Baby Norgi Drive-By/ T.O Confidential

Okay, I finally cleared the slate a bit to work on finishing Baby Norgi for my friend's little one. So here's a progress shot:Trouble is, I started knitting this thing months ago, and I'm not sure it'll still fit him anymore. And to be honest, I'm a bit.... bored with this. I don't know, maybe it's the reindeer, maybe it's the boring colours I chose. But the Baby Norgi ennui is definitely there. I'm hoping that the excitment of steeking will perk things up.

I assume the steeking takes care of that jog in the round, because right now, that's ugly:The major reason I chose to knit this (other than my bizarre compulsion to take on more WIPs than I can possibly handle) was to try steeking, since I haven't done it before and I have a secret project that will need that technique.

I'm dying to talk about my secret project (of my own design, to boot), but it is a Christmas gift for my mother and she checks my blog. I'm suprised at how much this pains me, because I'm usually an expert secret keeper- I actually had a job that was titled 'Confidential Secretary' (a seriously weird title that made it sound like I had lunch with James Bond on a regular basis. Truth is, we only had lunch together once and all he did was moan about how Moneypenny won't talk to him anymore), that's how top notch I am in keeping secrets. But for some reason I am dying to blog about my secret knitting project. Just. Dying.

Ugh.

Lost in Translation?

I was skulking around on Susanna's blog when she kindly posted the links to this:
It's called Freddie's Bolero. I love it, and would love it even more if it wasn't a bolero at all, but a full-fledged, hip-length cardigan. I see it as a future wardrobe staple, should I actually knit it. I spent about half an hour yesterday trying to sort out how challenging it would be to decipher the pattern, which is tragically written in a language in which I have no fluency: Finnish. I left a quasi- whining comment on Susanna's blog, and she kindly emailed me back some links for translating Finnish patterns into English. Except.....

I'm becoming buried in WIPs, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of the WIP storm letting up! Oh well, I'm happy this way. I don't churn out finished obejcts every couple of weeks, but they get finished eventually. Like my poor Central Park Hoodie, which has been sadly neglected for over two months now..... I know I'll finish him sometime after the Baby Norgi, and fingers crossed that it's done in time for the snowy weather.

Update: Tina left a comment saying that this sweater looks remarkably similar to Sesame from MagKnits. I wen to check it out, and it does seem very similar. I could spare myself the translation, and just make it in that lovely cream colour instead.

I have no idea why I love creamy white sweaters so much- I slop coffee and spaghetti sauce all over myself with alarming frequency.

I'm in love with a Norwegian...

... named Baby Norgi.

I had no idea I loved fair isle. Or stranded. Or whatever we're calling it these days. I'm in love, love, love.

My Precious.....

My Koigu arrived!!
Koigu Painter's Palette (colourway #217)

My plan was to get some Koigu and make lots of baby booties. My friends just keep having little ones, and I figured it would be worth having a stash of pre-knitted baby things to whip out when needed. A nice bright colourway that would be good for boys or girls seemed like a good choice. Only now, I want to keep the Koigu for myself and keep petting it. Bad, greedy knitter that I am.....

I got a ton of yarn from KnitPicks this week. The yarn on the left (the blue 'Dusk' and beige 'Fawn') are for Baby Norgi, a sweater I'd like to knit for Ben, the eldest of my friend's children, who will turn 2 on October 1st. Ideally, I'd like to have a completed Baby Norgi to present to him on his birthday.

But that lovely 'Amethyst Heather' on the right is for me- I've succumbed to the many beautiful Forecast cardigans I've seen on Ravelry, and I'm going to knit my own. The only thing that is keeping me from being selfish and casting on for it immediately is that I didn't get gauge on the needles, and I need to go up a size, which I don't have. But I'm sure I'll solve that problem before the week is out...