Knitting frenzy!

I have been knitting like a fiend this past week, trying to finish a special project. On Tuesday evening after work I finally cast on the Mermaid Cocoon Newborn Photo Prop, that I was planning to give to our friends Klara and Micke, who just had their first baby. I was going over to their place on Thursday, so I wasn't really sure I would be able to pull it off. I didn't finish all of it, but I knit the last 2 inches of ribbing, and sewed it together while I was at their place :)

It actually fit little Arvid! He is such a cute boy, and as Klara had sort of requested a fish tail cocoon she really like this one. I made it with Cascade 220 Superwash, on 5 mm needles, and I don't think it took me more than 10 hours or so in total. I'm very happy with it, as I think it turned out very cute, and I have a whole skein left to use for something else. I really like working with Cascade 220, I've used both the superwash and the feltable and like them both. I think I'll probably make a hat or something like it with the second skein.

On Saturday I went on a small shopping trip with my friend Anna, which was really nice. She was going to look for shoes and accessories for a wedding, and I wasn't looking for anything special. I came home with a new pair of shoes and yarn... We went to Panduro, which is a crafts store that has supplies for all kinds of crafts. They carry a few kinds of yarns, mostly acrylics, and that is actually what I got. I got 8 skeins of Järbo Garn Molly, in five different colours:

I very rarely buy acrylics, but these are for a very special project. I am going to make myself some stuffies! I found an amazing pattern on Ravelry the other day, to make Pikmins! If you've never played Pikmin on Nintendo, you've really missed something. I think you know that me and my husband are both gamers, but in truth I rarely play myself. I love watching him play though, so it's a hobby we have in common that way. But the Pikmin games I've actually played myself, and I love them. So now I'm going to make myself some Pikmins! They are crocheted, so they will probably take me ages to make!

Funny side note: The designer of the Pikmin pattern, Annie Johannson, actually lives in Linköping, and she knows who my husband is. It's a small world!

I've also gotten a new knitting book this week, Socktopus by Alice Yu. I like a lot of her patterns, and this book is very nice. A lot of the patterns are based on different TV shows that I actually watch, the one I love most is the Crowley socks pattern, based on the Lord of Hell on Supernatural.

And yesterday was our national day, so we had the day off from work. I spent most of the day at Klara and Micke's house in the sun, watching the new baby and having lunch. We've been having amazing weather this past week, and it was really nice to have a day off to enjoy it. Thomas is away on a conference this week, so he couldn't join us, but it was nice even so.

Today when I came home from work I had gotten the June shipment in the Cookie A sock club in the mail, and this skein is amazing!

It's Sweet Georgia Yarns Caxhluxe Fine (70 % merino/20 % cashmere/10 % nylon, 342 m/115 g), and the colourway is called Blood Orange. It really has the deep, red-orange colour of a Blood orange, and I'm surprised at how much I like it. Orange really isn't my colour, but this is such a deeply saturated colour. The patterns will be released on Monday, and I'm really excited to see them. However, I have to admit that I haven't been totally in love with any of the patterns so far this year. I think I'll probably not join in the club next year, even though I've enjoyed it this year. I've just found that I enjoy the clubs where I get indie dyer yarn instead, like the Mad Color Fiber Arts or Sheepy Time Knits yarn clubs I've been in this year too.

I have been knitting a little bit on the Parcel sweater too, I'm almost done with the back part, but I haven't gotten any new photos of it. I'm planning on starting on the front tonight, and hopefully finish the body some time this weekend. So you'll have to wait for photos until next time. I've also knit a lot on the vanilla socks I'm making with the Mind the Gap yarn, and the first sock is almost done, but you'll have to wait until next time with that one too. I've knit almost all of that on the breaks at work, and I'm kind of surprised at how fast it's going. 

Now I'm going to watch some podcasts and knit until I fall asleep. Sometimes it's nice to be home alone :)

/ Jenny