Knit-Crochet Smackdown Lobster Style

So somehow I ended up starting two new projects this weekend. One is knit and one is crocheted but they're both lobsters. Weird, huh?

A customer mentioned knitting a cute lobster pattern from Ravelry. I went to look for it and found this crocheted lobster(.pdf) first. It called for 75 yards of worsted weight yarn. I remembered that Amanda had given me a skein of Mission Falls cotton in a tomato red colorway. And that Isabella had gotten to it and dragged it around and chewed it up a bit. I know that most people would have thrown it out at this point. I, for whatever reason, chose to save it. When I pulled it out I had to spend a little time untangling it and winding it into little balls.



I made all the pieces then realized it looked really crappy and was way too loose. The stuffing was showing all over the place. It was lumpy. Blech. I ripped it out and have restarted it on a smaller hook. It's looking a lot better.

While I was working on the first lobster I continued perusing lobster patterns on Ravelry. There's a lot more than you'd think. When I found the knitted lobster I had to cast on for that too.



The pattern is cute and looks a lot more lobster-y than the crocheted amigurumi style. This appeals to my Nantucket side. I can make buoys to go with it if I want to. We had lobster pots briefly when I was growing up. I don't remember them yielding many keepers.

Since I was hot on this whole toy theme I also finished knitting my charcoal Terra Bear. He's just hanging out waiting to be felted.

Here, Hold This For Me

I just finished knitting the teddy bear for our shop pattern for this year's LYS Tour. I needed to snap a photo before tossing him into the big drink (okay, the washer). I ran to the kitchen and found this.



That would be 1) a cardigan waiting for buttons to be sewn on 2) Rowan 4-Ply Soft in Beetroot purchased on impulse from Webs 3) hand cards and dog comb 4) Rose's fleece in four separate containers 5) my cute new vinyl tote from Murval and 6) my gym bag. Have I mentioned lately what an understanding and wonderful husband I have?

So I went to the dining room table and found this.



Fortunately I was able to clear a little corner off the living room table.



That's 28" unshrunk, baby.

Shop Knitting

As a yarn shop employee I knit lots of shop samples. We try to have a knitted item--not just a swatch--for everything in the store. The consistent problem for the staff is that we get so excited and start projects but we don't have the time to finish them. We rarely have a quiet moment in the shop to work on any of these projects. But two of mine now have deadlines so I brought them home to work on last night.

I'm teaching a "Socks on the Magic Loop" class. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and knit a shop sample sock for my class sample. The students normally use worsted weight yarn but yesterday I cast on for a Fleece Artist Basic Merino sock. The pattern is printed inside the label. We received an enormous box of the yarn in the last few weeks. The yarn is lovely to knit and the colors are really luscious (they're a bit blown out in this photo). I just need to knit another inch before next Saturday.



I'm also designing a felted teddy bear in Ecological Wool. All the shops participating in this year's LYS Tour will be creating a one skein pattern to give away during the event. I need to finish knitting this guy and write up the pattern by the first week of April which is shockingly soon.



I need to finish this guy up quickly to see how he felts. I'm fairly certain I'll have to knit a second version based on the felting.



Hugo is still hanging in there. His appetite is good (to a fault). He has energetic periods. But he also has difficulty breathing at times and periodic bleeding in his mouth from the lymphoma lesions. His original prognosis this fall was two to six months. He's stuck it out five months so far. The boys are hoping he makes it to his 11th birthday in July. Wes and I are not as hopeful.