Bootie Bootie Bootie Bootie Rockin' Everywhere

As promised, here are photos of the completed Debbie Bliss baby bootie pattern adapted to knitting in the round.

Can someone please call the police? Because cuteness like this cannot be legal.

And the i-cord ankle tie came out so perfect. Better than the original strap with a button, if I do say so myself...and no worries about a choking hazard!

I'm no Grumperina, but even I can tell when a pattern is in need of improvement. I can see no reason for this pattern to be knit flat then seamed up the middle except fear of being intimidating. The modifications I made to knit it in the round are certainly not intimidating, even to a big lazy knitting chicken like me. Certainly nothing that a beginner with some cojones and a row marker couldn't handle.

I guess Debbie Bliss' patterns do not cater to the cojones crowd. What a shame.

Are You Ready?

Sockapalooza 4 has 1,000 members! Wowza! I signed up -- did you?

The organizer of Sockapalooza 4 is also associated with a knitalong of Harry Potter knits. The knitalong is not just for fun, it's also for charity. I have previously been sorted into Ravenclaw. Raise your hand if you took notes in college using an outline format in four colors of ink and White Out to fix your mistakes right away! Hey, I am I the only one with my hand up?

Easter 2007

Happy Easter!

The North Carolina Easter Bunny (aka my dear mother-in-law) sent us a special package.

Yum-aroo! Our sweet teeth are set for at least a week.

Notice anything else in the basket besides candy and scratcher tickets? Yep, it's yarn! Mr. Hipp took the hint and got me some very special Harry Potter-themed sock yarn from Dani at Sunshine Yarns.

From top to bottom: Colors inspired by Fawkes the Phoenix, a Welsh Green Dragon, a Swedish Short Snout Dragon, a Hungarian Horntail Dragon, and a Chinese Fireball Dragon.

This yarn is amazing. I couldn't quite capture the rich colors on this cloudy day but I promise it is better in real life. Mr. Hipp has already called dibs on any socks made from the Welsh Green or Hungarian Horntail.

We're going to spend the rest of the day watching the Masters on TV and getting some quality knitting done. I'm working on the curved front hem of the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I'm attaching the hem as I purl and bind off all at once; it's a lot of keep track of but seems to be working nicely. Not having to sew it down afterwards is worth it! Sorry about the blurry picture, I'm going to try to get a better one taken later today.


After finishing the hem, I'll either start right into the other sleeve or go back to the baby booties. Choice choices choices. Have a happy day!

Coming Up for Air

Crafting content has been put on an unfortunate hold as I deal with this at work. If you've ever wondered what an epidemiologist does, this is a doozy of an example.

No pictures yet, but my attempt at knitting the latest baby bootie in the round is a success! I've decided that a button for the ankle strap is just a little too risky for my taste. Um, would you want to be the knitter who introduced a potential choking hazard to your friend's baby? So I'm going to try making an i-cord that's long enough to tie into a bow instead.

My mother gave up on waiting for her Scholar Collar. She found an acceptable substitute for herself at an REI sale - $2 for a 100% silk knit scarf! Sorry, Mom, that I didn't finish your scarf in a reasonable time, but I think you scored a major deal in the end.

Keeping checking back for my next gasp of fresh air! Send good thoughts to the ill people in this outbreak for a quick and healthy recovery.