Knitting hours are few and far between with the very active men in my life. Last week when we traveled east for my sister’s wedding, it was the first time in 10 years that I didn’t have a knitting project with me…not that I was bored, a 15-month old who changes activities every five minutes takes a lot of focus especially on a plane! Still, I find a few minutes each night to plunk out a row or two and over time it does add up.

Since October I’ve only completed a handful of projects. An intarsia infinity scarf, a baby blanket, a hat for Luke and two crochet shawls. When I write it out, it feels like a lot but after slogging through a project week after week, my interest wans.

The last two months have been dedicated to a baby blanket for some very special new parents-to-be in our lives. But what inspired me to knit a 36” afghan on size 3 needles is beyond me. I love knitting baby blankets for our friends’ kids and I like thinking about all the love and hopes I have for them being represented in every stitch. I can think of at least a dozen little ones who have been wrapped in handknits and who are on their way to becoming incredibly awesome humans. I’m biased but I definitely think there is a correlation.

The infinity scarf was a guilty pleasure knit for myself. I absolutely love the way colorwork looks on a finished project but it totally intimidates me. However, I have scores of fingering weight yarn in my stash that isn’t going to go anywhere if I don’t start partnering them up for bigger projects. Once I got going on this however, it rolled along quickly and the pattern was easy to memorize.

After seeing this shawl on pinterest, I was mildly obsessed and snagged the pattern for a very special bride I know. I really enjoyed crocheting it, so much so that I repeated the pattern for myself and I’m not one to repeat patterns.

Luke’s hat was born of necessity and yes, I realize how silly that sounds sitting in Southern California. But, his daycare takes him outside twice a day for an hour very nearly rain or shine. Evenings in our arid climate can get pretty cool even in the summer so a good hat is important to this momma. Plus, our kid was blessed with a huge head and it’s next to impossible to find hats to fit him. I had to use an adult pattern for the circumference (Barley if anyone’s interested) but I’m thinking of ripping it back to shorten the height and reduce the slouch.

It’s hard to say what will end up on the needles next but knit-night is tonight and I’m excited to finally show up with a new project!