So, Christmas and New Year's have come and gone, and both December and January so far have been busy. We spent a week around Christmas with our parents and family in Borås, and Ella got super spoiled with lots and lots of gifts from everyone. She's really into crafting stuff right now, so she got lots of beads, pens and paper, play dough and stuff like that. She is really taking an interest in my knitting, and wants to learn, but she hasn't got the motor skills yet. I think in about two years she can start learning, if she's still interested.
Then for New Year's Eve we went back to Mantorp, just our little family, and we spent the evening at home with just Ella, having a great dinner and shooting off some fireworks. We were off work until last week, so now the days are back to their normal routine. Actually, Thomas started a new job just yesterday, so some things are pretty new, and he seems very excited. It's at another museum in Norrkoping, so the commute is a little bit longer, but I think it will work fine anyway.
During December I got an advent calendar from Opal, so each day until Christmas I got one 15 g skein of striped sock yarn. I was so thrilled with this that I actually decided to start knitting with it at once, so I actually started a new project. Or several, actually, as I've mostly used the skeins to make small stuffed toys for Ella. So far I've used up 17 of the skeins! And Ella has gotten a lot of new stuffies!
A small creature with hat and scarf for Ella - one skein
A small star for Ella - one skein
A mini monster for Ella - one skein
Hat, scarf, mittens and socks for Ella's Teddy - four skeins
One more mini monster for Ella - one skein
Tiny Window cat for Ella - one skein
A whale for Ella - one skein
A slightly larger mini monster for my uncle - one skein
A mini monster for my niece Molly - one skein
Earbuds chord minder thingy - one skein
Heart for Ella - one skein
Jinx! for Ella - one skein plus some leftovers
Hat and beard for Ella's painted toilet roll gnome - one skein plus leftovers
Right now I'm also knitting on a stuffed shark, and I'm planning to make an octopus, a seahorse, a manta ray, a crocodile and possibly some kind of robot. As I only have 7 skeins left, that seems doable. I have no deadline for the projects, but I am including them in my knit to zero plan, so I want to finish them before I start something new.
Other than all of those toys, I have also managed to finish the Enchanted Mesa sweater, and as I had so much yarn left over, I decided to turn it into a dress:
I really love the final outcome, but this one has had it's ups and downs! It actually turned out way too big right under the arms, I could have fitted a whole new pair of boobs in there, but instead of ripping it out I just sewed in a bit along the side seams, and it turned out great. The cowl collar turned out to be a pretty tight polo neck instead, which wasn't at all flattering, so I cut it off, ripped all the yarn out, and re-knit it from the neck lining and up in a bigger size. Now it fits me just as I wanted it, so it turned out great too. So the final outcome fits me very well, and I really love it!
That only leaves me with four projects left on the needles, and two of them are almost done. The first is the advent knitting, which I've already told you about, and the second is the Pincha shawl.
I'm using Lana Grossa Mielenweit Freestyle yarn for this, and I really, really love how it's turning out. In the photo I've made 9 leaves, but as of today I've already made 18. I'm planning on making a least 30, and as I have another skein I think I'll just knit until I like the width. It took me quite a few leaves to memorize the pattern, but now that I know it I'm using it as TV knitting in the evenings.
I also have the two pairs of socks that I'm designing myself left on the needles, and they will get some love once the shawl is done. The ones I'm using as work knitting have gotten a little bit of attention, but the other pair I haven't touched since before Christmas.
The next thing that will be cast on, once all my stuff is done, will actually be a blanket. I bought some cheap Falkgarn Karamell yarn (80 % acrylic/20 % wool, 380 m / 200g, colourway Viol) during the holidays, and I'm planning on turning it into an Entrelac blanket.
Other than that I haven't really decided what to start, but I want to make another sweater for myself, and probably one for Ella as well. And I always need to have socks going, so I have something to work on at my breaks at work. So all in all, I'll probably start lots and lots of things!
/ Jenny
