MISSTITCH

     Had some leftover yarn from the Baby Surprise Jacket, and am now knitting a matching hat.

    Bought nine-inch No. 5 circular needles which are not so easy to work with. Will not know until I finish and take off the needles how close it will come to fitting a baby's head. But if the needles are nine-inch, and a baby's head around 13 inches it ought to work. Knitting in such close dimensions is somewhat cramped. I'm trying to watch as I go, so I don't create a misstitch that will be harder to correct later.

BABY SURPRISE JACKET

     A new baby in the family. First time in a long time. A baby girl.

    Decided to make a Baby Surprise Jacket, as designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. Two shades of pink. A BSJ requires a lot of counting. I have made BSJs before, but have forgotten, had to learn all over again.

    EZ designed sweaters to have buttonholes on both sides of the front (back before sonagrams which tell you the sex of the child before arrival). When you know which, boy or girl, you close up the buttonhole you do not need with sewing on the button. EZ knit sweaters for a daughter, and when the son came along, she undid the buttons and switched them to the other side.

    I had the body of the sweater completed. I stalled (for weeks) on the collar. EZ's instructions always leave a lot to the knitter. A full collar involves several rows, some with strategically placed increases. After six rows of garter stitch, I decided 'enough'. Just  little stand-up collar around the neck.

    Still unresolved the button issue. The buttonholes are not very big, will accommodate only a small button. Maybe I will experiment with popcorn buttons. Need to get hopping. Baby is growing every minute.

DOZENS OF POT HOLDERS

     And they all need pressing. I no longer have a full-size iron. When the last iron quit working I did not replace it. What do I need an iron for?

    I do have a 'travel' iron, a small iron only about five inches in length. Why anyone would weigh their luggage down with even a small 'travel' iron is beyond me. I bought it for pressing small things, like pressing the seams on a quilting project. Not that I am into quilting, but I do think about it from time to time

    I exaggerate. I only have a dozen and a half pot holders, but I have a lot less stash. I will have to seek permission, but I hope to 'sell' them at the next public gathering in promotion of Leavenworth Attainable Housing. For a donation for LAH, the donor can choose from the pot holders.

    From what I hear LAH housed 16 people, whether as families or as individuals I do not know, but I also heard there was no recidivism. Instead of passing laws that make homelessness illegal, cities should be encouraging programs like attainable housing.