Hi, blog readers. Mooky here.

Will this semester ever end for Alison? Her last seminar paper was due two days ago, but she got an extension till Monday, so she continues to neglect me (and, let's face it, you a little bit). Honestly, this photo of me -- freaking adorable as it is -- was taken in February. I am looking incredibly handsome today, but she will not take my picture. "Too busy have to work blah blah brabrabra..."

Anyway, she claims to hope that you have a nice weekend, but really, would she even notice if you didn't? Speaking of noticing, have you noticed how handsome I am? Feel free to notice it again. I will now go outside and eat some grass.

Mooky
(a.k.a. Mookus-Bookus, Mookopolis, "Heeeey, Mookalinas!")

Baby quilt top

Before you think I'm totally slacking off, let me state that I am indeed working diligently on a term paper this week, not sewing. I actually did this piecing and sewing within days of this quilt kit arriving in the mail back in February, but I wasn't able to photograph it in my dark winter house. Now that spring is here, I realized I could pull out the quilt top, hang it on the line, and show it (off) to you!

It took me a few tries to arrange the squares in a pleasing way. The kit included 64 cut squares, which I spread out and moved around and around and around. I'm happy with the outcome, expecially because this is my first attempt at making a quilt. With all the squares involving white, pink, and/or red, it was not always easy for me to decide on a square's "value"; in general, I tried to alternate light and dark. Now that I look at it all put together, I can see two or three squares that I'd like to move, but I think it works overall.

I only swapped out two of the squares, since the fabrics included were pretty awesome. But years ago I'd thrifted a piece of really fun pink fabric with a print of little boys and girls baking, and I thought, what better place to use some of it than in a baby quilt? So I cut two squares of it and replaced two kit squares that I wasn't in love with. The quilt back is a piece of pink-and-white striped cotton, and the binding is red with tiny white polka dots. I'm planning to machine quilt, just because when I get around to working on it, I'll be impatient. (Although looking at the purl bee tutorials comparing hand- and machine-quilting -- part 1: cutting, part 2: piecing, part 3: quilting -- is actually tempting me to do it by hand.)

In case I didn't explain this before, I'm not making this baby quilt for any particular baby; I just thought it would be a good, manageable size for a first quilt, and I like the colours and fabrics.

I read so many blog posts over the weekend praising the sunshine! It's so great to feel this huge collective love of spring, from all of us who have been waiting for it for sooo long. It's 23 degrees here today, and the forecast is for 24! (This means that I'm very happy, and I have nothing to wear.)

First flowers!

Where yesterday there was only dirt and a few green shoots, today there are these purply-blue flowers! And I swear they're multiplying as the day goes on. How did I find them? Well, I was out hanging my wash on the clothesline, of course. Because that's what I do in the *s*p*r*i*n*g*! Smell ya later, winter.

Quick sock recipe

I finished these socks last week. They were super quick and easy to knit with fatter-than-usual yarn (sport weight?) on 3.0mm needles (about 7.5 sts./inch). I don't know what the yarn is -- Mia sent it to me ages ago, and she doesn't even remember it. All I know is that it's wool, and very soft. Maybe not the best choice for socks (too soft?), but I don't know what else I'd use it for. Socks can get away with colour combos that are fun and sassy but not necessarily the most ... tasteful. Know what I mean?


Anyway, here's the recipe for these quick house socks:

   - cast on 54 sts.; join

   - work 5 rounds in garter stitch starting with a purl row (that's 3 ridges), keeping first and last 2 sts in st. st. to avoid that weird garter-in-the-round jog

   - knit 40 rounds

   - work Eye of Partridge heel flap on 26 sts (making sure the start of your round is now in the middle of that flap) for 30 rows

   - turn heel:
        - sl1, k15, ssk, k1, turn
        - sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn
        - sl1, k to 1 st. before gap, ssk, k1, turn
        - sl1, p to 1 st. before gap, p2tog, p1, turn
        - work last 2 rows until all heel stitches have been taken care of, ending with WS row
        - k across 16 heel sts.

   - pick up 15 sts. going up the side of the flap, k across 28 instep sts., pick up 15 sts. on the way down the other side of the flap

   - dec. 2 sts. every other round to get back down to 54 sts. total (if you've ever knit a sock, you know what I mean here)

   - k all rounds until the length of the foot is 2 inches short of finished (for me, this was 45 rounds); on the last round, k2tog at each side (so you have a total of 52 sts.)

   - using the 26 sts. on the top half of the foot, work a short-row toe (I worked mine so that there were 8 sts. across the toe tip and 9 loops on each side)

   - use kitchener stitch to graft the 26 toe sts. to the 26 foot-bottom sts. that have been waiting; weave in ends at top and toe


OK, you caught me: I haven't woven in my ends at the cuffs, so I just tucked them into the sock for these photos; hence a little bumpiness there. But there you have it. A few evenings of TV watching per sock, and you'll be done.

Well! I was only planning on posting photos, not writing up a pattern. (I expect comments from Carolyn and Chris telling me to get back to work!!) I also must say that I was expecting a few more comments on my last post, re: Merino Style. Perhaps I intimidated you with my GIANT HAND! Muah-ha-ha... (So today I present my Giant Feet -- don't be frightened, fair readers!)

Like, totally

I'm loving the tubular cast-on at Blustery's bottom edge:


This takes a garment to another level, don't you think? So professional. (Well, once it's blocked, anyway.) Blustery's designer, Anna, has a very clear tutorial -- with lots of photos -- for doing a tubular cast-on. (She also has one for a tubular (sewn) bind-off, which I'll need to consult later in this pattern.)

I've finished knitting the left front of the vest. I don't plan to keep up this pace, though, since I have lots of work to do. But I couldn't sleep last night, so I finally got out of bed, poured a glass of wine, curled up on the couch with Mooky, and worked on the lovely golden-sugar stockinette.

I'm enjoying the KP Merino Style; the fabric is smooth, soft, and light. I anticipate pilling, as with any merino, but I'm extra wary of the KnitPicks since I recently had to throw away a pair of socks I'd made with their Sock Garden. I think the yarn was just too soft -- the pilling was out of control, and I ended up with big holes in both heels. So I wouldn't use their merino again for socks, but I think it will make a nice vest. Have you used this yarn for a sweater? On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is no pilling at all and 10 is a snarled mess, how does the Merino Style hold up?

It's so windy outside that my house is shaking, and it's even getting a little blustery inside. About six inches of Blustery, to be exact.


My yarn (KnitPicks Merino Style) arrived this morning, as I was heading out to school to hand in a paper. (Yay! One down, two to go.) I cast on when I got home and knit for two hours. The colour (nutmeg) is actually warmer than it appears in this photo -- it's the colour of golden brown sugar.

p.s. Happy birthday to my big brother, Tom!