Christmas Knitting

Well, it's Valentine's Day, about time I posted my Christmas pictures.  So here they are!

Sweater vest for Peter: basic, classic, just the way he wanted it.  Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool.  Used a pattern to help with the neck and armhole shaping (although I had to knit the neck 3 times), but mostly just knitted it to match a sweater vest he already has and likes.  It was simple enough.

And the piece de resistance, Aran sweater for mom:

She picked the pattern at last year's Sheep and Wool, and I knitted it from Ralene's Jacob sport weight.  Once I washed it, it fluffed amazingly and looked more like a worsted, and the texture softened up delightfully.  The fluff effect really covered any unevenness in the stitches.  I'm very pleased with it.  And it knitted up surprisingly quickly!

Current projects: 2 baby blankets.  A cousin of Peter's and a friend from Chicago both having babies this spring.  The cousin's blanket is Loops & Threads Country Loom, acrylic and amazingly soft, knitted in the classic washcloth pattern (corner to corner diagonal, garter stitch with a narrow border).  The friend's blanket is Caron Simply Soft in a basketweave pattern made with knit and purl stitches (not Entrelac). 

I took the second blanket to work on at my fiber group meeting this week.  It didn't occur to me until I got there that taking acrylic to the fiber group might get me some funny looks.  But they were very nice.  Honestly, it's just hard to find a natural fiber yarn with the washability of synthetics.  And for babies, it's got to be washable!