This post brought to you by the letter B

B is for Bananas and Bugs......

My friend (and one of the former co-workers I taught to knit) Melissa gave me this great "cupcake" pan for my birthday. It makes cakes in some of my favorite bug shapes.

Today, I made banana-nut muffins in it. I got a little carried away with flouring the pans before hand; I hope the excess flour will brush off!

B is for Bats....

No pictures, but we found three bats (two alive and one dead) in the library this week, and a friend had one in her house, too. Apparently it's Bat Season in Eastern Iowa, although the natives seem as surprised as I am.

B is for Blocking....

Look! It's Askew, blocking! (Doesn't it look like I was way up high when I took this?)

One of my goals for this long weekend is to get Askew all done. A top like this is year-round in Texas, but probably not in Iowa. I think it will work under a jacket during the fall, though.

I'm dreading the seaming, since this is the first adult-sized garment I've ever made (socks don't count). It doesn't seem to matter if baby sweaters don't end up quite the right size, since sooner or later it will more-or-less fit the child. But I'd like Askew to fit me. If you never see it again, you know why.

B is for Badges...

Have you seen the Knitting Scout badges? I first read about them over at JenLa; you can get your own from Cast On. There are more, including ones for those of who have had designs accepted (or rejected) by a knitting magazine.


The “Proselytize Knitting” Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga.

We've all earned this one, I think!

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level One) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a non-knitting tool in a knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used paper clips as stitch markers, or successfully whittled and then utilized bamboo skewers

Hasn't everyone used a paper clip as a stitch marker? And I don't even know where my scissors are -- I always use nail clippers to cut my yarn.

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Two) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used a strand of Regia Bamboo to slice cheese, or repaired a small appliance with a metal knitting needle.

Pointy sticks are very handy, are they not?
(Be sure to check out McGyver Level 3!)

The “Knitting Whilst Under the Influence” Badge - This applies to both actual knitting under the influence, as well as achieving moments of stunning intellectual clarity about ones knitting under the influence. Presumes talking about knitting whilst under the influence a given.

Sunday afternoons spent knitting while eating cake and drinking wine -- I miss that!

The “I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess” Badge - The recipient is a whiz at substituting yarns and calculating gauge, can space increases and decreases evenly and is fully comfortable with the basic math encountered in all knitting projects.

Yes, I substitute yarn and knit loosely -- math is always at least peripherally involved in my knitting!

The “I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application” Badge - Recipients are those “special” campers who have knit items which somehow missed the mark of their intended application. There are probably more who are deserving of this badge than one would expect.

Well, I did once knit a baby bib solely to see how it would look on my cat. Someday, I'm sure someone I know will have a baby girl, and then I'll be able to say I was just knitting in advance. And really, I blame it all on Chris and her lovely model, Chaos!