Mom's Birthday Vest

I finally finished Mom's birthday vest.  I'm pleased with the finished result.  I used some washable knitpicks yarn, Swish wool in a colourway that's no longer available but it's a nice greyish green.  It knit up quite nicely!

It's a Drops Design pattern. and took a lot of yarn for a vest.  I knit it in wool because our springs are quite chilly around these parts.  With the colour and the wool it becomes a 3 season vest! 

On to Christmas knitting!!

Dennis' Kilt Socks

My mom's husband is a Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Scotsman.  He is the provincial commissionaire of Clan Donald.  He wears a kilt of the proper Clan Donald tartan (what I like to call 'his skirt'). For Christmas last year I gave him kilt socks.  Well let me clarify that... I gave him yarn and a pattern and a promise to knit him some kilt socks because somehow I didn't manage my pre-Christmas knitting time very well and hadn't even started them.  Then on Dec 28th I broke my wrist.  I was very lucky in that my break was what can best be described as minor compared to other broken wrist stories my cousins felt compelled to share with me a couple of weeks into my cast time.  I spent only 6 weeks in a cast.  However after the cast I spent another couple of months with numbness whenever I knit for a bit.  My doctor figured it would resolve itself. 

I think the start of gardening season did wonders for my hands (both were showing a bit of numbness at night but the broken one was bad when I knit)  Either way, I'm numb free at this point, when I knit, at night and in both hands!!  Wonder what I can do all winter long to keep this sort of healthiness for my hand?  Knitting is good but diverse actions, lifting, pulling, twisting, etc, seem to be imperative to address potential carpal tunnel syndrome.  Oops, I've gone a bit off topic haven't I?

Back to the kilt socks.  I followed John Anderson's Kilt Hose toe up pattern. Using Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool.

They fit perfect.  And now I'm throwing out the pattern.  This is the one and only pair of kilt socks I'll ever do.  Ever get second sock syndrome?!  Well image facing a second sock with a leg this long and a turn over flap that's so labour intensive!  Yup, never again....

Ms Sophia's First Birthday Present

I finally remembered to take a picture of a FO. It's not that I haven't been knitting, I just don't think to blog about it.

My step-neice Ms. Sophia just turned one! I've loved this pattern ever since I saw a version of it knit at Tangled Skein (a now-defunct LYS). That was about 3 years ago! Don't laugh, I have a sock monkey kit to knit for Ms. Sophia's birthday next year.... You have to wait until they're just the right age to give them just the right gift.



In the end I added another little pocket with just the flower (no stem) to the middle of the top. It just gave it a little more colour.

This is Anouk by Kate Gilbert from Knitty.com. I used Bernat Cotton Tops for the pinks and beige and a discountinued organic cotton for the green. I also knit this in the round to make it a dress instead of a pinafore.