Long time, no posting...

I haven't posted in a while. Life has been busy, true... I've been a bit sidetracked. Nothing too sinister, just the usual stuff. I'm a bit adrift, and so is my knitting. I still haven't sewn up the top for my daughter. I started a jumper for my son (because starting new projects is way more fun than doing the fiddly finishing-up bits for old ones, as everyone knows) but I'm a bit confused by the instructions so that's run aground until I can enlist some help, AGAIN.


So I'm going to take a look at some of my past efforts in an attempt to re-inspire me. And just generally get things back on track. Housekeeping, of sorts...

November 2011:
This may look like an upside-down not-very-good knitted bikini top, but it is in fact a picture of two knitted bunts (as in bunting, obviously) for a 'wooly garland' for another MNer whose daughter was born with a life-limiting genetic condition. I had wanted to include a 'B' into the stocking stitch one (for her daughter's name) but I couldn't translate a generic graph-style pattern (then, I'm not remotely sure I could do it now) into the given pattern, so plain it was/is.

January 2012:
Please ignore the deer in headlights slightly startled look on Baby Annabel's face; I'm confident it's not a critique of the fabulous hat-and-bootees combo. These were a present for my dear friend Jess who gave birth to her daughter Ada shortly after I finished these. I know they look rather blue, but in reality the colour scheme is a little more turquoisey-grey-lilac (as I didn't know what she was having). The bootees were a find on Pinterest, here (from Ravelry, of course) and then I just picked a hat pattern to match. Jess described the hat as a 'good nosewarmer', so it should fit Ada, ooh, just in time for the summer. Anyway, Ada has warm toes, Jess seemed thrilled with my efforts, that gave me a warm glow, all is well.

February 2012:
I thought some more about my habit of 'skipping the boring steps and cutting straight to the bits I'm interested in' with, well, anything, and how this results in great big gaps in my skills and knowledge. So I decided to work my way through the exercises in The Book (except a garter stitch scarf, because, come on, I really am beyond that and also I don't want to get lumbered with not only a giant fluffy scarf, but giant needles that will never get used again). And so, voila, a headscarf-jobby that my daughter ripped off her head minutes later. I personally like the seventies ragamuffin look, but apparently she's not so keen. This pattern I actually improved (no, really) because it said to knit the ties separately and then sew them on. I thought, 'But hang on, you've just said on the previous page that you can do a cable cast on here, so why not do that instead, huh?' and lo and behold, it worked brilliantly. Take that, Book! I also did a button hole (duh - not for this, just for practice), but - as it said it would - it didn't look great. Next...