FO: Beach Glass Spectra

First things first: Izzy is recovering nicely from her sprained wrist — phew! Thanks for all the well wishes. Now on to the knitting. Remember that rut I mentioned about a month ago?

Pattern: Spectra by Stephen West

Yarn: Noro Taiyo Sock (S8)

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Antique Lace)

Well, I decided to embrace said rut when I couldn't wait to cast on another shawl the minute I finished up this one. Yep, I signed up for the the 12 shawls in 2012 challenge. Crazy? Perhaps.

And for those keeping track of my  New Year's "three new techniques" challenge, I'm counting this Spectra and its short rows as #2 down. Sure, I did a few short rows when making those holiday Malabrigo loafers. But here I worked on learning how to conceal the wraps — thinking of Cat Bordhi and her excellent tutorial each time I lifted a "yarn necklace" (all 500+ of them).

The St. Paddy's Day that Was

While I take a photo of Izzy every St. Patrick's Day* this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

The day started off just fine. We got to the ice rink early for her private makeup lesson (Izzy's competing in the Santa Fe Skatefest this May for the first time and we had to reschedule Thursday's session after her coach hurt her knee). They started putting Izzy's program to music for the first time and the kiddo got in an extra 1/2-hour practice. Then a break before the warmup session and her group lesson.

Five minutes before class started, Izzy fell hard on her wrist.

We spent the next 3+ hours at Urgent Care, where thankfully there was a volunteer manning the gift shop so Izzy got the above string cheese and some other ala carte lunch items while we waited. Even though it meant having to cancel our lunch and hanging out in Old Town with Jane and Nina, I'm still looking upon the day as fairly lucky — it's only a sprain, not a fracture or break. Phew!

Today is a movie and nap day for Izzy. And while I'd hoped to blog my finished Spectra, it's only just now blocking and will have to wait until next weekend for a photoshoot with my recovered model. In the meantime, here's a snapshot of the latest WIP — taken quickly this am while there was some sun and before the Grapes of Wrath winds (40 mph gusting to 67 mph) picked up and starting turning everything a dusty brown and will most likely succeed in blowing the blossoms off the trees. Ahhh, spring in Albuquerque.

* Izzy's birth mother's birthday is March 17. Each year I take a photo of Izzy as a way of honoring her and keeping her in our thoughts.

FO: Fracture

These days it seems I can't get enough of shawlettes/scarves knit in fingering weight yarn. The fact that I added several lovely skeins to my stash with the two StevenBe gift cards I received for Christmas (and had to spend before flying back to Albuquerque) certainly is aiding my momentum.

You could say I'm in a rut... But this shawlette only looks like it was designed by Stephen West.

Pattern: Fracture by Paulina Popiolek

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Grasshopper)
Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 (Charcoal)

And while green is no stranger to my FOs, nor even acid green, it's the first time I've used a full skein this vibrant.

Then again, perhaps I'll just skip the rationalizations and add 12 in 2012 to my goals for the year. Something to ponder as I finish up the Spectra currently on my needles. And, yes, that one is designed by Stephen West.

FO: Hearts & Bows Headband

Ah, the joys of having a tween. While Izzy specifically requested this headband for Valentine's Day — and was thrilled to get it this morning — you'd have thought I asked her to scrub the toilet based on her facial expressions in the quick photos I took today.

It's quite the miracle that this one smile slipped into the mix.

Pattern: Strada Headband

Yarn: The Knitting Goddess DK Alpaca & Silk (Topaz)

The yarn, which is a perfect girly pink and fuzzy soft, made its way to my stash via an online trade. (Last fall, I got a Ravelry message from a UK knitter in need of my leftover Lavender Cotton Glace.) While I got gauge, the fabric seems pretty airy... And now has me wondering if DK in the UK is actually what we call Sport in the US/Canada. It's a fun, fast knit and I have plenty of yarn still, so think I might try reknitting it with the yarn doubled.

FO: Baby Steps

This post needs to start with an admission — my fine motor skills are seriously lacking.

I don't jest, as my friend and former co-worker Laura would be happy to confirm. She once handed me an X-ACTO knife and asked me to help cut Peter (or was it Plinky?)* out of foam core. Not believing my claim, she insisted. And so I started, cautiously and carefully. Really trying. After about two minutes, she said, "You know what? You're right. Never mind." and promptly took that X-Acto back.**

So it's not surprising that I've avoided knitting with smaller yarns and needles. But this past Christmas I asked for and got a lovely set of sock-size DPNs. A member of my team is expecting a baby at any moment, so I took the opportunity to grab some fingering weight yarn from my stash and knit up my first-ever pair of booties. On size 1s (2.25 mm). Here are the booties on top of the needle set for a sense of scale.

And here is my snoopy ever-helpful cat Chloe walking into the photo, providing her paw as further evidence of the wee size.

Patterns: Saartje's Bootees & Gooseberry Hat

Yarn: Knit Picks Imagination Hand Painted (Mermaid Lagoon)

Once I got past the feeling that I was knitting doll clothes on toothpicks, I found the booties fun. In fact, the size 3s (3.25 mm) felt clunky when I first started the hat. I'm counting the booties as my first new item/technique of the year... Now to decide, socks or mittens next?

* For the record, Peter, Plinky, and all the Mint Pals have changed quite a bit in the (how is it possible?) more than a decade since we brought them to life. Laura's art was far superior.

** Also for the record, Laura is a lovely person — so lovely, in fact, that I could only laugh and not feel the least bit offended.

FO: Just Ducky Chadwick

First off, heartfelt thanks to everyone who weighed in here or on Facebook to my "to frog or not to frog?" question. As you can see in the above photo, I decided to keep my "design modification" and finish without shame.

Pattern: Chadwick by Stephen West

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts, Blue Label Fingering

(Mallard and Chestnut)

I'm a bit sad this project has come to an end — it was that perfect combination of interesting but not too challenging to knit. And the yarn... Gorgeous and so aptly named. I'm a MN-raised girl who's always loved watching mallards on the lake. The interplay of blue and green is spot on — and makes me so happy.

Credit goes to Albuquerque, though, for today's bright January sun and running water to pool my the shawl alongside.

FO: Incognito

Pattern: Incognito with Snidely ‘stache

Yarn: Smart (Olive, Chocolate, Black)

You could call this a gifting-redo. For Christmas, I'd made a pair of Malabrigo Loafers for my brother-in-law. Even though they were the largest size, they turned out to be too small. Bad for him but good for my sister, who yelled out "Score!" and then got details about how to felt them down to her size before the rest of the presents were  unwrapped. Later on, I conferred with him over this patten (since it's the sort of thing you either find terribly witty or can't imagine wearing).

The Incognito has made its way to Minnesota for his January birthday. Should the weather there return to normal, it'll make a nice addition to his winter biking gear. Before I packaged it up, though, Izzy and I brought it with us to the zoo for a few quick snapshots. And — I should have seen this coming — she now wants one of her very own.