A few weeks ago my sister, who volunteers her time at the local VFW in North Carolina, asked me if I'd be interested in knitting a blanket for the VFW auxiliary's special project this year. All the blankets will go to Victory Junction Gang, which is a camp for kids with illnesses or handicaps. All of these kids visit the camp at no cost to them and take home a teddy bear and a handmade afghan as souvenirs.

I fell so hard in love with this cause that I created a new blog dedicated to it: Tricot du coeur. I've collaborated with some really talented artists to gather together some really cool prizes for a drawing at the end, and everyone who completes a blanket will be eligible to be entered.

It's early days yet, and we've already got a few people signed up, but what we really need right now is some word of mouth. So please check out the site, consider joining us, and even if you don't, please consider telling your friends. My dream is to hand over tons of blankets for these kids, all through the power of the internet.

Thanks, and happy knitting!

But trying to finish up projects in order to present them as gifts in a timely fashion can also lead to putting too much pressure on yourself, which can quickly suck the fun right out of knitting. Of the half a dozen or so projects I've done so far, at least three of them were franticly knit to meet a deadline I'd imposed on myself. I don't put myself in that position on purpose, believe me. My latest FO is a fine example.

Way back at the end of April I decided to knit up an Anouk pinafore for my friend Doc's third child who was due at the beginning of June. Plenty of time, right? So I ordered the yarn on May 1st and in the meantime worked on a project for Doc's second child:

Monica tank top from knitty.com

So I finish that off and wait in vain for my yarn. Three weeks go by before the website tells me that my order is shipped. At this point I went ahead and started another project, which isn't due until the end of June. Finally the yarn arrives on May 25. Cool, I'm thinking I have at least two weeks to knit. But then I learn that Doc's heading to the hospital a week early. If I want to present this dress in person, I've got exactly one week to knock this out.

Well, I did it. My house is a disaster, my fridge is empty and I have piles of letters to respond to and other errands left to rot, and the dress was still damp when I presented it to Doc, but by golly I did it.

This is definitely the most challenging project I've attempted to date. My knitting tension in stockinette stitch still leaves a lot to be desired, but other than that I'm pretty happy with it.

I really like these little heart shaped buttons I found at the sewing store in Troyes. I would have loved some flowers or ladybugs but they were either too small or the wrong color. The pockets are actually supposed to be closer to the green trim, but the first one got away from me when I was sewing it on, so I just connected the flower all the way down, and I liked it enough to do it again on the other side. I was reeeeeeeeally tempted to try to do the pockets in intarsia, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth the risk of totally screwing it up in the eleventh hour.

So that's it! No more deadline knitting, if I can help it. From now on my gifts may be late, but they will still be made by hand and with loving thoughts, instead of frantic ones.

"Candy Striper Messenger Bag" from Stitch n Bitch Nation

I ended up stuffing the bag with plastic bags (thanks Ronica!) and put it in an old pillowcase and washed it with a couple of pairs of jeans for a full wash cycle. This turned out to be a bit too much. After my initial panic - it nearly was just a ball of felted wool until I soaked it in warm water and reshaped it - I decided that I quite like the size. The truth is, I already have a messenger bag that I use almost daily and I can really use a new shoulder bag.

It took three days to dry out and I sewed in the zipper and sewed up the straps today.

The only thing that I'm not happy about is the cream colored strips, which ended up rather dingy. I'm not sure if that's due to overfelting or just the risk you take when felting light and dark yarns together.

Overall, I'm quite happy - I have a new bag and I have a better understanding of felting in my French washing machine!

I've got to weave in the ends and knit the top, and she's ready for felting.

Which leads me to a very important question: how should I felt it? Heather Dixon, who wrote the pattern for Stitch and Bitch Nation, suggests putting it in a pillowcase and throwing it in the washing machine with a couple of pairs of jeans. I wouldn't hesitate except that I know there are vast differences in American and French washing machines - the former lasting a mere thirty to forty minutes, while the later can run on for about two hours. I'm afraid I'll end up with a tiny hard mass of wool in the end. On the other hand, it is pretty big...

What would you do?

I don't know if you've seen this pattern, but to the knitting debutante like me, it can look pretty daunting. However, I've decided that I'm going to use as much of my stash as I can before I buy any more yarn, and hey, what better way to learn than by jumping in over your head, right? OK, that's not really true, but since I am very much A Knitter Without a Circle (physically, at any rate, for what is Knots if not an online knitting circle?) for the moment, the best way for me to learn is to challenge myself and learn with what tools are available to me - books, online tutorials and patient friends with email. So, I jumped.

