What a Busy Week!

Wow. I really didn't think that I would continue to be busy during the winter months. Especially didn't believe that I would get more busy. What is it with January anyway? I want to just stay home & snuggle up with a mug of tea, a book and maybe (just maybe) some knitting. Think that's happened lately? Um... no. Not at all. I don't think I've even been home for more than 2 hours at a time- except for the time between Boy coming home from school and bedtime of course and that totally doesn't count!
Between appointments, volunteering at school and the USO I have no idea where my day goes, but it certainly does not go over (or anywhere near) my yarn stash! Not to mention that I haven't even blogged this week. For me... that's busy!
Lucky for me the weather this morning is not so nice! How lucky is that huh? I went for a walk this morning and didn't even have to work to make my heart rate increase! Every time I slipped and felt my feet try to slide out from underneath me... I'm sure my heart rate went way up!!  Now that I have that out of the way for the day, I'm staying in!! Working on a few (too many) projects around here. NONE of which include that dreaded word.... housework!! That can wait! I am calling an Ice Day!!
I think I will stay in... the coffeepot is on, the coffee is ground and I have a billion tea bags for when that's empty! Woohoo!
So for now I'm finishing this......

It's a cabled (yes! I said cabled) soap cover. It needs to be sewn over a bar of soap, felted and then thrown into the shower! It will help make the bar of soap last longer and I can use all those itty, bitty pieces of soap that tend to get left in a pile...

 I think I might even have time to finish this  lacy knit cowl for me! Finally something for me! I bought some mill ends (the stuff that's left over after a skein of yarn has been made at the mill) from my favorite fiber mill when I was home in Michigan and have finally now gotten to the point where I'm almost finished~!

Stonehedge Fiber Mill is less than 2 miles from our house in Michigan so I always try to buy my fiber for spinning directly from them. Their yarn is available even here in Virginia! http://www.stonehedgefibermill.com/

I also need to finish this!  A baby hat for "Mo". His baby shower is in two weeks and I had some yarn left over after his blanket so.. now I'm making a cabled (yep! dreaded cable word again!) hat!

AND tp tubes! Oh yay!! I have a project in mind for these babies... but without a lot of behinds using up the tp at our house I had to beg the neighbors for theirs. Which is pretty funny if you think about it!

LINK to what I'm trying to make!

So it's shaping up to be a great day in! Hope you have fun with yours!

Mo's Blankie!

One of our favorite couples is having their first baby in May!  Yay! Baby knitting can now begin!!

Baby Mo isn't 'scheduled' to be here until May but his Mommy's baby shower is in just a couple of weeks! Shh... don't tell his Mommy..... I just finished a blanket for the new little dude........

Meet Mo's Blankie~
Baby's real name is a secret until after his parents meet him first so we've all been calling him 'Baby Mo'!

It's a super simple basket weave pattern using soft worsted weight yarn & size 8 needles.
I can't even remember where I found the pattern but here it is......
800yds soft worsted weight yarn
#8 knitting needles (Gauge 8sts & 12 rows = 2inch basket weave pattern)
CO 92 sts. Knit 8 rows
Begin eyelet section
Row 1: k4, *YO, k2 tog, repeat from*across to last 4 sts. YO, K4 (93 sts)
Row 2: k2, P across to laast 4 sts, k4
Row 3: k4, YO, ssk, K across to last 7sts. K3 tog, YO, K4 (92sts)
Begin basket weave
Row 1: Wrong side! k2,p2, *k4,p4, repeat from *across to last 6sts, p2,k4
Row 2: Right side! k4, YO, ssk, *K4, P4, repeat from*across to last 6sts, k2tog, YO, k4
Row 3 &5 - repeat Row 1
Row 4 & 6 - repeat Row 2
Row 7: k4, p2, *p4, k4, repeat from * across to last 6 sts, p2, k4
Row 8: k4, YO, ssk, *p4,k4, repeat from *across to last 6 sts, K2tog, YO, k4
Rows 9 & 11: Repeat Row 7
Rows 10 & 12: Repeat row 8.
Repeat Rows 1-2 until blanket measures approx 35 inches, ending with Row 12 (right side)
Ending Eyelet Section
Row 1: k4, p across to last 4 sts, K4
Row 2: k4, YO, ssk, *YO, K2tog, repeat from *across to last 6 sts. K2tog, YO, K4
Row 3: K4, P across to last 4 sts, K4.
Knit next 8 rows ~bind off.
[Yo=yarn over, SSK = slip, slip knit]

It really is a super simple and fast knit - IF you pay attention and change directions when you're supposed to! Just ask me how mahy times I started the first part of the basket weave and then had to rip it out......... oh well! It sure looks good now!
Now I'm off to make Mo a hat!

Can't forget to add it (and all of my 2012 projects!)  to my Knit Meter