omg omg omg + request

My cousin's new baby son:





Seriously, how cute is he?


Now for the request: does anyone have any suggestions of quick knits for baby boys that can be done by beginning knitters? I've got the Mason-Dixon book and will be doing some bibs and burp cloths, but I would love other suggestions!

I've been tagged!

The rules, copy/pasted from my tagger's blog:
"Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog."

So here are my seven random facts:
1. I'm still a bit sad that the Gilmore Girls finale last week was the last episode ever, even though the show has been limping for a couple of years and Rory really bugs me now.
2. I've been with the love of my life for about five years, and we still hold hands in public and call each other shmoopy names.
3. I have to put my socks and shoes in this order: right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe. ALWAYS.
4. If it weren't for chicken and cheese, I could totally be a vegan.
5. I used to make hemp jewelry, and still have a lot of premade necklaces in a box in my closet. I stopped because the hemp was very rough on my hands.
6. My optimal room temperature is 70 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 23 degrees Celcius). Anything below or above that range makes me physically uncomfortable.
7. I can't go anywhere without tissues - my nose runs ALL the time, and has for years.

And the seven people I'm tagging are all people from the dishcloth exchange:
Stephanie
Channon
Jill
Laura
Kena
Erica
Patty

Devon's Contest

My "hostess" for the dishcloth swap has come up with a contest questionnaire, so here are my answers:
-What is one baked item you love making or buying and why?
Brownies. Fun to buy, fun to make. (Boxed, natch - I'm not Martha Stewart! But I do like adding vanilla, cinnamon, or ginger to the mix; this makes them taste less "boxy".)
-What is one item you love to knit and why?
Right now, my favorite item is dishcloths. I get distracted on larger projects, and the cloths only take a day or two.
-Favorite outdoor activity and why?
Photography. I'm not much of an outdoor person, but when I venture out, I almost always have my digital camera with me.
-Favorite way to relax?
Knitting something mindless while my fiance watches TV. Doesn't sound very exciting, but it works for us. :)

Summer Dishcloth Swap

I got my "spoilee" information for the swap today. This is going to be fun.
(For my "spoiler" - my questionnaire answers.)

I'm in the middle of a pile of cloths for my mom for Mother's Day (different sizes of the "Idiot's Dishcloth", knitted on #8s in oatmeal-ish colored Peaches & Creme). I'll take a picture when I finish the stack.

Blog: Now With Pictures!

So I finally got around to taking some pictures of my projects for the last couple of weeks. Yes, I'm a slacker.

First of all: I really did make the aforementioned coffee cup cozy! (Well, without the handle.) I used #5 DPNs and Cascade 220, cast on 44 stitches, did 2x2 ribbing for about 3 1/2 inches (people with medium/large hands may want to go to 4 or 4 1/2 inches long), and casted off in ribbing (instead of in knit), which helped keep it from stretching until the cup slips out of the bottom. It fits perfectly on a 20 ounce cappucino cup:

After that, I decided it was sock time. I found a basic pattern somewhere (I can probably find the pattern if someone's dying for it, but it really was very basic) and set off into Sockland:

It needed about an inch more ribbing and an inch more in the foot length. I should have frogged it and reused the yarn, but I bound off and wove in the ends. I want to keep it for a while. When I'm better at socks, I'll pull this one out and laugh, laugh, laugh.

I made a couple of Mason-Dixon Ballband Dishcloths for a momfriend having a birthday. We put them in a pink bag with some pink soap, a pink candle, and a card with a pink flower on the front. Good thing she likes pink:

And then I may have gone crazy making dishcloths out of variegated cotton:

Don't know about you guys, but the one on bottom is starting to make my eyes bleed.

You can see how all of this picture-taking madness affected the other cat:

(Answer: not one bit.)