Home-Grown Dinner

 Do you remember my garden? The plants are doing really well, and I've managed to harvest my basil quite a few times now. (The mint, too!) After cleaning and drying off the basil, I stuff it into my Magic Bullet with some olive oil, walnuts (which are much cheaper than the traditional pine nuts), a little Parmesan cheese, and just a quick squeeze of lemon. This gets chopped up, and then mixed with hot pasta.

You would not believe how good the fresh pesto tastes. And it is so easy and quick to make. I have a difficult time waiting for the basil plants to re-grow -- I think I need a couple more pots of it for my garden!

WIPs into FOs

The problem with going so long without posting (well, one of the problems) is that there is way too much to catch up on when you finally do post. So all the wonderful things you meant to talk about have to be discarded in favor of just hitting the highlights. Personally, I would love to gush about the little lamb sweater, or explain where the inspiration to sew patches came from. The problem is that I've managed to finish 11 items off my WIPs list, plus two more mini projects. Just showing the pictures for those will make a long enough post. So the story of how I accidentally cast on a project will have to wait for another day.

 My Long List of WIPs:

1. Cabled Casey cotton shawl - FINISHED.



I really love this shawl!

2.  Sampler Sock Blanket
3. Pink and gray baby sweater - FINISHED



This no longer fits the baby that I made it for, so I probably need to add another project (a toddler sweater) to my list. But I'm still really happy with this pattern, and the matching shoes are adorable. There's bound to be a baby in the future that I can give this to.

4. Plarn doormats
5. Earth colorway lace shawl with beads - not started yet
6. Striped toy- need this for Christmas
7. Candy print baby sweater - FINISHED (but I started a second one with the left-over yarn)



This knit up very quickly. I was able to use it as a baby shower gift, and was immediately invited to two more baby showers. I guess everyone liked it! (Even if the lady in the fabric store, when I was buying the buttons, thought that only "progressive, young mothers" would dare put a boy in a sweater that color -- white with teal, pink, and yellow confetti dots -- unlike her day "when mothers worried about boys looking like boys.")

8. Monster pants - this is a promised gift that hasn't been started yet
9. Ryan's arm warmers - he's already finished his tour of duty, sigh
10. Silver potato chip scarf
11. Black stocking socks - not started yet/need it for Christmas
    
12. Prayer shawl
13. Animal hat - not started yet/need it for Christmas
14. Wheat wool hat - not started yet/need it for Christmas
15. Sheep sweater - FINISHED



This is only the most wonderful sweater ever! And I've already received a picture of it being worn by the cutest baby boy ever! If I can get permission from his mom, I'll post that picture on the blog. (It's already posted on my refrigerator. LOL)

16. 12x12 square - not started and the deadline is approaching quickly!



I made the deadline. I didn't think I would, but I did. It wasn't entirely my fault, since I had to wait to get the yarn -- it could only be certain colors. But the important thing is that I turned it in when I was supposed to.

17. Pink chemo cap - FINISHED





I liked the construction of this hat. The cable was knit flat and seamed to form the brim. Then stitches are picked up to knit the rest of the cap.



18. Rose chemo cap - not started yet



This is another strangely constructed hat. The brim (ribbed) is knit flat along with the material that later forms the rose. Then you join and knit in the round. Finishing work includes the leaves (sewn on later) and the rose (tacked down into shape).

19. Skype socks in Jojo - not started yet
20. Modea baby hat
21. Woven towel sets - FINISHED





Woven towel set #1






Woven towel set #2. Both sets were done on the same warp.



22. Christmas towel sets - not started yet, but obviously needed for Christmas
23. Cari's yarn to be untangled
24. grey baby bib - FINISHED





Finishing this bib was a snap, once I realized it was possible to use my sewing machine to attach the patches. The idea of handsewing was the only reason this was in the WIPs pile for so long!



25. girly baby bib  - FINISHED



Did you know that actually sewing a button takes less than 5 minutes (including the time spent looking for a needle)? As opposed to avoiding sewing a button, which took well over a year!



26. lime shawlette - needs to be blocked
27. blue shawlette - needs to be blocked
28. February Lady Sweater
29. Mystery Shawl
30. Baby Bib with flower buttons - FINISHED



(See the comment for the bib above.)



31. French Press Slippers - need to seam and felt
32. Universal Tunic - not started yet
33. Aeolean Shawl
34. Kingdom Gloves - need it for Christmas
35. Handspun Peacock Shawl - yarn finished, need to knit
36. Baby Surprise Jacket - need to finish yarn and then knit
37. Handspun Brown Silk Shawl - need to spin and knit
38. Blue T-Shirt Sweater - not started yet
39. NYC Socks - started, but I'll probably frog and start over
40. Paula's drop spindle yarn