The knitting slump is over!

Fall has arrived and I think that my knitting slump is over. I feel like the kid in school who had bad grades all semester, and has finally turned it all around. I am working on the Clapotis for myself, making a hat as a belated birthday present for my best friend Brooke (tongue twister, anyone?!), and finished a sweater for a little baby boy named, Finn.

The "Clap", or the "Monster Clap" as Lisa referred to hers the other day, is coming along. (I wonder how many discussions about Chlamydia have been sparked from this shawl? That could be a good thing, STD awareness through knitting!)



I'm using Silk Delight in "Chagall" from the Great Adirondack Yarn Company. It's a very bright colorway, but is looking gorgeous now that I am dropping the stitches. I wasn't happy with the way the color was pooling at first, but it looks fine now, as you can see below...



I am thoroughly enjoying dropping the stitches and watching the little rainbows appear in the fabric. It doesn't take that much to make me happy!

My best friend, Brooke, lives in Florida. I'm glad she wants a knitted hat, because I had no idea what to give her this year, and always need at least an extra month to get her a present. (Her birthday was August 21st). So I got extra time while doing something nice for my friends. She's the scary cop from my previous post, so I don't want to get on her bad side...

The colors she wanted for her hat were black, brown and light blue stripes. I spent an entire knitting circle wandering aimlessly around the store looking at yarn to no avail. Brooke and I have different ideas about color, so I made my boyfriend Mike the painter help me pick some out. (He disagrees with me that black and brown look awful together, so would lend a better opinion). I went to Loop on South Street for the first time and found this:

I actually like them! The light blue yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. The brown and black are Bel Air merino wool. They're very soft and won't bother her sensitive skin.

The pattern is my own design. I'm doing simple cables instead of the ribbing that she asked for. Actually, she told me to do whatever I wanted. So I think this is her style. Artistic license!

And last but not least, the little baby sweater. This has been ready for awhile, but the process of mailing it and sending a card counts.

I have not met this baby, but the dad is a friend of mine from college. He's a painter and a really nice and quirky guy. So I think he'll appreciate the painterly light cerulean blue and fantastic buttons.

The pattern is from Minnow Knits Kids and I got it from Rosie's. (Sorry, I can't find it at this time). It was very easy to knit but looks adorable. The size is for a 6-12 month old.
Enjoy the buttons! I got them at Rosie's too.