HodgePodge

Last year when I really started knitting in earnest, I took a class on knitted Mobius baskets. Based on the coreolis effect, the basket is knit as one piece but the handle twists and spirals, appearing to be knit on afterwards but it's really all one piece! It knits up really fast and then the wait occurs for the felting to dry. The finished product is really cool but only about 6 inches across. I wanted a bigger, more utilitarian basket so, with the help of Lisa the Wonder Knitting Teacher, we came up with the calculations to the original pattern to "embiggen" the basket. Here is the result.

It took 6 times the yarn to make this, even though we only doubled the stitches. I needlefelted the quilting motifs on to combine both of my loves. The two baskets are virtually identical, although different sizes. I call the smaller one Danny and this one Arnold, after their movie "Twins". Well, Arnold is at the Webster County Fair this week. He won First Place and Grand Champion last year at the Ozark Empire Fair...well will see how well he does in our local fair.

On another note, John had a minor bit of plastic surgery yesterday. He'd had a lump on his chin for the past couple of years that was increasing in size, slowly. On his last checkup he asked his doctor what is was and how to get rid of it. Turns out it's a cebasious (sic?) cyst and needed to come off. Yesterday was the day. I'm quite impressed with the precision of the incision and the neatness of the stitches to close it up. 9 or 10 stitches! And I'll wager there will be little if any scar. Mr. Wonderful is going to be perfect again! I love you, John!