Spring at last!

I've been remiss, I know.
But here, a new spring header for you!

What I've been up to:

The knitterly:

1. Mousebear for baby Dylan

Mousebear with cheese! Pattern here, and the publisher also sells the bears he knits, the only thing keeping him off the streets. He has a pretty amazing story.

 Allison had a baby boy, and I thought I'd better make him something! His big sister Alexis was the recipient of one of my first projects, the strawberry toque. He's a Vancouver spring baby though, so toques aren't really needed. I made this teddy with a soft cotton-denim ball that I got in a big bag at Value Village... and there wasn't quite enough! So I supplemented with some acrylic that I saved from the curb when the neighbours moved out.
He started as a bear, but ended up looking like a mouse, so I gave him a little tail to complete the look.

2. Roses for Alexis

The free pattern (in English and German!) is here. Quick and easy!

Because I'm sure there were lots of presents for Dylan, I made a little something for Alexis too. Itty bitty roses for her hair! Allison said they were perfect, since Alexis really likes having her hair done right now. I made them out of yarn leftover from her strawberry toque too!

Not something I would wear, but good for a little two year old lady!

 3. Shawl for Nana

Half circle, done with lace-weight yarn. It kept getting bigger and bigger (300 stitches at the end!) but the lace kept it from being monotonous.

 My Nana turned eighty this year. She forbade us from bringing gifts to her party (we had a nice dinner in a private room at a restaurant), but I'd already half finished this shawl by the time I heard, so it was too late! She was very appreciative, despite the disobeyed orders. (There were also long speeches where we talked about feelings, something else that she'd forbidden, so I was forgiven.)

My first big lace project, it was more fun than I expected! I had to undo entire rows a few times to fix mistakes, but overall it went well, and only took ten days of off-and-on knitting.

It can be worn as a scarf or a shawl. Very light and airy, I used an alpaca-silk yarn. The free pattern is here.

4. The never-ending sweater

I say never-ending not because it is hard to knit, but that it was on delay for a month or so while I did the above things. I finished adding pockets today, so now all that's left is blocking and sewing on the zipper. Soon! Now that summer weather is here...

The non-knitterly:

1 . Hiking

Sister came for a hospital rotation, so we took her for a hike.

2. Paddling

Last weekend was beautiful, so we went to Fitzroy Provincial Park for a paddle up the Ottawa river. Here are some turtles sunning themselves where the Carp river joins the Ottawa.

3. Gardening

The peonies are coming along this year!

Did you know that if you chop of the bottom of your celery stalks and plant it, it will grow?! We've got two growing new stalks in the garden right now!

4. Cat Herding

Guinness, being a typical cat, enjoys any kind of water except the water in her bowl.

5. Working 

Last week, I started my summer internship at a real office doing real work. It's pretty good so far, the people are nice, the work will be good, and the paycheque will be excellent. It takes away from crafty and outdoors time, but I guess it's about time I joined the 9-5 workforce. And unlike every other job I've worked, my evenings and weekends are my own!


So, how's that for a month without updates? Very soon I'll have details about the sweater, and some more baby-related projects that I'll have in the works. Just as soon as I find time to go to the yarn store...