mosaic, so when I do work on it, it is very quick.  I only have really two more vertical squares worth of rows to go and then I'll sew this puppy together and send it off to Boston.  I'm sure it will still be snowing there.  Even if I don't send it till May.  No, really, I hope to finish it soon, if only because it seems like I don't find the impetus to post without having finished a project, a practice I would love to remedy, but really, who are we kidding?


 

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