Once Upon a Time...

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...long, long ago, I knit this scarf for my sister-in-law's Autumn birthday:

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That variegated orange/green/yellow yarn is Online Linie 149 Rush, (color #02), and I therefore called it my "Autumn Rush" scarf. I gave it to her at our family's early Thanksgiving, and life was good.

About a year later, I knit her this hat:

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using Misti Alpaca Chunky (color # 1380) for the main color and leftover yarn from the "Autumn Rush" scarf for the wide stripe. I gave it to her for Christmas. Life was good.


More recently, at a knit night back in February, I admired this beautiful sweater knit by fellow TNK'er Patsy B.:


which she later offered at her recent yarn sale:

The sweater's main yarn is Berocco Foliage, carried along with a mohair boucle, and is remarkably similar, if not identical, to Linie Rush. I wouldn't be surprised if both yarns came from the same mill, although Rush is slightly bulkier and has a slightly higher percentage of acrylic.

Anyway, after a few emails with my sister-in-law, (recipient of the Autumn Rush scarf & hat set), she agreed with me that she needed to become the new owner of Patsy's sweater, and so the purchase was made last week, and the hand-off occurred last night:

It fits perfectly!
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Patsy - you did a wonderful job, and Mary is very happy with her new sweater! Life is good!


Another knitted-item-hand-off occurred last night, as we celebrated my niece's 10th birthday, and I was finally able to see how well (or badly) her gift hat fit:

It's a little big, but she tells me she loves it, so I'm a happy knitter. I think it looks really cute on her, too. And, unless it gets accidentally felted in the wash, it should last her a good long time. Life is good.

The birthday knitting never ends, though, when there are 25 people in one's family, including a dozen kids.

I've already had requests for:

• flip-flop socks for sister T.'s late April birthday (need to get crackin' on these)
• a solid black beanie for nephew B.T.'s late May birthday
  
• yellow & white legwarmers for dancing niece L.E.'s late June birthday
  
• black & white legwarmers for dancing niece L.K.'s early October birthday
  

Plus, I have at least two squares to knit for a baby blanket our knitting group is making for a pregnant member. They should go fast, though, once I get the yarn.

No wonder I never finish any knitted item I start for myself!

I already have yarn for the flip-flop socks and the black beanie. Just need to find the legwarmer yarn, including white eyelash (eek). (Kids.) Perhaps I'll find some of the legwarmer yarn this weekend at the Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival.

According to my sister, (the dancers' mother), the legwarmers must be machine-washable (& preferably machine-dryable, as well), which means acrylic yarn may have to be considered (double-eek!). Oh, say it isn't so!

If anyone can recommend a decent, (preferably worsted, heavy-worsted or chunky weight) superwash wool that can tolerate machine washing AND drying, I'm open to suggestions.

Tomorrow I hit a huge used book sale at the library (making a bee-line for the craft books), before I head west for the fiber festival.

Life is good.

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