Greetings! Santa came early this year and brought me a new camera. Thank you, Santa! I guess I've been pretty good this year and don't have too many demerits. Our demerits were posted for all to see when I was attending Toyon Elementary School - everyone knew when you had been a stinker or had done something dumb. This camera is a step up from my other one so I'm excited to get busy taking pictures. I took it with me on my last trip to Elk Creek and on the way home stopped to take pictures of migrating swans and geese. These ponds are on the outskirts of Willows in Glenn County. My approach caused the geese to take flight. After I left, they settled right back down on the water. The swans, however, didn't mind my presence. Have to remember they're wild creatures not used to human beings. As you can see, I've figured out how to make my photos bigger. I like this feature a lot.
On to the crochet baby blanket. This is a very special blanket crocheted by my niece, D, who was taught crocheting by her daughter, L, who crochets lovely afghans. This blanky was D's first crocheting project and was made with care for her best friend's daughter's first baby - blue for a baby boy. This pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hooded-baby-blanket---crochet It's a blanket with a little hood in one corner to keep baby's head extra warm. Lovely, lovely - so proud of D for working so diligently on this project. What's next, D?
Grandpa and baby in blue blanket.
I continue to knit but have been thinking about brushing up my crocheting skills. I'm a self taught crocheter and have been thinking about scarves made with granny square variations... or a combination of knitting and crochet. So, I bought this book by Sarah Kagan - Crochet Inspiration. If you watch for it, Joanne fabric and craft store has books at 30% off. They also allow you to use their 40% coupon on books, something that Michael's no longer does. This is a terrific book - starts with the basics and moves on to the the fancy. I'll let you know how it goes. So many ideas - sometimes I get bogged down as to what to do next.
I just finished another ribs with a cable on the side scarf. This is my third one. It's a fun scarf to knit - it's fast and not too repetitive.
This hat pattern can be found in the latest issue of Knitty. The main part of the hat is knit flat then seamed. Stitches are then picked up around one edge so that the remainder of the hat can be knit in the round. Bulky hand spun yarn is called for. But I don't spin, so I substituted two yarns as one (one plain, the other variegated). I also didn't have 10 1/2 circular needles so I knit the whole hat flat and seamed the back. I think it turned out very nicely. It's firm and fits nice and snug. The Mandelbrot hat pattern can be found here: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwbis11/KSPATTmandelbrot.php
That's it for now. More good stuff to post after Christmas. Everyone - have a warm and relaxing Christmas and a happy and productive New Year. Keep on knitting and crocheting!! GG
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