Dragon or Dino?

The pattern said Dragon, but I think it's a Dinosaur. It's for Bean, my grandson, and he won't care what it's called, he'll just make it growwwlllll.

The original was sport yarn, I used Red Heart Worsted. Knitting with #6 needles left a few gaps, you can see one by the eye. I should have either used #5s or a double strand of yarn, but by the time I realized that, I was not going to frog all that knitting.

The pattern has several mistakes and I had to grit my teeth and fudge some decreases. I finally relaxed about the whole thing when I told myself, "It's just a toy!" and so Bean will have a squishy toy from his grandma. The eyes are a bit creepy, but I like the crocheted shells up the spine. Pretty cool for a gal that can't crochet much.

Here's another project, a Duduza doll. I didn't want to knit a traditional teddy, with all those pieces, and all that sewing. I read about a charity that needed Duduza dolls and I thought I would try the pattern for Bean. Of course, I had to change the pattern just a bit. First, I decided to knit it in the round. I hate sewing seams, plus I'm not so good. Then I decided to get even fancier, and started off with a closed tube, double knitting. I added a few stitches to make the doll wider, then had to make it a bit longer to keep the proportions correct. I knit all evening, finally putting it away just before bedtime. All I need to do is find some brown variegated yarn for the hair and...Wait a minute.
As I drank my coffee this morning, I realized if I finish the hat/hair and decrease, I won't be able to stuff my doll! Wow, that was close! Knittin' Grandma had a senior moment last night, and only the gray dawn of morning saved her from a Serious Knittin' Goofup!
Now the plan is to stuff the doll, finish the head, stuff and then seam the arms/legs/neck/waist.
My Great-Nephew was born at the beginning of the month, and I'm getting his package ready to go. I have the Seamless Kimono, in sock yarn, a pair of booties from the leftovers, and a bright blue bib done in kitchen cotton.

5 Hour Baby Sweater - for Bean

I finished the yoke in Bean's 5 hour baby sweater. The sleeve stitches are on strands of scrap yarn, and I'm working slowly down the body of the sweater.

Now that I've seen Bean recently, I have my doubts that this will fit him for any length of time. It's only 21" around the chest, and the yoke is 6" at most.

I like the seed stitch that overlaps in the front; it will go over Bean's head and I won't have to mess with the knitted or crocheted button bands of a cardigan. I could have put a 4th reverse stockinette ridge, but I didn't know how many more rows I wanted to knit before dividing the stitches.

Slippers and Guitar Guts

I finished slippers for my mom and dad. I used 2 strands Red Heart Worsted Weight yarn, and my wrists complained every time I picked up the needles. They seemed to take forever, because I could knit for little more than an hour in the evening. My dad's slippers are 40 sts, my mom's are 32 sts. I used a standard cuff down sock pattern, k2p2 rib continues down the instep to the toe.
J is impatient for the weekend to begin, he wants to work on Diametrag's guitar. After he bent the sides, he clamped them to a piece of plywood with an outline of the desired shape. Our son gives J clamps for Christmas, and it seems like a strange present. You can see J uses lots of clamps, but not all. He has more tucked away in the basement.
Here's another angle of the guitar sides. You get a good look at the walnut. Enjoy!

Guitar Guts

I am working on a pair of slippers for my mother. I make sock-shaped slippers with two strands of worsted weight acrylic and #8 dpns. Mom's feet are smaller than mine, so I'm almost done with the second slipper. I'm ready to begin decreases for the toe, and then I can start on slippers for my dad.
My parents are snow birds, wintering in Texas and on the road for most of the summer. They feel a bit of a chill when they come north in the spring, and they say my slippers are well used and appreciated all year long. I'm making them each a second pair to keep in the RV.
Mom's slippers are red, and the picture didn't turn out well, so I decided to post pictures of J's latest acoustic guitar. He finally got a rosette that was good enough, and is now working on bracing the inside. He asked me to take some pictures to document what he did, so here they are. I thought Diametrag might like to see his progress.

More Slippers for Christmas

Last night I finished the second pair and started a third pair of slippers. Now both my sons will have warm feet, and I have plans to knit more.
My mom and dad liked the slippers I made several years ago. When they came north for the summer, my dad forgot his. By the end of September he wished he had them.
Mom put in a special request for more slippers, and I'm happy to oblige. They will probably leave one pair in the house and one pair in the motor home. It would be wonderful if I could finish them before Christmas, but I'm not sure if I can do it.
I found my notes from the previous years, and have good sizes for everyone's feet. Hands and heads are next. At our Christmas celebration, I plan to trace everyone's hand so I can knit gloves or mittens next year.

Slipper Sox for Jake

"Jake" asked for slipper sox this year, and I found the notes from his first pair. I knitted those in 2004 and I guess they have lasted this long because they have been lost most of that time. "Jake" is not very organized. I found this red yarn at the Suburban Five and Dime, and decided to make him a bright pair of slippers. Maybe if they glow in the dark he'll be able to find them when they are under his bed or in a closet. You can also see the little hoya plants I'm growing for Christmas. I'm a bit disgruntled right now, and "Jake" probably won't get a plant from me.
Knitter's details: 2 strands worsted weight acrylic yarn, size 8 dpns, 40 stitches. Cuff down, 12 rounds k2p2 rib, 20 sts and 20 rows for heel flap. Turn heel, pick up 11 sts for gussets. 20 rounds to the toe shaping, continue k2p2 rib down the instep.