Something Wicked This Way Comes

No, Macbeth isn't going to be blogging today, I started Wicked! If you haven't seen this sweater yet, go take a look at it. Isn't it cute? I'm doing the worsted weight version with the long sleeves (it IS, after all, wicked cold around here right now!). I haven't decided if I'll do the pocket yet or not. It doesn't look too bulky, but I just haven't decided if I'll use it or not. The best part of this? I didn't have to buy more yarn to knit it - I went stash diving and came up with this*! Its Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in the Opal colorway. (By the way, the link I gave for the yarn is for an Australian yarn company - you can save a bunch of money ordering Jo Sharp directly from Australia if you order enough for a sweater or two depending on the strength of the dollar- even with shipping.) I realize that right now it looks like I'm knitting some kind of Mobius nightmare, but once I get enough weight on the silly circular needle, hopefully it will be easier to see. I've already started making changes to the pattern - the original cast on number didn't allow you to end on a full repeat of this pattern. I don't think it would be glaringly obvious, but since you knit this from the top down and it would have been up at the top, I decided to tweak the numbers a bit.
I also got the hat felted, shaped and dried yesterday. I'm still running around in pajamas and Caleb was busy and Finn would only model the hat if I kept my finger on his beak which makes it really hard to take a picture (it looks great on him by the way), so you get to see it sitting on the floor. I really like the way it came out and I'll try to get Mickael to get a picture of me wearing it later. After my shower.

Finally, I wanted to give a little update on my brother in law, John. If you'll remember, right after Christmas he was hospitalized for Guillain Barre Syndrome which is a rare virus that can essentially shut down your body systems in its most severe cases. John couldn't support his weight on his legs and was loosing the ability to use his hands when he went to the hospital. He was released from the hospital after 6 days and is slowly but surely getting better. He can walk with a cane and his hands are much better and Wednesday night he was able to wiggle his toes. I just wanted to say thanks for all the prayers and well wishes you have sent his way. He's still got a long way to go before he's back at 100% and relapses of this virus are very common, but I thought I'd update you all on how he's doing.

*I'm not doing the Knit From Your Stash 2007 Challenge. I know if I try to limit myself like that, I'll probably end up buying way more stuff than I otherwise would. I'm going to try to use up stash yarn, but I'll be much better behaved if I don't have to adhere to any hard and fast rules. That's just me.

I've got Pac Man Fever!

Doesn't this remind you of the Pac Man ghosts after Pac Man eats one of the power pellet things? Caleb looks like a little blue ghost. Its actually Bonne Marie's Felted Bucket Hat (in all its unfelted glory). Its finally gotten cold here so I thought I'd whip one up. I have several "regular" knit hats - the kind with ribbing that fit snugly over my head, but the problem with those is that they squish my hair against the back of my neck. I don't like the way my hair feels squished against the back of my neck and I don't like the way my hair looks after I take off one of the "regular" hats. I thought the bucket hat might do the job - it shouldn't squish my hair as much and it shouldn't squish it against the back of my neck at all. I'll be felting it later today so we'll see if it works as well as I think it will. I also figure that I shouldn't have too much trouble keeping it on since Bonne Marie lives in Chicago and that's the Windy City after all. If it stays on her head there, it should stay on my head here. Just in case you care, I used one skein of Cascade 220 Heathers in color 2423, a lovely periwinkle. I did have a tiny bit of yarn left, but not very much - towards the end I was wondering if I would make it. Post felting picture tomorrow!