Out of hibernation

I have really been awol from blogging this winter...Rita's prolific crafting is really putting me to shame, and reminding me that I'd better get to work on some baby stuff for a niece who's due in June. I spent the month or so after the holidays just working on my growing scrap blanket, which is fun & mindless after the holiday gift-making frenzy. I also knit a pair of knee-high socks for myself and crocheted a scrap baby blanket for my at-work charity crafting group. What else...oh, I also finally finished the cotton throw for my in-laws!

Now I have to shake off the winter lazies and get to work. In the last couple of weeks I knit a couple of chemo hats for a friend of a coworker (which I of course forgot to photograph), and started a scarf for I don't know who, knit a hat also for no one in particular, and started knitting a couple of uteruses (uteri?) for my sister's friend who is a birth care worker. So I'm starting to be productive again but I don't feel very focused - have to nail down some goals and get moving.

Cage comforters

Here are three of the 11 Cage Comforters I have just finished. They are going to New York Animal Care & Control, where I hope a few little critters will get a bit of comfort from them. I'd saved some clothing and sheets from a big closet purge to reclaim their fabric for this project, so all I had to buy was batting. Each cushion is 12" x 18" and about an inch thick, tacked together with some bright yarn. I hope to be able to make a bigger batch next year, but as this was a new project in my charity crafting repertoire I figured I should start small.

What I'm up to

Here's the Baby Surprise Jacket, finally all done. There's not much I can say about this amazing pattern that hasn't already been said - it was fun to knit, and a blast to see it come together in the end. I was pleased to find these little purple buttons in my stash, which I think go very well with the pretty yarn.












Above left are the Cage Comforters I'm making out of recycled clothing. They are close to done; I'll post in more detail when they are. On the right are some little dog toys I made for a friend's dogs, using the scraps from the cage comforters. I saw something like them online somewhere, but couldn't remember where, so I just improvised these.

Christmas in July

I've started on the Christmas gifts! From left to right: Baby Surprise Jacket; button-up wool vest; fabric for animal cushions (my charity project). I went over my Christmas list and came up with a few good, do-able (I hope!) gift goals. From the looks of it right now, I probably won't have to buy any new yarn to complete my planned holiday gifts!

Blankets for babies

Around Christmas last year the community service committee I belong to at work, and a group of fantastic crafty librarians, made a bunch of knit hats for a men's shelter. Blankets for Babies is the name of the newest project of the committee. We received a grant for the cost of materials and will start making the blankets soon. They will be simple flannel squares with an easy crocheted edging. Our goal is to make 50 blankets, which we will donate to a hospital's layette program for needy families. Today I made a sample/test blankie with an inexpensive store-bought receiving blanket and some donated yarn. Hemming the flannel and sewing a blanket-stitch edge took almost twice as long as the actual crocheting, which was super fast and satisfying to do. We were inspired to do both of these projects by my mom's prolific charitable crafting; I really can't wait until we have a big stack of cute blankies to give.