FO, Prizes, et.

My FO mojo is groovin' along.  I finished this Vestee for my grandson last night.  This was a very quick knit.  Just a couple of hours of evening TV knitting and a couple of meetings at work and this puppy was done!  I used a bargain yarn I got at Kid N Ewe this year.  It's Plymouth Yarn Sundae Swirl, 78% cotton and 22% nylon, so it should hold up to a toddler pretty well.  This yarn was 10 bucks for a bag of 10 skeins and I only used 5 for this project.  If I'm lucky, I might get a photo of Cooper in it tonight.

Blogiversary Contest Winners and Prizes:

Chris, I know you have knit sweaters and socks and wash cloths, but I haven't seen you knitting any lace.  Yet.  Your prize is a big ol' wad of burnt orange laceweight.  Now, knit us some lace.  Or you could trade it at the next yarn swap if you aren't thrilled or a UT alum.

Steph, I know you've been practicing your dying and you could dye this if you wanted - you're getting a big skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, it only comes in one color so dye it if you want.  There's 465 yards on it which is enough for a scarf or a couple of hats.  I made a sweater out of this stuff and it's great.  It still has the natural lanolin in it so if you don't dry clean it, it's virtually water-proof.

Nicole, I don't really know you, but I thought surely you could use a nice skein of German sock yarn in wool and silk.  A friend brought it back to me from Heidelberg, Germany and he brought 3 skeins, so I think I can part with one.  Germans make the very best sock yarn, it wears like iron.

I hope you all enjoy your prizes, Tom drew the names for me.  Send me your addressed and I'll get them in the mail to you.  Steph, I'll bet I can just drop yours by the nest in a couple of days, eh?

Now, for all those patient and indulgent readers who said they would like to see some of my sewing, here is what I made Kandis for Christmas this year:

I used a tutorial I found on Sewmamasew.com for inspiration and construction tips.  I used a natural silk noil for the background of the placemats and scraps from the stash for the pieced section.  The cranberry napkins match the reverse side of the mats.  I washed all the fabric before I ever cut it - even the silk - so now she can toss them all in the wash without having to worry if they will shrink.  Some folks think that silk is delicate or fragile, but in reality, it's one of the strongest natural fibers there is.  Before Nylon was invented, they made parachutes out of it.  Silk was considered precious because it was so strong and lightweight. 

I started two more projects last night. I don't want to lose my momentum.

Comments

[chris]

EEEE! I won, I won! (my first time ever to win a blog contest, I think). I can't WAIT to knit some orange lace . . .

I'll send you my addy in an email!

[Nanc]

Go, momentum! Go!

I love that Vestee sweater. I may have to make a few of those, too. (I've got a couple nephews and cousins livin' in some cold regions.)

Yay for Chris winning the lace weight!

[Steph]

Yay!! I love you! That's absolutely perfect. :)

[Nicole]

Yay! I can always use sock yarn, and this kind looks nice!

[Heidi]

Looks like you are back on track with all the FO's! ;-)

[Susan]

I love the placemats! YOu have such an eye for color. Now show us the boy in the sweater!

[Birdsong]

What festive table wear! Congrats on the strong creative mojo, grrl:)

[kelp!]

I'm way late on this, but happy blogiversary!

I do love those placemats, too! I always machine wash shirts with silk accents - I've found that the sheen decreases, but I'm entirely too lazy to hand wash or dry clean.

[Judy]

Thanks. Your grandson is growing so fast! I love the sweater, it looks great on him. Oh, darn, I missed your contest! Maybe next time....keep the mojo flowing!