I have managed to finish a pair of socks and another wee garter stitch baby jacket in the last week. Yay for me! The socks, I am sure, were beginning to feel unwanted and unloved. That was so not the case, I love these socks, made with size 4 US needles and a lovely green Cascade 220 Heathers wool. They are warm, cozy and very pretty with a central cable thrown in to give a pretty little detail. These were my “bus stop” socks. The ones I kept in the truck with me and would work on while waiting for the school bus in the mornings. School ended and the poor socks got shifted to the bottom of the WIP basket. I took them to the pool the other evening and got the heel turned and the gussets worked and the slide into home plate was then a breeze. They came off the needles last night. I then used the little bit of leftover wool to make eensy weensy hats and sweaters to dress up some wine corks. The goal there will be small Christmas presents for friends, family and the kids teachers. They’re cute and take just minutes to do.
The garter jacket is the same I’ve linked to in past posts, and becoming a favorite go to project if I have knitting to do for a new arrival. It takes so much less time than a baby blanket, and impresses the pants off of people, which amuses me, because it is so simple. This one was made in a blue/white acrylic I’ve had laying around for years (happy to get it out of the house, I was beginning to really dislike that yarn, probably because I’ve become a yarn snob-the horror). This sweater was made for my sister’s niece, who had a sweet little boy a few weeks ago, and being summer I made it short sleeved. I wove in the ends, sewed on the button and delivered it to my sister on Sunday, along with a few dollars so she could mail it out. I have no time for the post office, I work all day nearly every day. Otherwise the kid would have gotten this wee sweater when he was eight!
I did some work on the grey sweater, and made some real progress on the back. I’m ready to shape the armholes. I was looking at the diagram and realized, “hmm. I don’t have a nifty A-line shape, I have a square. What on earth did I do now?” You know what I did, don’t you? I failed to start decreases AT THE SAME TIME! Grrrrr!!! Truly, I don’t really mind the larger more boxy sweater, since this thing is going to be enormous on my anyway, and I tend to like large boxy sweaters that I can fit layers under. I abhor coats and rarely wear them, so big stuff makes me happy! I did, briefly, debate ripping all the way back to row 4 of the chart (I’m at row 118), but decided I didn’t really care if I had a nice A-line shape or not. So, on to the armholes! This will be one cozy sweater when (IF) I ever manage to finish. I am showing incredible restraint in not starting the other two sweaters I am aching to cast on right now. One will be a worsted 1×1 rib sweater that I’m basing on the High Line Cardigan on ravelry. The other is a lavender cotton sweater, the pattern for which I don’t recall right now, I saved it in my ravelry library, but appealed to me with it’s swingy bottom. Incredible restraint! I should be given a cookie.
In other news, I abused myself and the cats last night by giving them flea baths. That’s always so very fun. But the little buggers needed it, as their flea medication was just not cutting it. Does anyone have a preferred flea remedy? I’ve tried many and haven’t been very happy with any. One of the cats, my sexy Ozzy, is a confirmed inside/outside boy. He refuses to use a litter box, and therefore asks to go out like a dog. The other, my darling Adso, keeps trying to convince me he should be an outside cat, but only escapes occasionally. Keep in mind, I live in the woods, grass and trees and nature all around. I think we’ve all recovered from the bathing. Until this morning when more flea medication was applied. Asdo is no longer speaking to me. I haven’t seen Ozzy yet this morning. I think he’s hiding.
happy day
Shannon
whip1up 
You’ve been busy! Can’t wait to see the finished projects 🙂
no photos of the baby sweater, I didn’t have time or dry, sunny weather! I will get the socks eventually.
I wish I had time to be busier.
Your description of the cats having a bath had me giggling. I should do the same for my bad cat who is a total flea bag. I find that dousing him in flea powder is more effective than the flea ointment thing you can get to dab on the back of the neck. I don’t think I’d survive putting him in a bath!
I’m surprised I did survive, the kitten, Adso, tore my arm up, yanked the dish drainer straight to the floor climbed the curtains and we managed to soak the entire kitchen. the other cat was just as unhappy, but much more sedate. I’ve tried powders and sprays, but then they stay mad at me for days, instead of a few hours. My Adso is very dear to me. My daughter found him abandoned in the woods when he was about a week old, I bottle fed him, toileted him, took him to work with me, grocery shopping. He had to be kept warm for weeks. Needless to say, I’m a bit attached!