Oh my gosh, I can't belive it looks like the pattern!

So this will be a knitting blog with a little bit of (Irish) Music Thursday. That might sway your decision to keep reading.
Fair (Isle) warning.
So I have bitten off more than I can chew with my current knitting project. For the third and final blanket in the Baby Koogler series, I chose a Fair Isle (traditional Irish) pattern with teeny, tiny needles (size 5 American, I think) and sport weight yarn (about as tiny as you can get). So other than getting my clumsy hands accustomed to handling such small and delicate things, I also had to learn how to cable knit.
The cable knit in itself has not been difficult at all. I am now wondering why knitting brings about so many irrational fears. For example, I was afraid of adding fringe to any projects until last summer. I've been paralyzed in terror by the cable needle with no reason. I mean, cable knitting is part of every "I Taught Myself to Knit" pack/booklet. It's really not that bad. (Note to self: never run to catch the phone in sock feet on a slippery floor with a cable needle in your mouth. Just trust me.) I still am afraid of pom-poms, but I have not come to that crossroads yet. Check back with me in another year. And, yes, I still have yet to knit anything that is not square or rectangular (except for the Shrug that Got a Shrug, but that was all one piece and I just sewed up the seams. And I re-knit that project and it turned out nicely--I should take a pic and post it.). But I will be ready to move on to less square projects right about when the baby is born and. . .then my needles will be collecting dust for a little while!
So the cable knitting is not hard, but the pattern had some quirks that I think I have worked out. And aside from the fact that I have been working on this for a month and have a whopping 3 inches of blanket, all is now going well. The pattern is GORGEOUS! I think you can click on the picture to see it larger. I kept trying to take closer-up shots of the pattern but there is some sparkly/reflective material in the yarn that made a really bad glare with the flash (and it's such a dreary, dark, rainy day that I really need to use the flash).
Anyway. . . the blanket is not perfect. Don't even get me started on the yarn-overs. I know you see them--you don't have to pretend! That will be the end of the blanket that's tucked under the baby at all times.
This blanket is pink, if you couldn't tell. So I'm guessing that KidZilla will be a boy if for no other reason than to show me how ridiculous it was for me to spend this much time knitting a blanket that he can't use. (No, I will not use a pink blanket on a son--I don't care what gender stereotypes I am promulgating.) I guess we'll see in a couple of months. I'm assuming that I will be close to finishing this blanket sometime before the baby is born.
On a great note, I saw some pics online of our friend's baby and she was using the blanket I knit for her! That makes me so incredibly happy! I think one of the nicest things you can do when someone gives you something for your baby (or your dog or yourself) is to make sure the person who gave you that item sees you/the dog/the baby with the gift. An e-mailed picture is all it takes! I think that's about the most thoughtful thing you can do! Isa sent me a pic of her daughter in a Halloween onesie that I had given her and it meant SOOOO much to me! She's so thoughtful! (Not that other people are not--I'm just giving an example).
So that was a random tangent, for sure!
Well, today is (Irish) Music Thursday. The artist for the day is Steve Earle. And, um, well, he's not exactly Irish, but he has some Irish connections (does a great rendition of Galway Girl, has worked with The Pogues--next week's artists, etc.). He is almost a full-blooded Texan (read the Wikipedia article for some interesting stuff). He's led an interesting life and you may not like his politics (I know I don't) but it's some great stuff to listen to. I went against a cardinal rule and downloaded the ITunes Essential Steve Earle compilation "album". I usually try to stay away from those, but this guy has a pretty wide range and I wanted to get a general picture.
I was working on some scrapbook layouts (yay! I'm back, Cindy!) while I was listening, and every once in a while, my head would pop up and I would be like: "Wow, this guy is the pre-Ryan Adams (or other trendy alternative-pop artist)." Then it's like, "Wow, this sounds like Dylan or Tom Waits-y." Pretty cool stuff. Very reminiscent of my Austin KGSR days. Wow, I really miss that radio station! Fortunately, you can listen to it online through their website.
But if you are into trying a "new" artist, I would totally say Steve Earle makes the cut. Just good stuff to listen to when you are preoccupied and good when you want to listen, pay attention, and agree or disagree! Think rockabilly, folk, alt country, rockin' Irish all wrapped up together. I mean, any dude who sings about bringing Woodie Guthrie back usually is worth listening to. . .
So that's the blog for today. We are having a traditional day today--it has been windy and rainy. Psychologically, it is cold, but I know that it is really not. Rainy, cloudy days are warm--usually 50 degrees F. Of course, that's as warm as it gets here, so that might be miserable to you. You get used to it!
Tomorrow I'm on a mission with Chica #2 to get new power cords for the photo printer. I'll let you all know how that interesting activity plays out.