What a nasty way to start the new year! I’m so very late again. I have so much to tell you about our Christmas holiday in the Philippines. It has been 19 years for me since my last Filipino Christmas so I was excited and had high hopes about it.
But before that, let me show you the person I miss the most from the Philippines: my grandson Nash!
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Leaving for Manila soon.
Might be out of interweb coverage for a while.
Be good and play nice while I’m gone.
Trust me to neglect my blog during NaBloPoMo! Work and home have been very hectic and I have resorted to micro-blogging via Facebook and Instagram/Tweeter. It covers the gap but does not necessarily fill the void. I promise to try and get better at this before I forget how to compose a post and add photos, etc.
First things first, babies! Over the last couple of months, two of our beloved Amiras (Louise and Marion) have given birth to beautiful little people. Naturally, we were there to give a baby shower.
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Hats are some of the easiest and most fun things to knit. They’re mostly knitted in the round, with only two ends to seam (the tail from the cast on and the end when you draw the crown closed). The brim is usually ribbed for stretch and fit and the body of the hat is where all the action happens.
My latest hat project is a test knit for a dear frined, Preeti. Just like her, this hat is simple, fun and highly practical. It starts with a twisted ribbing at the brim.
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My daughter Viel and I are big fans of Harry Potter. It started when I bought her the first book as a late birthday present. This was two years after the book came out and I had no idea about the hype it had already created in the UK and the US. She passed it on to me after reading it saying it was a great fun read.
The rest, as they say, is history.
So when Dani of Sunshine Yarns announced a special Harry Potter update on her online yarn shop, I just had to pop in and see what it was all about. You would have seen my eye-candy Friday post about it. Now here is a finished project out of one of the most vibrant and interesting colourways of that line-up, Neville.
The colours are stunning! The repeats are short so no chance of pooling anywhere even if you were working on a tighter gauge. The yarn itself is gorgeous, smooth yet strong.
The vest was a quick knit, as with any baby-sized items, and thoroughly enjoyable. Perfect partnership of yarn and pattern I think. This little garment is Manila-bound on Monday morning, hitching a ride in my husband’s luggage. I hope to have some modelled shots soon. My one regret is not being able to deliver this in person and finally meet my grandson.
Project: Nash-ville (Raveled!)
Pattern: Baby Professor Vest by Sam Lamb
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted
Colourway: Neville (Harry Potter series)
How much: 0.85 skeins (148.8 yards)
Needles: US8 – 5mm
Cast on: 5 Aug 2011 (12 noon)
Cast off: 5 Aug 2011 (5.30pm)
Notes: Great quick knit for that special baby in your life! I will omit the slipped stitches though if I were to do this again, which is more than likely.
PS: WP/FB problem seems to have resolved itself for now. Maybe my rant helped?
Last year I posted about a magic constant appearing in our family. Well, there’s another one. Today.
Joseph Vincent turns 15 today. Happy birthday, anak! I love you. You make me proud. Every single day.
I was going to go on about how I admire designers who get their designs tested by knitters for accuracy, clarity and possibly just a fresh set of eyes to look at it. I also wrote a bit about how I think anyone who expects knitters to buy their patterns should consider getting them test-knitted first rather than sending out erratas. But, I don’t want trouble so let’s just go on to this week’s WIPs, shall we?
First up is Ysolda’s Emily Capelet for my niece. I love Ysolda’s designs! I have yet to come across one of her designs where I want to throw everything away in frustration! And no, my comments above are not directed at Ysolda, not at all. Most of the time, it is knitter error when a project doesn’t seem to go the way it should. As the case is with this little thing. I love it, oh I love it. And I think I made the right choice in using Indigodragonfly’s MCN Sock in the Drusilla colourway. Oh, okay if you want to be anal about it, the colourway is called “When I Bit Into Him, I Could Hear The Ocean”. But I like to call it Dru. I love how it is shaping up.
It’s never dull in our house with Luca around. He’s a round-the-clock entertainer. Although he does dictate when is nap time and play time and feeding time, the latter being any time someone goes into the kitchen and he would follow so he can meow and ask for food.
We haven’t introduced catnip yet as I am unsure what his reaction would be. I must ask his previous foster home about it. For now, we have this string, which was from a broken jump rope to keep him on his paws. The stage is set. The bait is laid out.
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When I received news that I became a grandmother, the first thoughts I had was “Oh, yay, I should knit baby items!” Of course that was well after all the excitement, panic and concern. I have long admired this blanket on Ravelry but never really found the motivation to make it. Until now.
See, even Luca loves getting draped in its super softness? This was a couple of days ago when I felt like I was in a knitting marathon to finish the blanket.
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