April's Coming!! Oh Crap.

I spent yesterday going through my Nana's knitting stuff. I was like a kid in a candy store. And all I could think of was how Nana missed seeing me take so much joy in her knitting things. It made me profoundly sad to think I'd never get to share this passion with her. I'm so sorry I didn't spend more time with her before she passed away, before she went into the hospital. For anyone out there with elder folks in your lives, make the time. It's a terrible regret to have.


I went through all the knitting books and needles, making a pile to keep and a pile to give away to charity. I know my Nana would like the idea of someone who can't afford it, being able to knit. I went through the yarn but there are so many bits and pieces. I think I would like to construct some sort of memorial throw/Afghan to wrap myself in like a hug. Then I will give the rest away. Everything that came from my Nana's house smells like she always did. Right now I just like having the smell of my Nana in the house.


I'm trying to beat away at the April birthday knitting. I have just over 2 weeks to knit and mail my niece's gift. I'm using a pattern from my Grandmother's old pattern books and yarn from my Nana's stash. I will tell my niece this and she'll think it's "cool" cause she's like that. I'm having a little trouble reading the pattern for adding the front pieces but I think I have it figured out. I'm a ways away from knitting the front so I don't have to sweat it just yet and I'm hoping it will make more sense by the time I get there. I don't have enough of the either the lighter or darker blue/ green yarn so I'm doing a 3 inch around the bottom of each piece in the lighter. Hopefully it turns out okay.

Next up is the felted slipper socks for my Grandmother. She is always cold so I thought these would help keep her tootsies warm. And she can wear wool so we are all set. Problem was that the pattern had a snowflake in it. No one wants to see snowflakes in April, although at the rate we are going up here in the great white north, I'd say that was a distinct possibility... So I had to redo the pattern in the middle. The first one I did I didn't like so I frogged that out last night. This one is better and I figured out how to properly do fair isle knitting (thanks Stitch 'N Bitch - A knitter handbook!). I was pretty pleased with myself! Luckily I had already worked on knitting with my left hand so it was pretty easy.

Last but certainly not least is my mom. I started the tilted cable sock from Interweave Winter 2007. Huge fun with this one. I'm loving how it is turning out. Once I get the one sock done I'll move on to the bag I'm going to do for her. I couldn't decide which bag to do but when I mentioned I had a pattern for a bag with the celtic knots on it Mom's face light up. Decision made! So I'll start working on that one soon. Mom's birthday isn't until the 14th and I don't have to mail her stuff so I have to get the other 2 gifts done first. I also have a nephew who's birthday is the same day as my mom's but I think I'll buy him something. It's hard to knit for a 15 year old boy in the spring.