Knitter out of context . . .

I have quite a list of blogs I follow in Google reader, including one called Overheard Everywhere, where people submit random quotes they've overheard, that generally make the speakers sound like lobotomy patients. Check this one out:

That's No Euphemism, Dear Reader
Girl on cell: I would've loved to have gone to that socks summit. It sounds amazing!
Overheard by: Me, too?
via Overheard Everywhere, Oct 23, 2009

A summit about socks? Who would go to such a thing? Why would such a thing even exist? What exactly would you discuss?
Taken out of context, us knitters are a crazy-sounding bunch.

Much knitting going on, but sadly not much finishing. I will have a few projects to show off this weekend.
Also, a few months ago I signed up for a 3 month Sundara subscription and my yarns should be arriving THIS WEEK! I cannot wait to see them, and of course to share them with all of you.

Bi-weekly Blog Question #3

“What is your favorite cool weather recipe?”

Sorry, I missed this question a while back, but I'm blogging on it now! This is tough, as I love cool weather foods, especially baked goods. But I'm going to go with Curry Pumpkin Soup. Easy to make, hearty, and delicious. (In fact, I was going to make some yesterday, but didn't have any soy sauce. Boo.)

Introducing . . .

Ellington!

Here he is, perched atop my monitor at the office while I "work."

Pattern: Elefante, by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Daffodil (1 skein ) and some shade of green (1/4 of a skein, if that, I used some leftovers I had lying around).
Mods: Knit the ears instead of crochet. Did not take notes, as evidenced by the fact that the ears are not actually the same size. Probably could've fixed that with blocking, but forgot about it by the time I sat down to knit him up last night. Ah well.

Thoughts: OMG!!!1!eleventy He's sooooooo cute!!! I can't even believe I have to give him away. If I hadn't told Mommy Maureen that I was making a knit elephant for baby Carver, I would probably keep him. I luuuuuuuurv him.



Useful thoughts: This was my first knit toy, and it really wasn't hard at all. The worst part was sewing all the pieces together. I have zero sewing skills, so I basically just wound the yarn around in various directions until the bits seemed secure. Sadly, in addition to the mismatched ears, several of his appendages are sewn on a bit crooked. As a result, he can't "sit up" for photos, which is a bummer.
The first time I tried to sew the head and body together, I discovered the head was too top heavy, leading Ellington to topple over about as gracefully as an elephant can manage. So this time I sewed the head in place with the base of the nose equal with the legs. It's not as cute, but he can stand up. Office lighting is bad for photos, I'm going to try to take a few more outside during lunch.
The reason Ellington is here supervising me today is that I finished sewing in all his ends on the subway this morning. A bonus to stuffed toys is that really weaving the ends in isn't as necesary. I did a few maneuvers, and then pulled the ends through to the inside of the body, where the poly fill should keep them relatively secure.
His eyes are just bits of yarn because he's a baby gift. Were I keeping him for myself I would probably use buttons or beads.

I also finished Carver's blanket. Will save that for another post, hopefully I can snap a photo or two of him with the blankie tonight!

double the fun!

In the last week I've received two fantastic swap packages that I must share with you!

First came my final package from Secret Pal 14. Thanks Amy, you were a really fantastic secret pal!

I got two great Norah Gaughan pattern books, two absolutely gorgeous skeins of sock yarn, a Rav mug that's already right at home on my desk in the office, and some other little goodies as well! (Including lip balm--I can never have enough!)

And shortly thereafter, my first package from my Recession Special Swap spoiler arrived!

Just look at that gorgeous hat! It's so soft too, I can't wait to wear it! Plus some yarn, of course, some lovely scented candles, and the cutest little armadillo key chain! Oh, there were originally 2 boxes of M&Ms, one of them mysteriously disappeared prior to the photo shoot . . .

And my spoiler was extra thoughtful and sent me a birthday card!

I've done some knitting, but I'm trying desperately to finish the Moderne Baby Blanket so I can pass it on to the baby in question. Once it's done, I'll have time to blog about a few projects!