Show me your knitting basket

At the end of July, Terri asked "What is in your knitting basket?". My basket has been sitting in the corner of the bedroom, on a rocking chair, since I moved to Hammonton last November. It was still in the plastic bag that protected the contents while it was moved. I pulled it out and found an assortment of UFOs that really only needed a little bit of work.

The first UFO is a red, white, and blue afghan that I started last year. I really like this pattern a lot. It is a free pattern from the Lion Yarn website, and the afghan is made up of squares that are sewn together. Each square is either red or blue on the bottom, with a white strip at the top. When they are sewn together, it makes a really cool zig-zag pattern. The yarn is Bernat Soft Boucle. I would like to finish this, but the yarn is very dusty, and my dog totally loved this afghan, so it is rather dog-hair laden. I'm not sure my allergies can take finishing it, lol!

These are some baby booties and hats that I knitted a year ago. Two sets are completely finished, and one set needs to have the booties sewn up, and the hat made. I am adding this to my list of UFOs for UFO August, and will finish, wash, and mail them by the end of the month.

This is a hat that I was making with the leftovers from my first skein of yarn. When I learned to knit, the very first thing I made was a hat and scarf with this yarn for my daughter. These are the DPNs that I used when I learned to knit. When Jenn taught me to knit, she knew that knowing how to use DPNs was a critical knitting skill.


This is the first pair of socks I ever made. Yes, I did say pair of socks. I know there is only one in the picture, and I am sure that the other one is around here somewhere ... These are "house" socks made with Red Heart worsted weight. I used a pattern from the "Knit Socks!" book. These will keep my toes toasty this winter, because TRHM is a New Englander, and will have the thermostat set low. I think I'll make a couple more pair.


This is the first baby sweater that I ever made. I was really proud of it, and I think it turned out pretty good. It still needs the buttons sewn on, and I have them in my stash. I'll add this to the UFO list to be finished this month. It has raglan sleeves, with a simple cable up each side. It is made from Jaime sport pompadour. I think I'll wash it, and send it to my girlfriend Adrienne's granddaughter that just arrived last month.

This is a Saxon braid swatch. I was practicing this braid for incorporation into a vest I was considering. I decided not to make the vest, so this swatch is destined for the frog pond. I have no idea what I will make with this yarn, so it will go back into the stash.

This is a black and gold hat and pair of booties that I made for the upcoming Preemie Project donation for the University of Iowa. I started making these from Red Heart worsted, but it doesn't pass the softeness test for preemies. The larger hat and bootie set would fit a smaller full-term baby, so I will finish the booties, wash and send this set. The smaller hat will go into the frog pond. I have a large bag of hats and booties in my desk at work that are made of Caron Simply Soft. All of these booties will be sewn up, all the ends will be woven in, and these sets will get washed and mailed by the end of the month.

So that's what's in my knitting basket. What is in yours?