She's Never Not Knitting. . .

. . .or so goes the song by wonderful Alana Dakos of NeverNotKnitting fame! Alana has a podcast and a blog, and she designs and sells knitting patterns for children's clothes and more! Recently, my Etsy shop was featured on NeverNotKnitting, and I want to take a moment to say thanks to Alana (great podcast and blog post, Yay!) and her listeners, many of whom have visited my shop in the past few days! Again, Yay! Don't forget. . .Free Shipping for anyone who leaves a message mentioning "Never Not Knitting" during the checkout process!

In conjunction with the mention, I have designed a line of knitting row counters with three of Alana's designs in mind. . .Spring Garden Tee (pink), Watermelon, and Playful Stripes! Here is Alana's picture of the sweaters with their matching counters.

If you knit, please take a moment to visit Alana's blog, or check her out on Ravelry! She even has a Never Not Knitting group on the forums! I am there from time to time, and I would love to "meet" you there sometime!

And I promised you all more knitting content this time around, so here it is! Below is a photo of my finished Adorable Baby Cables sweater, finished just a few days ago for a baby who has yet to make his or her appearance! Note the neutral cream color, and the softer-than-soft Cottontots yarn used in the knitting! Yummy! It will also get a button, I am waiting to see if I will know the gender before the gifting! (Note: this worsted, cotton yarn knits up at slightly fewer sts/in than it;s counterpart in wool, acrylic or blends with the same size needle. . .for me anyway!)

And here is a picture of the very start of a cardigan for me in fingering weight wool. It is the versatile Simple Set-in Sleeve Cardigan found at http://www.knittingfool.com/, and I have used this pattern for sweaters in all sizes! I love the versatility, and the fact that the website does all the math for me - yippee! The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in gray (maybe heather?) and the carry along lace-weight is Knit Picks Shimmer in the discontinued colorway Happy Dance!

Everything about this sweater makes me happy enough to dance. . .except that my cat loves the Shimmer yarn! This is the lace-weight yarn I knit, single-stranded on size 2 needles, into the doomed Clapotis. After finishing the shawl, I laid it out on the pool table to block the thing, and the cat chewed a giant hole in the cast-on corner!?! I was twitched, to say the least! And it has taken me almost a year to rip out the clap and wind the yarn, and pick a new project for it. . .sigh! Stupid cat!

I have also started another hat project for a friend recently diagnosed with cancer. . .this is the first of at least two hats, knit from the Race For Life 2009 pattern. This one is in Wool-Ease (gray heather) and the one I have not taken a pic of is the same Cottontots (with fewer stitches around) as the baby sweater above. I hope they feel nice and soft and comfy.

And finally, while this next item may not look knitted, it is. I have had a picture in my head for some time now of an angel pin knit in wire with glass beads. . .and here is my first one! This one is a gift, and the recipient may read my blog, though it won't arrive at her home for a few days. . .so I will not give away who's house she is merrily traveling to!

There! Honest-to-goodness knitting content. A little late (sigh), written with a slight case of insomnia (I love the middle of life!), but knitting content, nonetheless. Saturday's post may also be a tad late, as we are taking the Skinny Girl to her college dorm that day. My heart is with all of the other parents out there watching their darlin' babies take flight from the nest for the first time. . .it should be such a natural thing. . .or so I have heard. . .

Knit in good health, everybody!