Wednesday, March 2, 2011

A precious baby and a life-sized knitted whale

Hi Knitters,

I have been working on the design of my new website and will also be upgrading my blog to correspond with it.  I'm experimenting with organizing the website and blog myself.  I realize it looks a little wonky at the moment but I'm learning.  I hope to have something that looks respectable and is ready to go by the end of the month.  My in-house graphic designer -- and daughter -- is working on a logo and gadgets and widgets and all the other stuff that websites need and I am taking classes in how to manage it all.  Which is very fun.  But also a little daunting.  I have a lot to learn.

Meanwhile the knitting -- and mostly crocheting these days -- goes on.  Today I had a wonderful visit from my daughter's good friend and recent bridesmaid, Kali...



......and her precious thirteen-month-old baby girl.


It was so fun to see her cute little booted feet next to my husband's shoes.

I was thrilled to see that she had on the Flower Cardigan from Susan Anderson's Itty Bitty Nursery that I had knit her for her one-year birthday in January.  It was one of those projects that I was finishing up in the car on the way to her party (no, I was not driving as well) so I didn't get a chance to take any photos for beforehand.  Which is just fine because baby clothes are always so much cuter with a baby in them.

What a sweet, sweet baby girl!



 



I am hoping that she might be able to wear the set for another season.  There is room to grow in the sweater and once a baby's head gets to the 12-month size it stays pretty much the same until 24 months or so.  At least the hat should make it another year.  She's a petite little baby.

Her momma is just as sweet and pretty as she is and they agreed to pose for a few pictures for my latest patterns for Ravelry.  I finally finished up the crochet patterns I have been working on for my upcoming classes as GYC.  I spent the afternoon adding the pics, proofing them one last time (fingers crossed) and posting them.  I always take a deep, deep breath and say a prayer as I click "Activate Pattern."  I hope my proofreading skills are improving but I am especially nervous this time as I am a real newby to writing crochet patterns.  Thank goodness Ravelry makes it so easy to post corrections and send them to all the customers.  Ravelry really is one amazing website.  They seem to think of everything.

Something very fun and very interesting to see...........

I admire to no end those knitters who are also true artists.  I consider myself a crafter/ knitter/crocheter but not an artist.  When I see someone who takes knitting to a whole new never-before-done kind of level that goes way beyond crafting I stand in awe.   Hannah Haworth is such an artist.  At the 2011 Vogue Knitting Live event in NYC last January she exhibited a life-sized hand knit whale high above the heads of convention goers.   I can't even imagine the time and work it took to knit "White Noise."  Let alone how!  Then to transport it, install it, photograph it, etc.  I have so many questions: "What yarn did you use?" "How many yards?"  "What gauge?" Also, "What size needles and how did you hold them?"   Be sure you check out all her other intriguing exhibits.  Her foxes are charming, and a little spooky too.  Seeing her life-sized creatures has given me a whole new perspective on a lace-weight project that I am currently knitting for Schaefer and about which I have lamented over how slowly the inches unfold.   It's all a matter of perspective isn't it?  I'm glad I'm not knitting a life-sized whale.  But I am sure glad that Hannah Haworth did!