I Told You I'd Have Pictures

Let's get right down to business.

Here we have a completed Hedgehog, again from the Fiber Trends pattern I used for Christmas.
Pre-felting:

Post-felting:

After first wash

After second washThe only modification was that I wanted a smaller hedgehog this time so I used Plymouth Indiecita Alpaca (100% Peruvian Alpaca) for the white and black and Plymouth's Whisper for the fur. To accomodate the smaller yarn, I went down to a 16" Size 8 circular. I was a bit concerned about how this white would felt because it is very white and we all know how that can go...but the white felted fine in the end. It took two full runs through the washer but that was ok. He is drying now with the temporary stuffing.

Next Up

Resting peacefully on the towel warmer (which has only occasionally been used to warm towels but is great for drying towels as well has sweaters) we find the beautiful Briar Rose Abundance.
Isn't she loverly? And so soft! (You will have to take my word for it on the soft but really, very soft.) Before this fabulous package arrived to me, I had made up my mind to make myself a wrap using the Cozy pattern from Knitty. I love this wrap and came within a snap of making it for the ISE last fall but was afraid I would want to keep it for myself. I knew I want this wrap for myself so I decided not to take the chance (sorry, Kim). The color of this Abundance is luscious and gorgeous and rich and wonderful and just exactly what I wanted for me - I am a sucker for the reds (Thank You Chris!! It really is just perfect) - and I thought it would translate well to the Cozy pattern (which calls for a silk yarn of appoximately the same gauge as the Abundance) but now I am wavering. Any opinions?

Simple Knitting

RC, you are a sock pusher, too, just like Kim! Are ya'll in a gang or something? Seriously, I will start the sock soon. Before I go back to work in a couple weeks. OK?

For now, though, I have made a decision about the hospital knitting. Ya'll should have known...I chose the option that included a visit to the yarn store, of course! I picked out this ChaChain the Salsa colorway. Last night, I cast on and knit a few rounds just so that the fiddly part of getting the ChaCha going in the round was behind me. It has been so long since I have knit with fun fur (other than when carried along with the hedgehogs) and it is amazing how slimy and weird the ChaCha feels in my hand. I plan to do this one and probably another one before the February 28 deadline. I have several balls and parts of balls of the black Patons Allure (I have a quickie little baby bootie pattern that I've done several times from this yarn and they are precious) that need a home and this seems perfect. This is a really wonderful cause and I am thrilled to be knitting for it.

A Side Note

Last night, I couldn't sleep. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. and just couldn't make myself go back to sleep. Eventually I figured reading would tire my eyes and I got up and got a book from the shelf. It is one I have been wanting to read but just haven't gotten around to it. A Cure for Dreams by Kaye Gibbons. These are the first two lines of the first chapter:

"When my mother was a young girl, she spent the pinks of summer evenings sitting on the banks of the Brownies Creek, where it flows into the Cumberland River. She always sat with a ball of worsted in her lap, knitting and dreaming of love coming to her."

Somehow it just made my heart happy. I went to sleep about 20 minutes later. Incidentally, Kaye Gibbons is one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman and Charms for the Easy Life and anything else you can find by her. Something of hers is quite likely to be my next Book on CD purchase. Probably this, in fact, when I find it on CD..

I Digress

When I went to the yarn store for the ChaCha, I was feeling a little fidgety and squirrely. It took me forever to make up my mind on the fun fur. I figured I needed some little something to settle my nerves.
Sakura by Noro seemed to do the trick.

I think that's it for now. I will probably be back around some time next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Today's Quote:

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor to measure words but to pour them all out, just as it is, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” George Elliot