Busy Times, Busy Times

Ooooo, I've been a bad, bad blogger! December was the last time I blogged. Horrible, just horrible. I've done a little knitting, but it seems we've been extra busy at the Unruh house. Between basketball practices and games, my volleyball games, short trips to watch wrestling and volunteer meetings and church there hasn't been a ton of time to blog.

I did finish Kevin's cowl on our way to Colorado to ski. It was super easy. I didn't have a pattern. Just size 10 circs and chunky yarn. Kevin loved it. He said it was really warm and he is even wearing it on the train when it is cold. Here Kevin and Miller are at the slopes with Kevin keeping his neck warm and stylish. The hat isn't my work. Those Nike people make a good ski cap for Kevin's bald head and he really likes it.


Right now I'm working on another baby item. The Mason-Dixon Baby Kimono is getting done again along with a pair of booties for my friend Susie who just had a baby girl. These babies keep cropping up out of nowhere. It makes me wonder where they come from!

Baby Kimono Done

My sister is going to have a baby in 3 days. I have really felt the rush on this piece. Everyday the kids have been asking, "How many more days until Aunt Meriam has her baby?" This question kept me on the knitting push. So much that on Thursday I had to take an Aleve, to keep my neck from cramping up. Well, if Meriam is looking she now needs to leave the page. NO PEAKING MERIAM! You'll get to see it in 3 days.

Here's the pictures . . .

The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne. I had been looking all over the Internet for something to knit and I came across a knit-a-long with this pattern. So I went to my local library and checked to see if they had the book. Unfortunately they didn't, but the wonderful Inter-library Loan system my library belongs to did. Within a day of asking for it I was called letting me know it was in. This is such a great book. I think I'm going to have to purchase it. I love almost everything they have done in it.

The only change I made in it was buttons instead of ties. I know that you should not do buttons, because of the choking risk, but I am very secure that my buttons will not come off. My 8th grade home-ec teacher made sure in class that our buttons could stay on no matter the amount of tugging on them. The seams required mattress stitching. Usually I just whip stitch the seams, but this time I did the right thing and seamed them according to the pattern. I think if I practiced some more I would be pleased with it, but it'll do.

The yarn was Peaches and Cream 100 % cotton. I've knitted the kids some socks with this type of yarn. I like working with it. When I bought the yarn for the baby's kimono, Wal-Mart had a huge cone of Peaces and Cream that I had to buy. I don't know what I'll do with it, maybe a new bathmat for the downstairs bathroom, or maybe a bunch of washcloths. The yarn will let me know what to do with it when I'm ready.

My next project is inspired by the Mason-Dixon ladies. Audrey wants a messenger bag for school, so I'm going to take old T-shirts and make them into yarn that I can knit up. The book talks about using T-shirts to make a rag rug. (I plan on doing one of these also.) I figured it would make a durable bag that is easily washable and soft. My nephews have tons of shirts they never wear so I'm going to raid them to make my yarn.