I'm back!

I've been away for the past few weeks, first on a cruise (yay!) and then for more job interviews (yay! but also boo!). My lack of posting on the blog has been an unfortunate by-product of the lack of knitting I've been able to do. Things looks like they are settling down for a bit, though, so I'm back with more inspiration than ever.

As you know, the biggest source of inspiration is my sister's new edition to the family, which we just found out yesterday is a BOY! We are all so excited we can't even contain it. Of course, I immediately cast on for a celebratory sweater with some gorgeous baby blue Rowan Calmer I had waiting, just in case...



I'm starting with the Baby Placket-Neck Sweater pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but I may add a hood. We'll see how it all feels when we get there.

I was tooling around Ravelry yesterday and found the most gorgeous blanket EVER. It's from the folks over at Woolly Thoughts, who are "mathematical knitters". I kinda had my heart set on designing my own blanket for my first nephew, but after seeing this, it's all over. I mean seriously- look at this thing!



I will definitely make it using different colors...the pattern apparently has instructions for 2, 4, or 8 colors. I may do 4 shades of green, or 8 bright colors...I'll have to pick a yarn and start putting skeins next to one another. I'm so excited!

In other knitting news, I am using the materials the other Farrah sent me in our swap to make a pair of Uptown Boot Socks (from the Interweave Favorite Socks book that she sent). The yarn is Dream in Color sock yarn in the most gorgeous green-the picture doesn't do it justice. I never thought I would be one of those people who gets all crazy over sock yarn ($20 for a pair of socks, seriously? I mean, it's for your feet, right?) but the difference in both the knitting experience and the quality of the sock is so exponentially better with the DIC yarn, it's just ridiculous.



I have the cuff done on the second sock, so we're looking at about quite a bit of train knitting until I have a nice pair. I would like to have them done for our trip to the Smoky Mountains on President's Day weekend, though...I better get cracking.

So those are my WIPS so far, but I have my inspiration back, so watch out! I received some Socks That Rock yarn in a Ravelry trade that I believe I'm going to use to make Anastasia socks. Also, Raveler eyeloveit saw a gorgeous little cropped sweater at Anthropologie and gawddang it if she didn't go and figure out how to make it for herself-check it out on her blog.
I think I'm going to try my hand at this, too.