May 2nd - June 13th

I have a lot to show for the last month, so I will give you a list:

1. I finally started a line of project bags, featuring one in pink and one in lavender. More to come.

2. I finished designing and knitting a black and gray sweater for my husband; photos and pattern to come.

3. I designed and knit a teddy bear plushie; pattern listed here.

4. I finished knitting my Surprise Jacket, based on Elizabeth Zimmermann's extraordinary pattern. Gorgeous! I've worn it three times now (thanks to the cool, rainy weather we've been having) and I've probably gotten more compliments on it than anything I've ever knit for myself.

5. And in other news, I sewed a dress. I don't think I've ever sewn a dress before (though I've knit them). How about that? I had to sew the zipper on by hand, which was a bit tedious, but I rather like the pattern and I think I'll make more.

Weeks of February 12th - March 12th

After several weeks' work, I'm pleased to say that I've helped my dad, William Ruleman, open an online shop for his artwork: RulemanArt on Etsy. He's a painter, as I've mentioned before, and we've been working on having giclee prints made of some of his work. I found a company here in Cleveland, Jakprints, which does excellent work. He has one print listed so far, and more are in the process of printing. It's entitled Summer at Huckleberry Bald and is one of my favorites:



The prints are 8" by 10", printed on 100% cotton museum-quality paper, and are almost indistinguishable from the "real thing." I'm REALLY excited about them and will probably order some for myself and as gifts at some point.

As for me - I finished my cape pattern and have it listed here and on Ravelry:



Oh, and I knit another Baby Surprise Jacket for a new baby in the family:

Week of July 2nd - 8th

Cleveland hasn't been spared the heat wave, though we're lucky to have had a few days' rain last week and no windstorms yet. Thanks to our new window unit, I have two baby sweaters and my completed TARDIS scarf to show for this sweltering week.

First, the Hooded Cardigan by Debbie Bliss, from the pattern in Design It, Knit It: Babies, knit using two balls of Ella Rae Amity Prints acrylic/wool blend:

This hoodie pattern is one of my favorites for baby sweaters; it's quick, easy, and very cute. I knit this one for a baby girl in the family. For a boy, I decided on another old favorite, Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket. I used the newsletter pattern from The Opinionated Knitter and two balls of Plymouth Yarn Encore Colorspun:

That one always turns out bigger than I expect, but I guess too big is always better than too small, especially when it comes to babies. I found the adorable elephant buttons at Joann Fabrics and couldn't resist; they don't match exactly, but I think they work anyway.

And, last but not least, I finally sat down and finished my TARDIS scarf. I would have liked to have made it longer, but I ran out of medium blue cotton and ultimately decided it was fine as is:

I'm considering putting the pattern up here for free, my only hesitation being the copyright issues of using the word TARDIS or the police box image. I'll see.