By the Way . . .

There's been some knitting these past two weeks, but not nearly as much as I would have liked.  These things called work and school really take up a lot of unnecessary time--time better spent on knitting.

At least Batman Hat #2 is just about done.  It needs to be cast off and the ends will need fixin', but the knitting is done.

Batman Hat #2

 I'm hoping to make one more Batman Hat, but I'll have to adjust the stitch count to accommodate a baby's head.  Maybe someone's already done the math for me--I can hope, right?

Mitten for toddler

Meanwhile, the mittens are coming along--yay!  I have both mitts done, but they have no thumbs.  I'll have to write a proper post with all my mods when I'm finished.

Almost finished mitt next to adult-sized one

I think they are just the perfect size!  You need to see them next to an adult size mitt to really get a sense of how cute they are.

Anyways, there's an essay that needs finishing.  Talk later . . .  ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo from . . . ?

 Just poppin' in to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving on this lovely long weekend.  I know I have lots to be thankful for.  Hope you do too.

Mamamamama . . . .

Muffin time!  While I was visiting family, my mom gave me her old cookbook (along with some old family favorites--mostly special cookies she made for company).  Nothing beats the treats mom used to make.

The pages may be tattered here and there.  Some stains cover a few pages, but I wouldn't give up this book for the world.  It was my go-to cookbook when I baked as a teen.

And now I make treats for my own children.  They haven't expressed much interest in baking or cooking, but I know certain recipes have become family favorites--especially muffins.

Love makin' muffins for the kids to take along in their lunch cans-kids love the banana ones and pumpkin muffins are nice for the fall.  Always nice to offer homemade snacks whenever I can.

Neat gadget my SIL & BIL picked up for me a while back when they were in Halifax.  It's specifically used for mixing dough, but the beauty is in the design: dough won't stick to it!  Very nice for  mixing muffin dough.

Do you have any family favorites?  Watcha doin' this weekend?

Na,na,na,na,na . . .

Batman! Oh yeah, I has batman in the house! ;)

Batman hat in progress

Now this pattern wasn't too bad (free pattern available here at Portable Knitting) .  Because the colourwork is worked over a small area, your attention is only required for those 16 rows.  Then you're back at plain stockinette stitch--and in the round too (but not the intarsia part.  That has to be worked flat)

Hat with pattern print-off

Now I've worked intarisa before (there's Girlie Skull Hat, Skull Hat, & Monster Vest).  And even though the final item looks lovely, it can be finicky while you're working on it.  I highly recommend making small balls of the necessary colours ahead of time.  Also, a row counter can be your friend as you try to keep track of where you're at on the chart.

Smaller balls needed for intarsia

Sadly some ripping was involved--just like my other projects thus far (is this a test of my perseverance?).  And no, I didn't mess up the colourwork.  Instead I made a newbie mistake: an unwanted yarn over!  Not just one, but two!  Seriously?  I suppose it's my fault for knitting in the dark.

Messy yarn bits inside hat

With school and work, I was just trying to fit in some knit time and naptime is just as a good a time as any.  Besides, it's not like I've never knit in the dark before--with even more complicated patterns.  Not sure what happened . . .

In any case, this hat is well on it's way to being done.  And that makes me happy 'cuz I've got two more to make.     :)