…back to my regularly scheduled programming. As often happens in life, lots of things have been going on. Some good, some not very good at all. So in order to ward off the not-very-good, the needles have been busy. Very busy. Because the thing to do in life when sh_t happens (as they say) is to keep the mind occupied. It works.
I decided it's time to do some serious stash-busting, which meant I got to knit some toys, one of my favorite things to knit. And even though I don't really have any little ones to knit toys for right now, I am knitting them just because I love to. They're fast, almost instant gratification, they're cute and goofy, and they make me smile.
Here are two:This is Georgina, a free pattern from the Lion Brand site. The pattern called for baby weight, but I made her with worsted weight, which is the beauty of making toys. No gauge to worry about, which I really like because making gauge swatches makes me crazy. This toy can be crocheted in just an afternoon, which is great if you find yourself needing a quick gift, or a quick pick-me-up.
Also from Lion Brand, this is the Purrfect Kitty Sock Critter, (no, I didn't spell it wrong that way, Lion Brand spelled it wrong that way because they wanted to!)) knit in worsted weight. It's a good pattern if you want to learn how to do short rows, commonly used when knitting socks. Speaking of which, they're not your grandmother's socks anymore. The art of sock knitting has come a long way. The patterns range from basic and simple to awesomely elegant and intricate. And today's sock yarn is really, really, beautiful, thanks to many talented people who spin and dye their own yarn and sell it via the internets, or in fancy, schmancy yarn shops. I'm going to try some. Soon.
More projects tomorrow. Or in a few days. Right now the boy of the household is making breakfast, and I'm going off to get me some.
Ok, that was good! Now I have a minute to post another one:
This is one of my favorites. The pattern is (once again) from the Lion Brand website, and it was a great way to use up some Vanna's Choice worsted I picked up on sale about 6 months or so ago. For any knitter that might be reading this, I inserted pipe cleaners in the legs (all EIGHT of them!) to make sure they would curl up. Love this guy, and so did Miguel, my favorite cocker spaniel!
