Cotton Knit Bib

I went to a baby shower two weekends ago for a fellow grad student. For what I think is the first time ever, I started this present a week or two ahead of time and finished wrapping it as my ride pulled into the driveway. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knits. I started by using up some leftovers too small for much of anything and finished with more of the same, but I love the scrappy look. It's all cotton of similar gauge, but not exactly the same. In the middle is an entire ball from the Yarn Branch. I made sure the button is machine washable and fully appreciated the simplicity of knit buttonholes vs sewn ones! The bib is large enough to be more for a toddler, which I think is nice because most gifts you get are just for when the baby is super young. I'm planning to make another one for a different girlfriend, with smaller gauge yarn, all in blue with some sort of applique sewn on. Quick, easy, and fun - a great distraction mid semester from writting papers and appliquing stems on flowers. Status update on Carolyn's quilt coming this week!

Blue Wings

It's taken me all winter, but I finally completed my handlebar toasties for my bike a couple weeks ago. The weather immediately warmed up. I still need them in the mornings and I have a couple modifications to make before next year. I used pack cloth for the outer and inner most layers and two layers of polyester batting inside. The edges are taped with polyester ribbed ribbon. It's a little crinkly in the cold, but pretty wind proof and water resistant.

I think I'll add a fleece cuff where my hands go in and an elastic drawstring at the other edge so I can cinch it up and keep the drafts out where they meet the lights. I might also add some sort of clip to attach them to each other at that same point. Delighted that my prototype worked out so well and if I had actually sat and made them in one sitting instead of 10 they would have gone pretty quickly. They are so warm I hardly need liner gloves! Now if I could just get the snowplows in town to stop putting chunks of ice from the road up on the sidewalk.....I'm thinking flame thrower mounted forward facing.....