Non-food post alert! Two close friends of mine had babies this July, so I knitted hooded baby blankets, following an adorable pattern from The Thrifty Knitter. It was by far the most challenging thing I’ve knit so far, many steps above baby booties, but the results were worth it.

I knew that JL was expecting a baby boy and EMC was expecting a girl, so I went with blue and brown and pink and brown, respectively. In an amazing coincidence, both Deion and Katherine were born on July 5th. I’d like to think that I had something to do with it (tying them together “cosmically” with the yarn, etc. etc.). Who knows, maybe they will meet one day, fall in love, find out that they have the same exact baby blanket from Auntie Jen and realize that it was all meant to be. Wouldn’t that be sweet?

Deion at almost 2 months. So cute!

An inquisitive and happy Katherine at 2 1/2 months. Looks like I picked the right color combination!

I haven’t written about my knitting projects in a while, even though I’ve gotten a few projects done since my first scarf.  Last month, I graduated from scarves to baby booties for my friend TT, whose baby boy was due at the end of October.  On October 29th, TT gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Aiden.  Congrats to the happy family!

The funny thing about these booties is that I got the pattern from my German friend, IP.  Even though the website is in German, they have a few patterns in English and this was one of them.  Because IP knits with German needles (which are different from American ones), I had no idea which needles to use or what kind of yarn to use.  So, when I finished knitting, they seemed huge for a newborn.  But, at least he’ll grow into them…

Also, in classic newbie fashion, I ended up knitting 3 booties because the first one turned out so wack that compared to the second one, it didn’t even look like the same pair of booties.  The more experienced knitters empathized; apparently, this happens whenever one tries knitting a pair (or multiples) of the same thing.  Inevitably, the first one sucks and the second one is superior.  Lesson learned!

The finished product!

See, they fit his cute little feet. Perfect! (Also learned: You will never go wrong by getting an adorable newborn as a model.)

About 2 months ago, my friend SP invited me over to her house for Stitch ‘n Bitch. Taken from the title of a great beginner’s guide to knitting, Stitch ‘n Bitch is exactly what it sounds like — a bunch of sassy ladies knitting and bitching. This isn’t your granny’s knitting circle! SP always generously provided delectable snacks (and occasionally a full meal!), while guests contributed wine or other treats.

I have to admit, the wine, treats, and social aspects are what drew me in initially. After all, I didn’t know how to knit; in fact, I wasn’t terribly interested in learning. My first time, I brought a silly art project I had started over Christmas (i.e. 6 months earlier) with my 9-year old niece. The second time, I brought what I thought was an almost done cross-stitch project. Turned out that the almost done project was actually ALL done. So, with nothing to do, my friend MP (aka my knitting fairy godmother) spent the rest of the evening teaching me how to knit. She didn’t hold back either. In one fell swoop, I learned how to knit, purl, cast-on, and rib. Translation: I learned almost all of the necessary skills required to knit just about anything, in a matter of 90 minutes.

I was immediately addicted. I don’t know if it was because it was a new thing that challenged my brain, the fact that I was keeping my hands and my brain busy, the problem-solving aspects (how, exactly, did I manage to end up with 12 stitches when I started with 16?), or that I was making something out of yarn and two needles, but something about knitting really hit the spot.

My first projects were bright blue cotton dishtowels, for which MP generously gave me the pattern, the yarn, and knitting needles. During my recent trip to Taipei, knitting kept me busy during the down-time between family activities and helped me maintain my sanity when I was close to missing my flight home.

The dishtowels, I have to say, are nothing to write home about so I haven’t included any photos here. What I am posting is a photo of my first “official” project, a ribbed scarf made out of an interesting blend: 70% wool and 30% soy. It’s been suggested to me that in a very desperate situation, I could eat this scarf. I hope it never comes down to that. I’m very pleased with the final product, especially since I wasn’t sure how the variegated yarn would turn out. The second photo is of our more recent Stitch ‘n Bitch hostess, AW, who graciously lent us her house, cable (for Project Runway!), and baked us cake while SP was busy with her Burning Man project.

Even though I thoroughly enjoy the knitting, the thing I like best about Stitch ‘n Bitch is the socializing. It’s funny — I see some of these ladies everyday, but something about the regularity of meeting once a week in a non-meal/non-”event” setting really encourages us to socialize differently. It makes me feel like part of a community somehow. So, if knitting isn’t your thing, I’d encourage all of you to get out and do something once a week with your friends, whether it’s a book club, trivia night, collecting cookie jars… whatever it is, I think it’s good for your soul.

Posing with my finished scarf. I'm ready for cooler weather!

Gracious hostess and cross-stitch extraordinare AW!