Finished and Almost Finished

I finished Baby R's blankie and I like it a lot. The pattern is simple but lacy (my new requirement for baby blankets) and the yarn--Plymouth Encore Colourspun--is nice. For the most part. I was annoyed with the color/dye lot. Although the wrappers indicated that the skeins were from the same dye lot, they most certainly were not. About two thirds of the way through the third skein, the yarn was tied and the last third had to be a different dye lot. Up until then, the colors were very muted, then suddenly I noticed I had a bright yellow stripe running through the middle of my blankie. The fourth skein continued this new brightness, and on the fifth I was back to muted colors. I returned to the yarn shop to see if I could get a better match, but they were completely out of the color. Since it is a baby blanket that will be washed a zillion times anyway I decided to just finish it up.

I am also close to finishing the baby cardigan I started months ago. To finish the sleeves I needed size 5 double pointed needles and finally remembered to pick some up over the weekend. I started this sweater primarily to see how I liked the yarn. I have a couple of skeins left and I think I'll try a top down pull-over next. I wasn't impressed with the way the color pattern turned out going back and forth, maybe I'll like it better going around and around?

Back to Normal

Ben is home and we are returning to normal. Bit by bit, we are learning of his adventures, in between naps and long conversations with his brother, which are totally unrelated to his trip. Italy was by far his favorite, and he was awed by the statue of David and the Colosseum.

He called from the top of the Eiffel Tower at 10:30 pm Paris time and that was probably when I envied him most.

Note to self: sign both kids up for a photography class before sending them off on any more European adventures.

attraverso il mare

Ben is across the sea, in Rome, in good spirits but exhausted. He reports that he loves the pizza. He is staying in the Grand Hotel Dei Cesari, situated on the seafront of Anzio, just a few minutes from the city center. My anxiety level has decreased significantly. I realize this morning, after a good night's sleep, that much of my anxiety is work related. Everyone has assured me that Ben will be fine ... now I just need some assurances about work!

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Ben left today on his grand adventure. The last communication I had with him was at 1:43 pm when he texted me from the plane in New York: "I'm off to Europe!" Craig took him to PDX, where all the security measures really take the fun out of seeing someone off at the airport. Craig reported that he seemed a bit panicked, but then seemed fine when he called after landing in New York. The decision to get Ben a cell phone with international capabilities was a wise one. For Ben and me. I am experiencing high anxiety, similiar in intensity to the levels produced by the Mt. Hood climb when Ben was 9 and Peter was 11.

Two Dresses

You can miss a lot when you don't open your mail. Like invitations to baby showers. For some reason, no one got the mail and when the box filled up, the post office quit delivering. I finally decided it was time to pay bills, went to the post office last Saturday and picked up a tub of mail. Along with the expected bills, there was also an invitation to Michelle's baby shower ... today. Knowing I would never finish the blankie I had started to knit by today, I decided to make matching dresses for Bailey and Baby R. I can sew much faster than I can knit. Oddly enough, I was not able to find the same pattern in both an infant and toddler size, so I improvised. I used this pattern for Baby R's dress, and this one for Bailey's dress. I used the collar from the baby pattern for the toddler dress, and also used buttons for the back opening rather than a zipper. The fabric is from Mill End, who--by the way--takes competitors' coupons and has the nicest selection of cotton dress fabrics. Their yarn department is not bad, either. And they have the nicest/most knowledgeable staff I have ever encountered.

One Finished, Another Started

I finished the baby blankie for Baby K, although not in time for the shower. I like the pattern, which I got at All About Yarn, but am not crazy about the yarn (Bernat Satin). It is soft and cushy, but a bit too stretchy. Or maybe I should have used smaller needles. The pattern instructed to finish the edges by picking up stitches every other row, then casting off on the next row. I like this type of edge and will try it more often. Although, when I finish with a blanket, I usually want to be finished, not picking up stitches and making a nice edge. Maybe I'm not the most patient knitter.

The pattern is called Thermal Blocks, and the blanket is thick and warm but uses only one strand of yarn.

I have started the blankie for Baby R, who is a girl, and I find it much easier to knit for a known-sex baby. Don't ask me why. I'm really liking this yarn, Plymouth Encore Colorspun. I searched for a pattern for weeks (and I have a huge pattern stash) and finally chose a pattern from the first knitting flyer--Fiber Trends Easy Knit Baby Blankets Collection 2--I ever bought. This flyer has three patterns and I have knit the other two (the hearts are my favorite). Though I was unsure about the pattern at first, I really like it.

So many patterns, so little time.