But first, I have to show you this:

Since I don't have a decent knitting shop in the town where I live, if I want anything knitting related and I know I won't be heading to the big town for a couple of weeks, I have to order it online. This pattern calls for 10mm needles, which I didn't have, so when I decided to start this pattern, I knew I wouldn't have use of the car for a while so I had to order them. What I got from Phildar were these monsters. These aren't needles, they're TREES! And just in case you think I'm exaggerating, they are shown next to my sensibly-sized Brittany 6mm needles.

So! Let me show you what I've got so far...

Andie showed me the way and let me borrow her size 12 needles, Aimee gave me the pattern and helped me learn how to do the mattress stitch (thanks girls!). I used Rowan’s ribbon twist yarn (but any big, thick yarn will do) and voila!

This capelet is very easy and fast to knit. My friends were so excited when they first saw it that they started bringing me yarn so I could knit one for them. In total, I have knitted 7 other capelets for friends and their kids last Christmas (no wonder I haven't touched my needles since last December!). And I gave mine (pictured above) to one of my good friends so I have to knit one for myself again, probably next fall :)

I first saw this pattern in the most recent issue of Interweave Knits and it just really appealed to me. I was also intrigued by the original yarn used for the pattern, Ecologie Cotton. But, after receiving the pattern, I wanted to start on it right away and the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in my stash happened to gauge up perfectly!

My only concern: Does the black work for this pattern? I am worried about it looking...I don't know...a little trashy or something? My husband keeps encouraging me to continue but that worries me a little since trashy might appeal to him. What do you think? I think with a cute, summer skirt it will work...

In the meantime, I swatched some more yarn from my stash, but I don't know what to do with it, so I set it aside. I've been wanting to try to cable, but everything in my stash is spoken for (with the exception of that purple yarn - is that mohair? - but I don't know if it's cable-able). I'm really trying to use what yarn I have before I go on a buying spree, but all this enthusiasm for knitting and nothing to knit was reducing me to pacing and stressing. I must knit something!

And then my eyes fell on a bag in the corner behind the door of the office. I'd completely forgotten about the yarn I'd inherited from my mother.

When I was last in the States, I was preparing the house my father had bought at the beginning of the year to be sold, as well as everything inside. A couple of days before our estate sale, we cracked open the last few boxes that had been in storage since my parents moved from Florida in 1997. One of the mirror boxes was stuffed with some very curious packing: enough granny squares to make a throw, halfway sewn up, and eight huge skeins of 100% acrylic yarn. Some of them are in, um, very interesting colors, giving me a good idea when she bought them, but they are all in excellent condition. I can't tell you how old they are, but they are old enough to not have a gauge table on the label!

Vintage yarn?

Oh so happy to have found something I can play with, I grabbed a skein and searched online for a cabled scarf. I found one and set to work.

So I'm learning a new stitch and I'm keeping my hands busy until my prodigal needles arrive. Hooray!

After I finished my last project, I started looking at what I'd planned on being my next project - the messenger bag from Stitch n Bitch Nation. I had bought the yarn and correct needles and even a cool brass ring for the strap during my last visit to the States, so I had everything I needed - except the will to go on after reading through the pattern. Maybe I need to work on a smaller scale, I thought.

So I turned to Aimee, who has been my knitting guru lo these many months. My long term goal is to be able to present my dear hubby with a sweater at the end of the year, plus I've been itching to give circular knitting a go. Aimee pointed me in the direction of the Placket neck baby sweater - which looks like this. Sounds good to me, but what yarn am I going to use?

Lucky for me, Aimee also did me a huge favor by destashing some of her yarn to me, so I started taking a closer look at what I'd inherited. What I came up with was this:

Patons Classic Wool Merino in "Denim Marl." At first I was concerned that it would be too itchy for a wee one, but I've been assured that it should be fine. Alrighty then! Appropriate needles, stitch markers and stitch holders have been ordered. In the meantime, I need to work on what must be the bane to all New Knitters - Gauge Math. *shudder*

Have you seen Wicked? I think it is time that I knit something for myself. Wicked is calling my name. The pattern uses Artyarns SuperMerino, which is absolutely delicious. I think Aimee might knit her Wicked out of this so we can compare our two sweaters because I am going to knit mine in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Weight.

I had my mom bring me three different colors to gauge. I chose Black Purl (bottom/left), Sand Ridge (top), and Jeans (right). My favorite: Sand Ridge/112. My gauge was spot on. 3 more skeins are making their way to me as we speak. I can't wait!

Anyone else interested in knitting-along?

Six months later, he and his new wife were expecting a baby!

