Knitting for my niece

Hi everyone, didja miss me? Sorry about the long absence -- I've been knitting!

My niece turned one, and her mom asked for a handknit hat. I kinda went overboard, and she got two hats and two pairs of socks.


And a replacement Baby Surprise Jacket for the one that she's outgrown. This one should last her for a year or two.

Tony and I went for a boat cruise around Vancouver Harbour with his local cycling club. I really need to organize a knitting version of this -- it would be SO much fun!


And we saw this boat, also in the harbour. Yes, that's a helicopter on the top deck.


There were Vikings out that day, too!


And I've been working on a couple of wee cowl projects. This blue one is made out of malabrigo lace, because I wanted to know if the yarn would pool. It does, at around 100 stitches on a US5 needle.


The total weight for the first one was 12 grams, as you can see. I loved this so much that I had to make another one. It went to Three Bags Full as a sample because this yarn is so unbelievably soft. I've heard people compare it to cashmere, and I'd agree. Wearing one of these cowls is like wearing a little luxury right against your skin.

I'm calling these Mood Rings in my Ravelry projects because the flashing and pooling that you see in them totally depended on where I was when I was knitting them. If I was relaxed, they tended to pool quite well, but when I was at a 6-year-old's birthday party, with fourteen 4-6 year-olds screaming around the house (thankfully not mine!), the stitches got a lot tighter and the colours started to zig around rather than pool upwards. I like the way they look, both pooling and flashing.


The recipe for the Mood Rings:

• On a US5 needle, cast on 100-102 stitches using a backwards loop or "e" cast-on.
• Join in a circle and knit for about 6-8 inches or as long as you prefer.
  
• Use the EZ sewn bindoff for a nice loose cast-off edge. (Both sides will roll because it's plain stockinette all the way. I like the casual texture of this effect.)
• Pull over your head and enjoy the little breath of luxury around your neck!

If you use Malabrigo Lace, you'll probably get 4 of these out of one 50-gram skein of that yarn.