fo: Basil the Lamb

Folks, Basil turned out ridiculously adorable!  He's charming the crap out of my customers in the shop, and I'm pretty sure there's going to be a flock of sheep cuddling up all over Whitehorse soon.

Pattern: Fuzzy Mitten Lamb, by Barbara Prime
Yarn: Drops Alpaca Boucle and Drops Nepal
Needles: 4 mm (knit flat, then seamed, stuffed, and sewn together)
Mods: None at all.

This was a good pattern.  Well written and easy to follow, and despite a lot of people converting it to in-the-round, I chose to just go with the pattern (hazard of knitting store samples - there's only so much you can deviate from the pattern).

The boucle yarn, on the other hand, was a nightmare.  It took a while to get the hang of it - those loops like to pretend to be stitches on the needles, the little shits - but it never got comfortable for me.  That said, the final result was well worth the trouble.  The fabric is soft and squishy, and absolutely perfect for a little lamb.

I don't have much for pics of Basil without his sweater on, but that sweater is knit separately.  It's actually a pattern from the same designer called Squirrel's Polo Neck Pullover, and probably would have been better if I hadn't...ahem...over-stuffed Basil's limbs and tummy.  Story of my life.  But it was a good first run with knitting a garment for the little guy, and I'll be using the pattern as a base for variations soon.  This little bugger is going to have a more extensive wardrobe than me!

(Basil was pretty stoked about his first sweater though.)

The ADORABLE toque was knit by a friend of mine who wanted to contribute to Basil's wardrobe.  It's perfect! Sadly, I don't have a good pic of the pompom, so you'll have to take my word that it's equally adorable.

I need to knit him a fair isle sweater soon.  And a cowichan sweater (I already have the most perfect buttons).  And some shorts.  And some booties.  And probably a headband because why not.  And maybe sew him a kilt.  And jeans.  SO MANY IDEAS.  SO LITTLE TIME.

wip: Fuzzy Lamb and some other stuff

Whew, it's been a while!  I've been busy teaching classes, running a busy shop, trying to catch up on paperwork (ARGH PAPERWORK), and training a new employee.  I'm definitely creating though.  My current favourite project is one I just started on Saturday, but that's been on my brain for a while now.

Fuzzy Lamb is a ridiculously adorable pattern by Fuzzy Mittens, and I've been itching to knit it ever since a customer came in looking for yarn to knit it a year ago.  When I opted to bring in Drops Alpaca Boucle, I knew I had to knit it up into this cute little lamb!

Though I have to tell you, the boucle is a nightmare to work with.  Cripes, I keep catching up those little loops, decreasing and increasing is a mess, and forget reading your fabric!  It's so ridiculously soft though, that it's worth the effort.

As you can see, I've got the body and legs done.  Two more limbs and a head, and I'll be able to start stuffing and sewing this adorable little stuffy.

Guys, I'm so stoked to have this little buddy in the shop.  I'm definitely going to have to knit a wee little sweater for it, and I can see working on a bunch of clothes and accessories for it.  EEEE so fun!

In other news, my sock class finished up this afternoon.  LOOK AT ALL THE SOCKS!  Almost everyone finished up at least one sock in the 3 week class, and a couple finished both today.  :)  I also finished up my pair, but I'll post about that another day, since I need to lengthen on and sew in about a thousand ends.

Also, Lady Aurora was stunning the other night, dancing right over-top of Whitehorse.  I should have driven up Grey Mountain for a view of the northern lights over the city, but instead I hoofed it down the path behind my house to get away from the streetlights and oogled the light through the trees.  Sorry for my crummy photo; I refused to deal with finding my good camera and just used my camera phone.

In a way, it's easy to forget how lucky we are here.  People make the trip north just to see the lights, and I often don't bother to go out to watch them.  But sometimes, you just need to go out and appreciate just how stunning our world is, and what beauty can be found, even in your backyard.

Ever seen the northern (or southern!) lights before?  I grew up watching them in Manitoba, but the displays are stunning up here.  You should definitely come up to see them (in the winter only - we don't even see the stars in the summer, with 20+ hours of daylight), and definitely pop in and say hello to me at my shop!  <3