way too many knitting photos

Well, I spent my free time this weekend finishing all of the knitting stuff, not finishing the unfinished blog side-dishes...
so you're getting a knitting post.
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I gave up on the damn shrinky-dink buttons. They come out of the oven slightly oblong instead of evenly round, and they dont come out pointing oblong in the same direction, so screw it. Sorry for the low light in the photo, I'm still trying to figure out the new camera and I don't have a clue yet how to edit photos.

I ended up using regular buttons, and I actually like them better, anyhow...which is kind of a riot considering the sweater didn't get to the baby before it was born because I was trying to figure out how to make the custom buttons.

For those who aren't familiar with The Baby Surprise Jacket, it's a pattern that was written in 1969 by one of the grandmothers of knitting, Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Here's what she has to say about the pattern:
"I call it the 'Surprise Jacket' because it looks like nothing on earth when you have finished knitting it. ....Funny looking object, isn't it? ...."

"...join with a neat woven seam, and hey presto eureka and lo -- a baby sweater! ...."

"...The baby will probably be unmoved by this offering, but the mother may well be charmed, and your friends will be AMAZED."

tadaaaaaa!
*the main color is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in "Mineshaft", and the stripe/border is Cascade 220 color #8013
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I also finished January's socks (viva la schmezolution!) :
* Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Fun color #325 w/blue reinforcing thread


I thought this was a grand accomplishment given that I had very little time to knit these past few weeks, and the socks were knit up on size 1 needles. I'd heard about the 2000 Socks thing and decided to add my two socks to the list. I started to compare myself to other posters who have already knit 9 socks by mid-month, and then I realized comparing is ridiculous. This is my hobby and I've been in dance rehearsals and classes 5 days a week most of this month. It's amazing I knit anything at all!

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I also knit the swatch for the shawl for the Knitting Olympics:
This has been washed and blocked and is about 9" wide. It's got a nice drape to it, but I might work a swatch up on needles one size bigger just to see what happens.

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I knit a few more color changes on the Latifa scarf. Last Thursday the owner of Skein Lane asked if she could take it with her to Stitches West to hang as a sample in her booth. So now I feel like I gotta finish it (although she said she'd be fine taking it as a work in progress and hanging it from the needles). We'll see. I'm not really dying to knit hours of garter stitch right now. I'm itching to get started on some new socks and to whip out something to keep my shoulders warm while I'm in between sets at dance rehearsal.

Speaking of rehearsal...that's where I need to be heading off to right now........