At rather long last

Well — I haven't posted because I haven't accomplished much. Near-constant house guests and social activities don't combine well with projects that have all reached the "need to do math" phase. I have about 16 projects going, and they were all at that stage. That's what happens when you start a new project every time you hit that point. It's possible I have too much social life.

One option when you need an easy project that won't add to your 16 is to knit a washcloth. Or Tunisian honeycomb stitch one, as I did in this case. I've been using these washcloths for years to wash my face, they have just a little bit of nice friction without being too scrubby. I normally knit them from dishcloth cotton, which gets boardy and smelly over the years (I think it dries too slowly, so mildew occurs). Now I'm trying a cotton-nylon blend which I'm liking quite a bit.

On the plus side, I had a little bit of down time and I finally did the math to sew the border on this puppy!

It's a baby blanket, originally intended for a child born four years ago, now intended for one that was born in May. I need to sew in the ends and block it, but chances are good it'll be done and actually shipped to the recipient in the next two weeks. WHEW. A pretty, pretty pattern but a pain in the neck for me — I had to reknit the first third of it several times. Though, oddly, the border went like clockwork.

This was another project that needed ripping back:

Fingerless gloves for my friend Josie. She has narrow fingers, so I started knitting it with two sizes down of needle instead of the usual one. But it was awful going. The yarn was splitting, the fabric was uneven, I couldn't keep my tension right. I finally gave up, ripped and reknit in the larger needle. I didn't change the pattern. She has big palms, just slim fingers, so I'm hoping that by knitting the wrist and fingers in the two-size-down needle it'll come out all right. One glove finally done except the thumb!

How are you all? Is anyone still out there?

Happy summer!