Finish Everything! Cast-On Everything!

 More Finished Objects to share this week! I have finally finished the second pair of lego mittens. The smaller pair will be for Sausages, and the bigger pair for a grown up friend of his. This is real, ladies and gents, Christmas gifts completed and in the Christmas organisation box!

I have also finished my beloved green shawl. I fell madly in love with this while knitting it. The pattern is so lovely, with eyelets at increasing frequency. I was skeptical about the ribbed edging, but I really like the way the increases form stocking stitch panels at the points. I had about a half to two thirds of a ball left when I had worked the border, so I just played a little yarn chicken and carried on for a few extra rows before casting off. It totally worked. The yarn is Sirdar snuggly baby bamboo, int he discontinued colour "pixie green." It's sooo soft. The shawl is wonderfully large and drapey. I could hardly be more pleased with it! The photo below is pre-blocking (and pre-weaving in of ends, obviously!), and it's laid out on my sofa bed right now, so hopefully I will get some more photos of it at the weekend. I may never take it off!

I almost forgot to mention, but I will because it will tickle my mum and sister: I was knitting this shawl while we were away for my cousin's wedding celebration. We stayed at this lovely air-b&b site with a chalet for the grown ups and a big lawn for us to pitch our tent on. It was really really beautiful, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by golden fields in the heat of the summer. There was just one drawback: it stank! It was right next to a maltings and the smell was overpowering! It worked its way into the shawl as I was knitting it, and has remained these months later. I was so happy to finally plonk it in a bucket for a bath, and am very hopeful that the scent will be improved soon!

This soaker is based ont he popular Snapdragon pattern. I have added an anchor from a collection of gansey charts, and increased the length. This will probably be finished today, but unfortunately Bob has decided that he doesn't wear a nappy at night any more. I don't know what I'll do with it. Sell it? Pack it away in case we ever have more children? No idea. 

Having managed so many FOs, I have been struck down by severe cast-on-itis. This hat is a simple one with no pattern, just a number of stitches worked out by combining the gauge with the measurement of Sausages' head. It will match his school uniform, to keep him warm on the school run. It's knitted in squishy aran merino, which is ironic, given that the garment I am matching it to is crappy acrylic compulsory uniform. I also have a couple of Christmas gifts that I am itching to cast on, and two test knits that should be interesting. I love test knitting! I am keeping all gift knitting small this year. I feel in the mood for small, quick projects. Hopefully I shall have something next and interesting to share with my fellow knitters next week.

I am still plugging away at Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, but in the car have got back into audiobooks. I often find myself in the car with Bob asleep, waiting to collect Sausages from school. Awkwardly his pick-up time is right at nap time, but these things change so quickly. It's nice to sit and knit and listen to a story, even if it is just five minutes here and there. I have just finished Fear Not. It was quite good. It was a bit slow to start because at the beginning each chapter seems to be a different character and story line, but after the half way mark they all come together to create a thrilling story, with an unexpected twist at the end. It has the usual slightly naive style of translated Scandinavian works, but I'd definitely recommend it, and will keep my eyes open for this author again. Now I am half way through That Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's so well written, I find myself feeling all the emotions of the characters. Or maybe that's just me feeling a bit soft right now! I picked this up from the library not on CD, but on a preloaded single story MP3 player type thing. I have plugged it straight into my car radio and away we go! It's a lot less faff than changing 14 CDs.

What are you reading and crafting this week? Please pop over to the Yarn Along and Watcha Workin' On Wednesday to see what others are up to!

E