Our Pastor’s wife went back to Korea to give birth to beautiful Sung-Ji and I knew I wouldn’t be able to see her until she’s at least 3 months old so I knitted a baby bonnet (from the Last-Minute Knitted Gifts book), little capelet and shrug (a mini version of the One Skein Wonder, finally, my skill for unintentionally knitting miniature versions of things has paid off!) and sent them to her.

Our Pastor just called me to say that he’s posted a picture of Sung-Ji wearing the bonnet and shrug on our church website. She’s so cute! This might just be the highlight of my day.

You'd be wrong.

I spent a long time sleeping, throwing up, gritting my teeth due to the pain (knee surgery sucks) and with barely enough energy to move the clicker, much less click the sticks.

Following a little coup de coeur after browsing an online yarn shop, I found myself with a skein (ok, two, I confess) of Fleece Artist sock yarn. I picked up the Teal colourway and contemplated my options. My copy of Sensational Knitted Socks has been calling me for awhile, but I have been a little intimidated by all the tables and numbers, but I found a basic design that I liked, and a stitch pattern that appealed to me. I love the fact that this book breaks sock design down into manageable parts, and when you are following the same general rules, you can pretty much do whatever you like. Two weeks later, they were done!

Oblique Openwork Socks
Yarn : Fleece Artist Hand Dyed Merino in Teal. I adore the colour - these photos just don't do them justice... Check out the "Knitting in Public" photo below for a better idea of the brilliance of this colour. I love this yarn too - they are the most beautiful socks I've made so far, they feel amazing on my feet and I love wearing them!
Needles : 2.5mm Addi Circulars
Pattern : Eight-stitch model with Oblique Openwork stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks
Time : about two weeks

Not the most flattering of photos, and definitely doesn't highlight the knit (I will replace these photos with different ones when I am not busy running out the door!)... but let me assure you that this is quite a cute little shrug and I like wearing it. It looks better from the back than from the front... I like the fact that it's loose and easy to put on and take off. Being cotton, it breathes well, and it's the perfect thing to wear when there is a little bit of chill in the summer air.

Quick little lacy shrug
Yarn : 3 1/2 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cathay in Black
Needles : 3.5 mm Addi Circulars (I think...)
Pattern : My own. I cast on about 60 or 70 stitches, and did a bunch of increases up towards the shoulder. I did a couple of rows of eyelets around the arm band and added a different lace panel to the top (Zigzag Eyelet Panel) and the bottom (Lacy Chain) of the piece. I found them in The Harmony Guides 450 Knitting Stitches Volume 2. I really like the bottom lace panel and am looking forward to doing it again. Perhaps it is destined to become part of a pair of socks? I kept trying it on and started the decreases on the other side when I decided it was long enough.
Time : about a week or so. I do like those quick knits.

This was such an easy knit that I have decided to make another shrug, this time trying to work in some decreases around the top so that I can avoid the roll factor that is evident on this shrug when I put my hair up :) I'm having so much fun playing with yarn and figuring out what goes where and how to best make things work for me... who ever knew that maths could be so practical!?

Behold the Last Minute Daisy Shawl.

Last Minute Daisy Shawl
Yarn : 3 1/2 skeins of Bamboo Punto Su Punto Filati, in pink (992)
Needles : 3.5 mm Addi Circulars
Pattern : My own. It is basically just a whole lot of stocking stitch, with two increases on each end of every other row. To make it a little more decorative, I added some yarn overs on each edge and a line of little lace daisies going down towards the point..
Time : one week

I love the simplicity of this shawl. It was easy enough that I didn't have to concentrate (useful when sitting beside the Seine amongst friends and sipping rosé), but this wonderful bamboo yarn just makes it look so silky and sexy that it doesn't matter that it's simple.

There is a lot of possibility with this pattern - it was a great way for me to get started on lace shawl knitting, in preparation for one or two important projects I've got planned for the future - and it would be really easy to add a whole lot of different things to make it more interesting. I can see myself making a million different variations of it in the future.

The yarn is also an absolute luxury to work with, slipping smoothly through my fingers, and sliding well on the addis, and I thought the 5 euro per skein price tag was not so bad. I can't wait to make one or two thin, light and sexy spring scarves with this yarn. I was really surprised at how light and airy it was. The temperatures were quite high when I wore it (around 36°C), and I hardly felt it!

At the risk of sounding vain (but if I don't talk about it here, where do I talk about it?), I got loads of compliments on this shawl at the wedding. Each time I blushed and got a little rush of pride as I said, "c'est moi qui l'ai fait" (I made it).