Still Playing Catch-Up

Well, it's all chaos and busyness around the CraftNinja household as usual. I don't know how people with families do it - I'm unmarried with no kids and I can barely keep up with myself and the dog.

I furiously knitted my late Christmas presents this month, finished them, and promptly left them sitting around the house for a week. I really need to get them out to the post office since they are already so severely late!

These are iPhone pics, so I apologize for the quality, but, you know - beats no pictures at all.

Frost Diamonds Shawl

I wanted this to be as wash and wear as possible, so I washed it normally but instead of pinning it out to block, I smoothed it out flat and shaped it. The corners wanted to flop inwards so I did pin those, but did nothing else. The end result looked fine so I'm satisfied. The yarn is Stahl Merino Mix and it's splitty, but it wasn't too much trouble. I got it on sale. It's a merino-microfiber blend, so it's machine washable and I hope it will be a bit durable. I just worry when I knit for non-knitters because I don't want to give them something that either makes a lot of work for them to take care of, or that they won't wear for fear of damaging it.

Anyway, since it was a worsted weight project it went pretty quickly, but I'm just now getting it in the mail today (at least, I hope I am - cross your fingers for me. years of post office lines have given me a natural inclination to avoid the place, even though those little automated machines they have now make mailing packages a LOT simpler.

For one of my other friends, I made a dish towel and some dishrags.

...Yeah, I think I owe her something better after being this late, but what can I do? I put a couple little non-knitted extras in the package for her.

I recently finished the pair of socks I have been working on since the beginning of time, also.

This pattern is the embossed stitch from More Sensational Knitted Socks and the yarn is Sereknity. It's a seacell-wool blend and I have to say...I didn't like knitting it. It felt dry in my hands and it was a little splitty. However, now that the socks have been washed they don't feel nearly so rough or dry, so maybe that's the trick. The colorway is beautiful, though - Black Forest Raspberry, I think.

One of my coworkers accused another coworker of being a grumpasaurus the other day, which I believe led to a discussion about the validity of 'grumpasaurus' as a word, and a google search resulted, which turned up this. I was immediately petitioned to knit one, and being tickled with the idea and pleased to be asked to knit, I started one.

I call this the 'angry pickle' photo. The picture is a little out of date; he now has a tail and one hand, and so looks considerably less pickle-like. I am considering knitting an army.

And, last but not least, I have started another sock, which is proceeding extremely rapidly, in great contrast to the previous pair. However, that tends to happen with me, socks proceed quickly until I get to the heel of the second sock, and then they sit in a bag for ages. But for now, I'm trucking along! This yarn is Fly Designs BFL superwash in colorway Blacklight.

Now, I must go and write some type of grovelling note to put in my packages so that I can get these things mailed off and gone. Wish me persuasive words so that my friends forgive me.