Next......

And for my next knitting project, I've decided to make this sweater for Mr. Gadget. He heartily approves of the design. He also likes the hair and wonders if it will come with the new sweater. I can't promise.

This sweater has a cable design down the front. It actually looks more difficult to do than it is. I've done cables before, but it's been a while. A small refresher course might be in order. I did make Mr. G. a sweater a couple of years ago out of some acrylic yarn, and I wasn't at all happy with it. That was before I learned of the wonders of wool and the joy of good seaming techniques. The acrylic is now in the to-be-frogged pile and will have a new life as a crocheted afghan--one of these days when the urge to crochet overcomes me again.

So Big City Girl breezed through the house briefly today, on her way to New Hampshire. We didn't recognize her at first, as she was wearing a skirt. But before we became completely speechless, she informed us that it was a skirt made out of sweat pants material. She did notice my just-finished Noro shawl-collared jacket hanging in the hallway and remarked that she liked it.....so maybe that's a Christmas idea for next year.

Here are a couple of ornaments I meant to post earlier. I embroidered them and hand-stitched some felt on the back. I think they look a little like stained glass.

Most of my embroidery is done with just a few simple stitches: satin, outline, back stitch, and the occasional French knot. There are hundreds of embroidery stitches and lots of books with instructions for each, but I prefer to keep it simple and just use lots of color.

I've been brainstorming on ideas for more handmade ornaments. I'm keeping a stack of blank 3 x 5 cards handy for sketching up my ideas. I have to admit, though, that I've been using those cards for other things too---like grocery lists and notes to family members and even for notes to myself. They fit nicely in the front pocket of my jeans. Although sometimes I'm so bad I have to carry one in my hand when I go upstairs, so when I get there I remember what it was I went up to get.......