I was inspired by The Purl Bee to make homemade valentines this year. I made this one for my Andrew, and sent a few more back home. I love the sentiment behind these cards. I think I’ll be doing more homemade holidays from now on.

As a newbie knitter, I am constantly perusing the vast variety of yarns available. Some are affordable, others seem extravagant. I am a student, working part time as a server, depending very much on the generosity of patrons. As such, unless someone feels compelled to make a significant donation to my stash fund, making anything that requires more than a couple skeins of yarn out of superfluous fiber is absurd. On the other hand, working with cheap, squeaky yarns can be a daunting task. Heaven forbid you have to do anything but knit or purl. Knit two togethers are torture, and even increasing and decreasing can be painful. When knitting with thrifty yarns I yearn for the ease and beauty afforded by more luxurious brands. Then I go for a SEX at my LYS (oh, the lingo) and crave affordibility. I find myself torn and wondering, could I be yarn snob?

…Is admitting you have a problem. It seems that lately I only knit in miniature. Baby projects are such immediate gratification, and so adorable. Knitting for others may appear to be a generous gesture but let me assure you, there is a selfish motive. When knitting for babies, I love to dream about how darling they will look in my knitted articles, and how my handiwork is keeping them cozy and cuddly.

Here is the specs on my latest project:

Patterns: Bev’s Baby Seed Cap, *Tangle Knits’ Baby Booties to match Berry Sweater

* Instead of a ribbed top I did about one inch of seed stitch to match the cap.

Yarn: Paton’s Canadiana, (for the blue and cream set) & Red Heart TLC Baby (for the white hat)

Needles: Size 6 (US)