Tuesday night I started a crocheted basket to be felted.  The large size is huge as I'm using a 15mm hook.



I finished the basket, except for the handles, tonight and filled the basket with our stuffed animals that live in the living room.  I was able to fit 7 in this basket.

I'm a little behind on the Shrug for Sarah as I've been distracted by two other projects and working late at work.  I've finished the knitting.  Sarah's birthday is Tuesday so I need to get this done!  Actually she'll be shocked if a present were to arrive on time.  I've got Maggie and the girls trained.  They now like getting my gifts a little late as it's a second chance to celebrate their birthdays or xmas.



I really like the Mock Rib pattern.  It's pretty on both sides as you can see in these photos.

Right Side on left/top, Wrong Side on right/bottom
   

I knitted this ballet wrap pattern, called "Otis" that I got from Knitty.com for George's sister Michelle.  I used yarn I've had in my stash for years: Sirdar Denim Tweed DK in colour Violet.

I was knitting this up until a few hours before I gave it to her.  She immediately put it on and George took this photo.  Michelle really likes it and wears it with a pretty summer dress she bought to go with the wrap.

The purchase path I'm trying to automate in QTP takes the username, user type and password from the sign in page and obscures it in the navigate to URL upon clicking Submit.  I need to grab this URL and parameterize it to include the latest entered info as right now my recording just wants to return to the recorded URL.  I finally found the URL string I needed.  Then I lost it.  I had made a lot of changes to my script, and rather than doing the smart thing of saving the changes with a different filename before restoring the original file, I just went back to the version I had started with.  Argh!  At least I now know it's possible to find this so on Monday I'll keep looking.  Wish me luck, okay?

Back in April 2005, I knitted a scarf using some fun yarn I picked up at Joanne's Fabrics.  The two balls I knitted left the scarf a little shorter than I wanted it to be so I looked in my Barbara Walker books of stitches and added lace ends to the scarf.  I gave this to Catherine when I went down to visit my sister Maggie and her family in May 2005.  She immediately started rubbing it against her face, and when we travelled to Ireland and London in June/July 2005, she brought the scarf with her.



The lace blocked out very nicely.  I used a black chenille I bought on eBay years ago.

I cast off the circular shrug this morning.  Just need to get a picture and then sew it up.  I still need to look for a nice brooch that Sarah can use to close it.  I also turned the heel on George's second sock and have started working the gusset.

On Tuesday night, I started a 5-week Intermediate Knitting class at So Much Yarn.  It's mainly a time to bring in one's projects and get help with problems.  The first thing I wanted help with was darning a hole in one of George's pullovers.  Lauren admitted she didn't know a lot about darning, but she did point out that I needed to capture all the loose loops to make sure the hole wouldn't get bigger.  Together we got the hole darned well enough that George will be able to wear and wash the pullover for at least a few more months.

My second project needing help was how to start a crocheted basket for felting.  I had bought the pattern and yarn in November and I signed up for the December class about how to do the baskets, but had to cancel because George & I were going to be out of town.  I tried to do the basket on my own, but I just couldn't figure out the starting instructions.  Lauren told me that the instructions were missing a step at the very beginning.  I've noted this on the pattern and should be able to start the other two baskets on my own.  I plan to make a set of 3 nested baskets in different colours.  I'm now working on the largest basket in dark blue.

This was my first ever Fair Isle project.  I took a class offered at So Much Yarn, where Lauren showed us how to put together the colours we wanted as well as how to knit with two colours in the same row.  I had originally intended this bag for Sarah's Xmas present, but when it arrived my sister Maggie fell in love with it and Sarah gave it to her.  (I now owe Sarah an Xmas gift.)  I guess it was meant to be Maggie's since I had bought another set of colours to make the same bag for Maggie for her birthday in January. 

    

I used Tahki Cotton Classic.  It's hard to see in these photos, but there are green beads at the tips of the picot edging and the ends of the ties.  The ties were hard to make, but Lauren convinced me to stick with them and they eventually came out well.

As you can see, this is the same design that I used for Lizzie's Felted Bag, just different colours that I thought my 18 year old niece, Catherine might like.  It was meant for Xmas, but I finally got it to Catherine in late January even tho' I had finished it before the holidays.  I again used Cascade 220 and an eyelash yarn.



Catherine likes it.  To quote "It's so cute!  Very reminiscent of Dr. Suess, who was the whole of my childhood.  I love it...".

Isn't it wonderful to get such feedback on a gift you make for someone?  Both Catherine and her sister Sarah are very appreciative of the items I knit for them, which is why I continue to knit for them.

I had George try on the leg.  It fits so far.

Meanwhile, I finished the 20" of mock rib for the circular shrug last night and started on the 2x2 ribbing.  I hope to finish knitting the shrug tonight and get it sewn up and photographed tomorrow.  Sarah's birthday is April 18th and I need to get this in the mail.